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Spare Change - July 2023

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The Joy of Children

Part of my job and calling at Oakhill is to be the Children's Pastor.  I love this part of the job because I love kids! Kids are so much fun!  From squishy babies to precocious toddlers to funny older children, they are all a marvel of God.  I love to see them learn and grow, especially in the context of growing in the Lord. This is a special blessing of being involved in the children's ministry.  I am positive the other volunteers at Oakhill feel the same way.

I am thankful that at Oakhill we love children. Our love is modeled after the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  I am so thankful that the gospel writers inspired by the Holy Spirit
included the story about Jesus interacting with children in Mark 10:13-16:

“And [Parents] were bringing children to [Jesus] that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.”

At this time in Jesus’ ministry, He was ministering to a great many people.  I can imagine a long line of people waiting to speak to Jesus.  This group of parents, knowing that their children were a most precious gift, brought them to Jesus to be blessed.  The disciples saw this as a waste of Jesus' time.  They probably thought, "look at all these people that need Jesus' help, these children are just taking up his time".  As I said, I'm thankful we get this glimpse into our Lord's thinking about children. He rebuked His disciples and pulled the children in close.  We get the picture that Jesus might have put them in His lap as He blessed them.  This shows us that our Savior loved children!

First, he knew that these were potential future followers.  If these parents believed in Jesus and taught their children to do the same, then these children would be the future for the church.  He wanted them to feel welcome in His church. Second, Jesus wants us all to approach Him with childlike faith.  This type of faith doesn't mean immature or devoid of theological thinking. It means that we have simplicity in our faith.  We need to trust Jesus like a child trusts a parent. Children with loving parents don't have to wonder if their parents will take care of their needs. They know their parents are going to protect them. They just simply trust, it's almost thoughtless, like a reflex.  We need to have the automatic reflex of faith in every stage of life. 

I am sure that this experience with Jesus left an indelible mark on the children He blessed.  I hope that many of them followed Jesus and learned to obey all that He taught.  Children are a great example of how we need to live in awe and wonder of our Savior.  As children grow in faith, they are like little sponges that are constantly amazed by all they are learning.  I pray we can all retain this attitude into adulthood.  We should continue to approach Jesus daily with awe and wonder. 

If we want to honor our Savior, then we will be like Him and make room for children in the church.  We will seek to love and disciple them. Most of all, we will bring them to Jesus. We will share the good news of the gospel.  We will be living examples of the gospel to the children.  I'm thankful that Oakhill is a church like this!

Posted by Bryan Gotcher with
in Kids, Newsletter, Missions

Spare Change - June 2023

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James calls Christians to not just be hearers of God’s Word but doers also.  In James 1:19-26 he challenges followers of Jesus to live in obedience to God’s Word.  This seems like it would be so obvious that we do not need to be reminded about it; however, many Christians either do not live according to the Bible or they seek to soak up Bible knowledge and never apply it to their lives. 

This reminds me of the college experience.  Students attending college can look at their time in college in one of two ways. They can see their time as a temporary stop so they can acquire knowledge that can then be applied to a future job.  Or they can look at it as an opportunity to learn and continue to learn, simply filling their head with knowledge they will never use in a practical sense.  In my opinion, the goal of college should be to take your skills and knowledge and apply them to a job so you can contribute to society. The same idea applies to being a follower of Jesus.

If we simply are in a relationship with God so we can learn and increase our knowledge, we are missing out on so much. Our job is not to sit and soak as spiritual sponges.  We are to learn so we can apply the truth to our lives.  Look at what Jesus says in Matthew 5:19, “Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”  Notice this verse has a negative and positive statement with punishment or reward attached to them.  The second statement is the positive statement which encourages believers to not only know the commands of the Bible but to obey them.  The emphasis is on obedience and teaching others to do likewise. That is the highest goal for believers in the kingdom of God.

This is similar to what Jesus said in the Great Commission before He ascended into heaven. In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Notice that the Great Commission is telling us to make disciples.  Which means our goal is to multiply followers of Jesus.  The way we do that is to teach the disciples but not just to fill their heads with Bible knowledge, rather we are teaching them to obey the commands.  Again, the emphasis is on obeying God’s Word.

If we truly want to do what Jesus has commanded us to do, we must seek to live out the commands of God in our lives.  Robby Gallaty in his book Replicate says, “Our goal is not just to read [the Bible] for information.  We should read the Bible for greater intimacy with God.  God is not going to quiz us in heaven on how many Bible facts we know…Discipleship is not, contrary to what some people think, about learning the Bible.  It is about applying what we learn in the Bible to our lives.  Our learning should lead to action.”  We must be people that are known for our love of God’s Word, which means we must learn it.  The question is never should I read and study God’s Word, the answer to that question is a resounding, “YES!”  The question should be what do we do with what we are learning?

First, we must apply it to our own lives.  This means that we seek to live according to God’s Word no matter what it says.  If we find that our lives are opposed to God’s Word at any point, we must submit and shape our lives accordingly.  Second, we must seek to teach others. This means we are making disciples by helping others to know and live out the Bible.  This does not mean everyone will be a Bible teacher or preacher, but everyone can teach someone else the truths of the Bible in a discipleship relationship.  

One of the saddest verses in the Bible is Hebrews 5:12, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,” The author of Hebrews was speaking to seasoned Christians; however, they were not mature in the faith because they were not living out the truth. They needed it taught to them again and again when they should have been teaching others. I pray that you will hear the encouragement from the Bible and seek to obey it in your life. There is no higher calling for the Christian than to live by God’s Word and teach others to do the same.

Posted by Bryan Gotcher with

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