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Worship - February

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Church Family,

This month I write this newsletter with a heavy heart. I wanted to take moment to share with you how God has been working in the life of me and my family. God is always moving, and He also moves in ways we don’t expect, or in ways that we aren’t ready for. But as we always say, as God moves, we move.

Over the last four years, it has been an absolute joy and honor to serve as your worship pastor. We have seen God move in ways we never could have imagined. We have made relationships that we pray will last forever, and we have made memories that we will cherish for a life time. It is with a heavy heart that we want to let you know that God has called our family into a new season of life and ministry. God has called us to Alabama where I will serve as the Worship Pastor at Bethel Baptist Church. The Lord has been moving in our hearts for the past several months to lead to this decision, and we do not take this calling lightly. As we move on, we will carry the love that you have shown to our family each and every Sunday.

Being a part of this church family will always be one of the greatest blessings of our lives. We are so excited about the future for Oakhill, and we cannot wait to see where God takes you all in this new season. God is moving strongly at Oakhill and it’s hard for to us to know that we won’t be present for the great things God has in the coming days and years at Oakhill. We can’t wait to hear the stories of how God works in each and every life of this church and this community. I love you and I have loved being your worship pastor. My prayer is that we would worship God with our lives, no matter the circumstances. He is good and He is faithful, and we are believing in God for great days ahead.

I want to encourage you to never stop worshipping, and never stop singing. Make it a priority with your family. Go to church on Sunday, but keep worshipping on Monday. Worship isn’t an experience, but it’s lifestyle. Worship is like breathing, it’s something we were constantly created to do. Don’t stop. Keep going. And whatever we do, let’s do it all for the glory of God.

In Christ,
Jared 

Posted by Jared Mitchell with
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Spiritual Development -February

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7 Traits of Godly Repentance and Worldly Sorrow

For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.  (2 Corinthians 7:8-10)

One category in Scripture that is crucial to understand is the distinction between true repentance and worldly sorrow. These distinctions are mentioned in 2 Corinthians 7:8-10 and speak to the motivations of why we experience grief or sorrow relating to our sin. Paul warns against a kind of grief that originates from worldly motivations of the heart and commends true repentance stemming from godly desires.

It is important to diagnose which type of sorrow is being produced by our hearts because while one “leads to salvation without regret”, the other “produces death”. What follows is a helpful chart produced by Dr. Jim Newheiser that can help us diagnose what type of sorrow is being produced by our hearts. Ask yourself, “When I am confronted with my sin, which traits listed on these charts characterize my sorrow?” Do you focus on yourself and what consequences might come to you if your sin were to be completely exposed? Or are you focused on God and how much you hate your sin. Does your sorrow lead to the fruit of repentance? Or do you run back unhindered to the same sin over and over again? The answers to the questions are a matter of life and death. We should all take them seriously and seek to be people who run to God and throw ourselves on His grace. He is a good father who will receive back any of His wayward children.

Recommended Resource— Unstuck by Tim Lane
Is there an area in your life that you want to change, but you don't know how? Is there a behavior that you've tried to stop, but you just can't seem to do it? Is there a negative thought pattern that you have attempted to move on from, but nothing you try ever works? In other words, do you want to change, but feel stuck?

Tim Lane takes you on a nine step journey towards lasting change, empowering you to break free from unwanted habits and behaviors that don't seem to go away. These steps are much more than strategies: they are truths that are rooted in Scripture. This practical and biblical guidance recognizes that the path to lasting change can only be found by growing in grace as we look to Christ and are empowered by the Holy Spirit. Whatever your struggle, this warm and encouraging book will help you to get unstuck as you look to Christ in the day-to-day pressures of life.

 

Posted by Nick Scott with

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