This week the church is having computer issues so the blog is coming to you via the Green House Router.
Hello Friends,Sunday is Pentecost. We celebrate Pentecost as the birthday of the church. In preparation for Sunday let me ask you some important questions: What is the purpose of the church? Has it changed over time from the very first Pentecost to today? Are we, at The Oaks Baptist Church, fulfilling that present purpose? Please share your comments and thoughts below. You never know what may show up in my sermon!
Speaking of sermons, I'll be opening mine this Sunday talking about the Solar Eclipse and the ring of fire. If you want to know more about it, read this article on CNN.Thanks for reading and commenting,Josh
Hello Friends,
One of the tasks I complete every week here as pastor is to come up with a sermon title. And as you know, sermons as well as sermon titles are subject to change at a moment's notice. While the text I will preach from (Acts 4:5-21) will remain the same this week, the focus and the title for this message has changed. (Celeste, who is so faithful in putting up my sermon title on the sign each week will not be happy with me). Instead of preaching on Jesus as the cornerstone of our lives, I want us to examine another aspect of the scripture; I want to consider courage, and the courageous stand that Peter and John gave to the rulers and leaders of the day.
Courage is defined as the "mental or moral strength to face fear, danger or difficulty." In our text, which follows the miraculous healing of the crippled man at the gate "Beautiful" by Peter and John, these disciples have extraordinary courage to face criticism, judgment, and punishment in response to their actions. Instead of shirking responsibility or fading away, Peter and John are bold in explaining how they were able to heal the gentleman. Peter, being full of the Holy Spirit says in verses 8-11, "'Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.'" Peter not only says they healed the man in the name of Jesus, he condemns the rulers of the Sanhedrin for their role in killing Jesus. He was not defensive, he was offensive in his response to their questions.
I point this out to ask, are we that bold with our faith? Are we willing to take a stand, perhaps even an unfavorable one, in the name of Jesus who was crucified, and resurrected? My fear is that we in the church have become so afraid of being unpopular that we refuse to be bold in our beliefs. I can tell you that many individual Christians are more concerned with being liked by their friends, family and peers, than they are about being true to their faith in Christ Jesus. I say this not to be judgmental or to be condemning, but instead, to confront a serious issue that is plaguing us as followers of Christ. It is time for us to be bold and proclaim our faith and witness to a world in desperate need of hope and love.
As you prepare for Sunday, I want you to pray that God would give you the courage to be a witness in this time just like Peter and John were in their time.
May God bless you and keep you as you serve Him faithfully,
Josh
Hello Friends,
You and I are on the roller coaster of life everyday. We ride up and down, in and out; we seemingly have no control on where we are going. Sometimes we are silent, and sometimes we scream. Sometimes we hold on tight, and at other times, we let go and are carefree. I do not know about you, but I can tell you, there are times when I simply want to get off the ride. I want smooth sailing, not all the twists and turns. I want to know what is coming next, and not to be fearful of the unknown.
In our text for Sunday, Psalm 22, we are reminded of the roller coaster of life in a poignant way. This is a personal lament psalm, and it is the one Jesus quoted from the cross with those piercing opening words, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" I shudder each time I hear those words because the feeling of abandonment is perhaps the most painful in the human experience.
The good news of the Psalm and of our existence, however is that we are not left alone, though we may feel like we are. Immediately after questioning God's presence, the psalmist is comforted in God's faithfulness throughout the generations. That up and down, back and forth is exactly the way we live today. Sometimes we feel God's presence, and at other times we feel completely alone. Sometimes we are close, and other times far away. What can we take from this?
Perhaps the most comforting claim is found in verse 24. The Psalmist exclaims, "for he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help." In other words, God hears our prayer each time, every time. But that is not all...we can be comforted by his presence even when we are not feeling it. Our feelings are a poor barometer of God's faithfulness. We are called to trust in that we do not see, and sometimes that we do not feel...that is what faith truly is.
So I challenge you to hold on tight to the ride. Sometimes up, down, left or right, but never alone, and never without hope.
May God bless you and keep you,
Josh
Hello Friends,
Glad to be with you this week. I was away last week due to a funeral service.
Our text for Sunday is found in 1 John 3:16-24. It is a text I have never preached on before and honestly, I am not sure how I missed it. It is a wonderful passage that simplifies not only whose we are in Jesus Christ, but who we are called to be because of the love and grace of Jesus Christ.
The message is this: "we know what love is because Jesus Christ laid down his life for us." In response to that incredible gift, you and I are called (compelled?) to share that love with our neighbors. If you want to know what a Christian is to look like, that is it.
I read an insightful blog that has helped me focus my sermon this week. I share it with you (Stewardship of Life) for you to read at your leisure. (By the way, if you hear anything in my sermon that sounds exactly like what is written in that blog, it is almost certainly coincidental--haha!)
With that said, I want you to know that I also saw this text in action this morning. One of our own had to have extensive heart surgery today. After spending the morning with the family at St. Joseph Hospital in Savannah, I left to come back to the office to work on my sermon. On my way out, Bruce Frost walked in; he came to share God's love and peace with the family. A few minutes after he arrived, Eugenia McDilda and Rita Ponder came in to share God's love and peace with the family as well.
The most powerful verse in this passage for me is 1 John 3:18 which says, "Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." That is what those three did and that is what we are all called to do as well.
May our actions reflect the love that God has bestowed upon us all.
In His love and grace,
Josh
Sports Corner
Tonight is the NFL Draft. Teams will be selecting the top NCAA football players to help improve their respective franchises. The Falcons, due to the Julio Jones trade of 2011, do not have a first round pick this year. I am perfectly content with that because Julio is better than any player we would have selected this year at 22 anyway. The Falcons do have several needs to fill with DT, OL, and TE being the most serious. Here's to a great draft, and quite possibly, a franchise player being picked this weekend.
Have a good one!!!
Hello Friends,
Glad to be back with you this week after not blogging during Holy Week. Thanks to all who made Easter Sunday a meaningful service and a memorable experience for us all.
We follow Easter Sunday with a passage that speaks to all of us--Doubting Thomas, John 20:19-31. I guess I should say from the beginning that Thomas gets a bad rap. We know him as the disciple who doubts; that is only part of the story. Thomas was a committed follower of Christ who was a leader of the Twelve, and one who simply wanted to get to the bottom of things. When he is confronted with the incredible story that Jesus had appeared to the others in the Upper Room while he was away, he says, "I will not believe it until I touch the nail prints and put my hand in his side." You see, Thomas thought the resurrection was too good to be true and he wanted proof that it happened before he believed it.
This is where Thomas' reputation sticks to him for the rest of eternity; he was the one who doubted the resurrection of Christ. With that said, however, I ask you pointedly, would you have believed it? After watching your Savior and Lord die, and after seeing his body placed in the grave, would you have believed He would have rose again? I think we all would like to say that we would believe, but truth be known, we would be more like Thomas than we care to admit.
Furthermore, if I am completely honest, I see where Thomas comes from simply because I am a doubting disciple too. In the midst of the chaos of the world, I tell you I have doubted God's grace, and His very existence, more than once in my life. And that brings me to the essence of the sermon for Sunday...can faith and doubt coexist? Is there a place for doubt in the church, even among the "faithful?"
I believe doubt is a very real aspect of our lives and it is often a catalyst to a deeper faith. So if you find yourself wondering about what God is doing in the world or even if God exists at all, take heart...one of Jesus' on disciples did as well. The best news I have about the text is this: though Thomas doubted initially, Thomas' confession of Christ at the conclusion of our scripture stands as the litmus test for our faith today: "My Lord and My God!" May we all confess Jesus with our lips and with our works as we prepare our hearts for worship Sunday.
Thanks for reading as always,
Josh
Sports Corner
Baseball season has started and the Braves are not doing too well (2-4). I think they will be fine and I expect them to make the playoffs as a wild card team. That is, if they can hit a little better than what they are doing now.
I am sure by now you have heard the story of Bobby Petrino who was the head football coach at Arkansas. If not, just type in his name to any search engine and you will be greatly disturbed by what you find there. I do not want to pile on the man, but I hope all of us take a lesson from his misdeeds. He allowed hubris to overtake his rational mind, and he is paying the steepest price for it. May we never get so big and so bold that we have to pay a price like that.
Throughout the Lenten Season, a member from our church will be writing a weekly meditation. This is included in the bulletin as an insert. So that we can share these writings with the larger internet community, they will be posted here every Sunday afternoon. Please share these guest blog posts with your friends and family members and join us in our journey toward the Cross. This week's meditation was written by Dr. Wilbur New for a 2006 Lenten Devotional Guide before prior to his death in 2011.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34
Do you think that Jesus meant these words only to those crucifying Him? I don’t think so. I feel it is so much more than that. I believe He was saying it to everyone, even to us today. He wants to forgive our sins, but it is up to us. We must repent and ask for forgiveness. He doesn’t forgive us against our will. How about us? Are we quick to forgive others, or do we hold onto the hurt and never let go? What pain, bitterness, anger, and depression we suffer when we don’t forgive as He forgives us.
There were two thieves on crosses beside Jesus. One went with Him that day to Paradise. The other did not because he didn’t ask. In today’s world, we are so concerned about “things” that we push God aside and go on our indifferent way with Satan. That is until a calamity strikes, sickness, financial reverses, emotional upheaval, or an accident. Then, and only then, we turn to God asking why. We ask for forgiveness, direction for our lives, and release from our problems. And even though we haven’t been faithful, God still hears and forgives. He is an awesome God, isn’t He?
Dr. Wilbur New
Hello Friends,
It is that week again...the week that changed everything in the life of Jesus. This Sunday, we enter Holy Week by exclaiming "Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" We celebrate Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on this Palm Sunday. Jesus was recognized that day as a king by all the common people in the city. He was their hope for overthrowing the Roman oppression. But just a few days later, those same people who praised Him said, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"An unbelievable turn of events in only four days.
Before we condemn their turncoat ways, perhaps we should examine our own lives. How many of us praise Jesus on Sunday, and then use foul language and rancorous speech against our neighbors the following week? How many of us proclaim Jesus as Lord on Sunday, but spend the rest of the week living for ourselves? If we were to be completely honest, we would have to admit that we would be one of "them." We would be those voices in the crowd proclaiming peace one minute, and condemnation the next. We would be the very ones who would turn on Jesus if we did not receive what we felt we were entitled to.
I say that to say this: We are forgiven. Though we fail miserably in our lives, we are forgiven not because of who we are, but because of who God is. In the midst of this betrayal not only by the townspeople, but ultimately of the Twelve, Jesus would look down on the people from the cross and say, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." What love that must be!
So this Sunday, I pray that you consider your place in the crowd. You and I will proudly proclaim Jesus' kingship, but then as we do every day of our lives, we will turn our backs on Him and say along with Peter, "I never knew Him." Make no mistake about it...this behavior is not right, but thank God, we are forgiven by God's love and grace.
I hope you recognize that God's love is amazing. I pray that you are humbled by what Jesus did for you, and I pray that you might live differently because of it.
Amen.
Sports Corner
Kentucky vs. Louisville
Kansas vs. Syracuse
Good games this week...Kentucky will win, and I am picking Kansas as the upset.
The championship will be on Monday April 9th...Kentucky should win, but this is the NCAA tournament...anything can happen. I say Kansas in the upset of the Year!
Throughout the Lenten Season, a member from our church will be writing a weekly meditation. This is included in the bulletin as an insert. So that we can share these writings with the larger internet community, they will be posted here every Sunday afternoon. Please share these guest blog posts with your friends and family members and join us in our journey toward the Cross. This week's meditation is written by Guest Blogger, Jennifer Davis:
"Stop that! Quit! What are you doing? Were you raised in a barn? How many times have I told you NOT to do that?" Those of you who know me and my children, know that these are things I say repeatedly on a daily basis. I often find myself wondering how these children, who certainly know better, can constantly find things to do and say that are completely against what they have been taught. Then I have to think of myself, "Surely the Lord Himself thinks these VERY same things about me!" How often does He shake His head in bewilderment at me and the the things I say and do? As our Heavenly Father, I can see Him looking down on all of His children wondering where He went wrong.
On the other hand, I also know that no matter how angry or disappointed I become with some of the choices my children make, my love for them never changes, and my hope that they learn from their mistakes is always there. That has to be the feeling God has for all of us, His children, as we continue to make mistakes and fall short of His teachings. In this time of Lent, let us all be mindful and thankful for the mercy and forgiveness He shows us daily.
"To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in His laws, which He set before us by His servants and prophets." Daniel 9: 9-10.
- Jennifer Davis
Hello Friends,
Our text Sunday is one of the more obscure passages in the Gospel of John. Jesus is in Jerusalem after having brought Lazarus back from the dead, and after having rode in on the colt in His Triumphal Entry. While preparing to attend the Passover festival, some Greeks came to Philip, Jesus' disciple, and said, "We want to see Jesus." Philip told Andrew who in turn told Jesus. As Rev. Al Rahn pointed out to me last night, Andrew is only mentioned three times in the New Testament and each time he is bringing someone to Jesus (John 1:41, John 6:8, and John 12:22).
The Greeks wanting an audience with Jesus is significant because Jesus has become an international celebrity. No longer is He simply a Jewish leader driven to save His people... this is foreshadowing of His later ministry where all people will have an opportunity to be saved. Even later in this passage, Jesus says, "I will draw all people to myself." No longer exclusive, Jesus is the Savior for all.
My sermon Sunday will center around the comment of the Greeks, "We want to see Jesus." It is interesting to me that they did not come to speak to Jesus directly but yet went to someone who knew Him to set up a meeting. I do not know about you, but I believe there are many people in Toombs county who know a little about Jesus (much like the Greeks), but who do not "know" Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior; frankly, that realization is painful to me.
I believe this text, as well as others in the NT, points out the need for us as the people of God to bring people to Jesus. It is our responsibility as Christians to not only grow personally in our faith, but to proclaim our faith in a world of fear and doubt. I am greatly troubled that we in the church simply assume someone else will share the word of Christ with others. I am perplexed that we in the church shirk this God given command to be witnesses for Christ.
Look around...there are many people who want to see Jesus. I bet you are see them every day whether at the grocery store, at school, at your work, or at a funeral visitation. People are desperate to find the hope, joy, and peace that only God can give through Jesus Christ. And church, we must not hold back any longer; rather, we must let others see Jesus in our words and deeds. We must tell of who Jesus is and what He has done in our lives. We must let others know that Jesus is significant in our lives not just on Sunday, but every day.
May God have mercy on us all for our failures to bring others to Christ. May we repent of this sin, and live out the Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission.
Thanks for reading,
Josh
Throughout the Lenten Season, a member from our church will be writing a weekly meditation. This is included in the bulletin as an insert. So that we can share these writings with the larger internet community, they will be posted here every Sunday afternoon. Please share these guest blog posts with your friends and family members and join us in our journey toward the Cross. This week's meditation is written by Guest Blogger, Celeste M. Robison :
As many of you know, our home is close to the city cemetery. I walk there on a daily basis. Some of my friends find it unusual that the cemetery is where I choose to exercise. I, on the other hand, enjoy the solitude, the calm and quiet, and it’s the perfect place to think. A couple of weeks ago on a very chilly morning, I noticed a single yellow daffodil randomly growing right next to a grave marker. It caught my eye because among all the cold white stone markers was this tiny, yet beautiful, sign of life. I stopped to take a picture with my cell phone. I wanted to capture this perfect illustration of the circle of life.
In that moment, I fully understood the meaning of Easter. I thought about my life and realized more profoundly than before that we’ll all experience death, but it’s what we do while we’re living that truly matters. Easter allows us all a fresh start. It is God’s reminder that the-way-things-are doesn’t have to be the-way-things-will-always-be. For me, that is a very comforting reality.
Celeste M. Robison
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