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Pastor's Points - March 2021

Dear Church Family,

I cannot believe that Easter is already right around the corner! In just a few weeks we will be celebrating the fact that we serve a risen Savior!  Our special Easter dates are out, and I would encourage participation in these times together if possible.  I know we have been through challenging times and it has been hard for people to gather, but with the cases of COVID falling off drastically, and with many people getting their shots it is more possible than ever for us to assemble. 

Please mark these special dates down so you do not forget them.

April 2^nd – Good Friday – “Night of Worship” - 6:30 pm

April 3^rd – Family Easter Celebration (Including Easter Egg Hunt) – 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

April 4^th – Easter Services – 8:00 am, 9:30 am, 11:00 am

Please look to intentionally invite your friends, neighbors, and family members to come to these events.  Easter season is a great time to invite people to come to these types of events because studies have shown for years that people are more open to attend church events around Easter time. The night of worship is always moving and powerful, the family celebration/egg hunt is always fun and enjoyable, and our times of worship on Easter will clearly explain the hope of the Gospel to all who will come. Please be praying now who it is you can invite to come to these ministry events!!

I also want to take time in this article to thank our church family for being willing to minister to others.  We have had a great response to people joining in with our “Oakhill Cares” initiative.  There are more people than ever serving others by making phone calls, writing notes, visiting those who cannot come, and providing practical resources to those who are in need.  Thank you for all you are doing!  Let’s keep it up!! 

Also let’s stay united in prayer together as we lift one another up and ask God to do things for others that only He can do!!  I think of two young men that we have recently been praying for.  This past Sunday they were both in worship together with their families!!!  What a great joy it was to see them smiling, with their families, worshipping the God who has loved them so well.  Wesley and Jackson, it was awesome to see you both in worship!  You are loved!!  I thank God for allowing me to pastor Oakhill! There is no other church that I would rather pastor!!

I love you and I love being your pastor,

Pastor's Points - February 2021

Dear Church Family,

As we enter the month of February, we find ourselves in the middle of unknown times.  Two of the biggest unknowns are the corona virus, and the new political landscape that we find ourselves in.  How long will the virus last, what about the vaccine, what new policies will be put in place by the new president and how will they affect us personally, and corporately as a church?  Good questions that I do not have the answers to.  As we have been discussing in our recent sermon series, we have choices to make when facing the unknown. How will we respond when we find ourselves surprised by situations? Or how will we respond when we have no control over the situations we face? More good questions that we will answer by our responses to the unknown.

I have had recent conversations with people that are very concerned about the future.  Their future, and our collective future as a church.  So much is changing! So much is out of our control! So much is unknown!  These statements are all true, but we serve a God that does not change, who is in perfect control, and is clearly known to us!! We of all people have reason to hope in 2021!!  Our God is still on His throne!

God began leading me back in October to begin preaching through the book of Acts when the new year begun.  And that is what I am going to do beginning in February.  I do not believe there is a more relevant part of scripture for us to spend time in right now than this book.  We will be encouraged as we look back at the testimony and faith of the first generation of Christians, and the power of the Holy Spirit on full display.

One theme we will find in Acts is that of apologetics.  Apologetics is the branch of theology that is concerned with defending Christianity against accusations and error.  One article I was reading stated, “In the early days of the church, many were accusing the Christians of being seditious against the Roman imperial government. Luke recorded several courtroom scenes and made it clear that whenever Christians came before the Romans, the Romans recognized that the Christians were good, peaceful citizens. The real trouble, Luke showed, came from those Jews who rejected Jesus as Messiah, and who thus were angry at the Christians who claimed Jesus to be the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises.” In our day we are going to have to be willing to give a defense as to why we believe what we believe, and confidently proclaim to our culture that Jesus Christ truly is the promised Messiah.  He is the Savior of the world!

But then another theme that we will see time and time again is the power of God on full display in the lives of His children.  The story of the works and power of the Holy Spirit in Acts is truly amazing, inspirational, and encouraging. Listen to what Andreas Köstenberger says in his work on Acts… “If the first generation of the Christian church proves anything, it is this: the power of God is infinitely greater than any human obstacles in its way.  A humble Galilean craftsman, who suffered an untimely death and accumulated no earthly possessions, wrote no books, and left behind nothing but a small band of disheartened followers, spawned a movement so powerful that it took the Roman Empire by storm.”

We are a part of that same movement today!  And the power of our great God is still infinitely greater than any obstacles that get in our way!! Our God is greater than a virus, financial hardship, political unrest, or even persecution itself!!  Let’s keep looking to Jesus, let’s be ready to give an answer, and let’s keep trusting Him every step of the way!!!

I love you and I love being your pastor