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Student Ministry - February

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Dear Church Family,

What’s so great about the Bible? That is a question that many people are asking today.  Unfortunately our culture no longer has the same reverence for the Holy Book that it once did. There are many reasons for this, the primary ones being the popularity of skepticism and belief in subjective realities. In one sense these things can be very bad and lead people into hopelessness guided solely by their sinful hearts. But in a positive light, they can be tools to get people to think about why they believe what they believe and then point them to the hope that is found in the one objective truth that is God’s Word.

People are skeptical about things that they are told to be skeptical of. In our world, which is dominated by a naturalistic worldview, people are told that the supernatural doesn’t exist, so believing a book that claims to be supernatural is foolish. Therefore you must critique it with a naturalistic worldview and try to explain away any spiritual or supernatural aspects within it. That is how people approach the Bible today. Christians obviously know better than that. We are open minded to the reality of the supernatural. When we see it and understand it properly, we accept it, rather than try to explain it away because we don’t want to believe. That is what a true scientific mind would do… pursue truth, no matter where it leads… even if it leads to  belief in a Triune, all-powerful Creator.

I believe that the Bible leads us to the truth. But why make such a big fuss about the Bible and not some other book? What’s so special about this book? Well, one of the biggest reasons is that the Bible actually answers our questions. Instead of ignoring us or giving us unsatisfactory answers, the Bible tells us the hard truth. Question: Where did we come from? Answer: God made us in His image to glorify and enjoy Him forever. Question: What’s wrong with the world? Answer: We rebelliously sinned and fell short of His glory and deserve His righteous wrath. Question: How do we fix this? Answer: We can’t fix this, but God can, and He did when Jesus the Son came and died for our sins taking on Himself the wrath we deserve. Question: Where do we go from here? Answer: After we turn from our sin and turn to Christ, we are forgiven of our sins and given the Holy Spirit, and our desire is now to live for Jesus and proclaim the good news to all. We eagerly await His return and renewal of all of creation.

No other worldview, religion, or book makes sense of our world like the Bible does. And, historically speaking, no other book is as reliable as the Bible is. No other book has stood the test of time like the Bible has. No other book explains good and evil like the Bible does. And no other book reveals our Creator to us like the Bible does. That is why this spring the Student Ministry will be asking the question, “What’s So Great About the Bible?” And we’re going to answer that question by digging in and seeing for ourselves how truly amazing this book and its Author really are.

Please be praying that through this study, students’ questions would be answered, their faith grown, and that some would come to saving faith.

Sincerely,
Brian Van Doren 

Posted by Brian Van Doren with

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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