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Pastor's Points March 2018

Dear Church Family,
Through this winter I have been reminded multiple times and in multiple ways how blessed I am to be the pastor of Oakhill!  Our church families’ willingness to serve others has been on full display through our UPWARD basketball and cheerleading ministry, and our food pantry. One or both important ministries have been functioning every weekend throughout the winter.  These ministries functioning at the same time is a large undertaking, but it is possible because of your willingness to serve others.  I just want to say thank you for serving the Lord!  We see the fruit of these ministries in the lives of those that we are reaching out to.  By the time you read this UPWARD will have come to an end and we will be busy following up with families who have shown interest in coming to Oakhill.  Please pray for that effort as we reach out to make a ministry relationship beyond the UPWARD season. 

As we look forward to Spring I want to remind you of a few important events in our church.  In 2018 we are encouraging our church family to prioritize God’s Word in their life like never before.  Many people committed themselves to read the whole Bible through in a year, or to reading the New Testament through in a year.  Many people have shared with me that they are so encouraged by making this commitment and are seeing the benefit it is to them.  That is amazing!

Along with this reading emphasis of the Bible, we are also offering an overview of every book of the Bible this year through our five “Growth Initiative” Saturdays throughout the year.  We are calling the emphasis in our growth initiative this year, Unfolded – Understanding God’s Word based off Psalm 119:130.  In five separate three-hour Saturdays throughout the year, we will take a few books of the Bible each time and consider the basics of them and how they apply to our lives.  Our first Growth Initiative is on March 24^th from 8:30 am – 11:30 am where we will consider Genesis through II Samuel.  Please plan to sign up and attend and know that each time we meet there will be childcare provided.  This is a great opportunity to invest in your spiritual growth in 2018!!

Finally, in March we are looking so forward to Easter weekend!  Our theme this year is “VICTORY”!  On March 30^th we will celebrate Good Friday with a special worship service starting at 6:30 pm.  This will be a moving, powerful time  together as we consider the truths of Psalm 22 throughout the night of worship.  You will not want to miss this time    together.  Then the next day on March 31^st we will have our Easter Eggstravaganza out at the ball fields like we do each year.  This event will begin at 1:00pm.  Bring your kids and enjoy all the fun on this day!!  Then we will gather for worship on April 1^st for our Easter Worship services at 8:00 am, 9:30 am, and 11:00 am.  Please dedicate your families time on this weekend to celebrate with your church family the greatness of our Savior!!

 I love you and I love being your pastor!

Spare Change March 2018

                                          The Blessing of Leviticus
At the point that I am writing this, I am deep into reading Leviticus on our church Bible reading plan.  Leviticus can be an arduous task.  When people set out to read the Bible they usually start in Genesis and get really excited, they make it through Exodus but get bogged down in Leviticus and sometimes give up.  One tip that helps me to absorb the information in this book is listening to it via the Bible app; but even with that, let’s be honest, Leviticus is a strange book filled with all sorts of directions, commands, and rituals.

This book was designed as a handbook for the Levites.  These were the people ordained by God to carry out religious instructions and rituals.  The line of the priests also came from the tribe of Levi.  This tribe was a holy group of people that were commissioned to serve God.  So, when we read Leviticus we need to read it as an instruction manual, not a  narrative.  We need to understand that God is outlining for the Israelites all of His specific instructions.  In it we find commands to keep ourselves pure sexually, including prohibitions against incest, homosexuality, and bestiality.  We find special instructions on how to handle illness and diseases.  There is even a section on dealing with mildew.

The most important section, in my option, is on atoning for sin; there are several sections covering this including offering sacrifices for sin.  There are so many specific rules that the priests have to carry out.  There needs to be specific animals that are slaughtered in specific ways. The blood must be collected, the fat burned up, the priest gets a portion, certain parts are offered to God, and on and on.  It seems very complicated and overwhelming.

While I was reading this section I was overcome by thankfulness that I don’t have to do any of those things.  I don’t have to worry about getting a goat and placing my hand on it, symbolizing the transfer of sin to the animal.  I don’t have to have the priest slaughter it, representing the payment/penalty for my sin.  I never have offered an atonement sacrifice and I never will.  Jesus has made that sacrifice for me.  When He gave Himself as the perfect, spotless lamb He paid once and for all for my sin.  Jesus was the only one that could have made that sacrifice.  Even Aaron, the priest of God, had to cleanse himself and offer a sacrifice for himself before he did anything for anyone else.  Only Jesus was righteous and holy, only He could be the substitution for our sin.

It is fitting that we are reading Hebrews along with Leviticus. They are perfect companions because we must read Leviticus in light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  When we do that we see the blessing of Leviticus is in the fact that we can’t live up to a standard of holiness and we don’t have to; Jesus does it for us.
Look at Hebrews 10:11- 14, “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ [b] had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

So, I am reminded that in reading Leviticus how thankful I am that Jesus is my atoning sacrifice.  That I have placed my hand of faith on Him and He has willingly taken on my sin to become my sacrifice, my Savior, and my Lord.  Let us be encouraged that if we believe in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we no longer live under the law of works but of grace.