Our Blog

Worship Ministry - April 2024

Easter
I am so thankful for the opportunity we had to celebrate Easter together as a church! Good Friday Night of Worship was a great night of worshiping Christ, the one who saves us. It is great when we can focus on the cross and what Christ did for us; the sacrifice He made; to feel and understand the pain He bore. Then, for us to gather on Easter Sunday morning to celebrate His resurrection! He’s alive and working in us still!

Thank you to all those who helped make the Easter weekend happen. All the singers, band members, and tech team, thank you for the hard work and dedication you put in; not only for Easter but every week. Thank you for helping lead our church each week in
worship. I am thankful that I get to serve here at Oakhill!

Matthew 28:5-7
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

He’s Still Alive
As we come out of Easter, I pray we don’t forget that He’s still alive! Christ is still reigning! Christ is still the Lord! John Piper said, “...if this is true, then nothing is more important in our lives, nothing is more crucial or more urgent or more needful than believing it and becoming a follower of Jesus.”

We know this, we know all these things but it’s easy for us to approach our daily life without this in mind. Seeing God as distant and unreachable, maybe we even forget about Him altogether. We can go a whole day without thinking of Him once. It’s easy to get busy. It’s easy to not worship our God like we should and to become self-consumed. How can we fight against this urge?

We have the great assurance of Matthew 28:6, “He is not here; He has risen…” Believing this should fill us with a desire to draw near to Him and to seek Him! Jesus encourages us in Matthew chapter 7, that if we seek God we will find God. He isn’t trying to hide from us but rather wants us to be close to Him and to know Him. Just as you spend time on the things in life that interest you or the people that you love, spending time with God is necessary to know God.

John Piper also writes, “Seeking the Lord means seeking His presence.” “Presence” is a common translation of the Hebrew word “face.” Literally, we are to seek his “face.” But this is the Hebraic way of having access to God. To be before His face is to be in His presence.”

Seek God’s presence through His word. Seek God’s presence through singing. Seek God’s presence through prayer. Seek Him with your whole life!

Love you and mean it!

Worship Ministry - March 2024

Names of God: El-Gibôr - “Mighty God”

I remember, even though it's been 20-plus years later, riding the bus home from school one day, and a police car pulling us over because there was a tornado nearby. This
shouldn’t have been a surprise to any of us, we did live in Oklahoma for crying out loud, the heart of Tornado Alley! I remember very clearly how quickly the bus went from calm normal conversations to panic. A bus full of crying elementary-aged kids scared that the tornado was going to come toward us. All of us assumed the worst was going to happen; our imaginations ran wild. The threat was real enough that the driver made us get out and lay down in a nearby ditch. Not sure if that would have saved us or not, but a memory I will never forget nonetheless.

I’m still scared of high winds! I have a very irrational fear of a tree falling on me when I hear the wind whipping outside. I start pacing around the house, I put my shoes on (no idea why), and I start watching the weather on the news. My heart starts racing. If you need confirmation, just ask my wife Sarah who has to live with this fearful man. She is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, she can sleep through most storms and I have unnecessarily woken her up way too many times!

El-Gibôr - ghib-bore’ - strong man, brave man, mighty man
“17 Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. 18 You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord Almighty,” - Jeremiah 32:17-18

All of us have those fears in life, some things are worth fearing, and some that aren’t, like mine! Oh that we would remember that our God is the Mighty God - El-Gibhor. When our will begins to bend to the fears in our lives, may we be reminded that the God we serve and praise is the Almighty. We worship the Christ that in Mark chapter four calms the winds and the waves with His voice and they obey. We belong to the God who defeated Goliath with but a stone!

“3 For the Lord is a mighty God, a mighty king over all the gods. 4 He rules over the whole earth, from the deepest caves to the highest hills. 5 He rules over the sea, which he made; the land also, which he himself formed. 6 Come, let us bow down and worship him; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! 7 He is our God; we are the people he cares for, the flock for which he provides.” - Psalm 95:3-7

So, even in our fear, “let us bow down and worship Him.” Let us trust in the mightiest of warriors, knowing that His power is greater; knowing His control and glory will overcome. The next time your fear begins to overwhelm you, like when the next strong wind blows into town, seek God’s presence. Press into His strength and His will, desiring to see God’s glory shine through your life, and don't rely on your strength!

Love you and mean it!