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Part of thriving as a church is to be reminded of and united around the mission God calls us to. It’s easy to forget. It’s easy to get distracted. Oak Hills longs to know and make known the astonishing grace of God. I’ve been seeking to refresh our minds and energy around this mission God has called us to. This mission means, first and foremost, that we will treasure Christ. We constantly need to recalibrate our hearts toward this mission through repentance, prayer, and availing ourselves of the ordinary means of grace. In addition to the unchanging longing to treasure Christ, we have identified four other areas in which we can grow in order to be more faithful to our mission. I’m highlighting these four areas over these few weeks. I have already touched on cultivating a culture of invitation and improving our web presence. The third area reflects on the nature of the gospel. ... Keep Reading

Part of thriving as a church is to be reminded of and united around the mission God calls us to. It’s easy to forget. It’s easy to get distracted. Oak Hills longs to know and make known the astonishing grace of God. I’ve been seeking to refresh our minds and energy around this mission God has called us to. This mission means, first and foremost, that we will treasure Christ. We constantly need to recalibrate our hearts toward this mission through repentance, prayer, and availing ourselves of the ordinary means of grace. In addition to the unchanging longing to treasure Christ, we have identified four other areas in which we can grow in order to be more faithful to our mission. I’m highlighting these four areas over these few weeks. Last week I wrote about cultivating a culture of invitation. The second area is an offshoot of the first. ... Keep Reading

Treasure Christ. That is what’s next for Oak Hills. And always will be. I touched on this unchanging mission of our church last week. While the mission never changes, we constantly need to recalibrate our hearts toward this mission through repentance, prayer, and availing ourselves of the ordinary means of grace. What else? ... Keep Reading

Companies and organizations, including churches, are called to “Change or Die” as the world around them constantly changes. There is one area in the church, however, that ought never change. Her mission. The Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 1 provides, perhaps, the best summary of the mission of the church: “What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” This is rooted in such Scripture as 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Some use the Great Commandment of Matthew 22:37-39 and the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20 to emphasize the mission of the church. In these passages we see the need to love God, love neighbor, and make disciples of all nations. ... Keep Reading

My favorite Bible software “died” this last month. The news came via email on June 1 that “As of June 15, Bibleworks will cease operation as a provider of Bible software tools.” I’m disappointed as I use Bibleworks nearly every day. It is the number one tool I use in sermon preparation. I suspect that Bibleworks’ downfall was related to my biggest frustration with the software… it never went mobile. The slogan, “Change or Die,” came to mind when I saw the news about Bibleworks. This slogan is frequently championed in literature and training materials for organizational leadership. The idea behind the slogan is that the world and culture around us is constantly changing and, if your organization is not changing with “the times,” it will die. Remember Blockbuster? Borders? The same is true for any number of “big box” retail stores affected by the internet. Or Bibleworks. ... Keep Reading

This is part ten in a multi-part series on Peter’s “road map” he gives for gospel growth in 2 Peter 1. Like many of you, I long to be effective and fruitful, especially in my spiritual life. Peter promises in the midst of this chapter, “if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful…” My interest is peaked. Let’s discover together Peter’s path of gospel growth.... Keep Reading

This is part nine in a multi-part series on Peter’s “road map” he gives for gospel growth in 2 Peter 1. Like many of you, I long to be effective and fruitful, especially in my spiritual life. Peter promises in the midst of this chapter, “if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful…” My interest is peaked. Let’s discover together Peter’s path of gospel growth. We’re coming to the end of our study of Peter’s roadmap for gospel growth. Like other New Testament writers, Peter calls this early church to be diligent in their spiritual growth. Growth is not optional. We have called it gospel growth, because Peter emphasizes that the strength, motivation, tools, and means of growth have all been provided for us through God’s gracious gift. ... Keep Reading

This is part eight in a multi-part series on Peter’s “road map” he gives for gospel growth in 2 Peter 1. Like many of you, I long to be effective and fruitful, especially in my spiritual life. Peter promises in the midst of this chapter, “if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful…” My interest is peaked. Let’s discover together Peter’s path of gospel growth. Peter really likes his list of eight virtues or qualities. Faith. Virtue. Knowledge. Self-control. Sdfastness. Godliness. Brotherly affection. Love. He has already said, “Make every effort” to add these qualities to your life with Christ (v. 5). And hetea said that if we are increasing in these qualities we will be effective and fruitful “in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 8). He doesn’t stop there. He makes two more statements about these eight qualities. ... Keep Reading

This is part seven in a multi-part series on Peter’s “road map” he gives for gospel growth in 2 Peter 1. Like many of you, I long to be effective and fruitful, especially in my spiritual life. Peter promises in the midst of this chapter, “if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful…” My interest is peaked. Let’s discover together Peter’s path of gospel growth. Now that we have taken time to carefully consider each of the eight qualities listed by Peter, let’s look closely at verse 8: “If these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We have already discussed what having these qualities and increasing in them looks like. What does it look like to be effective and fruitful in the knowledge of Christ?... Keep Reading

Alright! Alright! Perhaps some can accuse me of “beating around the bush” and delaying this moment. The heart of Peter’s roadmap of Gospel growth is the list of virtues in verses 5-7. This is the list of qualities of which he says, “If these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 8). Help us know how to increase in these qualities!... Keep Reading