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Month: November 2022

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The Gift of Peace

The Gift of Peace

November 27, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth,  give I unto you.  Let not your heart be  troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 (KJV).

 When Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, He was on His way to the cross.  Within just a few hours He would be brutalized and tortured.  The unspeakable pain and anguish He would experience  would be  magnified  billions of times over by the reality of  my sin and your sin being  placed upon Him by God the Father!   He would be judged as if He Himself had actually committed the sin (2 Cor. 5:21).  But  He was totally and completely innocent!  What is amazing is that in the face of all of that Jesus had perfect peace.  And He promised  His followers that He would give them that same peace!  What Jesus promised to those disciples, He still promises unto us.  His gift of peace is a remarkable and marvelous gift. 

We live in a world that is devoid of peace.  Not only is there armed conflict taking place around the world, but the greatest  conflict is within the human heart.  Families are broken and falling apart. In the desire for peace people seek to numb the pain and emptiness of their lives with  drugs, alcohol and the relentless pursuit of material things.  But the relief is only momentary.  It does not last.

The peace that Jesus offers is three fold.  First and foremost it is peace with God.  Jesus paid for our sin that we might be free from the impending judgment of a Holy God upon our sin (John 3:36).  The wrath of God was fully satisfied on the cross (Isaiah 53:11) and that finished work forever sealed  and guaranteed  by His Mighty Resurrection (Rev. 1:18).

Secondly, it is peace the peace of God within ourselves.  The empty void within our lives is filled by His Person and His Presence within us.  It is in Him that we find our purpose, the meaning of life and indescribable joy!  (Col. 3:15).

And finally it is peace with one another (Eph. 4:1-3).   When we experience  Peace with  God we also discover the Peace of God.  It is only then  we can experience peace with one another.  The gift of God’s peace sets us free  from having to prove to others that we have meaning,  value and  worth.  We are fully and completely valued, accepted and loved by the most important Being in the entire universe, the Lord Jesus Himself!  It cannot possibly get any better than that!  Why would anyone settle for anything less?

James W. Black

Knowing God’s Will For My Life

Knowing God’s Will For My Life

November 13, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“He hath showed you, O man, what is good; and what does  the Lord require  of you , but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?”  (Micah 6:8 NKJV).

As a child of God have you ever wondered what God’s will is for your life?  In other words, the Lord has redeemed you.  He has given you  new life in Christ.  Now, what does He want you  to do?  Every child of God has asked that question.  It is not new. But we often struggle in trying to find the answer.   We   tend to complicate the matter.  In knowing God’s will, we must understand two things. 

First there is the general will of God.   The general will of God is what is required of all God’s children throughout all ages.  It  never changes. (1).  We are to do justly. 
That is we are to simply do what is right according to what God has clearly revealed in scripture. They’re is an abundance of scripture that clearly tells us how we should live. The 10 Commandments is  a good place to start. [Ex. 20].   (2). We are to love mercy.  As we have been the recipients of God’s abundant mercy, we should also be generous in extending mercy to others.  (3). We are to walk in humility before God and men.  If we are walking in humility before God, we will also walk in humility before others.  We will not be proud, arrogant or boastful.  As we seek to do these things, relying upon the Power of the Holy Spirit, Who resides within us, we will be doing God’s will and will be a light to those who are in darkness all around us. 

Then there is the specific will of God.  The specific will of God  flows out of our walking in the  general will of God.    What that means is that if we are not doing what is already clearly revealed in scripture, then why should we expect the Lord speak to us about anything else?  It is  through  doing what we already know to do that the Lord will  speak to us about other things.   The Lord will  make His will abundantly  clear to us.  He  will also confirm it by His Word, by His Spirit and through other people and circumstances. 

So, rest in the Lord.  Do what you already know to do as a Child of God.  Enjoy the Lord each day.  And He will speak to you specifically if there is ever anything else He wants you to do.  You will always be the first to know!  So, until then, just relax! 

James W. Black

Being Thankful

Being Thankful

November 13, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“O give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.” (Psalm 105:1 KJV). 

As we witness the continuing decline of our great nation and the corruption  of  our once reliable and dependable institutions it is easy to become angry,  discouraged and skeptical.  It is easy to get caught up in the negative and to  forget to be thankful for that that we still have.   In spite of all the evil that is happening we still have much for which to be thankful.   

We can be thankful that in spite of the fact that our freedoms are under assault, we still have more freedom than 90% of the rest of the world.  We can be thankful that we live in America instead if Cuba, Venezuela, Zimbabwe  or North Korea.    We can be thankful that in spite of inflation, most of us can still feed our families.  We can be thankful that there is an abundance of jobs for those who want to work. 

We can be thankful that we can still speak our mind without fear of government repression.  Business and various elements of society  may seek to cancel us or attack us, but we can still speak the truth in love whether it is accepted or not.  We can be thankful that we still have the freedom to assemble to worship God without fear of persecution.   We can be thankful that it is not illegal to own a Bible or to read it. 
We can be thankful that it is not illegal to share our faith. 

We can be thankful that the majority of us own an automobile.  We can drive to where we need to go.  We can be thankful that the majority of us have a roof over our head.
We can be thankful for the faithfulness of God.  And most importantly we can be thankful for our great salvation.  One of the hallmarks of God’s people is thankfulness.  May we above all people live before an unbelieving world with a grateful heart!  We have much for which to be thankful! 

James W. Black

The Lord Delivers His Own

The Lord Delivers His Own

November 6, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous,  but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
(Psalm 34:19 NKJV).

Everyone encounters difficulties in life.  Some difficulties are greater than others.  But for all those who truly seek to follow the Lord, He has promised to deliver them. Jesus affirmed this in (John 16:33 NKJV) when He said: “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. “ (NKJV).   

Now exactly what does this look like in the real world?  There have been times when the Lord  sovereignly intervened in the situation  we were facing.   It  caused us to rejoice.  It strengthen our faith.  But we have also seen situations where we  were not delivered.  We prayed for the circumstances to change and they didn’t.  We prayed for a loved one to be healed and they weren’t.   And yet His word emphatically declares that He does deliver the righteous (the redeemed) out of them all.   So, how then  can we reconcile the two in light of scripture?

 We must learn to look at life  from God’s perspective.  God works from the standpoint of eternity, not time.  There are times when the Lord delivers quickly.  At other times  the deliverance takes much  longer than  expected.  And  the evil one whispers  that the Lord has abandoned us.   There are times when  the Lord delivers us from a situation.  At other times, He delivers us through a situation!  But in each situation the Lord is still the One who delivers! 

In all situations we must learn to trust the Lord.  He will deliver us in His time and in His way.  He will deliver us in the  way that will be for our greatest good and for His greatest glory.  It is in trusting Him that we discover His faithfulness.  It is in trusting Him,  when all the voices  around us  tells us not to,  that our faith in Him is deepened. 

Sometimes He delivers in life.  Sometimes He delivers through death.  But we can trust Him because  both in life and in death we belong to Him.  And He will deliver us in and through it all!   We can trust the One who has conquered death, hell and the grave!
 So, trust Him in the midst of all   you are facing right now.  He is faithful!  He will deliver!  He has never failed!  He never will! 

James W. Black