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Month: April 2023

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The Blessing of Fellowship

The Blessing of Fellowship

April 30, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” (Prov. 27:17 NKJV).

The Body of Christ is made up of people.  And when the Lord redeems us, it is His intention that we be connected and joined with other  fellow believers.  The purpose is help us grow and reach our fullest potential in Christ.  It is designed by the Lord to deepen our faith and to enrich  our walk with Him.  It is in the relationship of fellowship that we contribute  and invest in each other’s life. 

Every child of God has infinite value and worth.  The Father demonstrated this by sending Jesus to die for us and pay the full price for  our sin so that He could fellowship with us.  Fellowship is important to the Holy One!  The Trinity is the fullest expression of fellowship.  The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are in perfect fellowship together.  Jesus longs to share the wonder and richness of that fellowship with us!  He longs for us to be a part of that and to experience that (John 17: 21-23). 

In the Body of Christ everyone has things they have learned in their walk with the Lord. Each person’s  insight can be an encouragement to another brother or sister in Christ.  It is one thing to read and understand the written Word of God.  It is another thing to experience the power and the reality of that Word in our life!   What we have learned by walking in Truth amplifies the reality of that Truth when shared with others.  Likewise what others have learned can enrich us and encourage us as well.   

When a tool is sharpened it works more efficiently and effectively.  Anyone who has tried to cut something with a dull knife  knows  this very well.  Dullness requires more effort. It  is in the relationship of fellowship that we sharpen one another in the Body of Christ.  Sharpening one another enables the Body of Christ to be more effective and useful for the King! 

James W. Black

Too Late to Pray

Too Late to Pray

April 23, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“Then said the Lord unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.  When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them; but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine , and by the pestilence.” (Jer. 14: 11-12 KJV). 

This is one  of the most sobering passages in the Bible, along with (Jeremiah 15:1).   Here the Lord instructed Jeremiah to stop praying for the nation of Judah!   Is it possible that God, who is full of love, mercy, grace and is exceedingly patient could reach a point that He will no longer hear the prayers of His people?  Is it possible that God, Who’s patience far exceeds ours can reach a point to where He says:  That is enough?  Absolutely!   

The Southern Kingdom of Judah had witnessed God’s judgement and destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel by the Assyrians in 722 BC.   God had sent them prophets to warn them and to implore them to repent and return to Him,  but they refused to listen. Now the Southern Kingdom of Judah is doing the same.  For over 130 years, the Lord had sent prophet after prophet to warn the nation of God’s impending judgment if they did not repent and return unto Him.  But just like the Northern Kingdom, Judah refused to listen.  They had short spurts of revival, but they did not last.  Those revivals did not  impact  the nation long term.  Judah,  like Israel, continued to reject  God.  Now, God had come to the place where He said: That is enough! My judgment will now fall upon this nation! 

God, in His love and mercy gives every individual and every nation the opportunity to repent and return unto Him!   It is called a “space for repentance.”  But if that person or that nation continues on in total rebellion and they continue to harden their heart toward God after He has called them again and again; then the Lord will bring His judgment upon them. 

The message is clear.  God is loving, merciful, full of grace and patient.  But He is also Holy.  And His Holiness demands that unrighteousness and wickedness be judged; especially when those He has called again and again refuse to listen!  Although America may not have yet reached that point, I fear that she is very close.  Let us fervently pray for this nation.  Let us fervently pray for a Great Awakening  while God will still hear!

James W. Black

The Purity of God’s Word

The Purity of God’s Word

April 16, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“Every word of God is pure; he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.”
(Prov. 30:5 KJV). 

Hundreds of years ago, Agur, the son of Jakeh declared  that God’s Word its pure. 
The word  pure means tried, tested and flawless.  It is without blemish.  It is perfect.  It is complete.  Nothing else can or needs to be added.  It means that  God’s Word has been put to the test.  God’s Word has been tried and found to be  completely reliable and  dependable.  To  those who put their trust in Him!  God’s Word has never failed. It cannot fail because His Word is backed up by God Himself,  and God has never failed! 
(Deut. 7:9). 

Whatever God speaks and whatever God has spoken will come to pass.  If God has spoken it, we can trust what He has said with absolute confidence.  We cannot always say that about people.  And sadly that is true with some  who call themselves Christian. But what a joy it is to know that God and His Word can be trusted with absolute confidence.   

The difficulty we have sometimes is putting our trust in what God has spoken when we have not yet seen the manifestation of it.  We have not yet realized it!  Sometimes things happen immediately when we put our trust in God’s Word (like salvation which is instantaneous (Rom. 10:9-10).  Sometimes things happen after waiting and standing upon God’s Word over a long period of time  (Habakkuk 2:3).  But rest assured God will honor and manifest  His Word at just the right time (Gal. 4:4-5). 

When we learn to trust Him even for that which we have not yet seen (but we know that He has spoken it) our faith is strengthened and deepened.  And the Lord will honor us and defend us as we stand upon His Word (Daniel 3: 16-18).  The Lord declares in Prov. 30:5 that “he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.”  The Lord will defend us against the doubt and unbelief of others.  We can live and stand upon God’s Word with absolute confidence!  His Word has been tried and tested and found to be absolutely pure!  What an awesome God we we serve!

James W. Black

Not Guilty

Not Guilty

April 9, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins (1 Cor.15:17 NLT). 

The essence of our faith rests completely upon the resurrection.  If the literal, physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is not true, then our faith is useless.  If the resurrection is not a reality then our faith in Christ is meaningless.  The unbelieving world knows this and that is why the resurrection is the one thing that is constantly denied and assaulted.  It was from the very beginning (Mathew 28:11-15).  It will continue until He returns. 

But Christ is risen from the dead!  He is alive!  The resurrection of Jesus is the most historically  authenticated event in all of ancient history.   Through His death and His resurrection Christ conquered the power of sin and death and has stripped our adversary, Satan, of all his authority and power over our lives.  All the demons of hell tremble at the Name of Jesus (James 2:19).  They, more than anyone else,  understand the power and the authority of that Name!   The only power the adversary has now is what we give him (Rom. 6: 7-14). 

Through the resurrection, Jesus single handedly defeated all the host of darkness and defeated  them completely (Col. 2:15)!   Satan and his demons were totally conquered once and for all!   No one anywhere can rightfully or successfully challenge the Power and the Authority of Jesus! 

Because of the resurrection our sin debt has been paid in full.  And we are declared before the Judge of all the earth (Gen. 18:25) to be “Not Guilty!”  In order for that to become a reality we must fully repent of our sin, surrender to Him and accept by faith what He has accomplished for us (Acts 2:38).   Christ Himself declares that we have been made righteous in His sight (2 Cor. 5:21).  Therefore because of His resurrection, no one can stand against us (Rom. 8:31).  Because of the resurrection we have been made more than conquerors in Christ (Rom. 8:37).  And because of the resurrection, no matter how dark our sin has been, we (the redeemed) have been declared Not Guilty!
Hallelujah!  Praise His Holy Name! 

James W. Black

The Way Into The Presence of God Has Been Opened

The Way Into The Presence of God Has Been Opened

April 2, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“‘Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom…”
(Matthew 27:51 NKJV)

Everything about Jesus was supernatural.  His birth. His life. His death. And especially His mighty resurrection!  His death on the cross was marked by a number of supernatural events.  One of the most significant  was the rending of veil in the Temple in Jerusalem!   This veil was massive.  It was 60 ft high, 30 ft wide and 4 inches thick (Source: Josephus).  It was designed to separate the Holy Place (where a priest went in to minister daily ) from the Holy of Holies (where only the High Priest could go once a year).  The design of the Tabernacle (upon which the Temple was based) was given to Israel by God Himself [Ex. 25: 8-22, Ex. 26: 31-35].  The Holy of Holies contained  the Ark of the Covenant.  On top of the ark was the Mercy Seat where the High Priest would place the blood of the sacrificial lamb once a year  to atone  for the sin of the people (Ex. 30:10, Heb. 9:7).   In  the Holy of Holies was the manifest Presence of God.  What  is important to remember is that not everyone had access into this sacred place.  Only the High Priest! 

When Jesus cried “It is finished”  and surrendered Himself to death  (John 19:30), at that very  moment the veil was torn in the Temple.  It is significant to note that the veil was torn from “top to bottom”.  This clearly was a supernatural act of God!     Can you imagine the shock of the priests,  who  who were ministering in the Temple that day,  when the veil began to be ripped  apart by unseen hands?  That torn veil reveals to us a number of things. 

First, this was an act of God and not man.  Man had nothing to do with it!  Second, the way into the Holiest Place (the very Presence of God Himself) was now open for everyone!   It was no longer just for  the High Priest. Third, God’s Presence was now released and available to everyone.  The finished work of Christ had fulfilled the demands of the Law.  It had satisfied the demands of Gods judgment of  sin.  It made righteousness available to anyone who would genuinely receive it.  And it  opened the way for God to have fellowship with anyone  who  would genuinely yield their heart to Him!    The torn veil means that we now have direct access to God!  Jesus has opened the way for us!  Let us never take this access for granted.  And may we  engage in reaping the full benefits of it!

James W. Black