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Month: June 2023

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The Blessing of Contentment

The Blessing of Contentment

June 24, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in /

“Now godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out of it.”

1 Tim. 6:6 NKJ

One of the great blessings the Lord gives to the redeemed is “contentment”.  In a materialistic culture that defines happiness as the accumulation of stuff or having the approval of others, the Word of God brings everything into perspective.  Contentment is not found in things or in others.  It is found in Christ alone!  (Col. 1:27). 

The Word of God affirms that it is not how much we possess that brings joy, but rather Who possesses us!   It is Jesus Christ living and incarnate in us Who brings contentment and joy. (Rom. 8: 9-11).  The Word declares that it is “in him that we live, move and have our being…”.  (Acts 17:28).  Our life originates in Him for He alone is the giver of life. Our life is sustained by Him for He alone is the preserver of life. Our life finds its true meaning and purpose in Him, for He alone reveals the purpose of our life. Our life finds its ultimate destiny in Him, for He alone reveals our destiny! (Rev. 5:9). Only when we know the reality of these things,  which can only be found in Him, can we then come to the place where we cease our striving and learn to rest in Him! (Heb. 4: 9-11). 

Many people who have acquired great wealth, fame, and the acclamation of others do not have joy and contentment in their life. Just look at the lives of the elite in Hollywood, business, and politics.   Many of them live shallow, hollow, and empty lives. 

But the people of God, the redeemed, who are growing in their intimacy with Christ, are joyful and content regardless of how little or how much they have. The reality is that when we have Him and He has us, He provides everything we truly need, including contentment. If we are not content in our Christian life we need to refocus our attention upon the very One who gives us life! When our heart is fixed upon Him, we will discover that He provides everything that we truly need! And He enables us to value and enjoy what we already have! 

Rev. James W. Black

The Best Father Anyone Can Have

The Best Father Anyone Can Have

June 20, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“And I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Cor. 6: 18 KJV).

Fatherlessness is of epidemic proportions in our nation.  And we are reaping the consequences of it on multiple levels.  Shattered homes and broken families have left a generation of children longing for affirmation, meaning, purpose, and direction in life.  Mothers are vitally important to the family and we are thankful for them.  But the heart of every child also deeply longs for the acceptance and love of a  father. 

Far too many have had fathers who have neglected them, abused them, abandoned them, or totally rejected them.  Those wounds are deep.  They scar a person for life. Studies have shown that a person’s view of their father also impacts their view of God.

Only Jesus can heal those deep wounds and set one free from the pain.   

Everyone becomes fatherless at some point in life. Even those who have had good fathers, experience a deep sense of loss when their earthly father dies.  There is a natural void that is left and there is always the longing to be able to see, hear and be with one’s father again.  I can remember my 95-year-old mother-in-law talking one day about how she still missed her father who had passed away many years before.   

Thankfully  God the Father sees and understands the pain that the fatherless experience.  In His grace and mercy, He freely and lovingly promises to be a “father to the fatherless” (Psalm 68:5).  He offers Himself as the Father that our hearts have always longed for!   He is in every way the Perfect Father! 

His wisdom is infinite.  His acceptance of us is total and complete. His love for us Is unconditional and beyond measure. His power is unlimited.  His provision is inexhaustible.  He teaches us.  He guides us. He protects us.  And He is always with us!  He will never abandon us!  Therefore, receive Him.  Embrace Him.  Walk with Him.  For He is absolutely the best Father that anyone could possibly have!  No one who receives Him will ever be fatherless again! 

Rev. James W. Black

The Power of Pentecost

The Power of Pentecost

June 10, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 KJV).

The Power of Pentecost is the Power of the Holy Spirit!  The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Godhead.  It was the Holy Spirt Who hovered over the darkness and the deep waters at the very beginning of creation,  bringing order out of chaos (Gen. 1:2).  It was the Holy Spirit Who Jesus promised to send to all of us after His resurrection (John 14: 16-18).  It was the Holy Spirit Who birthed the Church (Acts 2:1-3).  And it was the Holy Spirit who turned fearful men into mighty and powerful witnesses for Jesus after Pentecost (Acts 4:19-20). 

Every soul that is born again is born again by the Power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:5-6). Every child of God who experiences the assurance of their salvation is assured by the Power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8: 15-16).   Every healing that takes place takes place because of the Power of the Holy Spirit.  Every person that is delivered from bondage (addiction, anger, bitterness, depression, fear, worry, etc.) is delivered because of the Power of the Holy Spirit.  Every redeemed child of God who has the assurance of eternal life has that assurance because of the Power of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2: 9-12).  We can neither live nor function with confidence and effectiveness without the Power of the Holy Spirit.  We are totally dependent upon the Holy Spirit in all things pertaining to the King and the Kingdom!  The Work of the Holy Spirit has nothing to do with the effort of man.   

The Power of the Holy Spirit operating in and through His Redeemed is unstoppable!(Rom. 8:31). The gates of hell cannot prevail against a powerful spirit-filled church (Matt. 16:18).   It is only the Power of the Holy Spirit Who births and sustains revival (Acts 19:17-20).   It is only the Power of the Holy Spirit that brings conviction of sin (John 16:8).   It is only the Power of the Holy Spirit that sets people free.  We need a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit individually and corporately so that the life of Christ and the Power of Christ might be manifested in an unbelieving world. We need once again, the Power of Pentecost!  Holy Spirit come and reveal the glory of Jesus to us afresh and anew! 

Rev. James W. Black

Our Words Reveal Who We Are

Our Words Reveal Who We Are

June 4, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:24 NKJV).

Jesus declared that what we speak with our mouth reveals what is in our heart.
The words we speak reveal our likes and dislikes.  Our words reveal what brings us joy and what brings us sorrow.  Our words indicate our understanding or our lack of understanding.  Our words reveal our hopes and dreams.  Our words reveal our fears.  Our words reveal our pain.

If we have been deeply wounded or abused (in our childhood or in a bad marriage or through any number of other situations) those things will lodge in our heart and have a powerful impact on how we interpret and deal with  life.  That woundedness  will express itself through  our words.  We may be suspicious, bitter, angry, resentful, vindictive, and controlling.  We may  (in self defense) attack another person with our words when put into an uncomfortable or  difficult situation. Those words will simply pour out of us because they have become rooted  in our heart through our own painful experiences. 

Our words also reveal what is important to us.  Our words  reveal  whether or not Jesus is real and precious to us.  If He is precious to us, we will want to share with  others about His reality and His goodness we have experienced.   And we will want to encourage others to experience His reality as well. 

Once we have received Christ into our heart, we must learn to surrender to the Holy Spirit Who is now resident within us and allow Him to fill our heart with His Truth and His reality.  Christ  changes our heart (2 Cor. 5:17) and he changes what is in our heart (Gal. 5: 22-25).   Some things are changed instantly.  Others are changed over time (John 8:31-32).   But as we continue in His Word and continue in our fellowship with Him, He changes what is in our heart.   His Word  will heal our heart and begin to fill our heart.  His life will begin to overflow our heart.  It will always come out in our words.  You do not have to be around a person very long to find out if they truly love Jesus!  If they do, it will come out!  You can hear in their words.  And the reality of their words will be confirmed by their actions (James 2:18). 

Jeans W. Black