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Month: May 2022

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Trusting God in The Face of Adversity & Great Loss

Trusting God in The Face of Adversity & Great Loss

May 29, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in

Everyone experiences adversity and great loss at one time or another in life.  The level and the depth of that adversity and loss varies with each individual, but going though it is simply a part of life. Being a child of God does not exempt us from it. This past week a prominent and former local pastor and his wife found their 21 year old daughter deceased in her apartment. There was no foul play; no suicide, no drug overdose. The autopsy could not determine the exact cause of death.  It was hard.  The loss was unbelievably painful! 

Then there was the horrific and senseless school shooting at an Elementary School in Uvalde, TX.  Nineteen children killed along with two teachers who died trying to shield them from the gunman.  As a nation, we are shocked and grieved by such unspeakable tragedy. 

But no one has experienced more adversity and loss than a man named Job.

In this classic contest between God and Satan, Job became the focus point of the conflict.  Satan was certain that the only reason Job honored and served the Lord was because of the blessings God poured out upon him.  Satan knew Job’s flesh (his human weaknesses) but God knew his heart.  Because of this, the Lord allowed Satan to touch everything dear to Job.  He literally lost everything but his own life (with the exception of his wife). 

In the midst of his despair and confusion; in the midst of his pain and loss, in the mist of his frustration with life, Job declared “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him…” (Job 13:15).  This is a remarkable and powerful statement!  In the midst of such great pain,  adversity and loss, Job declared that he would still trust God in spite of everything. Even when he didn’t understand.   

This is the key to walking with the Lord.  Walking with God does not mean that life is always easy.  But it does mean that no matter what happens, we can still trust Him! And like Job we will eventually come through it and be able to give praise and honor to the Lord.  Our faith will be deepened and strengthened.  And The Holy One will get glory. 

James W. Black

Who Do You Serve?

Who Do You Serve?

May 22, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“…choose you this day whom ye will serve; …but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15 KJV).

Everybody serves somebody, whether they are atheist or agnostic. The atheist serves at the altar of his own intellect and reason. To the atheist there is no God. He believes that through his intellect alone he can understand and explain everything. In essence the atheist is a god unto himself.

The agnostic neither knows nor cares if God exists. He is content to live a life that is completely indifferent and void of God. He and the atheist make good companions. For in their pride and arrogance they often attack and ridicule those who do know the Lord. They consider themselves to be intellectually superior.

The religious fall into two categories; those who simply engage in dead religious activity and those who truly know and follow the One True and living God!
In whatever camp a person aligns themselves with, they do so by choice.

Joshua had seen and followed the Living God from the time he was in Egypt to the time that he and the nation entered into the land that God had promised them some 40 years before. He had experienced hardship and difficulty but through it all he had also witnessed the Mighty Hand of God! To him, there was no other choice. He knew the reality of God. He knew the power and the promises of God. He knew the faithfulness of God. So as he came to the close of his life, he challenged the people of Israel to choose who they would serve. Would they serve the God who had revealed Himself to them in a multitude of ways, or would they choose the dead and powerless gods of the nations whose land they had entered. The God of Israel offered life. The gods of the nations offered death. For Joshua, the choice was clear. He would choose the One True and living God!

The others, like Joshua also had a choice. They could serve the One True and living God, or they could serve a god of their own making. Both life and death rested upon their choice. We too are offered the same choice today. We can choose to follow and serve the only True and living God (the only God who gives eternal life) or we can choose to follow the gods of this world (selfishness, pride, greed, lust, power and entertainment). Both then and now the decision has eternal consequences. Who do you choose to serve?

James W. Black

Gods Way is Perfect

Gods Way is Perfect

May 15, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried; he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.” (Psalm 18:30 KJV).

The word perfect is a rich word. It means “being entirely without fault or defect; flawless, absolutely pure, and complete.” (Webster). That is how the Word of God describes God’s way. His way is flawless, absolutely pure and complete. There is nothing than can be added to what He says or what He does to make it better.

God’s way is perfect because God Himself is perfect. There is nothing that can be added to Him! He is not outdated. He does not need revising. He is the complete embodiment of the ultimate perfection. He has always been and will always be. He has always been the same and will forever be the same. (Heb. 13:8). Therefore because God is perfect, His Word is perfect, His Salvation is perfect and His Way is perfect! Whatever He says or does is not only flawless, but it is also complete!

That should bring us great comfort because The Holy One is doing a great work in each of our lives as His redeemed! Paul the Apostle reaffirmed this when he said: “he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it (or complete it)” [parenthesis mine] until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:6). So, while none of us are perfect, we are all in the process of being perfected.

The Lord will use a multitude of tools and circumstances to accomplish this task. He knows the “best way” to do it. But make no mistake about it. The Lord always completes whatever He starts. And when He is finished it will be perfect!

That work that He has begun in us will be completed when we see Him in glory; not before. So relax and let God do His work. He is doing a good job in you. And when He is finished, it will be perfect because His way is alway perfect.

James W. Black

The Lord Does Not Fret Over The Wicked

The Lord Does Not Fret Over The Wicked

May 7, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in /

“The wicked plots against the just and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming. (Psalm 37: 12-13 NKJV).

When we hear and observe the things that are happening in our culture and the world, if we are not careful, we can allow ourselves to get caught up in them. We can allow ourselves to become so disturbed and angered by them that we are robbed of our joy! This is a tool of the adversary. That is why it is vitally important that we keep the right perspective.

It is important to remember that although it may appear, at least for the present, that those who engage in evil and wicked acts often seem to get away with what they do, the truth is that no one who does such things will escape the judgment and the wrath of a Holy God (John 3:36). Nothing is hidden from Him! He sees everything (Psalm 139: 11-12). The wicked in their arrogance and pride wrongly interpret God’s perceived delay as God’s indifference. Even worse, they interpret God’s delay as impotence! They believe that He either doesn’t care or is unable to intervene in what they do. But God does see! God does care! And God does know all the evil plans of the wicked and He laughs!

The Sovereign God knows the end of the wicked. He knows how many days they have left. (Psalm 139:16). They do not know that their very next heartbeat is in the Lord’s hands! In their arrogance and pride, they think that they are in control of their ultimate destiny. But the day will come when all of the wicked will stand before a Holy God and on that day they will tremble in His Presence (Rev. 20: 12-15). The Judge of all the earth will one day hold court and the judgment He renders will be final! For the unredeemed, it will be a fearful and dreadful day! The Word of God declares that it is a “fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb. 10:31).

So while it is important to be aware of what is going on in our world, there is no need to fret. God doesn’t. He knows the ultimate outcome! He is coming! And the kingdoms of this world will surrender to the Kingdom of Our God! (Rev. 11:15). Until then, let us rest in Him, trust in Him, and continue to be His light in this world. (Matthew 5:14-16).

James W. Black

The Greatness of God

The Greatness of God

May 1, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in /

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“All nations before him are as nothing and they are counted to him as less than nothing and vanity.” (Isaiah 40:17 KJV).

When we consider the greatness of empires both past and present and the impact they have had upon the world (Greece, Rome, England, and the US to name a few), we are awed by the fact that in spite of all their greatness, power, wealth and the influence they had in the world, they are as “nothing” in the Presence of the Living God. The very thought of that gives us a small glimpse of the magnificence and greatness of God!

Our God and His Kingdom are far greater than any nation that has ever been or ever will be. And He has redeemed us and called us to be a part of His Mighty Kingdom! Not only are we redeemed to be a part of His Kingdom, but we are also redeemed to be a part of His Family! As a part of His Family, we will be given authority and power to execute His will and purpose throughout His Kingdom for all eternity.

Although the Kingdom has not been fully manifested because Christ has not yet returned, the redeemed are already in the Kingdom and have been given power and authority to execute His will on the earth even now. At present, our current assignment is to hear His Word, listen to His voice, and obey what He asks us to do. We must remember that we are currently in training. Everything that we are going through right now is God’s way of training us and preparing us to rule and reign with Him in eternity. The day will come when His Kingdom will be fully revealed and we will see Him in all of His glory! At that moment everything else will fade away in comparison to Him! What an awesome and mighty God we serve! His greatness is beyond our comprehension!

James W Black