2024 - NCC Cartersville

Choosing To Walk In Truth

November 2, 2024 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“I have chosen the way of truth: Thy judgments have I laid before me.”

Psalm 119:30 KJV

Each day we are faced with a multitude of choices in our lives. There are some choices we make because we have to and there are some choices we make because we want to. We have to make the choice to get up and go to work. We don’t always want to, but we know that we have to if we are going to be able to pay the bills. We don’t always want to exercise, but we know that we have to if we wish to maintain a more healthy body.

Most of the time, we make the choice to watch a movie or ballgame or go on a trip because we want to. We make the choice about what we want to eat each day. Eating is a choice of both having to and wanting to. We have to eat to maintain nourishment for our bodies, but then we must choose what we want to eat each day. Each day is filled with choices. Each week, we also make the choice as to whether or not we will join with the Body of Christ and worship the Lord together. It is not a matter of convenience. It is a choice. It is something that we do intentionally. (Heb. 10:25).

There is also a choice that the Followers of Christ must make each day. We must choose to walk in the “way of truth”. Our sinful nature, our fleshly human nature does not always want to do that. (Rom.7:21). But we must choose to do so anyway. (Joshua 24:15). The good news is that if we truly want to, the Lord will help us! (John 16:13). We must choose to surrender to the Person and Power of the Holy One who dwells within us! (Rom.8 9-14). The Holy Spirit is always there to strengthen us, guide us, teach us,(John 14:16), comfort us and correct us. (Heb. 12:6). But we must choose to listen and to obey. We must choose to walk with Him. (1 John 1:7).

Whenever we choose to walk in His Truth, we discover that it is the best choice that we could possibly make! The Holy Spirit always confirms to us that we have made the right choice because of the peace, contentment and joy He provides for us when we do. So let us resolve each day to walk in the way of truth! We will never regret it!

Rev. James W. Black

The Invitation To Follow

October 20, 2024 by NCC-Admin-1 in Uncategorized

“As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ So he arose and followed Him.”

Matthew 9:9 NKJV

Matthew was a tax collector. Tax collectors were viewed by the Jews as traitors because they worked for the Romans. Most tax collectors gouged the people. The Romans had a set amount for the taxes that were required. Goods were taxed and individuals were taxed. The tax collectors were appointed by the local governor in the region. Those positions were often bought and sold because they were so lucrative. It was not unusual for the governor or local magistrate to get a small percentage (under the table) over and above what was required. This actually amounted to a fee (or bribe) for being appointed to the position. The tax collector would then add his own percentage to the tax amount raising the taxes even higher. It is easy to see how greed and corruption flourished. Consequently, the tax collectors became quite wealthy. They were shunned by most of the Jewish population.

Jesus encountered Matthew sitting at his tax collecting booth. Jesus looked at him and said, “Follow Me.” No doubt, Matthew had already heard of Jesus. It is possible that he had also witnessed some of His miracles. When Jesus looked at him and spoke to him personally, everything changed. The eyes of Jesus pierced his soul. His words gripped his heart! Matthew saw himself in the light of His holiness! And yet at the same time, he experienced His overwhelming love!

In a moment of time, Matthew went from being despised, hated, and rejected to being unconditionally loved! As a result, he left everything and followed Jesus!

That is what happens when we truly see Jesus for who He really is! His love touches us at the very core of our being. It transforms us and motivates us to leave everything in our past and follow Him! In reality, there is no other way to follow Him!

James W. Black

The Greatness of God

October 13, 2024 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.”
Psalm 96:4 KJV

There have been times in our history when we have honored and praised great men and women who accomplished great things. Books have been written about them and monuments have been erected in their honor so that future generations might remember them. That is a good, right, and noble thing to do. Those who have accomplished great things should be remembered so that we can appreciate what they have done and learn from them. Most of us have benefited in some way from their accomplishments. They should be remembered.

But if we can honor the great accomplishments of men and women, how much more should we honor the greatness of God?! No one can compare to the greatness of God! The monuments to His greatness are displayed everywhere!

We witness His greatness in the wonder and majesty of His creation; from the vast expanse of the universe (Psalm 19:1) to the smallest flower growing in the field (Math. 6:28-29). The multitude of life forms staggers the mind. Each form is unique in design. Everything God has created is detailed, intricate, precise, and amazingly complex.

The expression of His greatness is demonstrated in the complexity of the human body.
The Psalmist recognized this when he said that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:14).

But His greatness is revealed not only in His physical creation but also by His personal involvement in each of our lives. He provides for us things that are far beyond that which is tangible. In the midst of our great lostness, He provides us with great salvation! In the face of great tragedy, He gives us great hope! In the face of great loss, He provides us with great sufficiency. In the face of great darkness, He provides us great light. In the face of great sorrow, He provides us with great comfort. In the face of opposition, He provides us with great strength and victory. In essence, the greatness of God surpasses all that we can possibly imagine (Eph. 3:20). Why would we not want to praise Him? There is no one greater than Him!

Rev. James W. Black

The Faithfulness of God

October 5, 2024 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.” Deut. 7:9 KJV

One of the great blessings of being a part of God’s family and Kingdom is the faithfulness of God. Faithfulness is a part of the character and nature of God. In this passage, the Lord was reminding His people that they could rely upon Him! They could trust Him. He would watch over them and take care of them! They were His people!

However, the key to receiving those blessings was obedience. Not obedience born out of coercion or obligation, but obedience born out of love and gratitude. The Lord desired for His people to love Him because He had already demonstrated His love and faithfulness to them in amazing and remarkable ways. The Lord is always the first to express His love toward us (1 John 4:19).

The promises of God are rock solid. They are unchanging (Malachi 3:6). But they are also conditional. It means that if we do what He has asked us to do, as revealed in His Word, then He will be faithful in keeping His promises; especially when that obedience is born out of love and gratitude toward Him!

In the dark world in which we live (and it seems to be getting darker), it is comforting to know that we can rely complexly upon Him because He is faithful from generation to generation! His love and faithfulness toward us is constant! It is unchanging. It is unwavering! It will never end! It is eternal! What an awesome God we serve! Blessed be His Holy Name!

Rev. James Black

Standing Against The Evil Of Our Time

September 28, 2024 by NCC-Admin-1 in Uncategorized

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil…”.

Proverbs 8:13 KJV

As the people of God, there are some things that we should hate! Such a statement sounds strange to some. It seems totally contradictory to the message of the Gospel! After all, the scripture clearly declares that “God is love!” (1 John 4:8). And as followers of Christ, we are called to love one another with the Love of Christ. (John 13:35). Such love, which the Lord provides, identifies us as God’s people! It separates us from the world! But if we truly love the Lord and seek to honor Him and follow Him, there will be some things that we hate!

As God’s people we will hate the things that God hates. And yes, there are some things that God hates. There is an impressive list in Prov. 6: 17-19. In looking at that list we can quickly see that God hates every form of evil! He hates sin which is the root of all evil expression. The Evangelist Paul Washer said it well: “Don’t tell me about your new relationship with Jesus! Tell me about your new relationship with sin! As a follower of Christ, do we hate the things that God hates? And do we love the things that God loves?” The Lord loves all people, but He hates the sin that enslaves and wrecks their lives! He hates every form and every expression of evil! So should we!

We should also hate the lies of our culture. The lie that says that you can choose your gender. The lie that says a baby is not a human and it is OK to kill the baby as long as there is a small portion of its foot still in the birth canal. The lie that says that it is OK to permanently mutilate young children’s bodies when they are too immature to make such life-altering decisions. The lie that says the state knows how to raise children better than parents do. The lie that says that government is more efficient than private enterprise. The lie that says you can tax a nation into prosperity. The lie that says you can permanently spend more than you make without any negative consequences. The lie that says that everyone is entitled and everyone is a victim. The lie that says no one is responsible for their actions. And we could go on and on!

Such lies degrade, enslave, and destroy people’s lives. They can also destroy communities. And as God’s people, we should hate those things! We should stand against those things. And do all that we can as God’s people to fight with our voices and our vote against those who proclaim and promote such lies!

Rev. James W. Black.

Fighting the Good Fight of Faith

September 13, 2024 by NCC-Admin-1 in Uncategorized

“…Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith…”.

1 Tim. 6:11-12 ESV

When we surrender our life to Christ, we quickly become aware that we are in a conflict. It is a conflict between the Light of Christ who now resides within us and the powers of darkness that surround us. Before we knew Christ, we may have recognized certain aspects of the darkness but we were not in conflict with it because we were also a part it. We were blinded and enslaved by that darkness and did not even know it. Once Christ set us free, our eyes were opened for the first time and we could see what before was hidden from us. Then, to our surprise, we discovered ourselves in direct conflict with the very darkness we once enslaved us!

The Apostle Paul was well aware of this. With that in mind, he encouraged Timothy to pursue godliness. And in doing so he challenged him to “fight the good fight of faith.” It is notable that Paul called it a fight. But in reality it is! We soon discover that there are three different adversaries that we must stand and fight against.

The first one is our own sinful, fleshly nature that resists and sometimes rebels at the idea of submitting to Christ in a particular area. (Rom. 7:21). The second one is the lies of the adversary that attack us in our mind. Those lies question the love of God, the goodness of God, the grace of God, and the faithfulness of God. (Gen.3:1). The third one is the culture at large that has no knowledge of God and is totally opposed to the ways of God. (1 John 2:16). All three areas rise-up to fight against us when we embrace, lift up. and carry the banner of Christ.

The best news about this fight is that it has already been won for us in Christ. All we are required to do is to stand and obey. (Eph. 6:10-13). He has already provided everything that is needed to enforce and experience the victory. (2 Pet. 1:3). Therefore, let us resolve to “fight the good fight of faith” with absolute confidence. We have nothing to fear!

James W. Black

The Promise Of Rest For The Soul

September 7, 2024 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
Matthew 11: 28-29 KJV

There are times when life is burdensome. Life can be challenging. Life can be painful. Life can be difficult. Life can be disappointing. Life can be lonely. Life can be overwhelming. Not only do our bodies get weary, but so do our souls! Sometimes the weight on our souls can be greater than the weight on our bodies! Jesus fully understands the burdens of life. After all, He lived a genuine human life just like us. The scripture declares that Jesus fully experienced every burden and difficulty of life that we experience. He fully identifies with our humanity! (Heb.4:15). And at the cross Jesus also experienced the full weight of our sin! (Isaiah 11:6). So, when He offers us rest for our soul, it is not an empty promise! He knows the need! And He has the solution!

First note that the invitation is to “Come”! It is open to anyone! There are no exclusions! Second, the invitation is to become joined together, or yoked together, with Him! Third, we are to “learn” of Him! We are to learn just how much He truly loves us! We are to learn that He is faithful in all things just like He promised! His promises never fail. His Word never fails! His Word is true! It is everlasting. It is relevant to every generation. We have to be joined with Him and walk with Him in order to learn that. It is in that place that our soul will find the promised rest.

It is in that place that our soul will find peace! It is in that place that we will find contentment. It is in that place that we will find hope. It is in that place that we will find joy. It is in that place that we experience the richness and fullness of His love. It is in that place that we experience His joy! It is in that place that we experience His overflowing life as we learn to simply “rest” in Him! It is in that place that we discover that He is the One who orders our steps. It is in that place that we discover that we can trust Him in all things! It is in that place that we realize we can trust Him for whatever we face today and we can trust Him for whatever we may face tomorrow. It is in that place that we discover the meaning and purpose of our life. It is in that place that we get a glimpse of His glory. And it is in that place that we get a small peek behind the veil of this life into what awaits us in eternity! There is no one anywhere who can offer us such rest! Let us put aside whatever is necessary to enter into that rest! For it is a rest that far greater than anything we can possibly imagine!

James W. Black

Waiting On The Lord

August 30, 2024 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.”
Lamentations 3:25 KJV

The Word of God speaks a great deal about waiting. The Lord promises that those who “wait” upon Him shall “renew their strength.” (Isaiah 40:31). And those who wait upon the Lord shall “inherit the earth.” (Psalm 37:9 KJV). Even though the things we are waiting for have not come as quickly as we had hoped, we are told to continue waiting “because it will surely come…”. (Habakkuk 2:3). I must add that these things we are waiting for are the things He has clearly revealed as His will! And they have been confirmed by His Word!

Waiting is difficult for us because of our nature. We all have a tendency to want things “now”. But learning to wait upon the Lord teaches us about the faithfulness of God. It builds our faith and strengthens our confidence in His Word. It teaches us patience and helps us to better appreciate the wonder, the mystery, and the awesomeness of God’s timing. Waiting reminds us that God sees everything from the eternal perspective. He already knows the beginning and the end of all things! From His perspective, there is never a crisis. And the Lord is never late!

The more we walk with the Lord, the more we learn to trust Him! There are times when the Lord causes us to wait just so that He can show His mighty power and glory in such a way that we humbly bow before Him in awe and wonder! Remember the parting of the Red Sea? (Exodus 14). God chose to bring Israel to that very place so that they could witness His power and glory on their behalf!

So, while waiting is not something we would choose, God chooses it for us so that His glory might be displayed and we might walk with greater confidence in Him. Therefore let us embrace God’s waiting times. He has something amazing to show us! He has designed them specifically for our good and for His glory! “Wait, I say on the Lord.”
(Psalm 27:14). It is worth the wait!

Rev. James W. Black

The Cross That Divides

August 24, 2024 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword.”
Matthew 10:34 KJV

This statement of Jesus is startling. One of His titles is “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
And He also promised to give His followers His peace (John 14:27). Bult He also warns His followers that if we follow Him, there will be no peace. That sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it?

The reality is that while the followers of Jesus will truly experience His peace in their personal lives, the very peace we experience through the cross will produce conflict. The cross of Christ and the peace that He provides creates a divide between light and darkness. That divide will also produce hostility toward those who follow Christ.

Many times that hostility is initially experienced by family members who either do not understand or do not want us to become followers of Christ. But this hostility is also expressed from the culture at large. As America continues to abandon Biblical Truth that hostility will intensify.

But the good news of the Gospel is that in the midst of the conflict we still have His peace! And it is His peace and His cross that overcomes the darkness! Although the enemies of Christ may rage against us, Christ has already overcome them (Col.2: 13-15). And because we are in Christ (Gal,. 2:20), He has made us more than conquerors (Ro.8:37). All we have to do in the midst of conflict is to simply continue to “stand” in Him and for Him (Eph. 6:13). He provides the power and ability to do that (Phil.4:13). It is impossible for the darkness to overcome the Light (John 8:12). Therefore, we can stand and rest in His peace no matter what may come! For He is with us (Hebrews 13:5)!

Rev. James W. Black

How Should We Live In Dark Times

August 17, 2024 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.”
Micah 7:7 KJV

The Prophet Micah lived in dark times. The nation of Judah was in great apostasy. One of the nation’s most wicked kings, King Ahaz, sat on the throne. Ahaz reigned from 735 BC to 715 BC. Evil and wickedness were the norm in the culture. Every strata of society was infected with it.

But in the midst of it all, there was a voice and a remnant of people who still loved, served, and followed the Lord. Micah was one of those voices. Although he could see the judgment of God coming on the nation and the difficult times that would come as a result, he chose to focus his attention upon the Lord. He did not ignore the darkness. But his primary focus was upon the Light!

We live in dark times in America. We can see and feel the darkness enveloping our land. Like the days of Micah, there are those who seek to silence the voice of righteousness. But the Lord did not place us here during these times to be silent. He placed us here to be His voice and a reflection of His Light in the midst of the darkness.

The key to maintaining our joy and hope in the midst of the darkness is to “look to the Lord.” He is our Light and our Hope! By riveting our focus upon Him we can see beyond the darkness! We can see the King and His Kingdom! We can see His Hand at work in the midst of everything else that is happening. One glimpse of Him puts everything else in perspective. Although the majority of the culture embraces the darkness, we can still rejoice as we embrace the Light! For there is absolutely nothing that the darkness can do to extinguish the Light! (John 1:5). Therefore, we can live with our eyes fixed on Jesus. And because of that, we can have absolute hope and confidence in the midst of everything for we know how the story ends!

Rev. James W. Black

Year: 2024