NCC-Admin-1, Author at NCC Cartersville

No Condemnation

August 28, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Rom. 8:1 KJV).

We live in a broken world. One of the results of that brokenness is the fact that each of us at different times face condemnation from a variety of sources. Some people condemn us whenever we make a mistake, never recognizing their own weakness and tendency for failure. Others condemn us when we do not measure up to their expectations. Then there are those who condemn us simply because we disagree with them, regardless of the irrefutable facts that support our position. We see that all across the spectrum of our society today.

Then in addition to that, for those who are followers of Christ, we face the condemnation of the evil one. He condemns us and reminds us of our past.
He condemns us and points out our failure whenever we slip up and do something wrong as a follower of Christ. (Note: We all fail at times! ) He condemns us by telling us that there is no possible way that God could forgive us, much less love us; especially after what we did. That of course is a lie!

And there is the condemnation that we bring upon ourselves. We beat ourselves up because we feel that we should be more spiritual or more mature than we are. We get disappointed in ourselves when we compare ourselves to others.

But the good news of the gospel is that Jesus came to set us free not only from the penalty of our sin, but also from the condemnation that sin brings upon us! The experience of freedom begins with genuine repentance before God. We agree with God that in light of His holiness our act or actions was sin in His sight. (1 John 1:9). Repentance means that we surrender to the cross, renounce our sin and turn from it. In exchange, we receive His forgiveness, love and grace. We receive His cleansing, renewal and refreshing. We enthrone Jesus upon our heart and resolve to walk in Him submitting to His power operating within us. When we choose to do so, we discover the liberty and freedom of no longer walking in condemnation! Jesus sets us free from the condemnation of others, from the evil one, and from the condemnation we bring upon ourselves! That is real freedom! And only Jesus can provide that for us!

James W. Black

Recognizing Jesus

August 21, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.” (Luke 24:31 ESV).

The reality the Jesus is evident to all those who want to see Him. He is revealed in and through the creation (Psalm 19:1, John 1:3, Col. 1:16). He is revealed in and through The Word of God (Heb. 4:12, Rom. 10:17). And He is revealed in and through the personal lives of those who have received His message of grace, forgiveness and salvation and have experienced the transforming power of His Spirit! (Rom. 8: 15-16).

Although Jesus is invisible (at the moment) to the natural eye, yet He is visible to us in the spirit and through the everyday events and circumstances of life. Jesus illustrated this by pointing out that the Holy Spirit is like the wind. We do not see or know how or where it originates or where it goes when it passes over us, but we can readily see and know what it does (John 3:8). The ability to recognize Jesus depends upon whether or nor we genuinely desire to see Him! All throughout scripture, the Lord revealed Himself to those who genuinely wanted to see. He did that for Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Daniel and He still reveals Himself today. Some revelations are dramatic, such as Moses at the burning bush (Ex. 3:2) and Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9: 1-6). The majority however are quiet and simple like those two disciples in Emmaus, who were having an ordinary meal with a stranger until their eyes were opened and they realized it was Jesus.

That is how Jesus most often reveals Himself to us today; in the simple, everyday, ordinary things of life. In those times, like the disciples in Emmaus, we may not immediately recognize Him at first. But when as we look more closely upon the moment, the event or the circumstances we have experienced our eyes are opened and we suddenly see Him . We see that He was there right in the midst of of it! He was operating and working in that situation all the time! That revelation is given to us by The Holy Spirit who opens our eyes and enables us to see! That is why those who do not know Him and those who have no interest in Him, never see Him. Jesus always hides Himself from those who do not care to see. But He is always revealing Himself to those who do! (Jer. 29:13).

The Promises of God

August 14, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature…” – 2nd Peter 1:4

The promises of God are without equal! The promises of God are absolute; meaning that they will be fulfilled! The Character and the Power of God are behind each promise that He makes! They are greater than we can possibly imagine. As the hymn says; we can “stand on the promises of God.”

But it is important for us to understand that there are different categories of God’s promises. Some of the promises of God are unconditional; meaning that they apply to all people at all times. Such is the promise of Salvation. It is offered to all who believe (that is put their complete trust) in Jesus. His love, forgiveness, and amazing grace are available to all who call upon Him in faith! (John 3:16, Rom. 10:13). This promise enables all who put their trust in Christ to experience the life-changing, transforming power of the Holy Spirit and receive a new life! (2 Cor. 5:17).

There are some promises that are specifically for the Nation of Israel. They are God’s Covenantal Promise unto them. (Gen. 12:3). Some promises are conditional; meaning that we have a responsibility for those promises to be fulfilled. If we honor, obey Him and meet the conditions He has asked, specific blessings will follow. But if we walk in dishonor and obedience certain curses will follow as a result. (Deuteronomy 28).

All of God’s promises are given out of His love for His people! They are designed to bless His people! All of His promises are given to enable His people to experience the goodness of God in their lives. One of the greatest ways we can grow in our faith is to begin walking by faith in the promises that God has given unto us. As we do, we will experience the reality of those promises being manifested in our lives. And we will begin to experience God in our daily lives!

Let us be thankful that we have such an awesome God who makes such astounding promises to us!

Rev. James W. Black

Unable to Discern Right from Wrong

August 7, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner / Uncategorized

In Isaiah 5:20-21 The Holy One gave the Word through the prophet Isaiah to the people of Israel: “Woe to them that call evil good and good evil; that put darkness for light and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to them that are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight.” (KJV). Because Israel had abandoned both the Truth of God (The Word of God) and the God of Truth they were no longer able to discern between what was good and what was evil. They had lost their moral compass and everyone did what was right in his own eyes!

Sadly we are witnessing the same thing in our culture today. As a culture we have abandoned the Truth of God (the Word of God) and the God of Truth (John 14:6). And professing ourselves to be wise we have become fools (Romans 1:22).

Today, every form of evil is celebrated by the culture at large. Homosexuality, fornication, adultery, lying, cheating, stealing, public profanity, and every form of perversion and evil are celebrated by the culture at large. Today such things are called good! To disapprove or disagree with such things is considered hateful, bigoted, and intolerant. To protest such things is considered unenlightened and out of touch.

As a result, we are reaping and will continue to reap, the consequences of such evil choices. Our families will continue to disintegrate. Our children will continue to be abused (the greatest abuse is abortion), abandoned, and sexually exploited by a culture in which now many of the so-called “elite” think that pedophilia should be legalized. The envelope is being pushed further and further. Now even cannibalism is being promoted in movies and books. One “enlightened” commentator on the arts noted recently that “cannibalism is a subject whose time has come.”

As a Holy God brought judgment upon his own people for their wickedness, He will surely bring judgment upon us for our light has been much greater! But regardless of the darkness, we are called to be the light to this generation in darkness. We are called to live and walk in the Truth of Christ and His Word! We have the compass! And because of that, we can discern the difference between right and wrong; good and evil. Let us resolve to continue to be that light!

Rev. James W. Black

The Language of Tears

July 30, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in Uncategorized

“He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” (Psalm 126: 6 KJV).

When it comes to advancing the Kingdom of God, the salvation of lost loved ones, the return of our prodigals, the outpouring of revival, and the turning of our nation, one of the most important languages to which God responds to is the language of our tears. Nothing touches the heart of God more than our tears! Just as a mother or a father is immediately drawn to the tears of their child, the heart of God is quickly drawn to the tears of His children!

We are not speaking of mere emotionalism but rather the deep, genuine, heartfelt brokenness and desperation over an impossible and hopeless situation.
A situation in which there is no solution apart from God’s sovereign intervention. When genuine tears are shed, they are shed because the heart is broken. They are shed because there is the recognition that there is no hope outside of God. They are shed out of desperation! There is absolutely nothing else that can possibly be done! Our mind, our heart, and our full attention are riveted on God in brokenness and humility. And it is in this position of the heart that the Lord hears and responds.

We see this exemplified again and again all through scripture from the cry of the Israelites slaves in Egypt (Ex. 3:7), the cry of Israel when they had been overcome by their enemies because of their sin (Judges 3:9), to Hannah (1 Samuel 1:10) who wept before the Lord for a child. In all of these situations, the Lord responded to the language of tears.

When the South Koreans came to the US in May of this year, one of the most amazing things they did when they prayed for this nation was that they cried out to the Lord with tears. I must confess that although I have been deeply grieved and burdened over the dreadful, sinful condition of our nation, I have not yet wept over our nation! Could that be one of the reasons we have not yet seen revival? Could it be that in spite of all the prayer taking place among many of God’s people in America, we have not yet come to the place of brokenness and weeping over the condition of our nation? Could that be one of the reasons that revival has been delayed?

The question is asked, “How bad will it have to be before we get to that point?” I don’t know. But I do know this, I (and we) have not yet reached that point. Thus, revival still tarries. We must humbly ask the Lord to break our heart for what breaks His!

The Blessings of Obedience

July 21, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in Uncategorized

“And these blessings shall come on thee and overtake thee if thou shalt harken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.” (Deut. 28:2 KJV).

In this passage of scripture, the Holy One was about to bring a new generation of His people into the land He had promised them. The previous generation, their fathers, had died wandering in the wilderness for 40 years because of their disobedience and rebellion against God. They had refused to believe God in spite of witnessing a multitude of incredible and powerful miracles in addition to His continual daily provision in a dry and barren land. Their disobedience and rebellion were NOT just a one-time event. It was the FINAL STRAW in a habitual and continual pattern of their unbelief and their unwillingness to trust the Lord (Numbers 14).

This new generation was on the threshold of realizing the fulfillment of what God had promised their fathers. As they are about to enter in, He gave them both a promise and a warning concerning the next step they are about to take.

The promise was that IF THEY OBEYED HIM they would experience the blessing of God in EVERY AREA of their life (Deut. 28:1-14). They would be blessed (happy many times over) in their family, their crops, and their finances and they would be victorious over their enemies. The warning was that IF THEY WALKED IN DISOBEDIENCE, then they would experience difficulty and hardship in every area of their life.

The ultimate message was that they would experience joy and satisfaction in life if they obeyed the Lord. Jesus emphasized this when He said: “…I have come that they might have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10 KJV).

If we recognize that the Lord is our source for all that we need and we honor Him, trust Him, and obey Him then He has promised that we will have sufficiency in all things. This is NOT a prosperity gospel. Rather it is merely the EXTRA benefit that the Lord pours out upon those who have received His great salvation and who genuinely value that gift by walking in love and obedience with Him. Knowing this, why would we want to do anything less?

The Invitation

July 16, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“And as he passed by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the seat of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.” (Mark 2:14 KJV).

The invitation Jesus extended to Matthew is the same he offers to us: “Follow me.” It is interesting to note that Jesus did not ask him to join the movement, or to join the group or to become a part of the cause. His invitation was clear, direct, simple and yet profound: “Follow me”.

That is the essence of the Christian life. It is not just being a part of a movement or being part of a group or engaging in a cause. It is simply “Following Him.” He does not ask us to lead. He does not ask us to take charge. He simply asks us to follow Him. We often complicate what it means to be Christian. We sometimes offer others our own particular set of rules and regulations. Without realizing it, we want others to be conformed to us. We want others to conform to our church or to our particular tribe. When in reality, we are simply called to Follow Jesus. The amazing thing is that is that when we simply “Follow Him” He brings about amazing transformation! In fact it is impossible to “Follow Jesus” and not be transformed.

One of the reasons so few follow Jesus is because they still want to be in charge. They want to be in control. They want to lead. They do not want to follow. And they do not want to be transformed. You see Following Jesus is the same as it has always been. We must leave where we are in order to go to where He is. We must leave where we are in order to arrive to where He is going.

When Jesus invites us to follow, we each must make the choice. Will we follow Him or not? He does not drive us. He does not coerce us. He does not push us. He simply asks us to come and follow Him. And if we choose to follow, He then supernaturally provides everything that is needed to do so.

When Matthew accepted the invitation to follow Jesus, everything changed. His occupation changed. His walk changed. His status changed. His entire life changed. He would never be the same again. And some 2,000 years after he accepted the invitation, Matthew is still remembered as one who Followed Jesus! Had he not followed, it is very likely that no one would even know who he is!

Rev. James W. Black

The Lord Has Made Every Provision For Us To Live A Godly Life

July 10, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of him that had called us to glory and virtue.” (2 Peter 1:3 KJV)

When we surrendered our life to Jesus, the Holy Spirit came and took up residence inside our inner man (our spirit). In that moment of the “new birth” ( John 3:3), we received the “divine nature” of Christ Himself! (2 Pet. 1:4, Col. 1:27). This “divine power” now within us, enables us and empowers us to live a life that is not only pleasing to God the Father but also a life that will bring Him glory in the earth! In essence, the Lord has made every provision for us to live a godly life!

As we begin this new life in Christ, we soon discover a new conflict we did not expect! That conflict is the “old nature” that is still very much alive within us. This “old nature” does not like submitting to the “new nature.” It has been dethroned. It is no longer in charge. Therefore the “old nature” seeks every opportunity to re-assert itself. At times we find ourselves in a struggle. But the fact that we experience the conflict is another proof that our new life in Christ is real because before Christ we did not have the struggle. (Rom. 7:22-23).

The key to releasing this “divine power” in our life is growing in our knowledge of Jesus. It is more than just head knowledge. It is experiential knowledge that comes from stepping out in faith, trusting Him, and simply doing what He teaches us to do in His Word. As we do, His power is released in us and our knowledge of Christ grows deeper. As we grow in Him, we receive a greater understanding of just how much He truly loves us. As we grow in Him, we have a greater understanding of what He has actually accomplished for us. As we grow in Him, we learn more about how to surrender to Him. As we grow in Him, we learn more about what it means to enthrone Him in our life. As we grow in Him, we learn more about the Holy Spirit and how He empowers us to live for Christ.

As we grow in Him, we discover that we don’t need more faith, more strength, more power, or anything else. We discover that He has already given us everything that we need. All that is required is to surrender to Him continually and draw upon all the resources of Heaven that is readily available to us.

Rev. James W. Black

The Responsibility of Freedom

July 3, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“[Live] as free people, [yet] without employing your freedom as a pretext for wickedness; but[ live at all times] as servants of God.” (1 Peter 2:16 AMPC).

The Apostle Peter is reminding the followers of Christ that Jesus did indeed come to set us free from the bondage of sin (John 8:36). But with that freedom comes the responsibility of living as Children of God before Him and the world. Our freedom is not a license to live a sinful lifestyle!

Some in the Body of Christ think that their freedom means that they can live any way they wish and it doesn’t matter because the Lord loves them and will forgive them. That attitude reflects that they neither value nor appreciate the love of God; nor do they understand His Holiness!

God’s purpose in redemption is to bring into His Family a people that reflect and reveal Him to a darkened world. The life of Christ is not revealed through “legalism” (rules of do’s and don’ts) but rather through a love relationship that is motivated by a desire to to please the Holy One in the way way that we live. The Good News of the gospel is that the Holy Spirit empowers us to live the very life that He calls us to live.

It is no longer a matter of struggling and striving but rather a matter of hearing and obeying what He would have us do. There is great freedom in that! Let us so walk in our freedom that others may see it and be drawn to that same freedom we have experienced in Him!

Rev. James W. Black

THE LOST ART OF BEING STILL

June 26, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“Be still and know that I am God… (Psalm 46:10 KJV).

One of the most ironic things in American life is the fact that we have more time saving devices at our disposal than ever before in history and yet we seem to have less time. Time has become a precious commodity in American life. The truth is that there are still 24 hours in a day. But we choose to fill it up with more things. We have become so busy in life that we have forgotten how to live and enjoy life.

Even those who know the Lord find it difficult to spend time with Him. The key is rediscovering how to be still. Being still requires intentionality. It requires not being rushed or hurried. It requires finding a quiet place. It requires shutting off distractions (computers, cell phones, tv, radio etc.). It requires turning our full attention to the Lord. It requires opening His Word and reading with a desire to listen. It requires sitting still in His Presence and turning a verse of scripture over in our minds thinking of each word and each phrase; letting its message take root in our heart. It requires just reflecting on the Person of God as revealed in Jesus. It requires sometimes just observing and taking in the wonder of His creation all around us and being in awe of His creative power. It requires being still enough to become conscious of His Presence. It requires waiting. It requires sometimes just sitting quietly before Him and not saying a word.

And it is in the stillness and quietness of those moments that we hear the “still small voice” of the Lord speaking softly to us in our spirit. In those moments He reveals Himself to us; reminding us that He is with us, reaffirming His love for us and like a loving Shepherd gently nudging us in the direction He wants us to go. In the quietness of those moments He reaches out to us and invites us to follow Him on the path He has chosen for the day. And as we step out onto the path we sense the gentle touch of His hand guiding us along the way.

It is in the wonder and the mystery of being still that we rediscover once again that He is God and He is with us! And it is in Him that we discover the meaning and purpose of the journey.

Rev. James W. Black

Author: NCC-Admin-1