NCC-Admin-1, Author at NCC Cartersville

The Extravagant Gift of God

December 9, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 KJV

During the Christmas Season, people naturally turn their attention to gifts. Now, there is nothing wrong with the giving and receiving of gifts. It is a way of expressing our love, appreciation, and care for one another. Those who enjoy giving gifts desire to give the “perfect gift” to that special person or persons. They want to give something that will be valued and treasured; something that when the gift is seen or used later they always remember the one who gave them that gift. But this season is not about the gifts we give to one another. Rather it is about the extravagant gift that God has given unto us!

This extravagant gift cannot be purchased or earned in any way (Eph. 2: 8-9). And its value cannot be realized until it is genuinely received. It is only when this gift is gratefully received that genuine transformation occurs. Some transformation occurs immediately (2 Cor. 5:17). Other transformation takes place over a lifetime of embracing, treasuring, and walking in the reality of this precious gift.

In Romans 8:32 the Word of God declares: “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (KJV). When it came to us (all of us) God the Father spared no expense. He gave the most valuable possession that He had so that you and I could have eternal life, be a part of His Eternal Family, and live in His Eternal Kingdom.

With His gift, He lavished His incomprehensible love upon us! His gift is rich and extravagant! It is immeasurable! It is eternal! It never gets old. It never goes out of style. It never goes out of date. It never wears out. And it never becomes obsolete. We can never outgrow it and we cannot live without it. It is with us now and will be with us all throughout eternity. It is the perfect gift that ultimately makes us perfect in the sight of a Holy God! There is no other gift like it anywhere! It is indeed one of a kind!
And it should be treasured above all other gifts!

Rev. James W. Black

God’s Rest

November 25, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“And he said, “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.”
Exodus 33:14 KJV

We live in a hectic, fast-paced world. And that pace seems to increase during the Christmas Season. Mothers especially struggle to find time to get everything done during the Holiday Season. It can be overwhelming.

That is why it is important that we realize that God is “no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). Which essentially means that God has no favorites. That means many things, but in this case, it does mean that God gives each person the same amount of time each day. Everyone gets 24 hours a day. No matter what part of the country or the world we live in each person gets the same amount of time each day. Our tendency, especially as Americans, is to “fill up” every moment of every day. Thus our “stress level” is amplified which affects every aspect of our lives. The remedy for that is learning to enjoy God’s rest.

The “rest of God” begins with being conscious of God’s Presence in our lives as followers of Christ. His Presence is with us constantly whether we “feel it” or not.
The Hebrew word for “rest” in this passage is the word: “nuwach” which means “to settle down, give comfort to, to rest and to be quiet.” (Strongs #5117). The Presence of God comforts us, reassures us, quiets us in the midst of a noisy, busy, and chaotic world, and fills us with His Peace on the inside.

The “rest of God” is a promise to each of God’s children. Just as it was given to Moses and Israel in the wilderness, it is given to us in the wilderness of our lives today. The “rest of God” is the revelation of the Person of Christ, who indwells us. It is becoming conscious that He is with us each day and in each moment of our lives. The consciousness of His indwelling Presence gives us rest. He encourages us. He strengthens us. He guides us and fills us with joy. If we simply take some time to “be still” (Psalm 46:10) we will become conscious of Him. And the consciousness of His Presence gives us rest, even in the midst of busy and tumultuous times.

Rev. James W. Black

The Faithfulness of God

November 18, 2023 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 most wonderful attributes of God is his faithfulness. When we surrender our lives to Him, He binds Himself to us in a powerful covenant relationship that cannot be broken (John 10:28). He becomes our Heavenly Father and we become His children. We literally become a part of His eternal family.

As our Heavenly Father, He commits himself to us to love us, provide for us, guide us, direct us, watch over us, correct us when necessary (Heb. 12:6), and mold us and shape us into the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29). If we are not experiencing these things in our life, we might seriously consider whether or not we are truly walking with Him and belong to Him.

It is as we continue walking with Him that we begin to discover His faithfulness. It is revealed to us day by day. We begin to realize that each day is a “gift from God.” (Psalm 118:24). It is another opportunity to walk with Him and to experience Him in our personal lives. As we begin to walk in obedience to His Word, we begin to see His hand operating in our daily lives. He reveals Himself by affirming the truth and the power of His Word to us as we walk in obedience to it. Sometimes we see Him in the big things. But most often He is working on the little things in our lives. We simply have to align ourselves with Him and ask Him to open our eyes in order to see Him!

In a culture that does not comprehend the meaning of faithfulness, it is comforting to know that there is Someone (The Holy One) Who is always faithful to us. It is a part of Who He is! It is simply a part of what He does! There is no one anywhere who can compare to Him! His faithfulness alone makes it worth following Him! He is the Faithful God!

Rev. James W. Black

Gratitude Is An Expression of Salvation

November 11, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name. (5). For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
Psalm 100:4-5 KJV

One of the hallmarks of being truly “born again” is a heart that is full of gratitude! When we consider where we once were, (blinded to the Truth, walking in darkness, totally separated from God and on our way to an eternity in hell, which we justly deserved) and then to be redeemed, washed, and cleansed by His Precious blood; forgiven and made totally righteous in His sight and transferred by the power of the Holy Spirit into His eternal Kingdom, we should be forever filled with heartfelt gratitude for what He has done for us! The awe and wonder of that reality should cause us to be eternally grateful to Him!

Gratitude toward God the Father for His goodness and grace is the normal response of those who follow Christ. Paul the Apostle was forever in awe at the grace of God which would transform him from being one of the greatest enemies of Christ (Acts 9:1-2; Gal. 1:13) to becoming one of His greatest defenders (2 Cor. 11: 23-28). Paul was overwhelmed by the depths of such love! He was eternally grateful for God’s goodness and grace that had been poured out upon him.

Gratitude is expressed through our worship! Genuine worship flows from a heart that is grateful for being redeemed. Such gratitude is spontaneous, genuine, and ongoing. And gratitude is expressed through service

Paul’s unwavering and unselfish service to the Lord Jesus was an expression of his deep gratitude! The Scripture says that those “who have been forgiven much, love much.” (Luke 7:44-48). All that we do for the Lord flows out of our love for Him and is an expression of our gratitude toward Him! Could it be that one of the reasons that so few are willing to serve the Lord in any capacity is that they have forgotten what it means to be grateful? When God’s people live in conscious gratitude, there is never a shortage of servants.

Rev. James W. Black

The Power of the New Covenant

November 4, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“For this reason, Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance —now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Heb. 9:15 NIV 1984 Edition).

The Old Covenant which gave us the Law of God (revealed in the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20) was weak in that it could not make anyone righteous in the sight of God (Heb. 7:19). It is not that the Law is bad. No, it is very good. The Law reveals the Holy, just, and righteous nature of God. The problem was the weakness of our humanity. Because of our sinful nature, we were unable to keep the Law consistently and continually. In other words, the Law was unable to deliver us from the power of sin. No matter how hard one tries, everyone inevitably fails in their effort to keep the Law. (Rom. 3:23). Thus, the weakness of the Old Covenant was not in the Law itself but in us.

In Christ, God gave us a “better covenant”. In this Covenant, the Law was not done away with, but was fully kept by Christ (Heb. 10:10). He was sinless in every possible way. When He became our substitute on the cross, our sin was vicariously placed upon Him! At that moment He became our substitute and was subject unto death because death is the result of sin (Rom. 6:23). It is not that He sinned, but the fact that He took our sin upon Himself. And there God the Father judged Him just as if He were judging us! (Col. 2:13).

After His resurrection, His blood that was offered once and for all for our sin was placed upon the Mercy Seat before the Throne of God (Heb. 10: 16-18). And now all who put their trust in that Blood and personally accept the sacrifice that He made by surrendering their life to Jesus are made absolutely holy and righteous in the sight of God (2 Cor. 5:21)! It is no longer the keeping of the Law that makes one acceptable in the sight of God. It is the surrender to the finished work of Christ and receiving from Him what was impossible for us to do ourselves! (Rom. 6:23, Eph. 2:8-9).

Our life afterward is simply a daily acknowledgment and surrendering to the Power of the cross (Gal. 2:20). What follows is a heart full of gratitude and love which motivates us to follow Him. Our service for Him is now born out of love and gratitude rather than obligation! And the best part of this New Covenant is that He gives us the Holy Spirit to live within us Who empowers us to do what we could never do on our own (John 14:20, 25; John 15:26; John 16:13)! This New Covenant is truly better than the old!

James W. Black

There Is No Substitute for Obedience

October 29, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”
Romans 5: 19 KJV

There is no substitute for obedience. The Apostle Paul reminds us that it was because of the disobedience of one man, Adam, that sin entered into the world. Our world has been broken and corrupted by sin ever since. We can see the impact of sin all around us every day. Homes, marriages and individual lives are marred by the influence of sin.
Institutions are impacted by sin as well because they are managed by sinful people. The message is clear, disobedience has serious consequences.

But just as disobedience has consequences, so does obedience. The good news of the Gospel is that One Man, Jesus, totally and completely obeyed the will of the Heavenly Father in every way. As a result, all who are redeemed by His Precious Blood are the recipients and beneficiaries of His obedience.

Obedience is not always easy. It is easier in some situations than others. But in all situations it requires us submitting our fleshly desires to the cross and simply doing what the Lord would have us to do. God always makes it clear to us what we need to do. Just as He made His wishes known to Adam, He makes His wishes known to us. He does not leave us in the dark. He has given us clear instructions through His Word and by the leading of the Holy Spirit. And the Lord always helps us to obey if we will yield to Him!

It was not easy for Jesus to obey. The torture of the cross was not easy. The very idea of being separated from His Heavenly Father when our sin was placed upon Him was not easy (Matthew 27:46). But Jesus understood the importance of obedience. There could be no substitute. The entire fate of the human race hung in the balance. Would He choose the Father’s will or His own? (Luke 22: 40-44).

Thankfully, Jesus chose the path of obedience. And all of us who are redeemed have received the blessing and the benefit of that obedience. So the next time you are tempted not to obey the Lord, just remember that your obedience can have an impact that is far greater than you can imagine. The obedience of Jesus was not just about Himself. It was about all of us! To Him, pleasing the Father was more important than pleasing Himself. I shudder to think of where we would be if He had not obeyed the Father!

James W. Black

Living Peaceably

October 22, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”
Rom. 12:18 KJV

“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” (Rom. 12:18 KJV).

One of the great promises of Jesus is the promise of peace. In John 14:27 Jesus promised to give all those who follow Him, His peace! In Isaiah 9:6, Jesus is called The Prince of Peace. Peace is one of the blessings and benefits of living in the Kingdom of God (Rom. 14:17). And, as God’s people, we are called to follow after those things that bring about peace (Rom. 14:19).

The peace that the Lord promises begins with having peace with God (Rom. 5:1). Until we have been reconciled to God through the shed Blood of Jesus, and our sin forgiven , it is impossible to have this peace. But once His peace is received, it lays the foundation for living and walking in peace. This peace is beyond our human understanding (Phil. 4:7) because it comes from God Himself! Once we are at peace with God, we can be at peace with ourselves. And because we are at peace with ourselves, we can be at peace with others. We than are called to do everything that we can to live in peace with others, because that is a reflection of the life of Christ within us. In fact, it is only the Gospel of Christ that commands us to “love our enemies” (Matth. 5:44). This peace is real, powerful and profound! There is nothing anywhere that compares to it.

But sadly, we live in a fallen world. Sin still resides in the human heart. And even though we desire to be at peace with others, there are those who refuse to be at peace with us. And, as we have seen recently with the war in Israel, there are those who do not want peace no matter what is done. That is why the scripture tells us to live in peace as much as it is possible. Regrettably, there are times when it is no longer possible. Then we must do everything that we can to protect our loved ones from those who would seek to destroy them. There comes a time when we must fight. We must do everything that we can to live peaceably. But when that is no longer possible there is a time for war (Ecc. 3:8). Because this world will never be at peace until Jesus Comes!

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6).

James W. Black

Keeping the Right Perspective

October 7, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him; for there is more with us than with them. With him is an army of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles…”
2 Chronicles 32: 7-8 KJV

The nation of Judah was facing an impossible situation. The mighty Assyrian army was marching against them. The odds against them were enormous. Thus far, every nation in the path of the Assyrians had fallen. What could the tiny nation of Judah possibly do? Fortunately, at this time, Judah had a good king who knew exactly what to do. Instead of focusing on the Assyrians, the king, focused upon God! And he encouraged his people to do the same.

Hezekiah did not deny the reality of the situation. In the natural, the situation was dire! But his faith and confidence were not in his ability nor the ability of his people. His faith and confidence was in the Living God! The God who had created Israel and made a covenant with them would be their shield and their protection (Deut. 28: 7). Therefore, because Hezekiah knew the Lord and sought to serve and follow the Lord, he saw things from God’s perspective. He knew that they could trust the Lord to work on their behalf. He knew that the God they served was greater than all the powers arrayed against them. And because Hezekiah kept the right perspective and sought the face of the Lord, the Lord did fight on their behalf and their enemies were destroyed (2 Kings 19: 32-37 & 2 Chron. 32: 20-22).

Everyone faces difficult things in life from time to time. It is the result of living in a fallen, sin-cursed, and broken world. But the good news is that in all situations, because of Jesus, we have hope! Our confidence is in the Only One who has conquered death, hell, and the grave (Rev. 1:18). When we put our trust in the Lord and rivet our attention upon Him, we can then see things from God’s perspective. We can then remember that our life is in His hands. Our present is in His hands. Our future is in His hands. He is for us (Rom 8:31). He is with us (Matt 28:20). He will guide us (John 16:13). He will watch over us. And He will take care of us (1 Pet. 5:6-7). No matter what comes our way! He is the Great I Am (Ex. 3:14, John 8:58). And He is greater than anything that the powers of darkness can ever bring against us (1 John 4:4).

Rev. James W. Black

Obeying God in the Little Things

September 30, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“But Daniel determined in his heart that he would not defile himself by [eating his portion of] the king’s rich and dainty food or by [drinking] the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might [be allowed] not to defile himself.”
Dan. 1:8 AMPC

It took great courage for Daniel, a young teenager at the time and a captive in Babylon, to take a stand by determining that he would still honor the Lord in spite of his circumstances. For him it was simply a matter of seeking to honor the Lord by adhering to the dietary laws laid down for Israel in the Word of God (Lev. 11). It would have been easy for him to simply partake of the rich food provided for him by the king.
But in the situation he was in, God was all that he had left and he was unwilling to do anything that would hinder that relationship. In fact, he wanted to do everything he could to still cultivate that relationship.

He could have looked at the circumstances and reasoned, that it was such a small thing that it really didn’t matter. But it did matter. It mattered because it was one of the things God had commanded Israel that set them apart as the people of God (Lev. 11:44)! And Daniel, though he was a captive in Babylon, still wanted to be identified as one who belonged to God! So, he made the decision and the Lord honored him in that decision. It was this decision that set the precedent for the rest of his life. Daniel would face far greater challenges in the future. But because he had determined to obey God in the little things, he had laid the foundation for being able to trust and obey God in far greater situations later.

If we desire to be a people who genuinely reflect Christ in a dark culture, it is important that we begin right where we are by obeying God in the little things (Luke 12:26). Love one another (John 13:35). Care for one another. Be kind to one another (Eph. 4:32). Be considerate of one another. Encourage one another (Heb. 10:24). Help one another. Let us be mindful of our tongue and how we speak to one another (1 Pet. 3:10). Let us be known as a people who build up one another instead of tearing one another down (1 Thes. 5:11). Let us be the people who seek to do what is right regardless of the cost (Psalm 15:4). Let us be the people who seek to honor the Lord in all things (Matth. 6:33). If we do these things, we (like Daniel) will lay the foundation for being able to obey God in the greater challenges that will inevitably come our way.
James W. Black

The Goodness of God

September 23, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting and his truth endureth to all generations.”
Psalm 100:6 KJV

The Word of God declares that the Lord is good! Being good, He always desires the best for us! And He works to accomplish the greatest good for us. The goodness of God is not only determined by what He does but is revealed to us in Who He is! His goodness is the expression of His Person! It is a reflection of His character and nature. When Satan tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden, he did so not only by twisting the truth of God’s Word but also by questioning the goodness of God. (Gen. 3:4-5).

God’s goodness does not mean that He always does what we want or gives us everything that we ask for. A good parent does not do that for their children and our Heavenly Father does not do that for His children either. There are times when, for our own good, He says “no”! In those times when we do not understand why the Lord says “no”, we must learn to trust His goodness! We must choose to trust His character and nature. We must choose to trust the fact that when He says “no” it is because of His deep love for us! Like any child, we may not understand it or like it at the moment. But over time, as we grow and mature, we can look back and see that the Lord knew what was best for us all along.

The goodness of God is expressed in His everlasting mercy. His mercy is deep. His mercy is eternal! He never withholds His mercy from those who truly desire Him and seek Him! All that He requires is a heart that is genuinely surrendered unto Him! (Jer. 29:13).

The goodness of God is revealed in His eternal Truth! Unlike the world, His Truth never changes! What was true for Abraham, Moses, and David as well as the Early Church, is still true for us today. They trusted the goodness of God, the mercy of God, and the Truth of God that was revealed unto them by His Word! They staked their lives and their eternal destiny upon it. And they reaped the blessings and rewards of walking in the Truth of God. As a result, they experienced the goodness of God. And they left for us a legacy, showing us what it means to follow the Lord (Heb. 11: 1-40). Therefore we can also walk in absolute confidence knowing that God is good. He is merciful. His Truth is eternal and the revelation of ultimate reality. He did not fail those who have gone before us. Neither will He fail us! He is faithful! And He is good!

Rev. James W. Black

Author: NCC-Admin-1