NCC-Admin-1, Author at NCC Cartersville

Being God’s Friend

September 10, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“…Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness and he was called the Friend of God.” (James 2: 23 KJV).

One of the most profound statements in scripture concerning Abraham is that he is called “the Friend of God.” (Isaiah 41:8, 2 Chronicles 20:7). In Gen. 12:1, God revealed Himself to Abraham, a former worshipper of idols, and his life and destiny was radically transformed. He would never be the same again (2 Cor. 5:17). From that point on, In the midst of a totally pagan culture, he chose to follow God. That does not mean that he followed God perfectly. He didn’t. He stumbled a few times along the way (Gen. 12: 10-13). But he never stopped following. Whenever he failed, he would get back up and continue to follow. He never quit.

The scripture tells us that he became God’s Friend when he chose to believe God! He didn’t just believe in God. Many people do that and are not changed. No. He chose to actually believe that God was exactly Who He said He was and as a result, Abraham totally committed himself into God’s hands! In following God, Abraham became a worshipper of God. Everywhere he settled, he built an altar unto the Lord and worshipped God (Gen. 12:7.).

To be God’s Friend is simple. When God reveals Himself to us, (as He does in and through His Word) we must choose to follow. Believing is more than merely acknowledging God or acknowledging truth. It is committing our heart to Him and trusting Him with all that we are and all that we have. To be God’s Friend means that we value and treasure the relationship. We do not take it for granted. To be God’s friend means that we take time to be with Him. Being with Him is vitally important to us. It is a priority to us. To be God’s Friend means that we listen when He speaks. We value what He says. And to be God’s Friend means that we are willing to actually do what He asks us to do. Why? Because we are God’s Friend! The overall key to Abraham’s friendship with God was that he believed God. He listened to God He adjusted his life to God. And he followed God. The key to the entire relationship was that in all things and in all circumstances, Abraham trusted God (Gen. 22: 1-14). What was true for Abraham is still true for us if we desire to truly be God’s Friend and not just an acquaintance.

Rev. James W. Black

The Labor That Produces Rest

September 2, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. (10) For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works as God did from his. (11) Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest…”
Heb. 4: 9-11 KJV

“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. (10) For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works as God did from his. (11) Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest…” (Heb. 4: 9-11 KJV).

Some of the best rest is when we have worked hard all day and are completely exhausted but feel good about the day because of the work that was accomplished. As soon as our head hits the pillow we are asleep but we awake refreshed for the coming day.

The Word of God tells us that there is also a “rest for the people of God.” This rest also comes at the end of labor. But it is a different kind of labor than our physical labor. It is an inner labor that comes from striving to try and please God and yet feeling as if we have not done enough and therefore somehow are not fully accepted by God. But it is a labor that must be entered into before we can ultimately find the “rest” that the Lord wants us to have.

We have to “labor” through our pride. We have to “labor” through our self-sufficiency.
We have to “labor” through having confidence in ourselves; in our ability to please God with our own efforts. We have to “labor” through our failures and our disappointments with ourselves and with others. We have to “labor” through our feelings of inadequacy. We have to “labor” through our hurts and our pain. We have to “labor” until we can come to the place of completely surrendering everything that we were, everything that are, everything that we have, and everything we hope to be totally to the Lord.

It is the place of total surrender to the finished work of Christ and His completed work on our behalf on the cross! Our sense of worth and meaning is no longer found in our ability to achieve or in our ability to serve and please others; even as Christ Followers. No. Our worth meaning and purpose are found in Christ alone! He is the culmination of all that we are and all that we ever hope to be. It is all found in Him! (Phil. 3: 7–9).

And when we finally arrive at that place through the “labor” of full relinquishment and surrender of all things to Him, we find this joyful place of His rest! We can finally “rest” in the fact that we are full and complete in Him! And we are totally and completely loved and accepted by Him! It is amazing how refreshing and renewing that truly is!

Rev. James W. Black

Our Powerful Union With Christ

August 13, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5 NKJV

The invitation of Jesus is for us to abide in Him! The Greek word translated “abide” is the word “meno”. It means to stay, to remain, to continue, or to permanently abide in one place.” (Sparkling gems from the Greek page 578). Jesus is the author and the giver of life, both natural and eternal (John 3:16, Col. 1:16). There is no life apart from Him! And when we receive His gift of salvation we are joined with Christ and become recipients of eternal life (John 10: 27-28).

Our adversary wants us to believe that somehow we must “do more” in order for that life to be maintained. The evil one wants us to think that we must read the Bible more, attend church more, give more, and serve more so that our life in Christ can be meaningful and fruitful. Now all of those things are good and are important for our growth in Christ. Those spiritual disciplines teach us, strengthen us, encourage us, and help us to learn and understand more of the reality and power of Christ. But they are not an end in themselves. Our life in Christ rests on the finished work of Christ Himself. It is only when we understand our “settled and fixed” union with Christ that these other disciplines become meaningful to us. The fruit is produced by His life flowing into us, through us, and out of us. The fruit is not produced by our own effort. The fruit is produced by simply “being” in Christ.

To abide in Him means that we are no longer striving. We are no longer struggling. We are resting. We are content with simply “being” in Christ. And it is through this understanding of “abiding” that we discover the joy and the richness of His life flowing in us and through us! It comes by simply being “joined” with Him! We never hear or see an apple tree struggling to produce apples. The branches of the apple tree produce apples because they are connected and joined to the life of the tree. The “fruit of the Spirit” or the life of Christ is produced simply by being joined to Christ, resting in Him, and living in Him. (Gal. 5:22-25). And that is truly amazing, powerful, and liberating!

Rev. James W. Black

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

August 6, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
Rom. 1: 16 KJV

Paul had been one of the most religious men of his day! He was a rising star among the religious elite, the Pharisees. His religious credentials were impeccable (Phil. 3: 4-10). He was a brilliant student of the Word of God. He had a great zeal for God. He was sincere in what he believed. But he did not truly know God! He only had religion, not a relationship with God. In his religious zeal he persecuted the Christians for their faith in Jesus Christ, who they claimed had been raised from the dead. Paul did not believe it! He considered them to be a threat to the God of Israel. He was the enemy of Christ!

But Jesus, in His sovereign grace, powerfully revealed himself to Paul as he was traveling to Damascus to persecute the Christians who were there (Acts 9). In his encounter with the risen Christ, Paul was radically transformed from the enemy of Christ to one of the greatest defenders of Christ! Paul would never be the same again (2 Cor. 5:17). And although it meant rejection by his family and the Jewish people he dearly loved, he was more than willing to pay the price! He was not ashamed to be identified with Christ! Paul knew that Jesus was alive! Jesus had revealed Himself unto him, forgiven him, anointed him, and called him to be His vessel in the proclamation of the Gospel to his generation.

As God’s people we are not to be rude, offensive or obnoxious in our culture. But neither are we to be ashamed to be identified with Christ! We make no apologies for being followers of Jesus. We will often be rejected, ridiculed, mocked and maligned by family and friends. We will be misunderstood. We will be falsely accused of things we did not say and do not believe. We will have lies told about us. But the fact that these things happen should encourage us. For Jesus said that these things would happen (Matthew 5: 11-12).

Even though the darkness is increasing in our culture, it is our calling to speak up and live out the gospel of Jesus Christ. If we do, some will see and be drawn to Him. And that is the greatest reason not to be ashamed. After all, why would we ever be ashamed of embracing and living for the very One who paid for our redemption , forgave us and delivered us from the penalty of sin, death and hell? Why would we ever be ashamed of that? No one else has ever done for us what Jesus has done for us! And no one ever will!

Rev. James W. Black

Faithfulness in the Face of the Enemy

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

“I sought the Lord and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalm 34:4 KJV

David was a man of courage but he also knew the reality of fear. He lived in fearful times. He was being hunted by King Saul who wanted to kill him. He, along with his men, were having to hide in the land of the Philistines, the enemies of Israel. He had to be constantly on the move lest he be discovered by his enemies. One misstep could result in death; not only for himself but for all those who were with him. But David knew that the remedy for fear could only be found in God Himself. Therefore in the face of fear, David sought the Lord!

When we genuinely seek the Lord, He will reveal Himself unto us! We discover afresh and anew that the Lord is our refuge and our strength (Psalm 46:1). We begin to see things from God’s perspective rather than our circumstances. We recognize that He is the Sovereign and Almighty God; the Great El Shaddai! We remember that we can trust Him. We have nothing to fear (Psalm 27:1).

We live in fearful times also. Each one of us faces our own personal difficulties and struggles in life. We also see the many challenges facing our nation. We see how our government is unwilling and often inept in its ability to deal with anything. We see the decline of our culture. We see the rise of anti-Christian sentiment in our society. We see the unrest in the Middle East. We see the rise of China and the War in Ukraine, which could easily get out of hand and become much bigger than anyone ever thought. We fear for our children and our grandchildren and the difficult future they will face without a change of course in our culture.

But if we can keep our focus on Jesus and teach our children to do the same, then we have nothing to fear! Our God is more than enough for ourselves and for the next generation. It is all a matter of seeking Him, trusting Him, and resting in Him! For in Him, there is no fear!

Rev. James W. Black

The Remedy for Fear

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

“I sought the Lord and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalm 34:4 KJV

Rev. James W. Black

God’s Way Is Perfect

July 15, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in him.” (Psalm 18:30 NKJV).

Everything that God does is perfect! He never has to make a rough draft or a prototype. He never has to figure things out by trial and error. He never has to make a correction. Everything He does from the beginning to the end is perfect! The word “perfect” means flawless. But it also means “complete”. The Lord always completes whatever He starts. And whatever He completes is always perfect and flawless!

That should bring great comfort to each of us who are redeemed because the Lord is doing a great work in us! The Apostle Paul reaffirmed this when he said: “…He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6 NKJV). While none of us can truthfully claim perfection right now, we can all affirm that we are in the process of being perfected and being made complete in Him! And that is His work, not ours!

The Lord will use a multitude of tools and circumstances to accomplish His task. He knows just “the way” to do it! And we can either cooperate in the process or we can be stubborn and resist what he wants to do. The more we resist, the longer it will take and the more difficult will be the process. But make no mistake about it. The Lord will complete whatever He has started. And when it is finished it will be perfect.

It is also important for us to know that the “perfection” and the “completeness” will not be fully realized until He returns in all of His glory and not before. So, do not fret or worry about your progress. Just relax. Yield to the Lord and let Him do His work. He knows exactly what He is doing! His way is perfect!

Rev. James W. Black

Preparing for Battle

July 8, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner / Uncategorized

“And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hands.” (1 Sam. 17:47 KJV).

Because we live in a broken world, conflict is a normal part of life. We don’t like it and we certainly do not desire it. But it happens. And being a child of God does not exempt us from conflict. The key issue is: How do we handle conflict when it comes? The answer is to be prepared before the battle comes. For the child of God, the Lord has given us vast resources to assist us in the face of the enemy.

He has given to us The Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:11). He has given to us The Word of God (Heb. 4:12). And He has given to us powerful weapons that can be utilized whenever conflict arises (Eph. 6: 10-18). Our responsibility is to be prepared whenever the battle comes!

Those in the military train continually with their weapons. They learn about their weapons. They know what they can do. And most importantly they learn how to use them with absolute confidence. The training is done so that when the battle comes they will instinctively know what to do. A soldier cannot wait until the battle comes to prepare. The soldier must be well prepared before the battle comes. If he is prepared, then he is in a position to experience victory!

Ultimately our confidence in battle does not come from us, but from the One who has redeemed us and called us, the Lord Jesus Christ! When David faced Goliath, he was not prideful or cocky. Rather he was confident in the God that he knew and served. David was not intimidated or fearful of the enemy because he knew that the outcome of the battle rested in the Lord, not in himself. David had spent much time alone with the Lord on the hillside with sheep. His intimate relationship with the Lord had prepared him for the battle long before it ever came. Thus when it did come, David knew instinctively what to do.

Let us prepare ourselves for battle by seeking to know and walk closely with the Lord. As we do, whenever the enemy comes against us, we will be prepared to use the weapons of our warfare against him. And we can expect to be victorious. Like David, we can Run to the Battle with confidence, not fear.

Rev. James W. Black

Standing Firm in Liberty

July 1, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner / Uncategorized

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Gal. 5:1 KJV).

The Apostle Paul encouraged the Followers of Christ in Galatia to “stand firm” in the liberty that Christ had achieved for them. Some of the Galatian Christians were being tempted and drawn back into the bondage of religious legalism. Paul warned them to “wake up” and not allow themselves to be drawn back into the very thing that Christ had delivered them from!

The Power of Christ delivers us not only from the bondage of sin but also from the bondage of religious legalism. The resulting liberty that Christ provides impacts every area of our Iives. It impacts the culture as well.

It was the liberty of the Gospel that fueled the desire for freedom from the tyranny of England in the American Colonies in 1776. The American culture in the late 1700s was profoundly influenced by the Gospel. Christian principles were embraced by the culture at large whether they were Christian or not. They were embraced because of their profound and positive impact on the culture.

It was not atheism that fueled the fires of freedom in America. It was the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was not atheism that motivated men to lay down their lives for freedom in the war with England. It was the influence of the Gospel of Christ. It was not atheism or agnosticism that blessed our nation throughout its history. It was the Gospel of Christ. We are deeply indebted to those who have gone before us and who have modeled for us what it means to be a Follower of Christ in the arena of everyday life.

Let us resolve as Followers of Christ to continue to “stand firm” In our liberty in Christ.
Failure to do so may cause us to lose the liberties that we now enjoy in this nation.

James W. Black

The Blessing of Contentment

June 24, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner / Uncategorized

“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

Author: NCC-Admin-1