NCC-Admin-1, Author at NCC Cartersville

Does God Answer The Prayers of the Unredeemed?

March 19, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.” (Pro. 15:29 NKJV)

Over the years, I have heard lost people say that they pray and that the Lord hears their prayers. While I do not doubt that sometimes the lost do find themselves in difficult situations and will on those occasions offer up a desperate cry to the Lord, it by no means implies that God has a relationship with them or that they have a relationship with God. They don’t! The only reason God will answer their prayer (and there are times when He does) is for the purpose of revealing Himself to them and to help draw them to Himself. He answers their prayer only out of mercy; not because of relationship. To think otherwise is to be deceived. It simply is not true (Isaiah 1:15, & 1 John 1:6).

The unredeemed do not have ready access to the Lord. They have no basis of such access. It is only the Blood of Jesus, applied to heart of the redeemed, that gives anyone access to the Throne of God (John 14:6)! For the wicked, the lost, the unredeemed, those who have no regard or interest in the Lord, the scripture is clear; the Lord is far from them. He does not hear their prayer.

But the inheritance and privilege of a Child of God and being a part of His Kingdom, is the reality of knowing that we always have access to Throne of God! Christ alone has made that possible for us (Eph. 2:13-16). Christ alone has brought us into a right relationship with God. Christ alone has made us righteous by His own blood (2 Cor. 5:21 & Rev. 5:9). And the scripture is clear that the Lord always hears the prayers of His redeemed! (Psalm 37:4, John 14: 13-14).

One of the differences between the lost and the saved is this. The unredeemed cannot pray with confidence. They have no basis by which they can. But the redeemed do! It is our relationship that gives us confidence (Heb. 4:16). Therefore let us be joyful in the relationship that Jesus has made possible for us. And let us pray often (1 Thess. 5:17) Our Heavenly Father always hears us!

James W. Black

Don’t Expect The World to Love You

March 12, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. …They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. (John 17: 14; 16 NKJV).

One of the things that happens to those who have fully received Christ as their Savior is the discovery that those who have not, often do not like us or accept us anymore. In fact there will be those who not only dislike us, but there will be those who will despise us and hate us! That can be somewhat shocking at first. The shock is the realization that they have rejected us when we have not rejected them. And some of the first ones who reject us is lost family members. That can be especially painful and difficult. Of course the reason for that is because Jesus, has translated us out of the kingdom of darkness into His Kingdom of Light! (Col. 1: 12-13).

And while this is difficult to understand at first it helps us to know that such rejection affirms the reality of Christ that they see in us! In essence, it is not just us they are rejecting, it is Christ Who is in us (Col. 1:27) that they are rejecting. And Jesus reminds us that if the world rejected Him, then the world will also reject us! (Math. 10: 24-25).

When Jesus came into this world He brought the Light of God into this world (John 8:12) for He was God clothed in human flesh (John 1:14). And although He was in this world, He was not of this world. His light exposed the darkness of our sin, not for the purpose of condemning us, (John 3:17) but for the purpose of redeeming us and delivering us from its bondage! (Rom. 6: 11-14).

And that is exactly why the world will hate us. Because the Light of Christ in us exposes the darkness of sin. Those in the world are not only uncomfortable with that but they become angry about that. They hate that (John 3:20). They were perfectly content until the Light of Christ exposed the darkness of their heart. When that happens they will either flee from us or will attack us to try to extinguish the Light. But the one thing they will not do is love us.

But it is not our responsibility to get them to love us. It is our responsibly to love them. And through that love, that Christ Himself gives, bring them to the same Light that transformed us! (Math. 5:44).

James W. Black

The Reason That We Sing

March 5, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.” (Psalm 95:1 KJV).

The Word of God speaks a lot about singing. That is because God created us to sing. Singing is a part of the human experience. It is part of human expression. All people from all nationalities sing. The unredeemed sing. But there is no singing that can compare to the song of the redeemed!

There are a multitude of ways to express gratitude toward the Lord and one of those ways is singing. The Book of Psalms is a compilation of ancient songs (and prayers) sung to the Lord both in public and private worship. Music flows from the heart and stirs the soul. The Lord gifts people with the talent and ability to write music and words that enables those who sing to express their thoughts and feelings to the Lord. When we sing the words that others have written, those words literally become our own! That is why music and singing is such an important part of worship.

Someone once said that music and singing tills the soil of the heart and prepares it to receive the seed of God’s Word. Praise and adoration to the Lord expressed through singing invites His Presence to be manifested. (Psalm 22:3).

The beauty of singing corporately together is that when we blend our voices, our voice does not have to sound perfect. Our voice blended with others becomes a part of the whole. For what the Lord is listening to is the expression of our heart, not how perfectly we sing. There is something powerful and precious when a congregation lifts their voices as one unto the Lord to give Him honor and praise! The Lord delights in hearing the songs and praises of His people!

Therefore whenever we sing, let us focus our hearts upon the One who has redeemed us and express unto Him our gratitude and joy in the salvation He has provided for us!
Let us blend our voices together and lift up His Name together in song! The scripture says that our singing does not have to be perfect. It simply asks us to “make a joyful noise” unto the Lord. When our singing is truly from the heart, It is a sound that brings Him great pleasure!

James W. Black

The Gift of God’s Peace

February 26, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.” (Col. 3:15 NLT).

We live in a chaotic world. This chaos is the result of living in a world that is enveloped and governed by sin. Division strife and conflict is everywhere. Sadly, discontentment, bickering, strife and turmoil is the norm rather than the exception.
We see and hear it in the newscasts daily. It is pervasive in individuals, families, communities, organizations and nations. This chaos is the result of sin which expresses itself through selfishness and a self centeredness. It even impacts churches, whenever God’s people take their eyes off of Jesus and become distracted and focused on the weaknesses, flaws, failures, and imperfections of others within the Body of Christ. It is interesting to note how we somehow expect and even demand that others, walk more perfectly than we do; all the while forgetting that we also have feet of clay and are usually blinded to our own flaws. We deceive ourselves into thinking that our weaknesses and flaws, which we even may acknowledge, are not nearly as bad as those we see in others (Mat. 7:3-5).

But into this chaos comes Christ! And with Him comes His peace! It is His gift to us; personally and corporately. It is available to our family, our community and our fellowship. One of the amazing things about Jesus was that He was always at peace. He rested in the Peace of God, the Father. He was never anxious. He was never worried. Jesus was at perfect peace even when the ship carrying Him was tossed on the waves and appeared (at least to His disciples) to be sinking (Mat. 8: 24-27). As He stood before Pilate, knowing full well what awaited Him, He was a peace! He was at peace because He had fully committed Himself into the hands of His Heavenly Father (Mat. 26: 39-46). and He completely trusted Him to take care of Him in and through all circumstances. (John 18: 36-37).

This same peace is available to every follower of Christ. It comes with our salvation. It is a part of living and being in Christ. But notice the passage: “let the peace of God, that comes from Christ, rule your hearts.” The peace comes from Christ, but we must allow (or let) His peace rule and reign! We do that by surrendering ourselves unto Him, relinquishing the chaos to Him, and letting His peace lift us above the chaos. The chaos may not change but we change. We change our perspective and we change our position. And because we have chosen to surrender ourselves and our chaos to Him, His peace is then released so that it can have full reign in our lives.

James W. Black

How Can You Tell If You Love Jesus?

February 19, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15 NKJV)

It is very easy for someone to say: “I love Jesus.” But how can you tell if that really is true? Jesus made it simple and clear. He said in essence, “If you love me, you will do what I ask you to do.” Genuine obedience to the Lord is born out of love for Him! If we love Him, obedience is not hard because we know that whatever He asks us to do is because of His great love for us! He always has our best interest in mind.

Therefore, we seek to honor Him, not out of duty or coercion but because of our love for Him. We love Him because of what He has done for us (1 John 4:19). Jesus has redeemed us by His own blood (Col. 1:14). He has forgiven us and made us sons and daughters of His royal family (Gal. 4:6-7). He came to us when were totally bankrupted by sin and gave us the wealth of His mercy, forgiveness, grace and love! He gave us His very own righteousness (Rom. 3: 21-22). And if that were not enough, He gave us eternal life (John 11: 25-26). The power of sin and death was broken by His resurrection and no longer has a claim upon us (Col. 2: 13-15). It is absolutely amazing! And He did all of this out of His great love for us. He did that for us before we even knew Who He was (Rom. 5:8). How could anyone truly know that not love Him?

Therefore if we truly love Jesus , we will want to honor Him! We will not want to do anything to bring a reproach upon His Name. We will not want to live in a way that would cause others to question whether or not we are a follower of Christ (1 Thess. 5:22). If we love Him, there will be a consistency in our life that reflects Christ. The key word is consistency, not perfection! No follower of Christ lives perfectly. But there will be, in spite of our failures at times, the willingness and the ability to get back up and keep following Him. When we love Him, He always empowers us to do that and whatever else He wants us to do.

James W. Black

Revelation Knowledge

February 12, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“Now it came to pass, as he sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.” (Luke 24: 30-31 NKJV).

In (Luke 24: 13-35) the Word of God gives the account of what happened on the Road to Emmaus. Two followers of Christ were walking together on their way to Emmaus, a small village about 7 miles from Jerusalem. While they walked they were discussing the events that had transpired in Jerusalem. Jesus, whom they truly believed to be the Messiah, (vs. 21) had been crucified and buried. But now some were saying emphatically that Jesus was alive; that He had risen from the dead! The two men were confused and trying to make sense of it all.

As they walked a stranger joined them and inquired about their discussion. They were surprised at his inquiry (vs. 18) and shared with him their confusion over everything that had happened to Jesus. Then the stranger began to share and explain from the scriptures how that the Messiah would be killed and then raised from the dead. It was right there in the Word of God, but they had not been able to see it before. They were amazed at what this stranger shared with them. They were so blessed by the conversation that they encouraged him to stay at their home for the night. Then as they were eating together, as the stranger blessed, broke and gave them the bread, “their eyes were opened” (vs. 31) and they recognized Jesus for the very first time! He had been with them all along. But they did not know it!

What happened? They received “revelation”! Revelation is knowledge and understanding that is given only by the Holy Spirit. Revelation is not learned. It is given. When the Holy One gives revelation, we see things that before were unseen. What a joy it is to know that we have Someone who can show us truth that before we had been unable to see! When our eyes are opened and we receive revelation, everything changes! Let us so align ourselves with the Lord in our walk that He will give us deeper revelation about Himself!

James W. Black

No Neutrality In The Kingdom

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

“He who is not with Me is against Me, and he that does not gather with Me scatters abroad.” (Matthew 12:30 NKJV).

There are many who approach Jesus with a take it or leave it attitude. They may tolerate those who do follow Jesus but when it’s comes to them personally it does not really matter if they follow Him or not. They are basically indifferent to Jesus. They think that they can remain neutral when it comes to the person of Jesus. But the truth is that Jesus did not leave us with that option. Jesus made it abundantly clear. Either we are with Him or we are against Him! There is no middle ground! In other words, from God’s perspective, though one may not overtly or openly opposed to Jesus, to be indifferent to Him is the same as being opposed to Him. Neither one will embrace or promote Jesus. Therefore both are considered to be in direct opposition to Him!

Let that sink in for a moment. We are either with Him (following, serving and honoring Him with our lives) or we are against Him (opposing Him, rejecting Him or dishonoring Him with our lives). It literally means that we are either His servant or we are His enemy! Most would not consider themselves to be the enemy of Christ. But in reality we are either “followers of Christ” or we are the “followers of the evil one.” And our lives and our actions will clearly demonstrate who it is we are following! (Matthew 7:17-18).

Jesus did not leave room for neutrality where He was concerned. He did not intend to.
He made that clear with His invitation to the very first disciples. His invitation was: “Follow me…”.(Matthew 4:19). That invitation still stands today!

James W. Black

What Is Our Motive?

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

“Every way of man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord pondereth the hearts.”
(Proverbs 21:2 KJV).

Have you ever heard someone say: “The Lord knows my heart!” I have heard that statement numerous times over the years. It is usually made by those who seek to justify their non Christian actions or lifestyle in comparison to others. But in reality that statement is true! The Lord does know our hearts.   The Lord knows not only our actions, but He also knows our inward motivation. He knows what our real intentions are. He knows what really drives us in our actions and decisions.

When the Holy One looks upon us, He knows every motive of our heart. Although our outward actions may appear to be good, the Lord knows what is really motivating us.
(1 Samuel 16:7).    Are we seeking to promote ourselves? Are we seeking to justify ourselves? Are we seeking the praise and the approval of others? Or are we seeking to genuinely honor and please the Lord? The Lord knows the difference.

While all of us desire the approval of others (spouse, co-workers, neighbors and friends) we must realize that there are times when, in spite of our best efforts we are misunderstood and our actions are mischaracterized. We may experience rejection because of that. That rejection can be devastating. It can be difficult to bear.

But if the motive of our heart is pure, if there was no selfish motive or ambition, then the Holy One will become our defender (Math. 18:6-7). He will help us to overcome the feelings of rejection and move forward with peace and joy. If our motive is not pure, then we are left to handle it on our own until we are ready to surrender all of it to the Lord and allow Him to cleanse us and renew us by His Blood (1 John 1:9-10).

Ultimately is is the Lord’s approval that we desire above all else. If we have His approval, then we will not covet the approval of others, We we will be free to be our selves.   And that is a very liberating place to be!

James W. Black

A New Beginning

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

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saithe the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Rev. 1: 8 KJV).

In this statement, Jesus affirms two important things. (1). He is the Almighty God.
(2). All things have their beginning and ending in Him.

With the beginning of a New Year we are reminded once again of just how swiftly time passes. When we were children time seemed to move very slowly. But as we entered adulthood we soon began to notice how each successive year seemed to increase in speed. As we got older the passing of those years seemed to accelerate even more. We wonder in amazement as to where the time went! And we begin to realize just how short life really is (Psalm 39:5). Of course time always moves at the same rate of speed. It never changes. After all, God is the One who created time! His laws of time and space never change. Man can neither create nor control time. He can only measure it.

Although we are aware of the swiftness of time, we can take comfort in the fact that Jesus is “timeless”. He exists outside of time. He exists in eternity. Because we are in Him ad He is in us, we literally have eternity dwelling in our hearts (John 17:23). And each new year is an opportunity to enjoy and savor that eternity as we pass thought this vacuum of time.

One day we will step out of time and step into eternity. At that moment we will see the Eternal One who always has been and always will be (1 John 3:2). We will be in the fullness of His manifest presence! We will behold the wonder of His Person in all of His majesty and glory! Oh, what a day that will be! Until then, let us rejoice in this new year and seek to continually delight in the Eternal One who lives in the heart of the redeemed (Ecc. 3:11 NKJ). His Spirit within us enables us to “taste” the joy of the eternal that awaits us! (Psalm 34:8).

Only Jesus can make such a promise! Because He is the only One who has demonstrated that He has the power to keep such a promise! (John 11:25, Rev. 1:18).

James W. Black

How Do You Handle Your Weaknesses?

January 8, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know now what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself makes the intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Rom. 8:26 KJV).

In Romans 8:26 the Apostle Paul explains how the Holy Spirit is our helper. He says “…the Spirit helpeth our infirmities…”. The word infirmities in the KJV means weaknesses. As human beings, we all have strengths according to how the Lord has wired us. But we also have weaknesses. All of us have weaknesses. These weaknesses are the result of our fallenness. But the good news of the Gospel is that we have help!

When Jesus ascended to heaven after the resurrection, He sent the Holy Spirit to help us (John 14: 16-18). The Holy Spirit provides “righteousness” when we feel unrighteous; “peace” when we are tempted to worry or doubt; and “joy” when we face difficulty (Rom. 14:17). He provides “instruction” when we do not understand and “comfort” when we feel alone (John 14:26). And He helps us to pray even when we do not know the best way to pray (Rom. 8:26).

What a joy to realize that in the midst of our weaknesses, whether they be temptations or trials, we have Someone (The Holy Spirit Himself) to help us! Call upon Him! He is already here and ready to help you!” (Jer. 33:3).

Rev. James W. Black

Author: NCC-Admin-1