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What To Do When You Have Been Wronged

What To Do When You Have Been Wronged

August 3, 2024 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for [God’s] wrath…”

Rom. 12: 19 AMPC

We live in a fallen and broken world.  Because of that, there are times when we will experience hurt and betrayal by others. Those who hurt us the most are the ones who are closest to us; family,  friends, and other followers of Christ. 

When those things happen, the natural tendency is to want revenge; to make them pay; to see justice done; and to have the wrong made right. If we are not careful we will find ourselves entertaining thoughts about how to get even. The evil one will readily provide an abundance of such thoughts. If we allow them to linger, a stronghold of anger, bitterness, or resentment will gain a foothold and begin to take root in our minds.  We cannot afford to embrace such thinking.

The best thing to do is to release that individual or situation into the hands of the Lord and “leave the way open for God’s wrath”.   Our fleshly nature would like to “assist the Lord” in bringing about His wrath.  But we must take our hands off of it so that He can deal with the situation on our behalf.  We must remember that the Lord gave a very strong warning to those who would “offend His little ones.” (Matthew 18:6).  He will deal with those situations far better than we can. 

We release them by forgiving them and then praying for them;  not asking the Lord to “smite them” but to reveal Himself to them, to change their heart and allow them to fully realize what they have done. If they refuse to repent, the Lord will deal with them according to what needs to be done.   We can rest assured that He will not allow the harm they have done to go unpunished (2 Tim. 4:14).  Every wrong will be made right either in this life or in eternity!   (Psalm 37:1-4).   When we do that, then we are free of the burden and can then receive and experience the Lord’s peace and joy.   

Rev. James W. Black

God Thinks About Us

God Thinks About Us

May 14, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“How precious are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand…” (Psalm 139:17-18 KJV).

It is amazing to consider the fact that the Holy One thinks about us!  He not only thinks about us collectively (as the church, the redeemed of God) but He also thinks about us individually!  Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that his thoughts toward us are “thoughts of peace and not of evil.” (KJV).  The NIV translates this as “plans to prosper you and not to harm you.”  Both are true.  The point is that the Lord’s thoughts about us are good!

The Lord always desires the best for us.   He is always thinking about us how to bring  out the best in us and the best through us.  He created us to be a reflection of Himself (Gen. 1:17).  And when we reflect Him, we bring Him great pleasure.  It is much like a parent or grandparent who delights in watching their small children learn, grow and discover their world.  It brings us great joy and delight to observe them, to guide them, and to help them in their discovery.  What good parent or grandparent would not want the very best for their children or grandchildren?  If we are that way toward our own, how much more does the Heavenly Father think about us and delight in us!  (Luke 11:13).  How much more does He want the absolute best for us in all things? 

So let us take great joy and comfort in knowing that the Living God is always in thinking about us!  And those thoughts are good!   And He finds pleasure in us! 

James W. Black

Don’t Expect The World to Love You

Don’t Expect The World to Love You

March 12, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“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

The Reason That We Sing

March 5, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“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

The Gift of God’s Peace

February 26, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“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?

How Can You Tell If You Love Jesus?

February 19, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“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

Do You Love Jesus?

Do You Love Jesus?

April 25, 2021 by NCC-Admin-1 in

Many people say that they love Jesus. But how can you really tell;? What is the evidence of that love? How can it be seen or measured? In John 14:15, Jesus gives the criteria by which an individual can measure whether or not he truly loves Jesus. Jesus said: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (ESV). Let me paraphrase that for you in simple terms: “If you love me, then you will do what I say.”

Jesus himself only gave two commandments. Love God completely and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22: 37-40). In John 14:15 Jesus affirms that the measure of love is “obedience”. Obedience means that we endeavor to live a life that honors Him in every way. It means that we do not willfully engage in ungodly activities that dishonor Christ. If a person habitually engages in ungodly actions (regardless of what kind they may be) and there is no grief, brokenness, or repentance over the sin and there is no change in the character or actions, then the scripture says that he doesn’t really love Jesus (1 John 2:4). In fact, he really does not know Jesus at all!

Let us resolve to walk in obedience before the Lord as an expression of our love for Him. Our expression of love through obedience will bring pleasure to Him and will also attract others to Him as well!

James W. Black

The Three Anchors of the Soul

The Three Anchors of the Soul

February 14, 2021 by NCC-Admin-1 in

And now abide the faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”(1 Cor. 13:13 NKJV). 

Those who follow Jesus, cannot live without faith! Faith is the key that opens the door to our relationship with Him! It is the vehicle that brings us into the richness of His life that He alone so freely offers unto us! Neither can we live without hope! It is our hope in Christ that strengthens us, encourages us and sustains us in the midst of trial and difficulty. It is hope that looks beyond the now. It is hope that looks beyond the darkness and sees the Light of His Glory! It is hope that looks beyond death and sees the promise and the guarantee of eternal life! The faith and hope that Christ offers to us are powerful anchors of the soul! But there is a third anchor that is even more powerful than the other two. And that anchor is love! Of the three it is the greatest and the most powerful! 

It is the conscious reality of His love that gives meaning to faith and hope! It is the revelation of His love for us that gives purpose and meaning to life! 
Because we are aware of His love, we can put our faith in Him! Because of the reality of His love, we can put our trust in Him and hope in Him even in the darkness! 

The reality of His love was demonstrated by the fact that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us!” (Romans 5:8). He did not wait for us to get better or to get our lives together! No, He died for us while we were in the midst of our mess. He knew we we had no power to change ! It was His love for us that held Him to the cross! Not the nails! It was His love for us that enabled Him to conquer death ad hell on our behalf (Rev. 1:18). 

It is His love for us that continues to offer us His righteousness and eternally life! (2 Cor. 5:21). Receive His love! Embrace it! Walk in it! It is the most powerful force in the Universe! It will literally transform your life. 

James W. Black