 Last week’s mission conference was terrific. I personally benefitted so much by hearing the heart of the Walkers. Having not personally seen the work in Southeast Asia, I like many of you, had to take the word of those who had been there first hand. Although I have still not been there in person, I have a much deeper understanding and appreciation of the kind of work God is doing through the workers on the front lines.
I am thankful that God led us into this partnership with the IMB and the Walkers to reach the Lasa. Wasn’t it encouraging hearing of 76 new believers in less than 4 years? That is 0 to 76! It was equally encouraging to hear and see the actual, tangible things that our funding is accomplishing. All of the things from a year’s supply of school supplies and backpacks to deworming medication, our giving is responsible for. I was shocked to hear that 1 dollar can deworm a child for six months. Can you imagine the agony and misery of intestinal worms? Even more unbelievable is that the misery is changed to joy for 1 dollar! That is to say nothing of the national workers we are directly funding. They are teaching children skills necessary for success that would be impossible otherwise. At the same time and most importantly they are building relationships with the children’s parents. Those relationships often lead to life changing conversations about the gospel. Jesus will most assuredly build his church. We are witnessing that not only here, but in Southeast Asia as well. Now that we have been so encouraged about the work God is doing there, let’s equally ask God to do a mighty work right here in our community. I am eagerly praying for revival in our hearts and awakening in our city. These are great and powerful days at Oak Crest and I am so thankful you are a part of it. May God glorify himself in his church at Oak Crest and around the world. In Christ, Blain Craig
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In the gospel of Matthew chapter 21, Jesus says, "But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go work today in the vineyard.' And he answered, 'I will not'; but afterward he regretted it and went. The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, 'I will, sir'; but he did not go. "Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.”
The message of Jesus in this parable is as clear to us as it would have been to those original hearers. God desires us to act on the faith we profess. Additionally, vain lip service is insufficient to please God. If I tell God I will do something but don’t follow through, I have disobeyed. This was precisely the sin of the Pharisees. They loved to claim to obey God, but they rejected Jesus. At the same time, those who were the rebels of society and had mocked God in their living repented and obeyed. There is one more thing about this simple parable that we should remember. The response of the first son is shocking! We might miss it if we are not careful, but this son literally tells his father NO. Now, we live in a culture where that is far too commonplace, but Jesus was speaking to a culture that would have been shocked. Deuteronomy 21: 18-21 says, "If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother, and when they chastise him, he will not even listen to them, then his father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gateway of his hometown. They shall say to the elders of his city, 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey us, he is a glutton and a drunkard.' Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death; so you shall remove the evil from your midst, and all Israel will hear of it and fear.” You and I deserve death, yet we have been given unimaginable grace. In Christ, Blain Craig  We are living in unique and challenging days. The recent decisions of the Supreme Court to affirm, legalize, and in fact codify homosexual marriage; as well as its overturning of a good Texas anti-abortion law remind us that we cannot trust human governments to always do the God-honoring thing. All of this not only affects the American political landscape, but it has immediate implications for the work of the church.
Make no mistake, the mission of the church to live and share the gospel of Jesus Christ to the glory of God has not and will not change to the slightest degree. On the other hand, we must prepare ourselves to be a prophetic minority in the culture rather than a moral majority as we may have been accustomed to. I will say again, with even greater conviction than ever, that the church of today looks more like the First Century church than any century since. We have to think biblically. We have to be counter-cultural. One of the ways this is manifesting itself at Oak Crest is through very direct changes in the way we allow use of our facilities to outside groups. There are two significant changes that you should be aware of as we move forward. First of all, we will no longer allow the use of our facility to any secular non-church related groups. Of course, church members are still welcome to use the building for gatherings such as various celebrations or family reunions. The building should always and only be used for purposes in accordance with our stated purpose. This is not only good practice, but could potentially protect us from litigation at some point in the future. Second, we are altering our wedding ceremony policy. It is sad and tragic that we have to even consider such a thing, nevertheless these are the days we are living in. We will no longer make our building available to any weddings that are not the weddings of our church members. In the past, our beautiful sanctuary has been a draw for couples desiring such a space. Now we feel it is in our best interest to cease this kind of use. I would be happy to speak further about this with anyone. May God grant us boldness in the bloody cross and the empty tomb in these urgent days. In Christ, Blain Craig  At least a couple of times a year, sometimes up to once a quarter, our church hosts the “Welcome Home Class.” This class is one way our constitution provides for our emphasizing meaningful church membership. During this four session course, visitors and new members cover a range of issues related to life as a Christian and specifically life at Oak Crest. The first week is called “Why Christian?” this session reviews the basics of salvation and the gospel. If a visitor is not a believer, they will certainly hear the gospel in this first session. The second session is called “Why Church?” it covers the basic biblical teachings about the nature of the church and why membership is needed. This is a needed session in the midst of increasing individualism in our culture. The third session is “Why Baptist?” this session covers some of the Baptist distinctives that we hold dear. Finally, the last session is called “Why Oak Crest?” in this session, some of the unique aspects of life and ministry at Oak Crest are explored and questions are often answered.
Church membership is a gift from our Lord Jesus Christ, not to be taken lightly. I am so thankful to be a part of Oak Crest. God continues to bless our church with new and potential members. It is vital that we communicate the importance of covenant community to these new members of our family. Mutual accountability in the church is crucial to discipleship and growth in the word of God. Maybe you have been a member for quite a long time. You’re invited too. We can never be reminded too much of the biblical responsibilities and privileges of church membership. I recently read the following quote by Mark Dever, “In one sense, church membership begins when Christ saves us and makes us a member of his body. Yet his work must then be given expression in an actual local church. In that sense, church membership begins when we commit to a particular body. . .A recovered practice of careful church membership will have many benefits. It will make the witness of our churches to non-Christians more clear. It will make it harder for weaker sheep to stray from the fold and still call themselves sheep. It will help shape and focus the discipleship of more mature Christians. It will help church leaders know exactly for whom they are responsible. In all of this, God will be glorified.” Our “Welcome Home Class” is such an important part of our church. I hope you will pray for our next series of sessions set to begin this Sunday, July 5th. The class will meet in the sanctuary during the Sunday School hour at 9:30AM. You are welcome to attend one or all of the sessions. If we all have a clear understanding of our identity in Christ as the family of God, we will be better equipped to take the gospel to our friends and family. In Christ, Blain Craig |
AuthorDr. Blain Craig 
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