​          Matthew 16: 24-26 states, “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?’”
          I realize that most of the readership of this little article is saved.  I know that most of you who just read those verses probably thought – AMEN!  As well you should.  These are verses that certainly have in mind salvation.  I am thankful that you have lost your own life to Christ, and in the process been saved eternally.  That is all wonderful.  But look at the verses again and read them slowly.  There is something important for those of us who are saved too.
          I wonder if sometime even we who are saved still don’t try to save our own lives.  You may not know what I mean, let me explain.  I wonder if sometimes we worry so much about what is happening in our own lives that we let a lost and dying world around us slip right past.  Denying ourselves and dying to ourselves is not something we do only once when we accept Jesus, it should be a daily, hourly activity.  We should constantly put the needs of our family and our friends and our neighbors and especially the Lord, before our own concerns.  Every moment we should be seeking to use our God given giftedness in service to the Lord.
          I want to ask you something that may offend you, but it is only an exhortation in love.  How many hours last week did you spend thinking about and acting on behalf of someone other than yourself?  The verse says, “what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”  You may not be in danger of forfeiting you soul, but are you trying to gain the world at the expense of your God given ministry?  We must always be willing to give up the finer material things for the cause of the gospel.  Pour yourself out as a drink offering unto the Lord.  I will be very honest with you.  I think Oak Crest is just at the surface of the deep potential we have in the Lord.  God is ready to do so much more with his church at Oak Crest.  Let’s die today.  Let’s die to our comfort and our desires and the American dream.  Let’s die to self and serve the one who bought us!
 
In Christ, 
Blain Craig

It saddens me to think about all the attempted “programs” in Southern Baptist life over the last decades.  For the most part, I am convinced programs are a substitute for genuine, biblical discipleship.  I believe genuine Christian maturity doesn’t come in a box.  Maturity comes as God’s people are amazingly transformed when they engage His word individually and corporately.  That is not to say that God does not occasionally do something great through a man made program.  I think one of the greatest examples of this is Vacation Bible School.  Year after year, decade after decade God blesses this time in the lives of both children and adults.

According to Willie Beaty in his book New Horizons in Vacation Bible School, “VBS was the idea of Mrs. Walter Aylett Hawes, a doctor's wife. Her goal was to get children off the streets of New York. In 1898 and 1899 Mrs. Hawes rented a beer hall in New York's East Side to conduct her Everyday Bible School. In 1900 Mrs. Hawes' pastor, Howard Lee Jones, insisted that the Bible school move to the church building, Epiphany Baptist Church. After two weeks it became clear that children from the East Side would not attend at the church, so Mrs. Hawes moved the school back to a site near the beer hall.” 

“In the early 20th century, VBS became a growing trend. While Mrs. Hawes was indeed a Baptist, VBS was a non-denominational event in those early years. In 1922 the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention assigned the work of VBS to the Sunday School Administration Department. In 1924 a Vacation Bible School Department was formed and Homer Grice, a pastor from Georgia, became its first director. At that point VBS was usually a 4-week event!” 

Vacation Bible School is a unique opportunity for outreach.  This week we will have a chance to share the message and love of Jesus Christ with many children.  Some of the children will be here at Oak Crest who might not come to a church any other time of the year.  What an opportunity!  But in order for those children to come, they must know about our VBS.  This Saturday July 16th at 10:00AM we will be canvassing neighborhoods to get the word out about VBS.  I know it is hot, but the more people that participate the faster the work goes.  All we are doing is passing our informational flyers.  Would you be willing to make this effort a priority?  

Pray for the children and workers who will be in VBS.  Pray that God will do awesome things in their lives. The Bible says, “And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."  Mark 10: 13-14

In Christ,
Blain Craig

          It is my privilege to introduce the elder nominees to those who may have been unable to attend our members’ meeting Sunday night.  After receiving all of the nominations, we gladly present back to the congregation the names in alphabetical order; Israel Arguello, Mike Holt, Stuart Pendrich, and Randy Tate.
          Each of these men meets the biblical qualifications for elder.  At the same time, they each have a unique set of gifts that will complement one another greatly.  First and foremost is the need for giftedness in teaching the Word of God.  God has greatly blessed Oak Crest with men who can rightly divide the word of truth.
          Israel has been serving faithfully as our music minister for over three years now.  Biblically speaking the responsibility of planning and execution of the corporate worship of the church falls to the elders.  So it makes good sense that Israel would have an even more intimate relationship with the elders than he has up to this point.  Each of us will give input to the planning of worship at Oak Crest.  Additionally, Israel is a gifted teacher.  This is a gift that has been underutilized because of the obvious focus on the music ministry of the church.  Certainly he will continue to lead in that way while serving also in the role of pastor.  Israel is currently serving as a chaplain with Market Place Ministries and attending seminary with plans to graduate within a couple of years.  He is also an ordained minister.  In addition to all of this, Israel has a pastor’s heart.  He genuinely loves people and will serve us well.
          Mike Holt is a faithful and steadfast charter member of Oak Crest.  He has served in virtually every capacity at the church at one time or another.  While he is not currently teaching a class, for most of the past three decades he has taught God’s word.  He is currently the chairman of the deacons, but has also served on almost every committee and team.  He is also a member of the choir.  Mike has a hunger for theology and is always willing to learn, even as he teaches others.  I greatly admire his wisdom and love for the church.  He is like a father to me offering counsel and help in many circumstances.  We can all rest assured he will always act in the best interest of the church and according to the Bible.
          Stuart Pendrich has been a blessing to me and Oak Crest from the first day of his arrival from England.  I admire him and look to him as a personal mentor in the ministry.  He has double my experience as a pastor and has consistently filled our pulpit in my absence.  I have 100% confidence in the preaching Stuart brings.  He will be an invaluable asset to the kingdom work at Oak Crest as an elder.  Stuart is committed to seeing Oak Crest become more and more healthy as a church.  We are all lifting both he and Jean up in prayer as she continues her long recovery from her stem cell/ bone marrow transplant.
          Randy Tate is also a blessing to Oak Crest.  He has come to us having served as pastor in other churches.  Most often he has served as administrator at various private Christian schools.  He is active in our new prison ministry working closely with the Bill Glass organization.  If you are a Facebook user you will certainly want to read his daily devotionals that he posts on Lyndia’s page.  He is a brilliant student of Scripture as well as teacher of the Word.  He has a heart for the lost and evangelism that will be a perfect complement to the other elders.
          I hope that you all will take time to get to know each of these men better.  Each of them is a compassionate servant-leader with sound doctrine, agreeing with our Confession of Faith.  Elders are truly gifts to the church, and I consider each of these to be just that, a gift to Oak Crest.  I am also asking that we lovingly engage in the process of affirmation over the next couple of months.  None of us are perfect.  That is precisely why we need not only Christ but each other.  Let’s strive for unity in the spirit, and maintain the bond of peace with one another.  The affirmation of elder in the local church should be a celebration of God’s grace in giving us gifted men to teach all of us the Bible and to model a Christ-Centered life.  More details will follow regarding the process we will follow over the next couple of months.  In the meantime, devote yourself to prayer for these men and their families.
 
In Christ,
Blain Craig