From the Heart of the Pastor

​Oak Crest Baptist Church exists in covenant community to bring glory to God by living out the gospel of Jesus Christ, passionately sharing His love and growing in His Word.  That statement is the purpose statement of Oak Crest Baptist Church.  Beginning this week, and continuing through the next couple of weeks, I hope to remind us all of the importance of this statement.  Of course, this statement was adopted by the church almost eight years ago, but it is not merely a part of our past.  It is part of our present and certainly our future.  Let me remind you of why this statement is such an important part of glorifying God at Oak Crest.
          The first phrase that is likely to strike you after the name of our church is “covenant community.”  I recognize that it is not a phrase that you would probably use in casual conversation.  So is using a phrase that the world is not familiar with the best choice to include in a statement of our primary purpose?  I strongly believe it is the best choice.  The Bible is a book of covenant.  It is all about God’s eternal covenant with his creation and specifically his people.  Although we may not use the word often, there is no other word that communicates the deep, abiding meaning of membership at Oak Crest than Covenant.  We should, according to Scripture, take our relationship with each other very seriously.  We are literally the family of God.  We are not simply in contract with each other, but we have devoted our lives to Christ and each other.  The fact that the word “covenant” is in our purpose statement gives us the opportunity to share its rich meaning with everyone who enters the doors of Oak Crest.  It reminds us that we are not merely a casual, voluntary gathering of people with like-minded interests; rather we are a “called out” people who have been joined together by God, adopted as his children.
          Another aspect of covenant beyond relationship is commitment to eternal truth.  In the Bible, when God covenants with his people it is always on the basis of his own character and nature.  The covenant is true because God is true.  At Oak Crest, covenant community implies that we stand on the truth of God’s word.  Covenant means we hold fast to doctrinal truth.  It means we can never stop spurring one another on toward love and good deeds in Christ, according to the words of Hebrews.  In short, we should never fear covenant, we should embrace it.  Our covenant with each other is grounded in and fulfilled by Jesus Christ.  At Oak Crest, we exist in Christ-Centered covenant.  That is our identity and that is what we should share with the world around us.
In Christ,  Blain Craig