Bent Oak Church

Paul Smith shares his personal testimony and explains how God has proved himself to be present even through challenging times. 

This week, we kick off our annual Immanuel series. We look at the promise in Isaiah that one day a virgin will give birth to a child and his name will be Immanuel. 

For several weeks we have been comparing the growth of a church with the growth of a tree. But trees are rarely alone. They grow in the surrounding of other trees—woods. It's easy to focus too much attention on our church and miss that God is working in churches across the street and around the world. God calls us to a perspective broader than ourselves.

The most visible life of a tree is its leaves. They are a sign of health and often the first to signal sickness. For a church, the most visible sign of life is how a community of believers cares for one another. As Jesus pointed out, "they will know you are my followers by the love you have for one another."

What is it that a church does when it meets together? In Acts 2, the church commits itself to teaching, fellowship, communion, and prayer. These have often been called the four marks of the church. We look at the importance of these marks and how they shape who we are as a church.

"They love Jesus but not the church." We've all heard it and sometimes felt it as well. But for thousands of years, the church continues to exist with its traditions, structures, and history. What's wrong and what's right with the church as an institution?

This week we look at our third value—worship. What does it mean for the church's primary purpose to be worship and how does this value impact everything else the church does?

Every church exists in a particular place with particular people. A church is not abstract and neither is the gospel. God's kingdom comes not just into church services but into office cubicles, bedrooms, and around dinner tables. But like a tree growing roots into the ground, the gospel often does its work slow but faithfully.

1 Kings ends with the final appearance of Ahab. He is determined to attack Syria and reclaim his land. Enlisting the king of Judah, things seem to be coming back together. Could Ahab have finally found his way, God's way?But soon enough, Ahab reveals his true self. He is doing everything he can to avoid the word of God and his prophets.

This week we continue with Ahab's story, but this time the story turns more personal. Ahab is frustrated by his inability to purchase a nearby vineyard. His frustrations reveal more of his character and the concluding prophetic word links his character with his idol worship. We become like what we worship.