From the Pastor's Desk

Dear Church Family,
        I read this verse in I Corinthians 4:2: “Moreover, it is required in stewards (which we are) that a man (or woman) be found faithful.”  Then I began to meditate on it.  What exactly does it mean “to be faithful”?  In First Corinthians 4:17, Paul is speaking and he says, “For this cause have I sent unto you Timothy, who is my beloved son, and faithful to the Lord.”  So, whatever it means, Timothy was.  First let me define it.  It means trustworthy, dependable.  It begins by trusting God which leads to obedience.  Paul found Timothy to be one who trusted God’s Word and who did what it said.  Based upon that definition, I asked myself the question, “Am I faithful?” 
As you read this, would you ask yourselves that question?  In the Hebrew language, “reliability” is used.  Can God count on us?  Can He count on us to seek His face, to read His Word, to attend church in order to exhort the body of Christ and to worship together, to serve Him, to be a witness for Him, to give our resources back to Him?  When we are found faithful, we are also counted as righteous.  That means our relationship between God and us is in tact.
I see a lot of slackness, slothfulness, and inconsistency in our church body.  We need to be faithful to attend Sunday School and worship (more than just Sunday mornings). We need to be found faithful in service to God and to His church.  We need to be faithful to do whatever it takes to be a team player in seeing Oakland Baptist Church grow spiritually and numerically.
May the Lord be able to say of each of us: “Well done, thy good and faithful servant.”

Serving the Savior,
Pastor Mike