ABC's of Salvation

The ABC's of Salvation Knowing your sin has been forgiven and you are ready for heaven is as simple as following these steps: A.  Admit you have sinned.  "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23 HCS) B.  Believe in Jesus.  "For God loved  the world in this way: He gave His One and Only  Son,  so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 HCS)  C.  Confess and turn away from your sin.  "If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord,"  and believe in your heart  that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  With the heart one believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation. (Romans 10:9-10 HCS) If you would like to talk with someone about this  or have someone  pray with you about your decision to follow Jesus Christ, please contact us.

From the desk of the Minor Prophet

From the Desk of the Minor Prophet . . .     Why Do I Have to Know the Bible?           “Isn’t it enough that my pastor knows the Bible?  My Sunday school teacher seems to have a handle on it, too.  I mean . . . that’s what they do.  They teach.  I don’t.  I don’t have the gift.  So why should I set aside even more time to study the Bible (I already have morning devotions) when I’m not even a Bible teacher?  After all, no one comes to me for Biblical advice or to have his questions answered.  What good would it do me to spend all that extra time in the Bible?     “I wonder if there may be a reason that no one comes to me for answers from the Bible.  My pastor says that First Peter 3:15 assumes that when outsiders observe my life and my language, they will be prone to asking me to ‘account for the hope’ that is in me.  Maybe they don’t see anything different in me.  They may not even know I am a Christian and that I am hoping in Christ alone for my eternity.  Perhaps I have told them I’m a Christian, but they are confused because my life and my language do not line up with what I have told them.  Or maybe they do think I’m a true Christian, but when they have asked me questions in the past, I have been unable to answer their questions, or my answers have been confusing to them.  Come to think of it, even my Christian friends don’t come to me for help.”     Does any of that sound familiar?  It does to me.  I remember those days all too well.  Every young Christian has experienced that.  The trouble is that most Christians get used to feeling inadequate with the Word.  They never become fully aware of their responsibility to know the Word well enough to function as ambassadors for Christ.  They settle for Biblical ignorance.     Worse yet . . . many churches enable Christians to remain Biblically ignorant.  Not only are these churches not calling believers to be “Masters of the Book,” they fail to provide opportunities for Christians to grow in this area.  On top of all that, these churches are offering messages to their listeners that are aimed primarily at the ‘unchurched.’  (“Got to increase our attendance, you know.”) These messages take the form of watered-down sermons which are lacking in doctrinal instruction, messages that merely skim the surface of a Bible passage, messages packed with behavior modification techniques that are reminiscent more of psychology than the sound doctrine which leads to an undivided devotion to Jesus Christ.  Consequently, the true believers in these churches live in perpetual infancy, and they fail to make a meaningful contribution to the kingdom of our Lord and Christ.     Oak Grove Baptist Church refuses to participate in this paradigm, this model of modern churchery.  OGBC is calling believers to know the God of the Word through a deeper knowledge of the Word of that God.  The Oak Grove Bible Institute has been created to give all of you a “boost” in helping you to become Masters of the Book.  Please take advantage of it.     In the coming months, the Minor Prophet will provide a series of articles that address the benefits of becoming a Master of the Book.  Bible knowledge will enhance your life and the lives of those God puts in your path.  The coming series of articles will address those benefits.     I am looking forward to this upward climb with you.  Let’s endeavor to become Masters of the Book.

Mission Statement

The Mission of  Oak Grove Baptist Church is: To reach out to nonbelievers and develop them, along with existing believers, into committed followers of Christ.