Oak Meadow United Methodist Church

Oak Meadow United Methodist Church The Little Church with the Big Heart

06/11/2026

A Word For Today: Thursday, June 11, 2026

Now hear this: No one in Heaven deserves to be there! Paul put it this way in Ephesians 2:8-9, “God saved you my His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift of God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” Yes, Heaven is a self-chosen destination. Many of us want to get there, but some try to customize God to fit their desires.
I’ve heard people say something like, “I believe in a God who loves us, but not in a God who judges us.” The reality is that God is love, but He is also just. God’s perfect love makes Him a righteous judge of right and wrong. Psalm 19:9 says, “Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair.”
While no one in Heaven deserves to be there, the opposite is also true: no one in hell does not deserve to be there. Just as no one will be in Heaven who went there unwillingly, no one will be in hell who didn’t go there willingly. These are both a self-chosen destination.
Some might ask, “How can a God of love send anyone to hell? The answer is that God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell. He wants this so much that He sent His Son to die on a cross so that we might go to Heaven if we’ll just follow Him. He wants all of us to end up in Heaven back with Him because that’s where we came from. Don’t reject His salvation, but let’s get back to where we belong: in Heaven.

06/10/2026

A Word For Today: Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Yesterday I continued to write about Heaven and then added the reality of the opposite of Heaven, hell. Today I want to share that one of the hardest things to share as a Christian is the opposite of Heaven. I like to share in Romans 6:23, “the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” But it’s the first part of Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death,” that causes me problems.
However, Jesus talked a lot about hell. In fact, He talked more about hell than any other preacher in the Bible. So, let’s don’t steer clear of that subject. Some think that it isn’t loving to talk about hell. Maybe some did use it as a scare tactic in the past, but now in the present it’s the most loving thing we can do.
For example, imagine that we see a house on fire and through a window we see someone that doesn’t seem to know it is on fire. Wouldn’t it be loving to get that person out of the house? Or, would it be loving to walk by and do nothing? Hell is as real as Heaven and we need to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about both.
Hebrews 9:27-28 says, “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him.” Now that’s Good News to those who hear the whole story.

06/09/2026

A Word For Today: Tuesday, June 9, 2026

I confess, this is a devotional I don’t want to write, but how do we devote time about Heaven without dealing with its counterpart: hell? I grew up in a church where hell was used as a fear tactic. It wasn’t so much about going to Heaven, but about keeping out of hell, fire, and damnation. I think the idea was to scare the “hell” out of me, and it worked. But was that the Good News Jesus came to preach?
Just look at the classic John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The emphasis is that we can have eternal life in Heaven as we believe in Him. Now keep in mind that Heaven is a perfect place and so only perfect people get to go there. Of course, that’s the problem – we’re not perfect. No one is. If we’re made to last forever and we’re not perfect, we can’t go to a perfect place like Heaven. So, where will we go? You fill in the blank.
But notice the next verse, John 3:17, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” That’s God’s intention in Jesus Christ. God has already done everything to get us to Heaven. Now it’s up to us.
John 3:18 says, “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” As much as Heaven is real, hell is real. So, choose Jesus Christ for in Him there is no condemnation.

06/08/2026

A Word For Today: Monday, June 8, 2026

I don’t know how many church people have said to me, “I hope I’ll go to Heaven.” In this case, hope isn’t good enough. As a Christian, we need to know for sure. We don’t know for sure when we’ll die, but we do know for sure that we will. The morality rate in this world is 100 percent. Death is inevitable, so it’s foolish not to be prepared.
Just look at 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” That’s about as clear as it can get. If we have Jesus, we have life. If we don’t have Jesus, we don’t have life. We have a choice.
To be clear, we won’t go to Heaven because of someone else’s faith. It’s our choice. Paul wrote in Colossians 2:13-14, “You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive in Christ, for He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.”
The cross is the answer to our deepest problem: our separation from God. It’s called sin. It doesn’t have to be a big thing, though it could, but also just the lack of fellowship with God. That’s sin. Let’s make the choice to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ and to secure our eternity in Heaven.

06/07/2026

"God of the Oppressed"

Welcome!On this Second Sunday after Pentecost, June 7, 2026 - Communion Sunday, come and find the way of Peace, Hope, an...
06/06/2026

Welcome!

On this Second Sunday after Pentecost, June 7, 2026 - Communion Sunday,
come and find the way of Peace, Hope, and eternal life.

Matthew 9:9-13
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Tax Collectors were despised because they oppressed people for ever-hungry Rome, and it was known they took some of the tax money for themselves. Yet Jesus called Matthew the Tax Collector, a blindingly obvious sinner, to leave his old life behind to join him as a Disciple!
The Pharisees considered themselves righteous because they knew and followed all of the religious laws and rituals much more than anyone else did. They didn't think of themselves as among the sinners, but they were mistaken!

Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross so that we may live! We are all "sinners" - every one of us - and we can all be forgiven.

This week's Message:
"GOD OF THE OPPRESSED"
by Pastor Jesse Franklin

9 AM - ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL
9 AM - CHILDREN'S SUNDAY SCHOOL - CHRISTIAN FORMATION
10 AM -10:25 - "MEET & GREET" Fellowship - Come early for Coffee & Treats
10:30 AM - YOUTH & CHILDREN'S SUNDAY SCHOOL
WORSHIP AT 10:30 AM

In this House, the Lord's Table is open to all as we celebrate God's love for us and Jesus' sacrifice of His body and blood for our Salvation as we take Communion .
Right after church on Communion Sundays (the first Sunday of each month ), we have a special Fellowship Meal - Everyone Is Welcome!

The things of the world come and go, but Jesus is here for all of us- forever. He knows you by name and He calls you! Let him cover you with his love!

06/06/2026

A Word For Today: Saturday: June 6, 2027

Is Heaven really real? Is it a state of mind like wishful thinking, a place “up there”, or some other possibility that some people hope is not the end of it all? Countless books have been written about Heaven because there is a natural interest in the subject. Some have claimed to experience the afterlife and returned to tell the tale. The ones that deserve our attention are those that have in common the difficulty of the authors in describing what they see, hear, and feel. If in doubt, trust the Bible.
Here’s what John wrote about his experience in Revelations 4:1-3, “Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in Heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.’ And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in Heaven and Someone sitting on it. The One sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones – like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled His throne like a rainbow.”
Notice what John saw. Be aware that it was a familiar voice, but now like a trumpet blast. Observe how he could quote the voice. And it’s all about the Spirit that he saw what he saw. Detect how he uses the metaphor “like” to try to inadequately describe the indescribable. If we could die and come back to tell others, we’d probably stutter and stammer trying to describe what is beyond our human comprehension. That’s just how beyond wonderful Heaven is.

06/05/2026

A Word For Today: Friday, June 5, 2026

What happens to us Christians when we die? We go straight into the presence of God. There’re no waiting periods or shipping delays. The moment our time on earth ends, our time in God’s presence begins. Sometimes the transition overlaps.
For example, when Stephen was being martyred for his faith, he was given a glimpse of glory, which he described to the people who were putting him to death. Acts 7:55-56 tells us, “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into Heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And he told them, ‘Look, I see the Heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!’” Before that according to Acts 6:15, “Everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s.” Because he was seeing the other side, his face radiated God’s glory.
More recently, when evangelist D. L. Moody was on his deathbed, his last words were, “Is this dying? Why, this is bliss. There is no valley. I have been between the gates. Earth is receding; Heaven is opening; God is calling; I must go.” After saying this, he soon breathed his last breath and passed into eternity.
Even more recently, I have witnessed several Christians dying and can attest to a “Heavenly” conversation before the body died. Enjoy this life while you can, but never lose sight of what lies beyond.

06/04/2026

A Word For Today: Thursday: June 4, 2026

I’ve been doing a series on joy and now I’m shifting to a series on Heaven and that should bring us great joy. God wants to spend eternity with you in Heaven. What happens on earth is not all there is to life, but it may be all that we’ve known so far. But if you’ve known God through Jesus Christ on earth then this is but a forecast or a glimpse of what’s to come.
We may spend 60, 80 or 100 years on earth, but we’ll spend eternity with God if we’re a Christian. This is one of the most important reasons Christians should be joyful – God has given us everlasting life with Him. But notice how this works. As we spend our years with Him on earth it’s only natural to spend eternity with Him in Heaven.
Paul wrote in Romans 8:11, “If the Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from death, lives in you, then He who raised Christ from death will also give life to your mortal bodies by the presence of His Spirit in you.”
What will Heaven be like? We’ll be reunited with those Christians that we love. We’ll get rest and yes, we’ll get responsibilities we love. And yes, they’ll be rewards in Heaven for the life we lived on earth. Let’s be joyful now that when our bodies die, we’ll to Heaven forever.

06/03/2026

A Word For Today: Wednesday, June 3, 2026

When I was active in the ministry I hated talking about money. Now I’m retired, so here we go. Every time we’re generous, we invest in our eternal home. Jesus talked about “storing up treasure in Heaven” six times. So, if He said it six times, it must be important. In Matthew 6:19-20, Jesus said, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store up your treasures in Heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy and thieves do not break in and steal.”
Now how do we store up our treasure in Heaven? We send it on ahead. The best way to do that is by investing in people now. I’m not talking about earning our salvation, because as we’re Christians, it’s already been secured by Christ. What I’m talking about is investing in people because those investments have eternal effects and rewards. Those investments now will last forever.
People will spend eternity in Heaven or somewhere else. Look at how Paul put it in Philippians 4:17, “Though I appreciate your gifts, what makes me the happiest is the well-earned reward you will have because of your kindness.” As they invested in him, they also invested in their eternal home.
Now I’m retired. Does that mean that I don’t invest in people anymore? I better! Our investments go on until we reap our rewards in Heaven. May our last breath be an investment in someone.

Address

2740 Hunters Green Street
San Antonio, TX
78231

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 2pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Thursday 9am - 2pm
Sunday 9am - 12pm

Telephone

+12104923902

Website

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