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When Christians think of a God worthy of worship, praise, adoration, submission, service, and imitation, there are certain divine characteristics that are likely more at the top of the list than others. For example, his love, mercy, wisdom, power, justice, kindness, creativity, and generosity. Wrath probably doesn't crack the top ten. And yet, this commandment is given, "Fear God, and giv...

"Trust the Lord!" "Give him your cares!" "Cast your anxieties on him!" If you've been around God's people for any amount of time you'll almost certainly have heard statements like these. On one hand, they are all very true and desirable. Many passages of Scripture call, command, and invite Christians to throw themselves on he who is able to help even in th...

If you were to poll your Christian friends as to what they thought was the most confusing, daunting, or intimidating book of the Bible, the Revelation of Jesus Christ would likely be near (or at!) the top of the list. Maybe it's because of the symbols and prophetic language. Perhaps it's because they've heard some confusing teaching in the past. Or, there's a chance they still have...

On this episode, Andrew Longmire returns. While previously serving at Oakridge Bible Chapel as an associate pastor, Andrew has recently accepted the call to a lead pastor position at Community Bible Church in Lucan, Ontario. Fitting neatly with our current study on the person and work of the Holy Spirit, Andrew explains how it was that he and his family were led, affirmed, taught, and convicted by...

Every growing Christians wants to know the will of the Lord, to be led by the Spirit, and to be used by God for his glory in the arenas in which he wants to use them. It sounds wonderful! The problem isn't usually one of motivation but of execution. How do we know what way the Lord would have us go? How can we sense and discern the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives? How can we learn to i...

Sanctification is a heavy concept, but one with which every Christian must grapple because it is God's will for every Christian (1 Thes 4:3). The Bible declares that all in Christ have been sanctified, set apart, declared righteous (1 Cor 1:30). At the same time, the Bible admonishes all in Christ to actively pursue sanctification (1 Pet 1:15). So, we are set apart but we are to become set apa...

George Whitfield was an evangelist and preacher who is often credited with helping ignite the Great Awakening in the 18th-century America. He was a powerful communicator, said to be able to captivate people with his " unrivaled preaching ability, evangelistic fervor, and irregular methods ." It's reported that when he was first approached with the idea of publishing his sermons for m...

Speaking of his sheep, Jesus said "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. ... and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand" (John 10:10, 28). It is the Lord's pleasure to irrevocably give to his people a life of amazing quality ( abundant! ) and quantity ( eternal! ). Jesus would also describe this gift, sayi...

When reading the fourth chapter of John's first letter, it would be tough for the author to be more clear with what he wants God's people to do: "Beloved, let us love one another" (4:7), "we also ought to love one another" (4:11), "if we love one another" (4:12), and "the one who loves God should love his brother also" (4:21). And when the Bible talk...

We're back in 1 John, and this time it's a warning about what can get in the way of our usefulness and our intimacy with Christ: false teaching. While it may seem a little easier to notice in the world, this is a very real problem in churches too, and we need to be on our guard against falsehoods. This week on the podcast, Josiah and Andrew look a little closer at this passage and the warn...

After 4 weeks in the book of Joel in our corporate worship gatherings, we're finally going to take some time to talk about it. But as some things come to an end, other things are just getting ready to begin. On this episode of the podcast, Josiah chats with Andrew about what led him to the book of Joel and what was most impactful in that study for his own life, before abruptly changing the con...

As a local church grows in size, it can become increasingly difficult to actually know everyone in the community and, thus, to be blessed by everyone in the community. This is unfortunate because there are no unnecessary members (1 Corinthians 12:7), none who are ungifted (Romans 12:6), and not one who isn't called to the "work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" un...

Many times throughout the Bible we see people making a vow or swearing an oath—sometimes to God or before God, sometimes in the name of God. But what does it actually mean to make a vow, what was the purpose, why is it so serious, and is this something to be avoided by Christians now? Where does marriage fit in, or commitments to God for his sake and glory? Join with Tim and Andrew on the podcast...

"Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." This is the way that "the preacher" starts his exploration of life and purpose in Ecclesiastes 1. It's a fascinating, philosophical book in the middle of the Old Testament where the author wrestles through the meaning (or lack thereof) of humanity and our limited time on earth. This week on the podcast, Andrew and Tim spend some time dis...

As Christians, we know that sin is bad, right? It's wrong, it's opposed to God, it ruins everything, and ultimately it is why Jesus had to die. But even with all that head-knowledge, it's not uncommon to find ourselves in situations where we don't take sin as seriously as we ought to. Perhaps we justify it, rationalize it, minimize it, or just straight-up ignore it. But the Bible i...

It's an all-too-common issue: we go through a season of suffering (or perhaps the opposite) and find ourselves feeling far from God. Maybe it feels like he's abandoned us, or muted us out, or perhaps we've been operating in our own self-sufficiency and done the same to him. Maybe our sin has gotten in the way and convinced us that God wants nothing to do with us. Whatever the issue, it...

We're back in 1 John, and this week it's all about keeping our eyes open for the obstacles that get in the way of truly enjoying the light. But what does it mean to be distracted by worldliness, or to be deceived in a way that hinders our intimacy with the Lord? How do we stay alert, and how do we avoid this pitfalls when they come? Furthermore, what does this all have to do with our assur...

Every year we have a Good Friday service and another on Easter Sunday, and, as expected, we talk about Christ's death and resurrection. But what does it look like to be on the planning end, behind the scenes every single Easter? How do we decide what to discuss with regards to resurrection? How do we preach when we know there are likely more non-believers present than usual? And looking at thi...

We were inspired today by the yells and cheers of kids in the building to take some time to talk about ministry to children. What is children's ministry? What is the biblical precedent? What does the church have to do with it all? How can non-parents be involved? Josiah and Andrew discuss these questions and more on this week's podcast.

As we start into the meat of 1 John we quickly see that it is practical and filled with encouraging yet convicting words. In particular, as we finish chapter 1 and begin chapter 2, John calls followers of Jesus to avoid hypocrisy and live in a way that reflects their relationship with Christ, or risk experiencing the fellowship available to them. Thankfully he doesn't leave us with checklist o...

We had a special Sunday at Oakridge this week, and a special Sunday begets a special podcast. This week Andrew sat down with Dean Billings from Compassion Canada to learn a little bit more about his experiences, what drew him to working with Compassion, and what sets Compassion apart from everyone else. A special thank you to Dean for taking the extra time for this conversation, and for opening up...

It's a brand new sermon series at Oakridge as we start making our way through the book of 1 John. And while we started with only four verses this week, they certainly weren't short on content! But why 1 John, and what is so special about this opening prelude? Why does it matter that Christ is eternal, knowable, and even offers intimate fellowship within himself and his church? Josiah and Andrew be...

We've talked about God's sovereignty before on this podcast, but understanding and appreciating it is an issue we often continue to wrestle with, especially when the going gets tough. In John 9 we meet a man who was blind from birth "so that the works of God might be displayed in him", and in-so-doing, get a fascinating picture of God's sovereign will. But knowing pain can have a purpose, and actu...

In the past year at Oakridge, we have seen four more step into the role of Elder, being commissioned to the task of leading and shepherding the flock that is this local expression of the body of Christ. But we also recognize that in the past few years we have seen many new faces and families in the church, many of whom may have not been a part of an elder-led church before, or understand why we do...

While the first five covenants set the stage for God's plan for the redemption of his creation, without the final covenant, the new covenant, they would all just be logs in a fireplace waiting to be lit. The new covenant offered more than the other five ever could, and it promised a future of hope to be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. As we come to conclusion of this series, join with Josiah and Andrew...