From the Pulpit

We  worship a relational God. Being mysteriously Trinity—one God eternally  existing in three distinct-but-equal Persons: Father, Son, and Holy  Spirit—God has always been in perfect relationship with himself. And it’s this relational God who created humanity in his image and likeness (Gen 1:26–27). As such, each of us has been created longing for , surrounded by , and in need of re...

The Bible claims (and we believe!) that “ all Scripture is inspired by God and useful ”  (2 Timothy 3:16). However, the usefulness of all Scripture is not  uniformly self-evident with some passages seem more obviously applicable  and more immediately practical than others! Arriving at the second half  of Matthew 6, we find a text that requires very little explanation as  t...

Today  we’re going to fight a disease together, one that often goes undetected  and has eternal side-effects. The disease is that of exhibitionism —the  desire to be seen and validated for doing or saying something. This is a  sickness that controls lives, binds consciences, distorts motives, and  spreads quickly. While  exhibitionism is always ugly, it may be at its...

Lew walks us through the first fourteen verses of Colossians and into the context of Colossae, where a new form of heresy was sneaking into the church. Paul's message was simple: “there is no other name under heaven,  given among men, whereby you must be saved…” In short,  everything you need is in Jesus. In the first verses of this powerful letter, Paul gives a full-bodied picture of Ch...

In  these days characterized by repeated lockdown, constant inconvenience,  forced isolation, and a seemingly never-ending stream of bad news, do  you find yourself increasingly tired, frustrated, and burdened? Or, if  you don’t , do you know anyone who does? What, as Christians, are we supposed to do in response? This  morning, from Psalm 61, we’re going to find some divi...

COVID-19 has forced us apart as a church and paused or changed many of the functions of our church, but we recognize the virus doesn’t exempt us from being the church. The reality and mission of the body of Christ transcends continents, eras, and even pandemics. God has given us assignments to which we must dedicate ourselves regardless of circumstance. These  are God-given lighthou...

The arrival and spread of the coronavirus has largely rendered churches oxymoronic unassembled assemblies tantamount to an uncrowded crowds or ungrouped groups. At Oakridge, our  prayer and mission is to be a church that's like family. But how do we  become family from afar? How can we operate as a body when our members  are disconnected from one another? Today we’re going to b...

The author of Hebrews gave believers a task: "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds ... , not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another ; and all the more as you see the day drawing near" (10:24–25). One of the ways we, as the people of God, can stimulate and encourage one another is by sharing stories of God's faithfu...

The author of Hebrews gave believers a task: "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds ... , not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another ; and all the more as you see the day drawing near" (10:24–25). One of the ways we, as the people of God, can stimulate and encourage one another is by sharing stories of God's faithfu...

The author of Hebrews gave believers a task: "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds ... , not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another ; and all the more as you see the day drawing near" (10:24–25). One of the ways we, as the people of God, can stimulate and encourage one another is by sharing stories of God's faithfu...

On this, our final Sunday together before Christmas 2020, we look together at the opening two chapters of Luke's gospel account. In these opening scenes we're remind of the oft-told but never over-told true story about God becoming flesh and dwelling among us. This is the account of how the Infinite took on finitude and the Transcendent condescended to come near. Speaker: Lew Worrad

Key Passage: Luke 2:1–20 Speaker: Dr. Jim Rennie

God's people waited hundreds of years for the Messiah. So, too, we wait  for the return of Jesus as our coming King. While there are times when  we wait with eager anticipation, there are other days when it seems much  more like getting weary of waiting. Before Jesus was crucified, he  spent some time with disciples, informing them that he was leaving, and  giving them som...

One of the  unpardonable sins in our culture today is telling someone they’re  unqualified—that they don’t meet the standard necessary for  participation in a given activity, employment in a specific field, or  identification with an individual group. To tell someone that they can’t  be or do whatever they want is actually considered by some to be an act  of aggressio...

After his announcement by John the Baptist (3:1–12), his authentication at baptism (3:13–17), and his proven acceptability through temptation (4:1–11), Jesus finally appears proclaiming the  imminent arrival of the kingdom that God had promised to the nation of  Israel, that which they had been anticipating for centuries. And while  his ministry attracted crowds as large as they wer...

First  impressions are important and powerful. It’s why we dress-up for a job  interview, act politely on a first date, prepare well for a public  presentation, and wear a favourite outfit on the first day of school.  First impressions can determine how someone is perceived, thought of,  and remembered years after that initial introduction, no matter the  meetings’ br...

For centuries the Jewish people had anticipated for the arrival of the promised Messiah, one who would fulfill prophecy by sitting on David’s throne in Jerusalem and establishing a peace-filled, prosperity-bringing, Israel-exalting, liberty-ensuring kingdom without end. In their minds, King and kingdom went hand-in-hand. But now that Jesus—the one who himself claimed, and they believed, to be that...

Key Passage: Selected Passages from John Speaker: Lew Worrad

Although we now experience the pain of uncertain times, we have a certain hope for the future.  Key Passage: Romans 8:18-27 Speaker: Andrew Longmire

Many Christians are well versed in the teaching of God forgiving our sins. We also know about the teaching of forgiving one another, but there is also confusion in the way that is done. Dr. Jim Rennie teaches on this topic using selected passages in Matthew.  Key Passage: Matthew 18:21–35 Speaker: Dr. Jim Rennie

In  Luke 17 we find the account of Jesus healing ten lepers but then  finding only one returning to thank and worship him. They had been given  a new lease on life and yet 90-percent, for whatever reason, never  thought to show gratitude. Likewise (but to a greater extent), believers have been given new  life in Christ—by his grace we’ve passed from death to life, darkness...

As we come to the final chapter of the book of Jonah, we look back and remember to what we, as God’s people, have been called: To reflect God’s compassionate character to the world around us and to do so obediently (chapter 1), consistently (chapter 2), and indiscriminately (chapter 3). And, no doubt, we want to do those things! So, what stops us? Why do we still struggle from time-to-time like Jo...

The Apostle James describes the Bible as a mirror into which God’s people are to look, see their ungodliness rightly reflected, and be motivated to change (James 1:22–25). In other words, Scripture is given, not for mere information but for application and life transformation. Having looked for a couple of weeks into the mirror of Jonah, we’ve been forced to ask ourselves some difficult questions....

Just as a diary or journal can provide a “window into the soul” of its writer, so too prayers can reveal the heart of the pray-er. How we pray, when we pray, and what we pray for often showcases what we truly believe about God, ourselves, and life a pilgrims in a fallen world. The second chapter of Jonah gives us an inspired eavesdropping session on the prayers of the prophet. And by listening we...

While obviously preferring obedience, there are times when parents allow their children to experience the consequences of their disobedience. So it is with God and his children. He has been clear in his parental instruction, inviting us to enjoy the abundant life he offers and warning us against activities that will rob us of it. And when we disobey—and we do disobey, don’t we?—there are times he...