From the Pulpit

Not long ago one of my sons was given a remote-control drone as a birthday present. While he had fun almost immediately, mastery of the device alluded him as he chose to ignore the instruction manual and, instead, was content to repeatedly crash it into walls, into the ceiling, and into his siblings. As soon as my son unwrapped that toy he became a boy who owned a drone and, while he enjoyed it to...

In baking a cake, there are some ingredients that are more essential than others. While sprinkles aid ascetics and nuts add texture, it’s the eggs, flour, and sugar that actually make it a cake.  The same is true of a healthy church family. There are many  potential  elements that can be added to the recipe but they’re not all of equal importance. While a building may add stability and significant...

God wants those who belong  to  him to experience intimacy  with  him. That’s why he calls believers to pursue holiness (1:5–2:2), obedience (2:3–6), and familial love (2:7–11; 3:10–23), not because that’s  how  we’re saved but because that’s how we draw near to him  once  we’re saved. God so desires that his children abide in him that he tells us to avoid worldliness (2:15–17) and sin (3:1–9), no...

Imagine I told you we were going to have a conversation about classic story structure, and invited you to finish the following sentence: “and they all lived…” Exactly. We all know it. In most cases, we probably expect it. And while it’s obviously not true of every story, the opposites are infrequent or undesirable enough that “and they all lived terribly ever after” just isn’t a thing we say.  Thi...

We’re into the final two sections of the book of Joel and we’re now in part of the book where it finally starts to take a turn for the positive, where God’s people have been challenged to repent, and we now get to see God’s response for when they do so. The last two weeks described judgement on God’s people in the southern kingdom of Judah, and called them to repentance for their disobedience, and...

Sometimes in times of struggle, difficulty, or suffering, we act as though all we need to do is apologize and everything will be okay. Sometimes we look at the suffering God allows in our life or the discipline he’s putting us through as a combination lock just waiting to be opened, a code to be cracked. “If I just ask forgiveness for this sin” or “if I just read my Bible this much” or “if I just...

It’s Mother’s Day, and a sermon about divine judgement and locust plagues and starving animals probably isn’t what most of you came expecting today. But interestingly enough, the overall tone of the first chapter is not so different from some very common maternal phrases, like “sit here and think about what you’ve done”, “You can come back out when you’re ready to apologize and behave”, or “I hope...

One of the greatest honours and aspirations for any athlete is to compete for their country on an international stage like the Olympic Games. They dream of wearing the flag and hearing their national anthem played as they stand on the podium. And many athletes make their country proud in those moments, competing and carrying themselves in an admirable and applaudable manner. But some bring shame t...

Most people today—and, unfortunately, many Christians and churches—treat sin more like empty calories than like cancer, something that can be enjoyed in moderation but not something to necessarily fear and fight. But even a cursory reading of the Bible reveals sin to be more the latter than the former. It’s pervasive and powerful, corrupting and consuming, and deceptive and damning.  Sin is not so...

Speaker: Nate Vellekoop

Research shows that the sunniest places in Canada are southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, a swath of land that runs from Calgary to Estevan boasting over 2375 hours of bright sunshine annually. (For reference, that’s about an hour more per day than Toronto.) Often the big skies are blue, the clouds are sparse, and the sun is bold. However, some find it difficult to fully enjoy that prairie perk bec...

Many people work hard to live forever. For example, the Coalition for Radical Life Extension, an Arizona-based nonprofit, is on a mission to “cure aging.” Its founder, James Strole, labours to make “mortality optional” and to “put an end to The End.” Likeminded individuals are willing to do almost anything to cheat death— from supplements to exercise, from medical procedures to cryogenic freezing....

Sometimes in history certain people distinguish themselves by accurately predicting an historical event and they gain notoriety from it. One such person is investor Michael Burry who accurately predicted the collapse of the US housing bubble before the 2008 financial crisis. When many others kept investing freely, Burry was right in acting conservatively and he managed to net 100 million dollars f...

Did you know there are people who have literally won the lottery but have never picked up their prize? While it isn’t the norm, it  does  happen. In fact, the largest unclaimed prize in Ontario is $5-million from a LOTTO 6/49 draw in 2005. What a waste! Can you imagine winning a life-altering amount of money but never cashing-in?  Tragically, this is exactly how many Christians live their lives. B...

We were blessed on this day to hear from Dean Billings on behalf of Compassion Canada about the work they are doing around the globe, work with which we can partner from here in Oakville. We had some unexpected technical issues with the video clip that Dean brought during service, and we wanted you to have to chance to watch it properly, so you can find that video  here. For those who want to lear...

While it’s relatively easy to get married, it’s harder to have a good marriage. Repeating a vow is one thing, being faithful to the content of that vow is another. And what makes the difference between the two is work, intentionality, humility, self-denial, and maturity. And while many aren’t willing to invest the time and effort necessary, those that do know that it’s worth it because the sacrifi...

Last week we started into a brief study of God’s sovereignty by reading the story of a man who Jesus said was born blind “so the works of God might be displayed in him”. A man whose physical ailment was healed and that led to a spiritual opening of his eyes to see and believe in Jesus as the Messiah. But as we all know, the Bible doesn’t stop with salvation—believe in Jesus, that’s it, now we’re d...

A few weeks ago I was invited to be the guest speaker for a youth snow camp weekend up north, and the theme of the weekend was all about God’s sovereignty. It’s one of those words we use a lot in the church, and yet even for those of us who understand it, or think we understand it, it can be hard to accept or appreciate it. As I was preparing for this Sunday and next, the concept of God’s sovereig...

In 2020, with a virus sweeping across the globe causing fear, anger, and confusion, Oakridge Bible Chapel, like all other church families, faced a trial that tested us, strengthened us, and exposed us. God used that hardship to show our leadership areas of weakness and vulnerability. One such area was in the leadership itself—not in quality but quantity. At the time this body had about 250 members...

Anyone who has ever been camping, spent significant time in the elements, read tales of extreme adventurers, or watched them on TV, knows that fire is essential to survival as it provides warmth and light, can purify water and cook food, and can discourage predators and signal rescuers. It’s no exaggeration to say that, in the great outdoors, life depends on fire. Now, to build a fire one must fir...

A quick internet search allows anyone to collect some concerning statistics about Canada. For example, there were over 358,000 victims of reported physical abuse in 2019, 30% of which were domestic. There are more than two thousand organized crime groups in operation, three-quarters of which are violent and have connections to seventy-seven other countries. There are over 47,000 deaths every year...

Good representation can make a big difference. Consider, for example, legal representation. The difference between a good lawyer and a bad lawyer can mean the difference between incarceration and emancipation, between a criminal record and a clean record. Obviously, it’s important and beneficial to have experienced, passionate and well-equipped representation!  And that’s exactly what God pro...

People will go to great lengths to protect what’s important to them. It could be their family, their online privacy, a dream car, an endangered species, or a stamp collection. It really doesn’t matter what it is just that it’s important and worthy of securing with diligence, care, and thoughtfulness. People protect what’s important to them.  And so does God. After sin came into the world God...

Canada has one governmental system with three distinct but cooperative branches: the legislative makes laws, the executive implements laws, and the judicial evaluates laws. The whole depends on each part remaining distinct, doing what it is supposed to do and contributing what it is supposed to contribute. The system only works as intended if each branch remains clear on its unique role and unconf...

On December 5th, 2022, Ronald and Carol Wilczak woke to the foreboding beep , beep , beep of their home smoke alarm. It had been only five years since the couple had finished saving, planning, building, and moving into what they described as their “dream home,” but now they helplessly watched it burn to the ground. What do they do now? Walk away or rebuild? In the early chapters of Genesis, God wa...