Oak Pointe Church • Novi

Vision Sundays Psalm 67  Jon Morales When you think of missions, what comes to mind? Traveling overseas to serve the poor? Building homes and raising support? Bold evangelism in the streets? For many, the idea of reaching the nations feels overwhelming, whether it’s too costly, too time-consuming, or beyond our comfort zones. It’s easy to assume that “this calling must be for someone else.”  Howev...

Vision Sundays Revelation 5:9 Jon Morales In Japan, a sign of respect is to finish all the food on your plate, avoiding “mottainai”, or wastefulness. In China, leaving a small amount of food on your plate is polite, communicating that the host has provided more than enough. In Germany, punctuality is highly valued and arriving exactly on time can even be seen as late. In Spain however, arriving la...

AI, Identity, and What it Means to be Human Abdu Murray A woman sits with a knitting pattern, carefully planning each stitch of her creation. She chooses the yarn, the needles and the design, already envisioning the finished work before the first knot is even made. Similarly, God knew you before you even knew yourself. Though many spend their lives searching for their identity, Scripture reminds u...

Advent: The Beginning of the Good News Mark 1:9-13 Jon Morales

Advent: The Beginning of the Good NewsMark 1:1-8 Jon Morales Imagine a candle burning in a dark room, providing both warmth and light. Picture a lantern being held by a traveler who is seeking to find their way amidst the night. Consider the sun, the brightest light we daily behold, replacing the night entirely with its massive rays. But even the sun pales in comparison to the Great Light that has...

Advent: The Beginning of the Good News Mark 1:1-6 Jon Morales Gifts arrive in many shapes and sizes. They are often wrapped in paper and ribbons as signs of preparation for the grand reveal.  And just as wrapping paper implies readiness for the gift inside, so our hearts must bear the mark of readiness for our Savior. During Advent, we prepare our hearts for the greatest gift of all, the coming Me...

Advent: The Beginning of the Good News Mark 1:1-3 Jon Morales For many of us, Christmas preparation involves decorating the tree, hanging up the stockings, and stringing the lights. Meals with family are enjoyed while carols play, and excitement builds for this long-awaited day. While these traditions are joyful and festive, true Christmas preparation started long before us, carrying eternal signi...

Can We Know God? 1 John 5:13-21 Jon Morales There are so many things we long to be certain about: Will we retire securely? Will we pass the next exam? Will our parenting be fruitful? To bridge the gap between uncertainty and assurance, we gather data, do our research and make educated guesses - attempting to avoid error. However, life is not about collecting the right information and controlling e...

Can We Know God? 1 John 5:4b-12 Jon Morales Life offers a myriad of doors to choose from. Some promise success, comfort, or approval, but they all lead to dead ends. There is one door that leads to eternal life, truth, and communion with God. But the question remains: do you have the key? Join us this week as we continue our 1 John series and uncover the key that unlocks lasting assurance, unshaka...

Can We Know God? 1 John 4:16b-21 Caleb Middleton Throughout Scripture, the imagery of being rooted, planted, and grown paints a beautiful picture of spiritual formation. Like a tiny seed placed into soil, believers are planted by God and watered by His word. Over time, roots stretch deep into the ground, securing us in the love of the Father and forming a strong foundation beneath what was once so...

Can We Know God? 1 John 4:7-16a Imagine opening your mailbox and finding a letter addressed to you. The pages are filled with truth, affection, and invitation. It speaks not only of who you are, but of a deep desire to draw near to you. God has written you a love letter - one inked in grace and sealed with blood. Scripture reveals a love that never fades and a God who calls us to dwell with Him, a...

Can We Know God? 1 John 4:1-6 Brent Buttermore In 1 Kings 19, God’s voice doesn’t rush through the wind, quake through the earth, or blaze like a fire. Rather it comes as a gentle whisper, a quiet invitation to draw near to Him. Believers today are surrounded by the loud voices of politicians, influencers, and media — all seeking our attention. But God speaks differently. In a world that shouts, t...

Can We Know God? 1 John 3:18-24 Jon Morales We love acting as the authors of our own lives. We outline every chapter carefully avoiding crisis and failure, ensuring that our story ends in blessing, prosperity and joy. Fortunately, we are not the true writers. The Author of the universe is the author of every one of our stories, detailing them with eternal significance. As followers of Him, we need...

Can We Know God? Pastor Jon Morales 1 John 3:11-18 The Oxford Dictionary offers several definitions of love: An intense feeling of deep affection To like or enjoy very much Great interest or pleasure in something These definitions portray the excitement, joy and emotion that love can bring to life. But something is missing in these descriptions. If love is simply a feeling or preference, what happ...

Can We Know God? Pastor Blaine Dennison 1 John 2:29-3:10 Have you ever looked at yourself in a mirror and wondered “who am I?” The world in which we live offers a myriad of lifestyles and identities to reflect. As we lose sight of our true selves, we begin to mirror the actions, appearances and words of the world until eventually we become unrecognizable. Once more you wonder, “who am I”? In a wor...

Can We Know God? Pastor Jon Morales 1 John 2:18-28Have you ever asked yourself, “Am I still walking with Jesus?”Or maybe wondered, “Is it really worth it?”We live in a world full of noise — voices and influences pulling us in every direction. In the midst of it all, it can be difficult to find our way and sustain our allegiance to Jesus. Join us tomorrow as we continue our series in 1 John, “Can W...

Can We Know God? Pastor Jon Morales 1 John 2:12–17 Imagine standing in a crowded marketplace. Everywhere you turn, voices are shouting for your attention - “Buy this! Try that! You need this to be happy!” Bright colors, tempting smells, and shiny objects pull at your senses. But in the middle of the chaos, you notice someone you love deeply—someone whose presence brings peace. Their voice is quiet...

Can We Know God1 John 2:3-11The Peavey AT-200 Auto-Tune electric guitar sounds as pretty as it looks. It offers solid basswood construction, so it plays beautifully enough on its own, but the secret sauce of this guitar lies in its auto-tune technology. You simply strum and push the button for an immediate, perfect tone. Beyond that, the Solid-Tune Intonation continues working for you to correct e...

Can You Know God 1 John 1:5-2:2 Pastor Jon Morales A common misfortune that can happen amongst toddler girls is when they pull up their shorts under a dress and sometimes the back of the dress ends up getting tucked into the shorts. It’s hilarious and endearing and they have no idea when it happens. They walk around with an abundance of confidence, clueless of what’s going on in the back. Meanwhil...

Pastor Jon Morales Can You Know God? (Part 1) 1 John 1:1-4 If you have flown on a commercial flight, then you’ve sat through the well-known “pre-flight safety briefing.” The flight attendants crowd into the narrow aisle and demonstrate how to operate all the safety equipment and exits. Now imagine that instead of the safety equipment demonstration, they spend the whole time talking about how to or...

The Question That Changed Everything John 8:2-11 A small little boy waited until his mother left the kitchen when he snuck in and stood before the plate of fresh-baked cookies. Her earlier admonishment echoed in his head, “No cookies before dinner.” But as he gazed at the cookies and smelled their sweet scent, her voice grew faint and he reached out and grabbed a cookie. One wasn’t enough however,...

Ruth: Meditations on God's Kindness Hebrews 11:6 Philanthropy in the US began in the colonial period with the Puritans. They believed in not just supporting the poor and needy but strove beyond that to help the colonies as a whole. Men such as Cotton Mather, Benjamin Franklin, and Paul Revere exemplified this model and had tremendous impact on the development of the country. When these men gave ai...

Ruth: Meditations on God's KindnessRuth 4:13-22A popular fantasy book series that began in the late 1990s featured a young boy who soon discovered he was a wizard. He attends a school for wizards and soon after his arrival he puts a special hat that will sort him into his dormitory. This hat looks inside to the character of a person and puts them where they will fit best. Every new student undergo...

Ruth: Meditations on God's Kindness Ruth 4:1-12 When Michigan Central Station opened in 1914, it quickly became very popular, peaking at 4,000 passengers a day by 1944. After its closure in 1988, it lay abandoned for 30 years and fell victim to vandalism and neglect. Ford Motor Company later stepped in and bought the property in 2018. After renovating for 6 years, the station was re-opened on June...

Ruth: Meditations on God's Kindness Ruth 3:1-18 The Airforce has an official elite flying team known as the Thunderbirds, representing the best of the best of our country’s pilots. Operating the F-16 Falcon, Thunderbirds show off their unmatched skill in dangerous exercises. The commander of the team takes the position as lead and the other pilots mark their positions based off the commander’s...