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" Jerome once said that when he read the letters of the apostle Paul he could hear thunder. Nowhere in the Pauline corpus is such stormy dissonance more evident than in the Epistle to the Galatians. Though written from prison, Philippians is a love letter on the theme of joy. Romans reflects the considered objectivity of a master theologian reveling in the doctrines of grace. Ephesians is an uplif...

It's a well-known scene: Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey, greeted by streets lined with coats and palm branches and cries of "Hosanna!" Yet for all its celebration, there seems to be something missing. The temple has been taken over by vendors, and Israel's leaders refuse to worship the King. Despite many referring to Jesus as the "Son of David", those in charge fail to recognize and bow...

The transition from First to Second Corinthians is not as seamless as one may assume. Yes, it's the same congregation and the same author but readers of both books will note dissimilarities, even in the ease of reading and understanding. As one commentator notes: Few portions of the New Testament pose as many problems for translators and interpreters as does 2 Corinthians. Few, therefore, are the...

In Matthew 19 and 20, Jesus teaches his disciples more about what they can expect in the coming kingdom. Specifically, he refers to their hierarchy and rewards that are to come. What we see from this narrative is not only a clear expectation that there are rewards, but how we can get them. Today on the podcast, Josiah and Andrew discuss this topic, why it's so often misunderstood, and how we as be...

Thus far the New Testament has presented four accounts of the beautiful life, powerful ministry, substitutionary death, and victorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ ( Matthew , Mark , Luke , and John ), a historical documentation of the transition to and propagation of the church ( Acts ), and a theological treatise detailing, among other things, the unifying brilliance of salvation by gra...

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" unto spiritual m...

Paul's letter to the Romans is, all at once, dense and joyous, heavy-hitting and soul-liberating, complex and straight-forward, theological and practical. Many have called it the Apostles' magnum opus , his great doctrinal treatise, his finest and most comprehensive articulation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. "No book in history has been so instrumental in changing lives as the Bible. We sometimes...

After last week's longer episode, we decided to switch things up and go in a bit of an unconventional direction on the podcast this week. This past Sunday's sermon reminded us from Matthew 19 that we often put up our own barriers and hindrances when it comes to our access to Christ. Sometimes, even good things can get in the way of spending time with our Lord when we make them more important than...

The book of Acts grants readers a unique and fascinating glimpse into the world of the early church. We peer through the corridors of two millennia and see the still vivid foundations of our own faith. Beginning in Jerusalem, Acts shows us the road we believers have traveled to arrive at our present state. All that we, the contemporary church, are today, we owe to the pioneers to whom its author,...

Few things are more certain than the reality of suffering people in the church. Grief, loss, pain, stress, sin, fear; you name it, someone you know is probably going through it. So how can we, as God's people, do what we can to ensure that we are caring well? How do we support those going through horrendous circumstances? How do we know when to speak and when to listen? And is there anything we sh...

Though it may seem a relatively small one, this episode marks another significant milestone in our cover-to-cover trek through the Bible. Here we come to the fourth of four inspired gospel accounts—another section of Scripture successfully studied! However, while they are often and rightly grouped together as "the gospels," John is obviously unique from his three predecessors, covering a different...

As one might expect, this past Sunday at Oakridge Bible Chapel, we spent some time looking at the resurrection, looking specifically at 1 Corinthians 15 where Paul highlights its evidence, necessity, and nature. Today, we thought it fitting to continue on this theme, to dive a bit deeper into this text and its implications for believers. Join Josiah and Andrew as they discuss a topic of utmost imp...

Having discussed Matthew and Mark , we now arrive in our study at Luke, the third of the inspired accounts of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. While there are certainly observable similarities between the writings, there are also important distinctions that illustrate the unique Spirit-wrought perspectives their respective authors sought to contribute for God's...

As we enter into a week of remembrance and celebration for Christians around the globe, we want to do our best to ensure we aren't just going through the motions, or somehow losing the weight that Good Friday and Easter bring. To that end, today Josiah and Andrew spend some time reflecting on the Passion narrative in scripture, highlighting portions that have stood out to them this year as signifi...

As we take another step into the New Testament we come today to the gospel according to Mark. At first glance it may seem not that different than the account by which it was preceded—same song, different verse. However, that conclusion would be a huge mistake. One author introduces the second gospel  this way: "Mark betrays great interest in what the historical Jesus actually said and did, wh...

After a little over two years and one hundred episodes, we just want to celebrate! Celebrate what God has done, is doing, and will do. This week, Josiah and Andrew discuss the past, present, and future with the goal of encouraging their church family at Oakridge, and in turn, all others who listen to this podcast. In the midst of so much recent uncertainty, one thing remains clear: God has not bee...

Our journey together through the Bible from cover-to-cover takes an important turn in this instalment as our study pivots from the Old to the New, from Malachi and the prophets to Matthew and the gospels. One pair of authors describe the importance and uniqueness of this first book of the latter testament: "The gospel of Matthew has commonly been considered one of the most important books of the N...

In Matthew 18, in response to a question about greatness in the Kingdom, Jesus instructs his disciples to have humility like a child. This humility is an understanding of our dependence on Christ, and just how lost we would be without him. Thankfully, Jesus doesn't leave it there, but gives examples we can look for and aim at to grow in this humbleness. Join with Josiah and Andrew as they discuss...

We've reached the summit of the first of two biblical mountains and find ourselves standing on the peak of the Old Testament, a peak called Malachi. This ancient prophet speaking to an ancient people about ancient problems concerning ancient laws and regulations can initially seem hugely irrelevant to modern followers of Jesus Christ. But, as our series has repeatedly demonstrated, first impressio...

There's a reason that Paul so often uses the analogy of running a race when talking about our spiritual journeys, and that's at least in part because it's an illustration that is easy for everyone to understand and relate to. We all know what it is to face hurdles and to struggle on the course in front of us. We know what it is to have goals and a finish line that we are aiming for. Today, Stephen...

It would be difficult to introduce the book of Zechariah with a better combination of urgency and anticipation than this: "The book of Zechariah brims with enigma and paradox. The longest of the Minor Prophets, the New Testament writers quote from it more than almost any other Old Testament book. Unfortunately, readers today rarely examine its contents. It is a tragedy that a biblical book that in...

With the seemingly endless barrage of bad news, it can be helpful to take a moment to pause, and read about what the Bible says about the good news that is coming. That is to say, how the story ultimately ends. What we see in the final three chapters of Revelation (and the final three chapters of the Bible) is a picture of perfection: many things we have to look forward to, and some actions to tak...

It's easy to become preoccupied with temporal needs, stressors, and desires and end up giving God the leftovers of our time, energy, and resources. This is an obvious temptation for God's people today and, apparently, it was when Jesus walked the earth in the first century as he tried teaching his followers to "seek first [God's] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to...

Psalm 29 is a call to worship God the way he deserves to be worship, because of who he is, what he can do, and what he will one day do. It's a call to worship with reverence, awe, and trust. Yet what can we possibly offer the God of all glory and strength? Why do we lose site of just how majestic he is? And what does it look like to actually worship him the way we ought to? Join with Andrew and Jo...

Likely battling for the title of "most-ignored-and-forgotten-book-of-the-Bible" is the prophecy of Zephaniah. Perhaps that's because it's so short (three chapters) that if the pages of your Bible stick together you could flip right past it without noticing. However, there's a lot of punch in those three chapters. One author summarizes the work this way: "The Book of Zephaniah focuses on the needs...