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"Now it came about after the death of Moses ... " (1:1). It's with these sad-but-hopeful words the Holy Spirit opens the sixth book of the Bible—Joshua. Much is changing for the nation of Israel at this point of their history. They've been created and called ( Genesis ), freed and led ( Exodus ), taught and guided ( Leviticus ), disciplined and counted ( Numbers ), re-disciplined and re-taught ( D...

Earlier this year, Pastor Josiah had the opportunity to join Pastor Jay Hinds on  The Open Bible Podcast  for a discussion on Ephesians 4 and, more specifically, how the apostle Paul envisioned the church rightly operating. Together, Josiah and Jay talk about the implications of this passage for today, where our churches may be in danger of falling short of this divine directive, and wha...

With Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , and Numbers in the rearview mirror, our trek through the Bible now arrives at the end of the Book of Moses, or, the Pentateuch. Though it's probably best known for the second giving of the ten commandments (5:6–21; 10:1–2)—a necessity after Moses smashed the first set in anger (Ex 32:19)—Deuteronomy has much more going on than a mere legal do-over.  And to...

As a local church grows in size (or is forced apart because of a virus!) 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...

Three down , sixty-three to go! As we continue our trek through the Bible we now come nearer the close of the Pentateuch and to the book of Numbers. The book is titled thus because it contains many, well, numbers —statistics, population counts, tribal and priestly figures, and other such data. But, as you're about to hear and maybe already know, there's so much more going on in this section of the...

For the past several weeks, Oakridge has been preaching through the first few chapters of the book of Revelation, and we figured it was about time we talked about it on the podcast! Join with Josiah and Andrew as they discuss what they've been learning from the letters to the churches in this crucial, yet oft-misunderstood book, before taking us a bit deeper into the letter to the church at Philad...

With both Genesis and Exodus in the rearview, our Cover-to-Cover series now arrives at "the place where Bible reading plans often go to die"—the book of Leviticus. This is a section of Holy Writ characterized by laws and repetition, laws and offerings, laws and tabernacle-building, and, oh yeah, laws . What could this book possibly have for Christians living today? Why has God preserved it for us?...

As a local church grows in size (or is forced apart because of a virus!) 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...

After kicking off in our Cover-to-Cover series in the book of Genesis, we now turn our attention to Exodus, a tale that follows the movement of God's people from Egypt to Sinai, from being possessions of Pharaoh to becoming possessions of the Most High God.  On this episode we welcome Dr. Dorian Coover-Cox . Dr. Coover-Cox, an expert in biblical Hebrew, is both the acting Director of PhD Stud...

If you've spent any time around Oakridge, or listening to our sermons online, you probably will have noticed that the majority of our pulpit time is devoted to preaching through whole books of the Bible. Maybe you've never really given it much thought, or perhaps you've assumed it's just a stylistic or pragmatic choice. The reality, though, is that there is much more to it than that. So this week...

On this first episode of our new Cover-to-Cover series we, fittingly and expectedly, address the first book of the Bible: Genesis. This is a fifty-chapter saga in which we find the drama of creation and degradation, promises and betrayals, human failures and divine provision. It's a huge task to cover it all in less than an hour, but we do our best. To help us get off on the right foot we welcome...

Today's podcast is the second half of a two-part conversation on the kingdom of God, which originally aired on The Open Bible Podcast . Listen in as Pastor Josiah joins Pastor Jay Hinds for this encouraging and intriguing discussion.

Have you ever tried to complete a jigsaw puzzle without knowing what the final product is supposed to look like? If so, you know it adds a layer of difficulty to an already challenging task because when you don’t know what the whole looks like, it makes it much harder to identify the individual pieces of that whole. Without seeing the big picture, it’s tough to accurately recognize the pixels. Rea...

Earlier this year, Pastor Josiah had the opportunity to join Pastor Jay Hinds on The Open Bible Podcast for a discussion on the kingdom of God. Having a proper understanding of the kingdom is essential, as it informs so much of what we know and understand about our faith, and how we live it out in a practical way. So what exactly is the kingdom? Is it now or later, or some combo of the two? Listen...

Once again on the podcast this week, we are discussing a topic often talked about in the church, but rarely understood with clarity: the trinity! What does it mean for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to all be fully God, yet distinct from each other? What sort of issues can we run into if we don't take time to understand trinitarian theology? How do we come to these conclusions from the Bible? An...

Paul encourages Christians "to be in subjection to the governing authorities" (Rom 13:1a). Peter backs him up when he commands believers to "submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution" (1 Pet 2:13a). Followers of Jesus are to willingly accept the dictates of human government knowing, first, that their station was given by God (Dan 2:21; John 19:11; Rom 13:1b) and, second, tha...

Joy, happiness, contentment. We know that the Bible calls for them, but what do we do when life hands us difficult circumstances and they are the last thing on our mind? Furthermore, what's the difference between them? Join Josiah and Andrew as they address these questions and more, exploring what the Bible has to say about being content and experiencing true joy.

There is a vicious snake hiding in the grass of every church, ready to sink its deadly fangs in and spread its venom. That snake is legalism. Disguised as righteousness, piety, or even concern, legalism has only the power to destroy. Today on the podcast, Josiah and Andrew discuss this unity-breaking monster: how to notice it in our own lives, and keep on the lookout for the ways it is affecting o...

As Christians, we talk often about eternal life, heaven, and Christ's return. But what will it actually look like when Jesus comes again? What can we expect, and does the book of Revelation actually describe? While there are no shortages of theories, beliefs, and artistic re-imaginings, today Josiah sits down with an expert in eschatology, the theological study of things to come, to discuss what t...

In our earthly relationships, it can often feel like we're on a different page with someone when we have unrealistic or faulty expectations. The same can be true of our relationship with God, his people, and his church. When our expectations of God are incomplete, inaccurate, or immature, we end up getting angry, hurt, frustrated, or disillusioned with a God of our own making. This week on the pod...

There are some words that are popular in Christianity that we sometimes use without fully understanding. "Calling" is one of those words. It gets used in different ways by different people, sometimes positively and sometimes negatively. The result is confusion, as we are left with many questions: Who is called? Are we all called? How do I know if I'm called? What is my calling? And ultimately, wha...

As a local church grows in size (or is forced apart because of a virus!) 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...

As we come to the conclusion of the section of Matthew's gospel made up of chapters 8 and 9, we once again see Jesus demonstrating his authority through the miraculous. However, we know that very soon in the story, the people of Israel are going to be put to a choice; and it's a choice highlighted in the middle of our text today: Do you believe? Do you believe that Jesus is who he says he is and t...

In Matthew 9 we read the account of Jesus inviting a lowly tax collector to follow him. Without hesitation nor reservation, up jumped the sinner and joined his life to Jesus. He left everything behind knowing that nothing he had could compare to the One to whom he now joined his life. We want to be like that man, don't we? We want to be Christians that freely and excitedly follow after our Saviour...

On this episode, Dr. Fred Chay makes his return to the podcast. He is the founder and president of Grace Line ministries, a theology professor and academic dean at Grace School of Theology , and managing editor of Grace Theology Press . He has a number of books published covering a variety of topics. Translation: He's not bored and he has a lot to teach us! In his first visit to the world of Word...