by KELLY Nielsen | Sep 14, 2019 | Apologetics, Darin's Blog, Sermons, Theology
OPEN #31 Sovereign – August 11, 2019 Mark 4:35-41 Read the message here: Sovereign Mark 4 Download Discussion Questions here. For more resources on Sovereign, click here. “Jesus Christ is Lord,” is the essence of the Gospel we believe and proclaim. The Lordship...
by OakAdmin | Sep 14, 2019 | Church News, End Times, Theology
The EFCA Statement of Faith was just updated in June of 2019 to state: 9. We believe in the personal, bodily Premillennial and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed...
by OakAdmin | Aug 29, 2019 | Comfort and Grief, Darin's Blog, Life Stories
I have never heard anyone say, “The deepest and rarest and most satisfying joys of my life have come in times of extended ease and earthly comfort.” Nobody says that. It isn’t true. What’s true is what Samuel Rutherford said when he was put in the cellars of...
by OakAdmin | Aug 24, 2019 | Apologetics, Darin's Blog, Message Series, Open the Bible, The Gospel
The Christian faith rests on the death and resurrection of Jesus. There is no serious debate about the fact that a Jewish rabbi named Jesus of Nazareth became prominent in Israel around 30 A.D. and that he was crucified at the orders of Pontius Pilate. The key issue,...
by OakAdmin | Aug 17, 2019 | Darin's Blog, Message Series, The Gospel, Theology
Luke 23 shows us first the beauty of the incarnation and then the glory of our salvation at the cross. The incarnation is the beautiful mystery of the eternally divine Son of God who was also the fully human and perfectly righteous Son of Man. Because Jesus was the...
by OakAdmin | Aug 16, 2019 | Darin's Blog, Message Series, Open the Bible, Prayer, The Gospel, Theology
“Therefore, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the...
by OakAdmin | Aug 8, 2019 | Comfort and Grief, Darin's Blog, Life Stories, Message Series, Theology
Laura Story and her family One of the most inspiring concerts I’ve ever been to featured Laura Story and her song, Blessings, from the album God of Every Story. “What if your blessings come through raindrops, what if your healing comes through tears. What if a...
by OakAdmin | Aug 2, 2019 | Church News, Darin's Blog, Ministries
Since April 22 the search team and elders have reviewed over 30 resumes, interacting with over a dozen candidates and focusing on five top prospects. Easily the strongest leader in this field is a young man named Jason Harms who most recently served as a youth pastor...
by OakAdmin | Jul 19, 2019 | Comfort and Grief, Darin's Blog, Message Series, Pain and Suffering
Check out this post from Desiring God: Richard Baxter has taught me more about the art of meditation than anyone else. He was a Puritan who lived during the 17th century. Baxter suffered chronically from kidney stones, headaches, bleeding, toothaches, swollen feet,...
by OakAdmin | Jul 18, 2019 | Comfort and Grief, Darin's Blog, Famous Writers, Heaven, Message Series, Theology
The inspiring and challenging words of C.S. Lewis: It may be possible for each to think too much of his own potential glory hereafter; it is hardly possible for him to think too often or too deeply about that of his neighbor. The load, or weight, or burden of my...
