May 2017 Shepherd's Letter
May 2017 Shepherd's Letter. A monthly review and update of ministry happenings at Occoquan Bible Church....
Keep Reading
During this pandemic, don’t quarantine your kids from the gospel
A few of OBC's children's ministry leaders weigh in on some resources for engaging your children with the gospel during a global pandemic -- or any time....
An Important Survey for Occoquan Bible Church
A Spiritual Care Survey for Occoquan Bible Church April 2020...
OBC Ministry News: A Video from the Elders
Watch this video from the elders to learn more about what's happening in OBC's ministries as we practice "social distancing." Let us consider how to stay connected and care for one another during these days!...
The OBC Bookshelf and 2020 Reading
We invite you to check-out the OBC Bookshelf, and learn what we'll be reading in 2020!...
Life Together
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer is this March’s book for “Theology Thursday.” ...
What Does the Resurrection Mean? (1 Corinthians 15:50-58)
This week marks the sixth and final message on 1 Corinthians 15. Since Easter, I have preached 6 messages on the glories of this chapter. Whether the sermons are any good is debatable, but the chapter is indisputably glorious. So, take time to readit, and if interested you can listen to one (or a few) of thesix messages below. Resurrecting the Gospel: Its Frame, Focus, ...
Keep ReadingGlorifying God with Our Technology: Four Questions to Ask
Over the past five weeks our adult Sunday School class has been considering Discipleship in a Digital Age. In one sense, discipleship in any age concerns certain common disciplines in order to become like Christ so that we no longer live to ourselves (2 Corinthians 5:14), but to Christ (Galatians 2:20). If we want to grow into Christ, we must discipline ourselves for god...
Keep ReadingIs It Finished? Clarity and Conviction about the Miraculous Gifts (1 Corinthians 12 -14)
On the cross Jesus exclaimed this glorious truth: Tetelestai! It is Finished! Our eternal security is settled by this truth. And this week we celebrate Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday because Jesus Christ finished his gracious work of redemption on on the cross. Strangely, we are less certain about the finished work of the Holy Spirit. Some might even question whethe...
Keep ReadingLife After Death (1 Corinthians 15:35-49)
Few passages are more exhilarating than 1 Corinthians 15 and itspromise of resurrection life. For those who trust in Christ, Paul says what is buried in the dust will be raised in glory. Taking up a variety of images, he describes the indescribable in verses 3549 namely the way in whichchildrenof Adam formed from the dust of earth are raised to life in Christ to share his ...
Keep ReadingThe Resurrection: Historical, Necessary, and More Than Sufficient (1 Corinthians 15:12 -20)
Is the resurrection necessary? Evangelicals Christians say, "Absolutely. Undoubtedly. No question." Other "Christians," Protestant Liberals, are less committed. Who's right? Thankfully, the Bible is not indifferent or ambiguous to the question. In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul spends an entire chapter arguing for the centrality of the resurrection. Last week, we saw ...
Keep ReadingRaised with Christ (pt. 1): The Unfolding Effects of Christ’s Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20 -28)
Nothing is more central to the Christian faith than Christ's resurrection. Yet, how exactly does his resurrection secure ours? In what way is his resurrection applied to our lives? Is the promise of our resurrection just divine fiat, or is there something more that unites us to Christ? And is the resurrection only a future reality or is there something present to it? All ...
Keep ReadingRaised with Christ (pt. 2): The Unfolding Reign of Christ’s Resurrection
First Corinthians 15 is one giant meditation on Christ's glorious resurrection. Verses 111 speak of the resurrection's centrality in the gospel; verses 1219 explain the necessity of the resurrection; and now in verses 2034 we find how the resurrection of Christ applies to us. In what follows you can find discussion questions about Sunday's sermon and a few resources that ...
Keep ReadingReading and Inhabiting the Drama of Scripture
For the first few years of my Christian life Our Daily Bread served as a vital part of my personal devotions. Each month or two, I'd pick up the short devotional in the church foyer, and each day I'd read it with accompanying Scripture references. About the same time, I began memorizing Bible verses. Behind my desk today is an index box full of the Scriptures I sought to m...
Keep ReadingSufficient to Counsel
This past Sunday I preached from Psalm 55 a sermon entitled "Sufficient to Counsel." We examined Psalm 55 as a case study for how David called upon God, petitioned him, and expected him to act because of God's nature and character. David cried out of the extreme anguish of betrayal by a close friend one with whom he used to enjoy close fellowship together in the house of ...
Keep Reading