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If you could only take one book of the Bible with you on a deserted island, what would it be? Psalms? The Gospel of John? Hebrews? What about Deuteronomy? Amazingly, when we put that question to the life Jesus, we discover it was the book of Deuteronomy and the Psalms, which Jesus took with him when the Spirit led him into the wilderness. In Matthew 4:111 we find the acco...

As I think about this past month, I'm grateful to God for all His goodness and am amazed at His wonderful plan for His church. I'd like to review the last few weeks by highlighting three events: (1) the field security seminar I attended in October, (2) Dr. Allaboe's visit from Togo, and (3) attending the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society. Field Sec...

Throughout the Bible, thanksgiving is a normal and necessary part of saving faith. And so it ought to be in our lives as well. Sure, the holidays may jump start our cold hearts, but for those who know the Lord, thanksgiving is a way of life, not a holiday feeling. Still, what does thanksgiving look like on a regular basis? And how can we grow in our expressions of thanksg...

Who is Melchizedek? And why is Jesus called a high priest like Melchizedek? And what does Melcan we abbreviate his strange name?have to do with the church and the world today? On Sunday, I tried to answer those questions with an animated tour of the Bible. Incorporating the artistic gifts of Jeff Dionise, our elder for outreach, I preached a three part message that starte...

Answered Prayer This week God has answered a long-standing prayer request and given Occoquan Bible Churchcause to celebrate joyfully. The adoption of two precious girls by a family from the church has been finalized after a nearly five-year journey to give the siblings a home and family. The timing couldn't be more perfect as this Sunday November 11 we will observe Orphan...

This year a group of 15 from OBC attended the Christian Counseling Educational Foundation (CCEF) 2018 National Conference in Virginia Beach, VA. The theme of the conference was "Living Scripture." David Powlison, Executive Director of CCEF, described the topic as one that is at the very center of why we exist and what we do. "Scripture is the living Word of the living God...

In a world where we fill our spare minutes with tidbits of info instantly accessed on our phones, it's far too easy to neglect reading longer books. In fact, because some have convinced themselves they don't have time to take on an entire book, they settle for short summaries, quotes, or whatever internet candy clickbait that's trending today. Still, there are others who ...

"You were made for this!" This phrase seems to be thrown around quite a bit these days: Sports commentators talk this way about athletes; teachers about pupils; mentors about those they coach. In short, it is a way of speaking that comes from a recognized "authority" on someone who is ascending in their field. It is language meant to boost esteem and put everyone on alert...

A few years ago Thabiti Anyabwile published a little book calledWhat is a Healthy Church Member?In it, he urged healthy church members to be expositional listeners, by which he meant that just as the faithful pastor makes the main point of his message the main point of the text (i.e., expositional preaching), so healthycongregations will also make it a priority to comprehe...

Expositional Preaching is 'Empowered Preaching' This week seven members from OBC attended a Charles Simeon Trust workshop at Del Ray Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA. As a preacher unapologetically-committed to expositional preaching, I was deeply encouraged to join many other 'expositors. In the three-day seminar, we walked through preaching from 1 Samuel and 'worked ou...