OCC Podcast

Christ came to give us peace on earth. His peace. A peace that surpasses all understanding.

Ep. #65 - James and Brenton go unscripted in this episode of Midpoint and discuss the beauty behind 'HOPE'. That's all you get for a description this time around. So, you'll just have to listen for yourself and enjoy!

There is power in living with hope in God.

Ep. #64 - On this episode, Andrew and Wesley talk about being thankful among a lot of other things to get you in preparation for celebrating Thanksgiving with your family and friends. They also look ahead to the Advent season and give a quick sneak peak at what OCC will be studying. Enjoy!

The Psalmist teaches us five ways in which to give thanks to our good God for all He has done.

Ep #63 - On this episode, James and Andrew spend some time discussing and defining God's will, the importance of Church unity, Paul's attitude towards Mark, the preventative efforts of the Holy Spirit, responding to God's 'no', and God's methods for speaking to believers, and then closing with a glimpse into Psalm 100 and Andrew's message next week on giving thanks.

As always, don't forget to like, follow, share, and subscribe for more midweek content and Sunday messages! Enjoy!

We don't want to miss God's instruction. Thankfully, from this passage, we see 7 ways that God leads us to where we need to be.

Ep. #62 - Pastor Forrest and Pastor James sit down together to talk about last Sunday's sermon on Acts 15. They discussed many topics including spiritual freedom, discerning what is true in Scripture, and the spiritual discipline of reading God's word. Enjoy!

When is it OK to compromise? Also, we shouldn't do things that would give people an opportunity to reject the gospel. Let God's word be your guide in both faith and practice.

Ep. #61 - Wesley and Brenton talk through the Samson service and talk through a myriad of topics such as their own personal heroes, parenting strategies and difficulties, reading fast, and intentionality behind crafting services. Enjoy!

Wesley and Brenton discuss the story of Samson and answer the question of whether or not Samson should be considered a hero of the Bible.

Ep. #60 - This week James and Brenton discuss debating and discussing and how we as Christians 'fight' for truth and what is worth truly fighting for among many other topics like dying to yourself, conflict, heart change, and God's word never returning void. Enjoy!

There are things worth fighting for (unchangeable doctrines) when it comes to the Christian faith.

Ep. #59 - Pastors James and Wesley talk through Paul being nearly stoned to death and yet still persevering and preaching the gospel and what that means for us as Christ followers in this day and age. They also hit on topics like persecution, the benefit of trials, the difficulty of dying to ourselves, and where was Barnabas.

Faithful servants of God should mirror Paul and Barnabas and possess qualities shown in Acts 14.

Ep. #58 - On this episode, Brenton and Andrew get together and talk about persecution, living out gratitude for the gospel, defining weird words, and the bumper video for the Anchored series. Enjoy!

We should be filled with overwhelming gratitude for the gospel that is now available to everyone.

Ep. #57 - James and Forrest talk through James' sermon about Paul's sermon. They also talk about things like hermeneutics, the meaning of 'AD', biblical illiteracy, arguing against Jesus, and then a look ahead to next week's sermon. Enjoy!

There is good news and bad news that impact eternity.

Ep. #56 - James interviews Brenton this time around on his sermon regarding being anchored in Christ and they talk through questions about fasting, dying to yourself, confronting people like Paul, and many others. Be sure to tune in, like, follow, and share. Enjoy!

Jesus is the anchor that we tie ourselves and we can either push people towards that anchor or pull them away from Him.

Ep. #55 - This week, pastors James and Wesley talk about the final sermon in the series DNA and discuss Peter's angel and guardian angels in general, knowing God's will, the many executions in Acts 12, the significance of the 'days of unleavened bread', and our next sermon series ANCHORED. Enjoy!

Peter is in prison and the situation looks bleak. On the other hand, Herod's position is very prosperous. But near the end, we see the perspective flips and see how this should dictate our own walk with Christ.

Ep. #54 - James and Forrest take on the task of discussing the twelve disciples and why on earth Jesus would pick them because...well...they were 'idiōtēs' (ἰδιώτης). What's the difference between a disciple and an apostle? What tribes are they from? And, if the disciples were connected in a small group, is this the only way to get connected? And then a look ahead to a somber chapter in Acts 12.

Everyone has a place in God's kingdom. Just look at the twelve!

Episode #53 - On this episode, James and Andrew talk through topics such as Saul becoming Paul, the rift between Jews and Gentiles, Jesus and the Law, Israel looking for a king, church growth metrics and yes, spicy foods. Enjoy!

God had a plan to grow the church: accept the gentiles, reach them, encourage them, and then create fellowship with them. What does that mean for us?

Episode #52 - On this week's episode, Pastor James and Marissa discuss last weeks sermon from Acts 11 where they discuss topics such as growing as Christians, river analogies, near death experiences, the unthwartable plan of God, biblical numerology, and women's roles in the church. Enjoy!

When we pick up our feet God will carry us a long way.

Episode #51 - James and Brenton take some time to discuss the ins and outs of serving and getting in the game of doing church by talking about practicing what you preach, why we all should serve, shaping hearts and minds, and vision casting towards the ideal outcome, as well as discussing the new series DNA and looking ahead. Enjoy!

Relational connection is what we are after. It is good for you and it is good for the body of Christ. We need to find it, build it, and then sustain it.

Episode #50 - Wesley and James laugh, ponder, and work through our 50th Midpoint Episode by wrapping up the Plugged-In series, all while having some interesting insights on salvation, sin, works, grace, and self. Enjoy!

Salvation is not based on national identity, good works, but on the person and work of Jesus Christ. This message of salvation is to spread through the witness of Christ followers and result in obvious evidence found in all who believe.

Episode #49 - Pastors James and Forrest talk about James' sermon through the first part of Acts 10:1-33 and discuss topics like how a Roman can be a righteous God-fearing man, how third time is always the charm for Peter, unshackling ourselves from prejudice, and - of course - the 'meat sheet'. Then, they look forward to the conclusion of the "Plugged-In" series.

We are all prone to prejudice but God wants us to overcome our partiality so that we can join Him in His work.

Episode #48- In this episode, Pastor Andrew and Pastor Forrest talk through Acts 9:32-43 and the idea of "changed life," as well as discuss the crazy month of July here at OCC and look forward to all the events coming up in the fall. Enjoy!

How can we live in a way that we are changed by and for God?

For the first time ever, all three services (as well as our online audience) have come together to celebrate the families that are dedicating their children and those who have chosen to publicly profess their faith in Jesus by being baptized in the river!

We can read the story of Paul and see examples of ways that we can have a 'ministry mindset'

Episode #46 - beards, communion, the road to brokenness, transformations, and future destinations. This is what Macy and James walk through this week as they discuss last week's sermon that journeyed through the magnificent transformation God brought Paul. Enjoy!

The most famous person in the Bible (besides God) is arguably Paul. His conversion shows us that God pursues us, changes our lives (with evidence) and shows us that God can (and will) use anyone to further His kingdom.

Episode #45 - Brenton and Andrew talk through an array of topics such as the story of the Ethiopian eunuch, the price of donuts, missing verses in Bibles, what 'opens his mouth' means, and then - as always - a glance ahead at next week's sermon. Enjoy!

A comparison between the Ethiopian eunuch with Simon the magician to answer the question 'what does a real faith look like?'

Simon the magician's position before God is questionable because while he does believe the message and is baptized, his actions and words might show that there is a level of belief that does not save.

Episode #43 - Hopefully this doesn't get shut down by Disney! Wesley and Brenton talk about being fathers, men in ministry, volunteers and pastors, and answer a lot of questions from Wes's wife. Then, as always, we look ahead to a new sermon from the book of Acts next week. Enjoy!

Paul was a 'father' to the Corinthian church. And in the first letter, he starts off with a posture that many Christian men (or women, or mentors, or bosses, or...) should have towards their children.

Episode #42 - James and Forrest talk through this rough passage of Stephen's martyrdom and talk about the harsh realities of living for the Kingdom of God and its implications. They also talk through things like being kindling for Jesus, going off course, forgiveness in trauma, and look forward to next week's Father's Day message. Enjoy!

Throughout history, there have been many people who have died in the face of persecution for their faith. Stephen was the first in a long line of men and women who stood on the confidence of Jesus. But there are also lessons to be learned about how he spent his last hours in the face of such opposition.