Oak Grove Baptist Church Audio Podcast

Peter believed he believed. He told the Lord Jesus that he would not deny Him but stand with Him. But in the hour of testing he did something differently and denied Christ. Faith sees and acts, but Peter was motivated by a faith that was not in Jesus but in himself. In this message, Michael Durham defines faith and shows how it works.

In this message, Michael Durham, pastor of Oak Grove Baptist Church for the last 23 years, shares that his ministry is changing in focus and direction. Pastor Durham will after January 2017 be stepping down as senior pastor of OGBC and entering full-time evangelism/revival work. RTM has chosen to let you hear exactly what he shared with the church.

Christians rejoice that there is one Savior who is more than sufficient to make us right with God. The story of the Gospel is real and its power is real. There is no other message sent from heaven. This is the true good news that must be proclaimed if men and women are to be saved and have eternal life.

How do we arrive at a better self? The Apostle Paul outlines his desire to press on to perfection through the knowing of Christ. How do we know Christ better so that we can be better? We pray as you listen, you will discover the way to a more intimate relationship with Christ.

When Jesus saw the blind man of John chapter 9, He was drawn to him. A series of events began that changed the blind man. Jesus was attracted to the need the man had. He’s attracted to us for many reasons, but one is our need of His love and mercy. When a person truly learns that God gravitates to needy people whose only trust is in Him, he or she will see God’s activity.

One of the most important questions is how does one become a Christian. What is a Christian and what makes someone a Christian must be answered biblically. Too much is at stake with this question. Please listen, and discover what happens when one becomes a follower of Christ.

All Christians are familiar with the word grace, but how many of us understand grace? What it is? How does it work? The biggest question is does the grace of God eliminate our effort or does it enable effort? American Christianity has put such an emphasis on justification by grace through faith that many do not know that the grace that justifies is also the grace that sanctifies. The grace that sanctifies enables good works, "which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

The death of Ezekiel’s wife is a puzzlement to many. How could a good God not only take Ezekiel’s wife in death but commanded that Ezekiel could not publicly mourn the loss of his wife? This message explains how we need to approach the unexplainable moments of life.

When we are physically showing symptoms of illness we usually resort to the medicine cabinet. No one likes being sick. But when it comes to our spiritual condition, we often neglect our spiritual health. This message, if you let it, will work like a physician's examination. We need to take spiritual inventory on a regular basis to maintain spiritual health.

A second message with this theme discusses God’s hiddenness in His delays to answer prayer and fulfill promises. God may seem withdrawn because we have grieved the Holy Spirit.

It is a strange thing to hear that God hides Himself, but the Bible clearly presents this view of God. He is a God who initiates relationship with us but He is not intrusive. He desires to be desired and reveals Himself to those who want Him.

No more remarkable fact than that Jesus is in God’s presence for us. We know He is in heaven because He is God and heaven is that is where the throne of God dwells. But the text says that Jesus appears in the presence of God for us. Listen and value how our High Priest performs His priestly duties for us now in the presence of God.

Every Christian is enrolled in the school of faith, and it is our Instructor’s purpose to graduate us to a faith that rests. In the story of Jesus calming the storm, we learn how faith has to have an object. This elementary lesson must be learned if our faith is to strengthen to a faith that rests.

The story of the Gadarene demoniac is a remarkable picture of humanity without Christ. Mankind has been plunged into a captivity of darkness and all of man’s attempts to free himself fail. This is a story that finds relevancy today almost 2000 years later as nations, societies, and cultures self-destruct.

The story of the battle of Jericho and Rahab’s deliverance is a picture of the Gospel. In this message, Michael Durham unpacks the symbolism and takes a direct line to the great covenant of God with the Son and the His people.

We know God can do anything within the confines of His nature. However, when it comes to prayer and faith we struggle whether or not if God is willing to do what we ask of Him. The miracle of Jesus healing the leper tells us much about praying in faith. There is also a great illustration of God willingness to save in the leper’s cleansing.

God has commanded parents, and fathers in particularly, to instill into their children the revelation of God and His truth. Unfortunately, many Christian parents have failed to do this, and the children have abandoned the Christian faith altogether. In this message, we look at what the Psalmist said was parental responsibility in very practical way. We must hold the Gospel rope for the future generation.

Sooner or later every Christian experiences the feeling of abandonment by God. It is not true that God abandons His children; He never does nor ever will do so. But He does test us and part of that test is the sense of the absence of God. In this message, Michael Durham focuses on this very kind of trial in the life of Joseph who had undergone many trials, but none as bad as the test of feeling forgotten by God.

James and John wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan village because of their refusal to welcome Jesus into their town. But instead of Jesus being flattered by their defense of Him, He rebukes them and tells them their spirit is contrary to His. Anger is a problem we all deal with but often we feel justified for our anger. But anger, if even justifiable, must be dealt with quickly. Listen and discover how Jesus deals with those who offend Him. Rather than anger, He shows mercy.

In an amazing Gospel account of a Gentile woman seeking Jesus for her daughter’s healing, we discover some major principles on faith, prayer, and experiencing God’s fullness. Are we satisfied with crumbs when we could have a full meal?