Oak Pointe Church Podcast

The Pressure of Perfectionism   Scripture: Ecclesiastes 11:1-8 Speaker: Charlie Koopman, Worship & Creative Arts Pastor   Once considered a positive trait, perfectionism is on the rise in our culture. Unsurprisingly, anxiety, fear, and depression are at an all-time high. Despite what is on display in so many curated Instagram feeds, being flawless is an unrealistic goal, an illusion driven by the need to manage every aspect of our lives tightly. Again this week, we look through the lens of the "Teacher" in Ecclesiastes to wrestle with the question: Can I ever really have control of my life?

The Virus of Materialism   Scripture: Ecclesiastes 2:18-26 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor of Oak Pointe Church   Most of us have stuff – plenty of stuff. And if we’re honest, we keep a list in our heads of other stuff that would make our lives better: home improvements, vehicle or technology upgrades, vacations, etc. If we had some extra cash, we know how and where we’d spend it! Planning for future purchases isn’t bad, but trusting in them to make our life more complete? That’s different and symptomatic of a deeper malady. Fortunately, the gospel provides the antidote.

The Anxiety of Individualism   Scripture: Ecclesiastes 2:12-17 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor of Oak Pointe Church   We all know there’s no “I” in TEAM, and things are better when we work together. But those phrases are easier said than done, especially when individualistic impulses run deep. Our culture and our hearts subtly tell us we don’t need others, and we don’t need God. While going it alone can feel empowering and lead to a level of human glory, it has diminishing returns often realized too late. Responding to the gospel realigns our perspective and provides the antidote for anxious self-reliance.

The Transience of Hedonism   Scripture: Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor of Oak Pointe Church   Have you ever tried something just to try it? Maybe you wanted to see what it was like or what effect it had on you, and by doing so, learn if you’d ever want to try it again - like bungee jumping or eating escargot. That’s the approach the author of Ecclesiastes takes toward pleasure. He tried everything: drinking and imprudence, building estates, amassing wealth, licentious relationships. In the end, he found none of these desires delightful. But the maturing Christian can learn from this teacher’s experiment with pleasure and follow God’s path instead.

The Weariness of Intellectualism   Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor of Oak Pointe Church   Each year, the rankings come out. The US News and World Report lists the best universities and colleges. (It even ranks the best Michigan high schools – in 2022, Novi is #7 and Northville #8). People then flock to these rankings to see where their alma mater sits or to consider what school their child should attend.   Here in the United States of America, we place a high value on education. But to what end? We fret about GPAs, honor societies, and test scores. In and of themselves, none of these things are bad. But ultimately, what is our pursuit of education seeking to accomplish? Is it wisdom? And if so, is this where we find wisdom in its highest concentration?

The Striving of Naturalism   Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor of Oak Pointe Church   How many of us work hard? Probably most of us. Why? Because life is hard work. Simply put, a certain amount of effort is required to have basic food and shelter. And depending on the quality of the food and shelter you desire, considerably more effort may be required. Therefore, it is an easy jump to begin equating our worth with the volume, significance, and product of our labor. But what changes by all of that hard work? Does it give your life greater meaning? Or is pursuing a life of toil and goals and getting merely an illusion?

Feeling and Prayer   Scripture: Psalm 16 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor of Oak Pointe Church   Emotions are tricky. For some of us, voicing the things in our hearts is effortless and done frequently. For others, it isn't easy to let our feelings show, even to those with whom we are most intimate. And all of us could probably employ a bit more emotional range when talking with God. Thankfully, the Psalms exemplify expressive communication with our heavenly father. As we wrap up our prayer series this weekend, Psalm 16 will challenge us to rethink three critical areas to unlock our prayer life more fully.

The Journey Is Worth It   Scripture: Psalm 84 Speaker: Adam Mashni, 707 High School Ministry Pastor   We all love trips – especially during summer vacation! Whether it's an excursion up north to the family cottage, a Disney trip with the kids, or somewhere in between, we love breaking the norm and getting away. During each trip's planning phase, the question isn't whether we'll love it but "is it worth it?" Do we want to spend that much time with our relatives? Will Disney be worth all the cost, travel, and stress? In so many ways, the answer is likely "Yes!" So we go. As we continue our prayer series, we will explore a Psalm about journeying into God's presence. We'll hear the writer's perspective about whether or not it's worth it to take that trip, which will help us answer that question for ourselves.

The Presence Psalm   Scripture: Psalm 130 Speaker: Adam Schultz, Grow and Restore Ministries Pastor   We are not good at standing by. Whether waiting for something to happen or to finish, most of us struggle to bide our time. Having patience can be all the more challenging regarding our relationship with God. We typically are seeking something urgent from God rather than desiring God himself. In our series entitled “Prayer: Longing for God’s Presence,” this week, we’ll see how watching and waiting with God can increase our longing for him.

How to Think About Prayer   Scripture: Psalm 27 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor of Oak Pointe Church   As followers of Jesus, each of us faces stressful circumstances that could and should drive us to prayer. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen, at least not right away. Any reluctance to pray may have several reasons, but ultimately it belies something more significant – an underlying belief about who God is. In our new series entitled “Prayer: Longing for God’s Presence,” we’ll spend four weeks in the Psalms learning to talk with God (i.e., pray). This week, we’ll see that how we think about prayer radically changes how we pray.

The Most Cheerful Giver   Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor of Oak Pointe Church   God isn’t just good at doing impossible math – he loves doing it! How do we know? Throughout the pages of scripture, we continually see situations where the equation doesn’t work. These are the spots where God is quick to insert himself and do what only he can. But the important thing is not that God can, or that God will…it’s that he genuinely wants to! In this last installment of Impossible Math, we’ll learn the key to having a generous heart and see what incredible impact that has on others.

The Wind of the Spirit   Scripture: Acts 2 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor of Oak Pointe Church   "Merry Christmas!" "Happy Easter!" As Christians, we readily celebrate these big church holidays. Twice each year, we have extra services, ask people to save seats online, create beautiful stage sets, sing particular songs, and set photo walls so everyone can share memories on social media. But there's another big day in the church's life that is equally important from a spiritual and historical perspective but unfortunately doesn't garner the same attention. This week, Pastor Jon sheds light on the momentous day of Pentecost, and what the coming of the Holy Spirit means for God's people.

Giving and Joy   Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:1-11 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor of Oak Pointe Church   So far in our Impossible Math series, the Apostle Paul has boldly asked the more wealthy gentile Christians in Corinth to prepare a collection for impoverished Jewish believers in Jerusalem. A big ask! The Corinthians seemed eager at first, but their enthusiasm has waned. To spur them on, Paul employs the example of the openhanded Macedonians and sends an advance delegation headed by Titus. But in case those are not motivation enough, Paul provides a further reason for making a generous gift, and it’s the best one yet!

Against All Odds Scripture: Various passages in the book of ActsSpeakers: Maddy Bradshaw, Shane Slocum, Alli Villanueva, Carson Martin   Christianity has always been an "against all odds" kind of movement. From the church's very beginnings, people who had no business leading much of anything were standing up and preaching to thousands boldly in the name of Jesus. In this same spirit, we now turn to this generation of teenagers. Facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles, they are pressing forward to boldly live and teach the words of Jesus. This weekend at our Student Takeover, we'll hear from four students who open the book of Acts and share the ingredients to following Jesus against all odds.

Giving and Leadership   Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:10-24 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor of Oak Pointe Church   Starting is easy. Finishing is hard. This is especially true with endeavors of consequence. Completing a critical project takes more than a plan – it takes motivation. Sometimes, a fresh reason helps us get going again if we’ve stalled. That’s precisely what the Apostle Paul provides for the Corinthian church – extra impetus to act on their honorable desires. We’ll see that these reasons are also essential for us when it comes to giving.

The Good Portion (Mother's Day)   Scripture: Luke 10:38-42 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor of Oak Pointe Church   Do you struggle to regularly prioritize the important over the urgent? Of course, you do. We all do! Urgent things continually feel so pressing that important things can always wait just a little longer. But at what cost? In this special Mother’s Day edition of Impossible Math, Pastor Jon will explore the story of Martha and Mary in Luke’s gospel. We’ll discover that in his gentle way, Jesus empowers both of them to do the one thing that is always most important. This message honors all women, especially moms. But guys, don’t tune out! There are important lessons for you as we observe how Jesus relates to both Martha and Mary.

The Power of Giving   Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:7–9 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor of Oak Pointe Church   As followers of Jesus Christ, we want our faith in God to be strong! We believe that the Holy Spirit is transforming us from the inside out, but sometimes there are aspects of our lives where we don’t connect the dots. One prominent area is our finances. How we view and use our money tells a story about our faith. This week in our Impossible Math series, we’ll learn that our giving not only impacts how we see God working in us but how others see Him as well.

Visible Grace Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:1-6Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor of Oak Pointe Church “It just doesn’t add up.” How many times have you said that about your personal finances? Oftentimes, the stuff you’d like to do with your money doesn’t seem very possible – especially charitable giving. After all, the expenses are added up, where does that money come from? The same was true for the Corinthian church. They had made a commitment to a giving campaign for the church in Judea but were struggling to follow through. That’s when Paul shares a story about another church that involves some impossible math. Continuing into Chapter 8 of 2 Corinthians, this week Pastor Jon begins a new series on the topic of generosity and giving. We were going to call it “Money Matters” but then changed the title. Find out why on Sunday.

Of First Importance - Christ Died. He Was Raised.   Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Paster of Oak Pointe Church   The Apostle Paul begins our Easter weekend passage with this statement: “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.” Why does Paul feel he needs to issue a reminder? Because it’s easy to get our priorities out of whack and forget what is most important. How often do we major in the minors and minor in the majors? For example, we are easily frustrated with people’s idiosyncrasies and hypercritical of cultural issues, yet are slow to acknowledge or address the most vital need of our own heart and life – that we’re sinful and need a savior! This year on Good Friday and Easter, we’re going to rehearse that gospel. We’re going to remind ourselves of that gospel, just as Paul reminded the Corinthian believers. Because if we don’t hold firmly to this gospel, we’ve believed in vain.

The Tussle of True Relationships Scripture: 2 Corinthians 7:2-16 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Paster of Oak Pointe Church Have you ever struggled in a relationship? Hopefully so! If not, the relationship probably wasn’t all that important. Truth is, the most transformative relationships are complex. On one hand, they bring comfort and joy. On the other, sorrow and pain. We tend to much prefer comfort and joy relationships. After all, when things run smoothly, relationships are easy. But when the sorrow and pain arrive it becomes very tempting to bail out. Since this relational complexity exists between the Apostle Paul and the Corinthian Church, let’s learn from them! In this final message of our Jars of Clay series, we’ll explore three things that mark the very best relationships.