Orchard Hill Church Blog
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What the Psalms Teach Us About Jesus as the Great “I AM”
Discover the profound connections between Jesus' "I AM" statements and the echoes found in the Psalms, revealing His divine identity and purpose. Dive into this exploration to deepen your understanding of how the Old Testament illuminates the New Testament, offering comfort and strength for your faith journey.
Church Words 101: Immanuel
It is a magnificent, mysterious, hard-to-grasp, and imagination-stretching reality. But when you get it, when you come to fully understand the purpose and implications of this reality, you will stand in awe. What is this reality? Immanuel: God with us!
Church Words 101: Exegesis
In the same way with our human relationships, we desire to go deeper into the things God is saying to us. In a real way, we desire to ask God, “What do you mean by that?” This is what we are discussing today as we look at the word “Exegesis.”
Church Words 101: Ontological
What makes something real or unreal? How do we categorize and understand the nature of things in the world? Let’s take a deeper look at what ontological means and why it can lead us to a clearer understanding of God’s character.
Church Words 101: Anoint
Imagine the taste of melt-in-your-mouth mozzarella balls covered with seasoned olive oil to remember this church word: anoint. This word is most frequently used in the Bible with a special sense to set people or objects apart or consecrate them for service to God.
Why Does the Bible say to “Fear God?”
I think we all tend to view fear as a flaw to correct. That somehow, the goal in life is to be unafraid and to have complete confidence in every situation. Yet, I’m starting to see that fear is not so much a flaw to correct, but a gift to be harnessed.
Church Words 101: Covenant
The term “covenant” is significant and runs throughout the entire Bible. In fact, the term “testament” is another word for covenant, which designates the two parts of the Bible.
Why were Certain Books Excluded from the Bible?
Have you ever considered how the Bible was formed? You’d be correct to assume that the process of how the Bible was put together is complex, and it involves quite the historical and theological journey. However, not all ancient texts found their place within the pages of the Bible.
Church Words 101 - Sacrament
Few words carry as much weight and significance as the word "sacrament." The word finds its origins in the earliest centuries of church history. Sacraments have played a central role in Christian worship throughout the course of this history.
Church Words 101 - Regeneration
Despite the word only being used twice in scripture, regeneration is an essential component in learning to appreciate our salvation in Christ. If there is no regeneration by the Spirit, there is no eternal life to hope for.
Church Words 101 - Propitiation
I was fifteen years old when I first heard the word, “Propitiation.” You can imagine my face as the man who was discipling me broke it down syllable by syllable. Today we will be taking a dive into this word, discovering what it means, why it matters, and how we can take the concept to heart.
Should Christians be Buried or Cremated?
A recent article published by the Washington Post sites that by the year 2040, 4 out of 5 Americans are projected to choose cremation over burial. When considering this decision for yourself, or for your loved ones, is there a clear Biblical position that can be applied?
Eschatology: The Doctrine of Last Things Explained
In the case of end time prophecy, there are at least 183 recorded (and failed) predictions concerning the end of the world. So, what is the point of studying Eschatology? The answer is profoundly simple. It is presented in God’s Word and therefore a dutiful and worthwhile endeavor.
Soteriology: The Doctrine of Salvation Explained
Today we are going to briefly discuss and cover some of the basic understandings of one of the fancy big words used in various Christian circles ending in “ology”. In its most basic definition, Soteriology focuses on the study of salvation, or saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Genres of Biblical Literature and How to Study Them
Understanding an overview of each type of literature in the Scriptures is essential for understanding what the human author, and ultimately the Divine Author meant and means for us today.
Ecclesiology: The Doctrine of the Church Explained
What is the church? Is it a building? Is it a collection of like-minded people? A combination of both? These are common and very valid questions that may leave you with a variety of different answers, depending on who you ask.
Anthropology: The Doctrine of Man Explained
Anthropologists have been studying and exploring the essence of mankind for as long as mankind has been around so there is obviously neither time nor room in this short treatment to cover such a broad topic comprehensively. So… what is man?
Why is Jesus’ Ascension so Important?
Tim Keller suggests that Jesus’ ascension is typically misunderstood by many including the original disciples. Because of this misunderstanding, Christians will forget about the importance of this event even though this act of Jesus sets up the hope we have as believers of things to come.
Hamartiology: The Doctrine of Sin Explained
Talking about sin these days seems old fashioned and out of touch. Who really wants to think about sin or being sinful? Hamartiology is the study of sin and deals with how sin originated, how it affects humanity, and how it was and will ultimately be defeated.
Angelology: The Doctrine of Angels Explained
If ten people on the street were surveyed to describe what an angel is, there is a good chance the answers would be wildly different. These answers may be from the Bible, early Jewish lore, literature, artwork from the Middle Ages, or even Hollywood. But what is the true doctrine of Angels?