Justification by Faith: How Grace Levels the Playing Field - Romans 3:9-31 | July 16, 2026
Release Date: 07/16/2026
Kingdom Courts and the Temple Within - 1 Corinthians 6:1 -20 | August 10, 2026
One Single Story
Pastor Stephen Mizell, Pastor Jay Rivenbark, and Pastor Sheryl Daughety dig into 1 Corinthians 6:1 -20, where Paul rebukes believers for taking each other to court and reminds us our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. In This Episode: Why suing a fellow believer is shameful, and how the church should handle conflict internally The link between influence and giving up personal liberties Recognizing when a legitimate freedom starts to control you Treating your body as sacred, God-owned property Key Quote: "Freedom means we can say yes, and we can say no. When we can't say no, we're...
info_outline
Rebuilding Through Opposition - Ezra 4:24 –6:22 | August 7, 2026
One Single Story
Welcome to today's edition of One Single Story. Pastor Stephen Mizell and Pastor Jay Rivenbark are joined by Pastor Alyssa Bream for a conversation from the book of Ezra, exploring how a stalled building project was reignited by the power of preaching, how God can turn opposition into a launching pad for His purposes, and why public celebration matters after a long season of resistance. Scripture Focus: Ezra 4:24-6:22 - After the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem is halted by royal decree and years of opposition, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah call the people to restart the work. What...
info_outline
The Foundation Before the Walls - Ezra 3:1–4:23 | August 6, 2026
One Single Story
Welcome back to One Single Story! Today Pastor Stephen Mizell and Pastor Jay Rivenbark are joined by Pastor Alyssa Bream for a conversation on Ezra chapters 3 and 4, exploring what it means to lay a spiritual foundation before anything else can be rightly built - in our churches, our families, and our own hearts. Scripture Focus: Ezra 3:1 –4:23 - The remnant of Israel returns to Judah under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua. Before rebuilding the temple walls, they rebuild the altar and restore worship, even in the face of fear and local opposition. When the foundation is laid,...
info_outline
Trusting God's Sovereignty - Ezra 1:1 –2:70 | August 5, 2026
One Single Story
Welcome to the August 5th edition of One Single Story. Today Pastor Stephen Mizell and Pastor Jay Rivenbark are joined by Pastor Alyssa Bream to open the book of Ezra, exploring what it means to trust God's sovereignty over volatile political landscapes and what kind of faith is required to leave comfort behind and rebuild what has been broken. Scripture Focus: Ezra 1:1 –2:70 - Seventy years after the fall of Jerusalem, the Persian king Cyrus issues a decree allowing the exiles to return home. Ezra opens by linking directly to the close of 2 Chronicles, and chapter two records the detailed...
info_outline
When the Heart Has No Remedy - 2 Chronicles 35:1–36:23 | August 4, 2026
One Single Story
Pastor Stephen Mizell and Pastor Jay Rivenbark are joined by Pastor Alyssa Bream to explore the final chapters of Judah's story - a hardened heart, missed Sabbaths, and God's surprising use of an unlikely king to move history forward. Scripture Focus: 2 Chronicles 35-36 traces Judah's rapid decline through its last kings, ending in exile - but closes with the decree of Cyrus of Persia, pointing toward restoration. In This Episode: What it means for a heart to reach "no remedy" Why rest is a matter of trust, not a reward How God used a pagan king, Cyrus, to fulfill his purposes...
info_outline
The Lost Book of the Law - 2 Chronicles 33:14–34:33 | August 3, 2026
One Single Story
Welcome back to One Single Story. Today Pastor Stephen Mizell and Pastor Jay Rivenbark are joined by Pastor Alyssa Bream for a conversation on how the authority of Scripture can quietly get lost inside our ministries and our personal lives, and what it looks like when a heart finally responds to God's Word with real conviction instead of casual familiarity. Scripture Focus: 2 Chronicles 33:14-34:33 - This passage covers the collapse and restoration of the southern kingdom, from Manasseh's idolatry to young King Josiah's discovery of the lost Book of the Law and the last great revival before...
info_outline
Guarding Your Eyes and Ears as God's Gift - Proverbs 20:12 | July 31, 2026
One Single Story
Welcome back to One Single Story! Today Pastor Stephen Mizell and Pastor Jay Rivenbark are joined by Pastor Wendy Korbusieski for a candid conversation about our eyes and ears as God-given gates to the heart and mind. As they close out this section of Proverbs, the team unpacks what it means to steward our senses well in a media-saturated world, and how to move from merely seeing and hearing to truly perceiving with spiritual clarity. Scripture Focus: Proverbs 20:12 - Solomon closes this section of Proverbs by pointing to the hearing ear and the seeing eye as things the Lord has made,...
info_outline
Known by their Actions - Proverbs 20:11 | July 30, 2026
One Single Story
Join Pastor Stephen Mizell, Pastor Jay Rivenbark, and Pastor Wendy Korbusieski for today's edition of One Single Story as they dig into Proverbs 20:11 and explore why our actions, not our words or potential, are the truest indicator of who we really are. Scripture Focus: Proverbs 20:11 - Solomon teaches that even children are known by their actions, whether their conduct is pure and right. This verse challenges us to evaluate character not by charisma or potential, but by consistent, observable behavior. In This Episode: Why behavior is a more reliable metric than potential, personality, or...
info_outline
The Path to a Clean Heart - Proverbs 20:8-10 | July 29, 2026
One Single Story
Pastor Stephen Mizell and Pastor Jay Rivenbark are joined by Pastor Wendy Korbusieski to unpack Proverbs 20:8-10 and its warning against self-righteousness and double standards. Scripture Focus: Proverbs 20:8-10 - A king who scatters evil with his eyes, and the piercing question, "Who can say, I have made my heart clean?" In This Episode: Why no one can honestly claim a fully cleansed heart How bias shapes judges, juries, and everyday decisions Why we excuse ourselves by intentions but judge others by actions How self-awareness and humility lead to fairer judgment and greater grace Key...
info_outline
Integrity and Legacy - Proverbs 20:7 | July 28, 2026
One Single Story
Welcome back to One Single Story! Today Pastor Stephen Mizell and Jay Rivenbark are joined by Wendy Korbusieski for a candid conversation about integrity, legacy, and what it really means to live a whole life in a culture obsessed with image and online personas. This episode digs into why what we build in private always finds its way into public, and why that matters for every parent, leader, and follower of Christ. Scripture Focus: Proverbs 20:7 - This standalone proverb declares that the righteous walk in integrity, and blessed are their children after them. The hosts unpack this...
info_outlineJoin Pastor Stephen Mizell, Pastor Jay Rivenbark, and Pastor Alyssa Bream for today's conversation through Romans 3:9-31, one of the most pivotal passages in all of Scripture. As Romans turns from exposing human sinfulness to declaring the way of justification, this episode unpacks what it means that righteousness comes not through the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ.
Scripture Focus: Romans 3:9-31 - Paul builds his case that all people, Jew and Gentile alike, stand guilty before God, then reveals the solution: justification by faith apart from the works of the law. This passage is the theological hinge of Romans, moving from the diagnosis of universal sin to the good news of grace freely given through Christ's sacrifice.
In This Episode:
- Why the law was never meant to save us, but to reveal our need for a Savior
- Understanding total depravity - we're not just sick, we're spiritually dead
- A Leonard Ravenhill quote on why Jesus came to raise the dead, not improve the bad
- How the cross allows God to be both "just and the justifier" of those who believe
- Why justification by faith erases every cultural, racial, and social divide
- Stories from the mission field in India and Argentina on the unifying power of shared faith in Christ
- What it means that salvation is a gift, not a performance-based achievement
Key Quote: "When human performance stands bankrupt before the court of heaven, the righteousness of God stands in to write a check we could never clear."
About One Single Story
One Single Story is a weekday devotional podcast offering brief, thoughtful lessons from each day's reading in the One Year Bible. Hosted by the pastors of Open Door Church, this show helps listeners dig into Scripture with clarity, honesty, and practical application for everyday faith.
Open Door Church is located in Edenton, North Carolina. Learn more at visitopendoor.com or onesinglestory.com.
Subscribe to One Single Story so you never miss a daily lesson. New episodes release every weekday to help you stay grounded in God's Word one story at a time.
Coming This Week: We continue our journey through Romans, exploring how Paul builds on the foundation of justification by faith to unpack what it means to live in the freedom and assurance of God's grace. Grab your Bible and join us for the next edition of One Single Story.
Hashtags: #OneYearBible #ChristianPodcast #BibleStudy #DailyDevotional #OpenDoorChurch #BiblicalEncouragement #ChristianLife #Scripture #Faith #BookOfRomans #Justification #Grace #Salvation