Renewal Church Podcast

Imagine losing your career, your family, your best friend, your safety, and the respect of everyone who knew you all in one day. That all of a sudden the walls around you began to close in, and life as you knew it became a thing of the past, leaving you alone and unclear of God's plan. This is where David is found in 1 Samuel 22 – alone and in a cave. What exactly does David do? He does the only thing he knows how to do. He cries out to his God for help. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

Friendship is one of the most influential relationships in our life. A good friend can provide us encouragement, joy, and growth, whereas a bad friend can bring us sin, despair, and a great deal of grief. By looking at the friendship of David and Jonathan, we will see what it looks like to have a true friend in the Lord. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

True courage comes from trusting in God, not in what we are capable of achieving. David trusted God as he stepped up to defend his God and his people from the giant, Goliath. Goliath's defeat foreshadows what is to come. Years later, the enemy of God would be defeated on the cross by a King, and the people of God would see victory and freedom. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

We meet David the shepherd in Chapter 16. He is the one God would anoint as king, yet to Samuel and the rest of his brothers, he lacks the appearance of a king. However, as we will see, appearances are not always what they appear to be. Even today, having the appearance of a leader does not guarantee that you will be a good leader. God is not looking for intelligence, gifts, or looks, but rather, He is looking for a heart that desires Him. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

The book of 1 Samuel begins with the prayers of a lowly woman named Hannah, not with a great King. Her prayer at the start of the book is essentially a synopsis of 1 and 2 Samuel. At the start of the book, the people of Israel demand that God provide them with a king. The book of 1 Samuel is the story of Israel’s search for a king. Ultimately, only God could be their true King, but He had allowed them to have an earthly king to mirror His reign. The first king of Israel was a gifted character by the name of Saul. Unfortunately for Israel, Saul was more concerned with his own glory than with the welfare of the people. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

Worship matters - it is what we are made for and it is what makes us who we are. Liturgy is a formative, love-shaping ritual - or simply put: the means by which we shape and form our hearts and minds, and consequently our behavior. Who we are right now is the product of liturgies, whether they are holy and correct or not, because we are creatures of habit; and liturgy habituates us. We must be careful to not succumb to the competing liturgies the world offers and instead day by day submit ourselves to ones that are holy and redirect ourselves back to the one who created us and redeemed us. Worship matters, but ultimately correct worship, in spirit and in truth, matters the most because we all worship something at any given time. The question becomes, “who, or what, are we worshipping”, because what we worship shapes who we are. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

We all want to belong, and the beauty of the gospel is that God has not called us to follow Him as individuals in this world, but He has called us to belong to the family of faith. As Ephesians says, we are “members” of the household of God. God has called us to belong to Him, belong to each other, to encourage, love, and display the gospel to the world. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

In Acts 6, the church is growing. With every growing church, there are growing pains. There are things that must be addressed and adjusted as time goes on. The issue in the early church was that the physical needs of the church had increased. This had created a situation where the Elders of the church were being forced to limit the ministry of prayer and teaching so that those physical needs could be met. This is where we see God begin to call and task servant leaders with meeting the needs of the church. Paul will refer to the church as a “body with many parts.” Everyone has a role in serving the church; some have been called to specific tasks, but everyone has been called to serve the people of God. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

Who is responsible for leading God’s people? Scripture makes it clear that the church is under one chief Shepherd — Jesus Christ. Jesus is building and leading His people for the glory of His name. We also see in Scripture that God has called “under-shepherds” to lead His people to know, learn, and to see His goodness and grace. These leaders are known as Elders, Overseers, and Shepherds. The office of elder is seen in Scripture to provide spiritual leadership and protection for God’s people. Elders are known as “shepherds” to the flock of God’s blood bought people. They shepherd by modeling what it looks like to follow Jesus, by teaching God’s Word, by protecting and disciplining God’s people, and by discerning God’s direction for His people. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

Where did the idea of the “church” come from? The idea of church has taken on many different meanings throughout history. How can we know that we are living out the Biblical call to belong and be God’s church? By looking closely at God’s Word, we will attempt to define what the church is and what the church isn’t. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

Renewal Church exists so that people will be made new in Jesus, grow in Jesus, and be released into the world for Jesus. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

Death was not the end for Jesus, and death will not be the end for us. Jesus has risen! That statement has the same power today as it did many years ago. There is no grave that could contain Him and no chains that can constrain Him. As we read through the resurrection text, we will ask the question, “How should we think about and respond to the resurrection of Christ in 2023?” Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

One thing is clear in Mark’s account of the death of Jesus — none of this is by accident. This is all according to the plan of God: the arrest, the trial, and the crown on His head. All of this is purposed by God, and in His purposed death we find our freedom from sin. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

As the disciples point out the great architecture of the buildings around them, Jesus takes a moment to warn them about what’s coming: each of those buildings will be destroyed, there will be false prophets and much tribulation, families will be divided, and, ultimately, the Son of Man will return. Jesus’ primary warning to the disciples, and to us, is that we should “stay awake.” We do not know when our king will return, but when He does, we must be awake and ready. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

In this section we see the religious leaders trying to trap Jesus. Their main goal is to discredit Him in front of the crowds, and with each question Jesus masterfully responds with grace and truth. What is astonishing is that all throughout their questions they never stopped to ask, “What if He really is the Messiah?” Their questions had one motivation — they wanted to keep the power they had. At the end of this section we see a person who is the complete opposite of these religious rulers: a humble widow who approaches her offering with complete worship and dependency. The question for all of us is, “Who are we?” Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

As Jesus passed by a fig tree on His way to the temple, He took a moment to curse the tree as a reminder to the disciples (and us) of the state of the temple. The purpose of the temple was simple — worship — but it had lost its purpose. The temple in Jesus’ day had come to represent the business and socio-economic dealings of Jerusalem, and it had long since lost its posture of worship. The cursing of the fig tree is the humble reminder that if we are not fulfilling the purpose that God has given us — worship — then we have completely missed the point of our existence. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

The triumphal entry begins the final act of the gospel of Mark. The last five chapters of Mark cover one week in the life of Jesus. Jesus has finally arrived in Jerusalem, and the triumphal entry is a great declaration of intent to His people. In the past He has been careful not to openly declare His kingship. But when He shows up in Jerusalem, He openly declares who He is. Everything in this story is by Divine design. When Jesus walks into Jerusalem, He wants everyone to know the true King has arrived. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

As Jesus gets closer and closer to Jerusalem, he begins to speak more and more about what is about to happen: He is to be delivered, mocked, and killed. The disciples have failed to grasp the mission of Jesus, a failure demonstrated by the question James and John ask Jesus. They are looking to be celebrated – looking to rule – but the kind of kingdom and rule that Jesus is walking towards is not like any kingdom they have seen before. Jesus is walking towards Jerusalem as a servant, and this is the call for all of us. His desire is that we would be a people that walk in this world not to be served, but to serve. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

In this text we see two groups: Those who receive the kingdom and those who don’t. Jesus focuses on a group of babies to demonstrate what it looks like to be fully dependent. A baby is fully reliant on its parents to survive. Jesus says that those who approach God like a baby will receive the kingdom. Jesus then focuses on a man who has it all — the title, the money, and the prestige. But even though he has everything, he knows that something is missing. And the question that this young man asks Jesus is very telling, he asks, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Within that question is a complete misunderstanding of (1) the holiness of God, (2) the depravity of man, and (3) the work of grace over works in our lives. We will never be able to earn God’s favor through our own righteousness, but rather, eternal life is received from God even though they are undeserving of it. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

Divorce is one of the topics that has been both painful and divisive for the church. Jesus is clear and decisive as He teaches about divorce, and as the people of God, we must be careful to listen and obey His Word. While Jesus is clear in His words, we must admit that the teaching can be painful and hard to embrace for some. But the promise, if we would have the faith to believe it, remains: marriage is designed by God, and in it we can find joy in Christ. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

What makes someone great? Is it our reputation, our wealth, our career, or the number of material possessions we can amass? Jesus has a tendency to take our assumptions about how things should operate in this world and flip them upside down. In one moment, He challenges the disciples to flip their understanding of what it means to be great in this life. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

When the disciples are unable to cast a demon out of a young boy, Jesus reminds them all that all things are possible for those who believe. The response of the father of the young boy is a good reminder of the faith we should all have. He says, "I believe; help my unbelief." That within us all is the battle of faith and doubt. On one hand, yes, we believe, but on the other, we need divine help in our belief. We also have another important lesson in this text: the importance of prayer. Prayer is the most powerful tool we have to fight the darkness, and without it, we are without hope. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

Jesus takes three of His disciples on a mountain where He is transformed to display His full divine nature. On the mountain with Him appeared Moses, the representation of the law, and Elijah, the representation of the prophets, giving testimony that Jesus is the fulfillment of both the law and the prophets. And in this moment, we get a glimpse of the full story of Scripture. The full plan of God is demonstrated by these three on the mountain. Out of fear, the disciples are much like us; they misunderstand the meaning of this gathering, and they are unsure how to respond to the divine holiness of God before them. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

We are at the turning point in the book of Mark. From this point on, the relationship between the disciples and Jesus is drastically different. Jesus asks them a question, and it’s a question that we all have to answer. He asks them, "Who do you say that I am?" And Peter’s answer brought their relationship to a new intimacy that they had not experienced to this point. When Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, the text says that "He began to teach them." Now, Jesus is going to speak plainly about His mission—that He has come to suffer and die. Jesus is the Messiah who will lay down His life for our sins. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

Demanding a sign, the Pharisees approached Jesus after he performed another miracle by feeding the 4,000. This leads to an important warning for the disciples. He tells them to "beware of the leaven of the pharisees and of Herod." Leaven (see note on 1 Cor. 5:6–7) is a figurative description of the self-centeredness and self-reliance that all of us are tempted to demonstrate. But these things are opposed to what Jesus is and who He calls us to be. Like Jesus, we live with humility and gratitude as we seek to share the love of Christ with others. Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net