Refuge Church Ojai Valley

In the Psalms, there is one amazing psalm about God giving us rest beside a quiet stream in a green pasture, but there are over 100 references to us being in a WAR. So how do we actually live a life of spiritual combat? How do we stay ready?   #community #sermons #church

We don’t just hang out in Christian community. There is work to be done and a great deal of that work is us walking away from sin. We don’t do it on our own or in secret, but as the Ecclesia, we live life together being willing to confess our addictions to the world, crucify our selfish flesh, cancel our entanglements with evil and commit everything to Jesus.   #community #RCOV #ojai #god #faith #...

This week, we launch our new Ecclesia series looking at community. We all say we want community, friendship, relationship, etc… That makes sense to God and he actually has a design for what that looks like. The Called Out people of God are always people of community and relationship, but it probably looks differntly than you think. Today we dive into what it means for people to dive deep into God’...

We’ve walked through Psalm 23 verse by verse—now, we get to see it come to life. This Sunday is Story Weekend, where real people from our church will share how God has personally shepherded them through some of their hardest seasons. Pain. Uncertainty. Hope restored. Come and hear powerful, honest stories of how the Good Shepherd has been present in the darkest valleys—and how He still leads, rest...

Have you ever wondered what’s really following you through life? Stress? Regret? Pressure to perform? Psalm 23:6 offers a radical truth: it’s not fear that’s chasing you — it’s God’s goodness and mercy. In a world where we’re constantly looking over our shoulder, this verse flips the script. God isn’t just walking with us… His love is actively pursuing us — every step, every stumble, every season....

As you start to know God and live life with God, he will quickly become much more than you realized. Your picture and perspective of Him will always be increasing and changing. As Psalm 23 starts wrapping up, the passage gives us a glimpse into just how good and great the character of God is.   #RCOV #ojai #god #psalm23 #faith #truth #Jesus #faith #onlinechurch

There is an absolute guarantee for anyone who breathes life on this earth: that guarantee is that they will face evil. This is no different for people who follow Jesus. Evil comes at us and it is real. The question everyone has to answer is, how will they deal with it? In Psalm 23, God gives us the perfect way to deal with it, where we not only find protection but actual hope.

The hardest part of following Jesus for a lot of people is letting Him lead. Jesus as our Shepherd sounds like a good idea, but then that actually means that we are sheep and we must follow. In today’s message, we dive into just how good of a shepherd he is and how it changes everything for us when we do surrender to Him.  #sermon #sermons #church #psalms #psalm23

Psalm 23 isn’t just a poem — it’s a prayer. A place to bring your silence, your struggle, your need. Who’s shaping what you say to yourself? Is it God? Or… the noise of the world, the lies of the enemy, the pull of your flesh? Today, we’re learning to pray when words feel far away. To practice giving everyone and everything to God. To linger long enough to actually receive His love. It starts now....

What does it mean to truly fear God—and why does Scripture say it's the beginning of wisdom? In this message by our guest speaker, Derry Brooks, we explore the powerful theme of the fear of the Lord throughout the Bible, from trembling at Mount Sinai to the blazing glory of Jesus in Revelation. You’ll discover how holy fear leads to life, obedience, blessing, and awe—not anxiety or shame. Join us...

In this message, Derry Brooks shares how the fear of man—often subtle and disguised—can rob us of calling, courage, and authentic love. Drawing from Scripture, we explore how even bold leaders like Peter and Pilate caved to the pressure of people, and how this same fear distorts our identity today. Learn how the fear of man leads to shame, self-deception, and missed purpose—and how the fear of God...

If you see or experience something that changes your life, you probably tell a whole lot of people about it. That is what a witness is; people who experience something life changing or important and must tell others about it. What does your life witness to? How does Jesus play into that? This week we see that every Christian is called to be a witness and every Christian can only do that if the Hol...

During Jesus’s life one of the things that attracted people to His message and mission was His willingness to heal people. After His ascension, the early church has story after story of miraculous healing.  What about today? Are healings still happening? Is God still moving this way? This week we dive deep into God’s gift of healing and what it is supposed to look like in the life of His people. 

A church service can be a pretty tame and predictable place. We know we are going to sing, hear a message, some prayers, and say hello to a few people. But what if a tame place is nothing what God had in mind when his people gathered.  What if he wanted it to be a place where His Spirit made people come alive, where heaven touched earth, and things changed that were never the same again. This week...

Are you good at spotting fakes? Can you see when someone or something or some advice that might look or sound good actually isn’t? When it comes to God it can be tough. We can think he is leading one way, but in the back of our minds we can be second guessing. Thankfully the gift of Discernment is there to lead us in this.  Discernment is not just a big word, but a must have for anyone seeking to...

The Holy Spirit might be the most misunderstood person in all of Christianity. What do you think of when you think of the Holy Spirit? If someone asked you to describe Him what you would say? Do you feel like He is a part of your life? Do you want Him to be a part of your life? During this message and this series we jump into a study of the Holy Spirit so that we can misunderstand Him no more! 

What does it look like to produce the harvest that Jesus calls us to in Matthew 9? Dive into that question this week with our Associate Pastor, Zack Totten. 

Our world loves talking about sex, but it doesn’t like talking about what Jesus has to say about it. From the beginning of God’s creation sex is there, the question is, do we know why it was given to us? Do we care why it was given to us? And do we see the destruction it wreaks when we ignore its purpose and intention?

Everyone who ever takes a breath holds some measure of power. God creates us as humans who have an effect on one another and the environemnt around us. We don’t think about it much, but it's there. The question is - how do we and should we use that power? The world is telling us all the time that we should use it to serve ourselves, but Jesus has a different message and someone close to him lives...

Who do you go to to teach you and guide you in your relationship with money? For followers of Jesus we must go to him. The world has all kinds of ideas about how we should view money, but for followers of Jesus his way is the only way. #RCOV #ojai #god #healing #money #faith #truth #Jesus #faith #moneytalks

What does it look like to be not just a fan of Jesus, but a true follower? Join our Associate Pastor, Zack Totten, in this message on what the resurrection means for our lives. 

It’s not hard to meet someone who believes that faith is a good thing, but when you dig deep, it's not actually real or true. For a Christian, Easter is THE thing that makes our faith real and true. Every human wants to know that hope is possible, Easter is God’s response to that desire.

We all have things that we just can’t seem to get distance from. We worry and fret or hurt and suffer from things that we just can’t seem to leave in the past. What does Jesus say to that? Is there any hope? 

We like to hide our shame. Even when it’s obvious we will try and direct attention elsewhere. But what if the things that make us most uncomfortable about ourselves are the things that, once we give them to Jesus, can be a witness to us actually having hope in our lives?

If Jesus showed up in the flesh in your life right now, what would you expect Him to do? Is there a miracle you would ask him for? Is there a problem you would ask Him to solve? In the Bible it seems that whenever He showed up, He made things happen, but often they weren’t what people were expecting him to do. Is there something we are missing about what we need and what God wants to actually give...