Refuge Audio Podcast

The day after Jesus fed the multitude, many went looking for Him to get some more free food. Jesus told them that He Himself is the bread of life—the spiritual nourishment that they truly need. Rather than receiving Jesus on His terms, the people took issue with how He spoke about Himself, and many left—including those who had been following Him. 

On the first Sunday of the year, we review the history, vision, purpose, and practice of Refuge to answer these questions: What are we doing? Why are we doing it? What does it look like? We turn to the Bible to find the answers to those important questions so we can understand God's vision for His church.

Jesus gave a command to his disciples to do something that was impossible for them to do it—but it was possible for Him. Like the disciples, He has commanded us to do something that is far beyond us. We just don't have the resources to do it. But what we do have, we place in His hands in obedience to His command and watch as He does only what He can do—bless, break, and miraculously multiply. 

In each Gospel, we see a different perspective of Jesus that gives us a complete picture of who He really is. In Matthew, we see Jesus as the pre-existent King. In Mark, Jesus is portrayed as the humble suffering Servant. In Luke, Jesus is seen as the Son of Man. And in John, we see Jesus as the Son of God. In each Gospel account, we see these emphases reflected in the account of Jesus’ birth. Wat...

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus prioritized teaching over miracles. His goal was for people to seek a genuine relationship with God. Returning to Nazareth (His hometown), there may have been a special hopefulness as He preached and taught the Word of God to his family and friends. Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out that way. The unhealthy assumption of familiarity led to contempt, offense, and a...

It’s essential for every disciple of Jesus who sows the good seed of the Gospel to acknowledge the reality of just judgment found in the Old Covenant as well as the reality of redemption found in the New Covenant. But too often, the Good News is overemphasized without providing the reality of the bad news. People are invited to be saved without truly understanding what they are saved from. The Goo...

Rather than teaching clearly, Jesus preaches in parables concerning the enemy sowing counterfeits who are full of hypocrisy and duplicity. They play the part of a believer for their own personal gain—with a smile on Sunday, only to start an evil whisper campaign on Monday.

As Jesus traveled to Galilee, He purposely went through Samaria—something a Jewish rabbi in that day would never do. Yet Scripture shows us that Jesus intentionally went through Samaria just to meet one specific person: a Samaritan woman at a well. By the end of the story, this woman came to believe Jesus was the Messiah and brought her whole town to meet Him. Watch our study in John 4 as guest sp...

Jesus gave His disciples the interpretation of the Parable of the Sower—those who lingered longer to learn from Him. They would also be sowers, sharing the Good News with others. But they needed to know that Gospel ministry was not inherently successful. Sowing the good seed of God’s Word will be difficult, heartbreaking, gut-wrenching—yet worthy work. But most sowers don’t give up, even though th...

Jesus knew that parables aren’t easily or immediately understood. And so, He ended His first parable by saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” But wouldn’t Jesus want everyone to hear and understand? Yes—but only those who genuinely desired to understand Him. For hard-hearted hearers, parables protect them from further accountability. Jesus used parables to weed out those in the multitud...

Have you ever wondered if you truly have eternal life? Many hope, wish, or even strive for it, but still aren't sure. So how can we be certain about eternal life? What are the criteria? How can we know for sure? God’s word is clear—He extends eternal life to all who believe in the name of Jesus, and wants you to know that you have eternal life. In fact, in the letter of 1 John, there are 8 times t...

Compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus, all worldly treasure is ultimately insignificant. We are called to give up those things we cannot keep in order to gain a deeper, Christ-centered, joy-filled life. What might it look like for us to invest our earthly treasure for eternal impact? Watch our study of Philippians 4:10-20 as guest speaker Jim Stigman led our time considering seven mark...

On the 1,500th Feast of Pentecost, God poured out His promised Holy Spirit upon believers in Jerusalem. After the Apostle Peter preached Christ and Him crucified, around 3,000 souls were added to the church on that day. Saved, sealed, and filled with the Holy Spirit, there were a few core components for these brand-new Spirit-filled believers: the Word of God, fellowship, prayer, and communion. Th...

In Matthew 24:12, Jesus warns us that because of the increase of wickedness in the last days, the love of most will grow cold (Matthew 24:12). There is a slow-moving, seemingly unstoppable wave of what the Bible calls wickedness. The only way to withstand this flood of wickedness is to have your life firmly founded on the rock of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, you too will be swept up and carried away w...

You’ve probably heard someone say at some point that God calls us to give tithes and offerings. They are often coupled together in our vernacular, but in scripture, they are unique—each serving a particular purpose. Tithes are our regular, planned, proportional, and responsive giving, echoing back to God a portion of what He gives us. This kind of giving is a regular act of worship. Offerings are...

After Jesus fed the 5,000 (John 6), the people wanted to take Him by force to make Him king. But Jesus departed. The next day, some went looking for Jesus and found him in Capernaum. Jesus knew they were looking for Him to get more free food. But rather than dismissing them, Jesus engaged with them and told them that He Himself is the bread of life—the spiritual nourishment that they truly need.

Holding to cultural superstitions instead of Scripture can lead to some wacky conclusions. That’s why it’s always important to examine a belief to see if it’s following cultural norms or if it’s based in Scripture. Just as in Christian culture today, some in the Jewish culture during Jesus’ time held certain beliefs about what the devil could do that may not have been rooted in Scripture. So Jesus...

Jesus is a gentle man. He calls out to us because He loves us. He corrects us gently and comes alongside us, asking for permission to take His rightful place upon the throne of our hearts. But Jesus doesn’t do this forcefully. He knocks at the door of our heart, but He will never pound and demand entry. He patiently convicts and convinces until a decision is made—either an invitation to enter, or...

After countless confrontations, the religious rulers relentlessly questioned Jesus about His violation of traditions. Sensing their intent, Jesus challenged them about their disregard for God’s commandment in favor of their own customs. This question should have initiated a respectful discussion. Lacking reason, logic, and intellectual integrity, these religious rulers clung to tradition—even when...

In times of uncertainty, we can run to Jesus for safety and security. He is our refuge and strength. He is ready to help when we need Him. But how? How do we find a strong and safe shelter in Jesus in the midst of the storms of life? How is Jesus our refuge and strength? How is He helpful in our times of trouble? These are good questions for us to ask—and to keep asking until we find the answers i...

God’s promises are sure, faithful, and reliable—even if they aren’t fulfilled right away or on our preferred schedule. Consider the life of Abraham. He waited 25 years before the fulfillment of God’s promise to have a child. In Romans 4, the Apostle Paul points to Abraham’s faithfulness to remind us that God’s promises aren’t dependent on our obedience to God’s law. Instead, it’s by faith that we...

The Apostle Peter wrote 2 Peter to believers in order to prepare them for the difficulties that lay ahead—false teachers, persecutions, hardships, and other challenges they would face. But before he begins his warnings, he starts his letter by building up followers of Jesus with encouragement to grow and mature spiritually in specific virtues. In reminding those in the church what we've received f...

Have you ever faced a mountain of a problem & felt like a failure? When you come to the end of your limited human might & power and begin to rely solely upon God’s Holy Spirit that the mountains of problems begin to move. This was God’s encouragement to Zerubabbel in Zechariah 4. God is graciously willing to help when we truly humble ourselves & admit that God’s work must be done in God’s way—not...