Refuge Audio Podcast

Have you ever had a situation where you’ve tried every option and exhausted every resource? And yet, there seems to be a two-year-old in all of us that still says, “I can do it myself!” Eventually, our self-sufficiency and pride disappear when circumstances deplete our strength and resources so that nothing is left but to cry out to Jesus. Though He would rather be our first choice, Jesus is willi...

God chose to pour new wine into new wineskins. He decided to pour the person and power of the Holy Spirit into the most unlikely of vessels. But why? So that no one could boast and God alone would get all the glory. In this way, the adventure of the Great Commission could be available to anyone that Jesus would call to follow Him—even if that person is considered lower than low, like a tax collect...

Jesus’ words & actions confounded the religious leaders around Him. After all, Jesus was eating with sinners, ministering to sinners, forgiving sinners, healing sinners, and (worst of all) calling sinners to be His followers. The religious leaders thought they were already righteous. They could not comprehend in their self-righteous hearts how the Messiah would come for sinners and not for them. S...

There are storms in life. Whether external or internal, there are moments where we feel hopeless to do anything about the circumstances we face. But Jesus has authority over the storms, whether from without or within. Sometimes He rebukes the storm, sometimes He calms the storm, and sometimes He does neither. Yet through it all, we learn that Jesus is Lord. 

There is a stark contrast between someone hired to say something and a good shepherd—someone who has something to say because they live in awe and wonder about the God they love, serve, and believe in. They speak with authenticity, authority, and simplicity as they serve others with what they have learned and long to give away. The people of Capernaum had this experience when Jesus began His earth...

What is your part in the body of Christ? What is it that God has given you so you can build up others and love your neighbor in this fellowship? Only you and the Lord can answer that question. But whatever it is, it is essential that you “take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord that you may fulfill it.” (Colossians 4:17)

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.

At the end of Matthew 9, Jesus saw the crowds around Him and had compassion on them “because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36). It’s this compassion that led Him to encourage His disciples to ask God to send more workers to share the Good News. In the very next chapter, Jesus sent His disciples as those workers. But He doesn’t send them in their streng...

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God…” (Mark 1:1) As 21st Century Gentiles, it's difficult for us to grasp just how dangerous, subversive & controversial it would be to write these important words. But when you consider the backstory of the man God used to write them, you can see why he had the courage, the passion & the urgency to publish something so revolutionary. 

The birth story of Jesus in the Gospel of John isn’t easy to find. There’s no list of names like in Matthew. There’s no heavenly host addressing shepherds as in Luke. But it’s still there! Because John highlighted how Jesus is God, we need to rethink what a birth story for God would look like.

The world has a common saying: “I’ll believe it when I see it.” But is this always the best way to see? Must we always insist on seeing something before we’re willing to believe it has happened? Or is there a better way? Jesus met a man of faith who believed without needing to see. This man exemplified faith, love, and trust. He understood authority and the power of God. But he wasn’t a religious...

As Jesus descended from the mountain where He delivered His sermon, He interacted with a leper. In the parallel passage in Luke 5, we read of another interaction Jesus had with a different man named Peter. While the leper struggled with his external condition, Peter struggled with his internal condition. However, there are similarities in their struggle—and there are similarities in the answer to...

Jesus wasn’t just a self-help guru sharing practical advice on how to get through life. Those who heard Jesus sensed the Holy Spirit stirring up their spirits as the ministry of the word happened. Something significant and important occurs when the Spirit of God works through the Word of God in the hearts of the People of God.

Jesus ended His Sermon on the Mount with three warnings and this past Sunday, we considered Jesus’ third warning about faulty foundations. It’s a warning about merely listening to His words without actually doing what He said. Listening to Jesus can’t save you. Hearing sermons (in a building or on a mountain) can’t save you. You have to do what Jesus says. You have to put down your excuses and tak...

You can’t just declare yourself a Christian. You must be born again. If you have been truly born again, there will be a transformation—you will become a new creation. There will be evidence of a genuine conversion that Jesus calls ‘fruit.’ In last week’s study , we considered Simon in Acts 8. Whether Simon was a genuine believer has been debated for centuries. Some see Simon as a new believer stru...

Near the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives His disciples three dire warnings concerning false prophets, false professions, and faulty foundations. In our last study, we thoughtfully considered those who present themselves as sheep but are inwardly ravenous wolves. We see an example of a false prophet and a false profession in Simon the magician in Acts 8. 

Jesus warned His disciples about false prophets who would look like them but were not His. They are not sheep but ravenous wolves. Jesus wasn’t using poetic language to make a point. There are some who look like Christians, talk like Christians, and walk like Christians, but are not Christians and intentionally prey upon Christians. So how do we know who these ravenous wolves are? Thankfully Jesus...

Being a dedicated disciple of Jesus is impossible in our strength and with our resources. Even with all of the effort and human willpower we can muster, we will find ourselves lacking what’s required to do what God calls us to do. That’s why we need to cry out to God for His help continually. We must continually ask. We must continually seek. And we must continually knock, knowing that He is a goo...

Jesus's words about judging are some of the most quoted, but they are also some of the most misunderstood. Jesus then talks about pieces of wood in peoples’ eyes, jewelry, and animals, which may explain the misunderstandings. But as we press into what Jesus says, we hear His heart around this important issue and things start to make sense. 

Our way of handling worry leads to hoarding, coveting, and even more worrying. When we try to manage worry in our own way, it ultimately leads to life-taking bondage. But God has a better way—one that gives life. God’s way is the antidote to our way. And in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus provides us with the antidote to reestablish the right order of things in our hearts.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses the proper motivations for everyday activities. As He teaches about the right motivations for prayer, He provides a primer on prayer—an elementary introduction to the construction of our communication with God. In what’s commonly referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer”, Jesus provides topics of conversation for His disciples as they constantly converse with t...

Jesus tells us that our motivation for ministry in everyday activities is important. If we’re motivated by what we get from giving, praying, or fasting, then what we get is all we’ll get. There will be no eternal reward if getting is our motivation. But even more important than the motivation for eternal rewards is fellowship with God. There is nothing greater or more valuable than fellowship with...

As we work through the Sermon on the Mount, we discover the attitudes, actions, and attributes we must have to continue to be Jesus’ disciples. These are not unattainable ideals but the basic expectations for the disciples of Jesus. Jesus expects His followers to be honest, to have grit, and to be more than conquerors. 

Not only does Jesus want us to steer clear of adultery, but also of where adultery begins—with one lustful look. Just like contemptuous anger and murder, lust and adultery have serious consequences. We must deal decisively with sin, and yet gouging out our eyes and cutting off our hands isn’t enough. What are we to do? Thankfully Jesus gets to the heart of the issue, which is the issue of the hear...