Refuge Audio Podcast

Forgiveness and reconciliation are two different things. Forgiveness can happen in a moment. Reconciliation is often a process. Forgiveness releases someone else from your “right” to retaliate. Reconciliation is restoring the relationship to the intimacy that was once present. There is no way to reconcile a relationship without genuine humility and repentance. Jesus clarifies this in the Sermon on...

Sin starts in the heart before it ever becomes an outward act. We are just as culpable, accountable, and guilty when sin starts within us as if we actually went forward with the outward act. If we are to continue to be Jesus’ disciples, we must understand the necessity of the Holy Spirit in transforming us deep within so that sin doesn’t even have a chance to begin.

The Apostle Peter closed his second letter with a warning (2 Peter 3:17) about the age in which we live. Still, he encouraged us in the next sentence (2 Peter 3:18). It is only when we are active and growing in our faith that we yield evidence that the Lord is at work in our lives. Guest speaker Steve Rhoads encouraged and reminded us that God cares about one thing in us—that we are growing in Him...

Near the end of the Gospel of John, we read the account of the day Jesus rose from the dead. John 20:19-22 records the first interaction between Jesus and His disciples after His resurrection. What would Jesus say to these men who gave up everything to follow Him but fell away at His arrest and crucifixion? As He stood among them, He said to them, “Peace be with you.” Pastor Byron Johnson led our...

Most people think the way to attain eternal life is by being good. This line of thinking evaluates righteousness as a point system, concluding that someone will get into heaven if their good works outnumber their bad deeds. Jesus confronts this current understanding repeatedly in the Sermon on the Mount with this simple statement: “You have heard that it was said to those of old…but I say to you…”...

The people listening to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount weren’t “religious professionals”. They were common, everyday, ordinary people—all of them sinners. And yet, He told them, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Just how were these ordinary people supposed to exceed the righteous “religious professionals” who centered the...

Philip was one of seven men who were appointed by the apostles to serve physical food so that the apostles could continue to serve spiritual food. While Philip served, God was teaching, training, and forming him in preparation for what was next. Philip didn’t know it, but God was training him not only to be the first great missionary in the church but also to be the first great evangelist in the c...

Light and salt were two sermon illustrations Jesus used in the Sermon on the Mount. But He didn’t use them at random. He chose these because they illustrate the Beatitudes and help us see what our attitudes must be if we continue in this beautiful, worthy difficulty called ‘ministry’ and what kind of influence these attitudes have on those around us.

To be genuinely content, we must not be self-serving, but self-sacrificing. We must be gentle, merciful, pure in heart, yearn for righteousness, and seek to make peace on God’s terms. This is what we endeavor to do—even if these attitudes cause persecution and suffering. Jesus gives us full disclosure as we serve others and lets us know that as we love and care for people in this way, we can antic...

Psalm 23 is usually read at somber and solemn occasions in an effort to bring comfort to those who are mourning or grieving. While this isn’t inappropriate, there is certainly more to this psalm that we can appreciate. Within its lines, we see a celebration and declaration concerning the many blessings of having the Lord as our Shepherd.

The letter of 1 Peter is the Apostle Peter at his best. This fisherman-turned-fisher-of-men wrote to other believers of Jesus struggling amid persecution. Near the end of his letter, Peter encourages them to conduct themselves courageously for the sake of Christ. Watch our study from Sunday as Guest Speaker and good friend of the fellowship Pastor Bill Welsh led our time in 1 Peter 5 and reminded...

God purifies us as we follow Him. He works in our lives to remove the things that contaminate us and then refines us with what He gives us. Through His refining work in our lives, we start to see Him—just as Jesus said: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8). Watch our study as we continue to work through the Sermon on the Mount.

Mercy is a core component of ministry. Being kind, even and especially to your enemies, is essential. Jesus gives us a whole new way to be merciful to enemies who would mistreat us. 

In the last chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses the collection of offerings, his plans for traveling, and some final instructions to the church in Corinth.

From the mountain, Jesus delivered a sermon to His disciples. He taught them what their attitudes must be like if they were to continue to be His disciples. He wanted to give them (and us) as much disclosure as possible to know what ministry would be like. And this is true with the fourth beatitude, as the Holy Spirit draws those who continue to follow Jesus into an even deeper level of humility.

The Corinthian church was compromising on the core issue of the resurrection of Jesus. In his letter to them, Paul addressed this matter with clarity and reminded them that through Christ's resurrection, death has been defeated—and will one day be destroyed!

We will not survive long if we think we are capable of what God has called us to because of our resume or spiritual skill set. It is only by His mercy that any of us are in ministry. This is especially important to be aware of as we consider the third beatitude—“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5). What does it mean to be meek and why is this an attitude importan...

The resurrection of Jesus is central to the gospel. Without it, the message & our hope is meaningless. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all people the most pitiable. But because Jesus Christ is risen and alive, we have a living Lord and a living hope!

As we recognize our own spiritual poverty (Matthew 5:3), we become increasingly aware of our own sin—and mourn over it as we realize just how unworthy we really are. And once we recognize that, we see that it is only by His mercy that we have any ministry at all. 

In Matthew 5, we read the message Jesus spoke to His disciples on a mountain in Galilee. This sermon begins with the beatitudes—the attitudes of the citizens of His kingdom. Jesus is not just another earthly ruler. He is the king of the kingdom of heaven. And so, these attitudes run counter to the culture and kingdoms of men. Like the first beatitude—recognizing your spiritual poverty.