Redeemer OC Podcast

Acts 17:16-33 Athens was one of the cultural and intellectual centers of the Roman Empire. In Acts 17 we see the Apostle Paul go to this center and speak with power to the heart of the culture. UCI is one of the most influential cultural and intellectual centers in Orange County. For years Redeemer has talked and prayed about how to impact UCI, and now we are taking a huge step forward. Through th...

Five frogs are sitting on a log. Four decide to jump off. How many are left? Five, because deciding is different than doing. God sends the prophet Haggai to call the people of God to jump off the log. Stop talking about doing it, stop saying you are going to do it. Do it. God brought Israel back from exile. They were to restore the city of Jerusalem and rebuild the temple again. What started with...

Failure after failure, set back after set back. Do you know what it feels like to think you will never win? In our march through the Minor Prophets this fall, we have seen stirring images of God, but a dismal view into the faithlessness of his people. In mercy God sends his spokesman, his prophets, to call his people back to covenant faithfulness. Yet they continue to rebel against him, to violate...

O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? (Habakkuk 1:2) Are you allowed to ask questions like that? The book of Habakkuk in the Hebrew scriptures opens with some tough questions. You can hear the anger and the pain. Habakkuk was an 8th century prophet in the southern Kingdom of Judah during Judah’s final years. He looked around...

Can you imagine what it would be like for God to sing over you? It was merely a spoken word that brought the universe into existence. What would happen if God lifted up his voice and not only spoke but sang? This Sunday we are continuing our series on the Portraits from the Prophets by looking at the book of Zephaniah. Zephaniah as a prophet has one single message, “The Day of the LORD is coming.”...

“The LORD roars from Zion.” The prophet Amos begins his book with a terrifying image. Strike from your mind all your experience with lions behind bars and glass at the zoo; strike cartoons and cuddly stuff animals.

This week we look at the portrait of God given to us in the story of Jonah. It is a simple story. A man is running from God and God pursues him in love. As Jonah tells us, God is “a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.”

This week we look at the portrait of God given to us in the story of Jonah. It is a simple story. A man is running from God and God pursues him in love. As Jonah tells us, God is “a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.”

This Sunday we are pleased to welcome Rev. Iron Kim from Trinity Presbyterian Church in Orange as our guest preacher. Iron will be teaching on the topic of humility and God’s community. Please prepare for his visit by reading James chapter 4 as a family or individually. The Sunday following, on September 1st, we have the exciting opportunity to hear about The Muslim World and the Future of the Chr...

Over the next few weeks we will have the privilege of listening to a handful of different guest preachers. This Sunday Rev. Bryce Hales, RUF campus minister at the University of Utah, will be with us and teaching on Revelation 4. Prepare for the sermon by setting some time aside on Saturday night or Sunday morning to read Revelation 4 individually or as a family. Now, as a foretaste of what we wil...

Pray for me. Next week is an important week. You don’t have to be at Redeemer long to hear me mention Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” This is a snapshot, a picture of the community life all Christians are to pursue. In a culture t...

Is church membership biblical? Is it necessary? Last week we saw that God created the church, that the church is the family of God, his household, his people. Embracing this identity means that we embrace a new leader (King Jesus), a new lifestyle (the kingdom lifestyle), and a new mission (the mission of the king to renew all his good creation). As the church, together as his people, we follow Ch...

What do you need? This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday. The word ‘Pentecost’ comes from the Greek meaning simply ‘fiftieth’. Pentecost Sunday ends the season of Easter and symbolizes a new beginning. It celebrates the unleashing of the Holy Spirit on the world and the empowering of the church to reach the world with the gospel. In remembering Pentecost and living in light of this powerful turning point...