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Based in Hillsville, Virginia, this is the podcast of ReCreate Church. We are a community of Life and Love.
Episodes
Sunday Dec 04, 2022
Sunday Dec 04, 2022
Is This Boat Gonna Sink?
Today, Pastor Michael is letting Billy Honeycutt talk about Mark Chapter 4. Billy is chatting, in the beginning ,about a video with a bear that we had to trim out for DRM (digital rights management) but is available at Preview YouTube video The Preacher And The Bear - Strolling Down Memory LaneThe Preacher And The Bear - Strolling Down Memory Lane. Billy is taking about faith and how its more real when we’re getting squeezed by a bear, so listeners may want to take a gander at that video.
Jesus was speaking here with parables but when he was alone with the disciples, he explained everything. This is where the message starts.
That day, Jesus said, “Let’s go over to the other side” and his disciples did that. While on the boat, a squall came up and Jesus was on the stern, sleeping. His disciples woke him up, telling him they were afraid. Jesus calmed the storm and the disciples were amazed, yet still frightened; mostly about how He could calm a storm. Isn’t that crazy, how 2,000 years ago folks were scared how He could calm a storm and today we’d likely be most appreciative of Him saving our necks!
(CSB Baker Illustrated Bible Study Notes) At the word of Jesus, calm replaces chaos. Ironically, the disciples are more terrified by the power of Jesus than by the terror of the storm (4:41). “Who then is this?” they ask. This is the question not only before the disciples but also before Mark’s readers: will their experience of Jesus lead to faith (4:40) or to fear and doubt?
Verses can be found today in Mark 4: 35-41.
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Saturday Dec 03, 2022
Saturday Dec 03, 2022
Small Seed, Big Tree.
Today, Pastor Michael is talking about something small becoming something BIG. We’re back to parables, big ideas = common themes.
At the time Jesus spoke, folks knew about mustard seeds and plants. Today: not so much, but the story / parable still is strong. So, Jesus is speaking here, in Mark 4: 30, about mustard seeds and speaking in hyperbole. The mustard seed isn’t the smallest seed in the world but it was the smallest seed planted in Israel in those days. The exact ‘size’ of the seed, not really that important here: it’s the core concept of something surprisingly big coming from something surprising small.
And herein, ReCreate Church is the church that grew from a small seed! But is a big tree, in helping others!
(CSB Baker Illustrated Bible Study Notes) 4:30–32. The final parable stresses the contrast between the insignificant beginning and inconceivable end of a mustard seed. The OT celebrates the mighty cedar as a symbol of God’s power and splendor (Ps 80:10; Zch 11:2; Jr 22:23). Jesus, however, likens the kingdom of God to a mustard seed, so small that it is practically invisible (4:30–31). From insignificance and obscurity, God’s kingdom grows into a bush or tree that provides refuge for “the birds of the sky”—which may imply the inclusion of all the nations in God’s coming kingdom (4:32).
Verses can be found today in Mark 4: 30-33.
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Sunday Nov 20, 2022
Sunday Nov 20, 2022
Citizenship.
Today, Pastor Michael is having Duncan Crook deliver the message. Duncan recently required his US citizenship and is using that experience to compare it to being a citizen of God’s kingdom.
What would it look like to live as a Kingdom citizen in your workplace? What specific actions would a Kingdom citizen do? What did Jesus say his followers would be like?
In the book of Mark, Duncan discusses the parables in Mark and followed up with Michael’s lesson last week, on “Getting Dirty”. Duncan drills down a bit on the parables in Mark’s gospel and explains to us that we are citizens of His kingdom and what Jesus expects his citizens do be like. Duncan exhorts us to publicly identify with Christ, you should be faithful to listen and apply the Word and you should grow spiritually. Jesus’ parable was about an oil lamp on a stand. Your light will not shine brighter by yourself. We can light up the world around us and God brings light to what is hidden. And we should show that we are believers and people should see the light of Christ in us!
Kingdom citizens should also eagerly study God’s Word. God will honor the person who eagerly receives His message. How can we be better listeners to the Word? Prayer before going to church or bible study. Ask the Lord to prepare your heart for His message. Join church bible studies and devotions. Don’t listen as a critic, looking for things to argue about. Think about what you can learn from teachings. And take notes!
Lastly good Christians are good citizens. Ultimately it all comes down to if we have surrounded to God. It’s not about you, or anyone else. It’s all about God!
(CSB Baker Illustrated Bible Study Notes) 4:26–29. The final two parables once again liken the kingdom of God to seeds, the first parable focusing on the process of growth. A farmer plants a seed and then goes about life as usual (4:26–27a). The seed grows imperceptibly, and even the farmer “doesn’t know how” (4:27b). The seed possesses a power of generation independent of the farmer, who can be absent and even ignorant, yet the seed grows (4:28). Humanity, likewise, goes about business as usual, but the kingdom of God is present and growing, even if small and unobserved. The kingdom is not dependent on human activity; indeed, apart from sowing, the only human activity noted in this parable is waiting in confidence that, in God’s time and power, the gospel will grow into a fruitful harvest (4:29).
Verses can be found today in Mark 4: 21-29, Phillipians 3: 20, John 8: 12, Ephesians 5: 8, Romans 1: 16, 2 Thesselonians 3: 10, Deuteronomy 6: 4, Matthew 7: 2, Luke 6: 38, and Proverbs 11: 1.
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Sunday Nov 13, 2022
Sunday Nov 13, 2022
Be Good Dirt!
Today, Pastor Michael is back in Mark and we find Jesus avoiding the crushing crowd that His ministry has created of late. Folks around the land are flocking to hear His message and Jesus actually has to go out into a boat to preach to them, it’s gotten so bad.
Jesus is preaching one of His most famous parables, the parable of the sower. This parable is about a seeds thrown into four different kinds of soils: 1—on the road, where it becomes food for birds, 2—falling on rocky ground, where it cannot develop roots, 3—falling into thorny ground where the thorns chock out the growth and finally, 4—falling onto good soil where it yields a crop.
What we find in this message is that it’s more about the soil than the seed itself. And the parable is about how one sows the word. If on the road, the similarity is that of falling on unprepared people and Satan can snatch it away. If on rocky soil, it shows people who initially receive the word with joy but it’s received superficially and doesn’t last. If sown within thorns, it represents worries and the world, choking out spiritual development and truths. But if sown in good soil, if the word is heard in the heart, it produces fruit.
(CSB Baker Illustrated Bible Study Notes) The people who represent good soil, by contrast, attend to the gospel with earnest and ongoing engagement. The mark of a true disciple, an insider, is to “hear the word, welcome it, and produce fruit” (4:20). Those who genuinely hear and receive the mystery of the kingdom of God will, by the grace of its generative power, produce a harvest beyond belief.
Verses can be found today in Mark 4: 1-20.
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Monday Nov 07, 2022
Monday Nov 07, 2022
What is Family?
Today, Pastor Michael is letting Nick Dowdy have the reins today. Nick is tackling a verse in the Book of Mark that he and Pastor Michael both felt led to lead a discussion on, notably on being a part of the family of God.
Jesus’ mother and brothers were standing outside, looking (‘seeking’) him and other’s were telling Jesus that they were trying to find him. Jesus used this opportunity to reply to those around him, “Who are my mother and brothers?”, referring to those around him, doing the will of God, that are also his brother and sister and mother. Jesus was looking beyond the temporal family and looking at his spiritual family.
Jesus was teaching that physical relationships were not the proper access to Him. Doing the Father’s will gives proof that one is properly related to Jesus.
(CSB Baker Illustrated Bible Study Notes) Jesus’s mother and brothers stand outside seeking him (3:31–32); that is, they intend to assert a claim on him. Ironically, those who would be expected to be on the inside (his own family and the Jewish religious establishment represented in the scribes) misjudge Jesus and remain outsiders. For Mark, there are only two positions in relation to Jesus: those who stand on the outside with false assumptions, or those unnamed and unexpected disciples “sitting in a circle around [Jesus] . . . [who do] the will of God,” who are his true “brother and sister and mother” (3:34–35).
A song was referenced in the message today and cannot be distributed via podcast due to copyrights. We urge listeners to look for Chris Renzema’s “Adonai” at their favorite music source!
Verses can be found today in Mark 3: 31-35, Romans 5: 8, 5: 10, 10: 9-11, 1 John 1: 8-10, James 2: 10 and John 15: 14-16 and 1 John 1: 9.
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Sunday Oct 30, 2022
Sunday Oct 30, 2022
Are Some Sins, Unforgivable?
Today, Pastor Michael is continuing his study in the Gospel of Mark. Our subject matter this Sunday is, unforgivable sin. Everyone has their list of super hard to forgive, almost "unforgivable" type of things we cannot tolerate; we’re not sure how we would ever get over it. God’s ability to forgive is greater than ours. But is there something that God cannot forgive?
Yet the Gospels mention the “Unforgivable” (Unpardonable) Sin.
Ultimately the Unforgivable Sin is refusing forgiveness.
(CSB: Disciple's Study Bible Notes) Ultimately, all sin is against God. Sin against the Holy Spirit is serious because the Holy Spirit is the one who convicts us of sin. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. Conviction precedes repentance. Without the convicting Spirit, we cannot find forgiveness. Blasphemy against the Spirit is the willful and blatant act of attributing to Satan that which is clearly a work of the Holy Spirit. This terrible sin occurs when a person consciously rejects the truth, believing Satan rather than God. God will not forgive such blatant rebellion. The nature of the problem is debated. Has the heart become so hardened the person cannot distinguish good from evil or cannot repent? Or does God of his own free choice close the door to any possible repentance? Some have attempted to give a catalog of “unforgivable” sins, but the NT does not list any other sins beyond forgiveness. We must be cautious not to apply the doctrine in the wrong way. People sometimes fear they have committed the unforgivable sin. People who feel such a yearning for salvation may be sure the Spirit continues to work in their lives. Where the Spirit works, grace for forgiveness is available. Some people in desperation or anger shake a fist and complain to God. They are simply repeating the actions of many of the psalmists. They are not guilty of the unforgivable sin. The doctrine of the unforgivable sin is a warning against overconfidence and religious blindness, not of temporary wrongdoing.
Verses can be found today in Mark 3: 28-30. The story above is also in Matthew and Luke.
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Sunday Oct 23, 2022
Sunday Oct 23, 2022
The Pharisees Didn't Get the Parable Memo!
Today, Pastor Michael is continuing his study of the book of Mark. We pick up with Jesus’ ministry expanding quickly and the disciples were, at this point, getting hangry! Add to this, his family, from Nazareth, was at his point in his ministry, thinking he was quite crazy!
The family couldn’t get him to leave and there was another group that felt he was equally nutty; those were the scribes (the religious establishment of the day) and the Pharisees. They did the most grown up thing they could do; they started rumors about Him.
So what does Jesus do about it? He called them together and talks to them face to face. Jesus goes into length with a message of how a house divided against itself cannot stand. A kingdom divided cannot last. He was using this to show that He was not using the power of the Devil to fight himself.
However, let’s put it this way: the scribes and the Pharisees didn’t quite catch the meaning of that parable!
So for good measure, Jesus gives them another parable! The parable of tying up the strong man before you can plunder his house. Who is the strong man here? The devil is the strong man. The stronger man: Jesus.
Jesus has entered the strong man’s domain, here on earth. But Jesus will bind the devil and has plundered the devil’s goods. What are those goods? Souls. Jesus has come back to take the souls that he has divided our families, our churches, our nation.
(ESV Study Bible Notes) Jesus uses two illustrations (parables) to show that the scribes’ accusations are false: (1) if the satanic sphere of power were internally divided, then it could not stand (vv. 24–26); and (2) Satan must be bound before his sphere of power can be challenged (v. 27; see note on Matt. 12:29).
Verses can be found today in Mark 3: 20-27.
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.k
Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!
Today, Pastor Michael is giving us a crash-course on the twelve disciples (apostles).
So who are the twelve? 1—Simon (renamed Peter) 2—James & 3—John (the “Sons of Thunder”—how cool is that!) 4—Andrew 5—Philip 6—Bartholomew 7—Matthew 8—Thomas 9—James 10—Thaddeus 11—Simon (the Zealot) and lastly (and for good reason, no doubt!) 12—Judas.
Some had already become prominent at this point, some had not but Jesus was calling them to higher responsibility.
The list is given four (4) times in the New Testament and while a bit different each time, Jesus doesn’t change up the roster.
There is always three (3) groups of four (4). Seems like there were always three subgroups. They are: Team Fireball, Team Comeback and Team Shadow (Michael’s summary, but darned good!).
Team Fireball—Simon Peter, the leader of Team Fireball. The most outspoken and active of all the apostles. A fisherman by trade. He was at the Transfiguration, Gethsemane, pretty much all of it. Pete was crucified by the Roman emperor Nero. James the son of Zebedeh, another fisherman, one of the Sons of Thunder. A much quieter guy than Peter, but he was gutsy. The first of the twelve to lay down his life, for the cause. James showed that you didn’t have to be loud…not all passion is loud! John, the brother of James, the second most famous of the Disciples, after Peter. John was closer to Jesus than any of the others, sitting next to Jesus at the Last Supper. The heart of the team, if Peter is the mouth and James is the gut of the team. The only one with Jesus when He was on the cross. The only prophet that lived a long, full life. John shows us that Jesus wants people with heart, not afraid to run away. The last member of Team Fireball, Andrew, is Simon Peter’s brother. Andrew wasn’t as prominent as some, but without his willingness to share Jesus with his brother, we might not have had the Apostles as they are known.
Team Comeback—Each of them has something stacked against them. Philip starts out the bunch, always asking questions, even asking Jesus, “Can you show us the Father?”. The man had questions. Jesus wants people that asks questions for the team. Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel. Came from a fairly comfortable family background. The prejudiced one…he didn’t feel like Jesus from Nazareth was the Messiah. Jesus wants people that are willing to give up their assumptions! Next up is Matthew, also known as Levi, the tax collector working for the Romans. Not a super popular guy as a loyalist to the Romans, but he was not the man he was before. Jesus changes lives! Lastly, Thomas rounds out Team Comeback. Thomas was also known as Didymus, both meaning twins, which points to Thomas was likely a twin. Doubting Thomas is the name he’s known the best for and it stuck! Thomas’ doubt melted away when Jesus appeared before him. It’s okay to have honest doubts! Doubt is not a deal breaker, it’s a motivation.
Team Shadow—we don’t know that much about these guys, hence the “Shadow”. We’ll start with James, and we know almost nothing about this guy! Never recorded as saying anything interesting enough to record. We don’t know a lot about him but the team couldn’t have functioned without him. Not a spotlight person but the team needs him. Next up: Thaddeus, the ‘other’ Judas. Not the bad guy Judas. We are more than the assumptions that people have of us. Another Simon now shows up, Simon the Zealot. The activist, part of the political movement that wanted to get rid of the Romans, off the land. Last up, Judas, the betrayer. History’s greatest bad guy! Judas was eaten up with remorse after his betrayal, taking his own life. Not everybody who is on the team is really “ON” the team.
The twelve were not the sort of people we would expect. Different people, different personalities. Where one was weak, the others were strong! And they brought us the Good News of Jesus. Team work, makes the Dream Work!
Verses can be found today in Mark 3: 13-19.
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Sunday Oct 09, 2022
Sunday Oct 09, 2022
Jesus Versus the Religious Establishment.
Today, Pastor Michael is talking on how Jesus did not come to offer more religion to folks, but to give a true connection to God. We find Jesus at a synagogue and he meets a man with a shriveled hand. The Pharisees had their eyes on this man, not only because of what he represented, but they wanted an opportunity to accuse Jesus. The Pharisees were wanting to see if Jesus would heal on the Sabbath; regardless that the healing was good, it would break the religious traditions of the Pharisees.
Jesus asked a question, in two parts. First, about doing good or evil, referring to the man with the shriveled hand. The second, about saving life or killing, which cannot refer to the man, since a shriveled hand isn’t fatal. The second part refers to the intentions of the Jewish religious leaders in regard to Jesus!
Jesus looked at the Pharisees with anger, for the hardness of their hearts brought Him continual grief. Jesus told the man to “Stretch out your hand” and he did and was healed and Jesus’ authority was clearly shown.
The religious establishment hated Jesus. But the folks that didn’t associate with the "establishment" loved Him. People who were nothing like Jesus, liked Jesus!
Verses can be found today in Mark 3: 1-12.
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Wednesday Oct 05, 2022
Wednesday Oct 05, 2022
Come Follow Me…The Law, a Relationship.
Today, Pastor Michael is turning it over to Billy Honeycutt who is furthering some of Michael’s past lessons on the law versus relationships.
Billy starts off in Mark, Chapter 2, verse 23 and finds Jesus and his disciples out picking grain, something the Pharisees were none too keen on that, as it was the Sabbath. But is the Sabbath for man or the law?
Billy goes on to explain that Jesus came that we might have relationships. The law was for man; not man for the law.
God wants a relationship!
(CSB Baker Illustrated Bible Study Notes) In 2:27 Jesus clarifies the relationship of human life to Sabbath: people are not made for Sabbath rules, but rather the Sabbath is intended to bless and enhance human life.
After the Bible study, Billy gave his testimony, mainly covering his little kayak adventure a few weeks ago. Gripping storytelling and definitely needs to be listened to. A welcome addition and change from our normal ReCreate podcasts!
You’ll enjoy it!
Verses can be found today in Mark 2: 23-28 and Deuteronomy 10: 12 and Psalm 40.
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.