ReCreate Church’s Podcast

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, January 1, 2023

Happy New Year!

Today, Pastor Michael is starting off our New Year with a throwback to a responsorial reading of the Bible.  Michael is reading the 23rd Psalm, likely the most famous verse in the Bible and our church audience reads back to him. 

Psalms 23 (CSB) 1 The LORD is my shepherd;

I have what I need.

2 He lets me lie down in green pastures;

he leads me beside quiet waters.

3 He renews my life;

he leads me along the right paths

for his name’s sake.

4 Even when I go through the darkest valley,

I fear no danger,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff — they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD

as long as I live.

Michael is concentrating on verse 5. What about those days when our cup (money, time or energy) isn’t overflowing?  The only way to sustainably  give to others is to have a cup that is overflowing.  We need to rethink and realign how we think of ‘giving of ourselves’.  When we share something of ourselves, there is an ‘outflow’.  That’s a good thing, a wonderful thing.

So, we’re going to talk about overflowing in a study over the next few weeks.  The categories we’ll cover are: time, resources and energy.  Today, we’re covering ‘time’.

Time.  Time seems to be (and actually is, in fact) different in speed; sometimes fast…sometimes slow.  Like when you’re having fun and doing things you love: time flies.  But try something you don’t like and time stands still, it seems.  Einstein’s ‘Special Theory of Relativity’ states that the rate that time passes depends on your frame of reference.  The point is, time isn’t the same!

So with that preamble out of the way, we find Michael in Luke talking about Jesus telling the story of a man going from Jerusalem to Jericho.  Robbers attacked the poor guy and left him half dead on the side of the road.  A priest was walking down the same road and went to the other side, so he didn’t have to help the poor guy.  A Levite, walking down the same road, did the exact same thing.  Talk about not helpful, jeesh!  

But a Samaritan saw the poor guy and helped him, bandaging his wounds, taking him to an inn and even paying the innkeeper money to help the poor guy.  The definition of a good neighbor!  And a Good Samaritan, too!

God gives us opportunities to help others like this; as the Samaritan did.  Do we always take the time to help?   Do we have an overflowing cup, as this message started out with?  We need that to align prioritizing our time.

Would we have time to give to the thing God wants us to do or is our schedule full?   

When you make God a priority and give Him your time, studying the Bible, spending time in prayer and making time for your spiritual connection with Him, you’ll find that cup will get filled back up!

(CSB Study Bible Notes) The road from Jerusalem to Jericho, a distance of seventeen miles with a descent of more than three thousand feet in elevation, was a dangerous route through desert country. It had many places where robbers could lie in wait. It is possible that the priest and the Levite . . . passed by on the other side of the road because they thought the wounded man was dead and they would become ritually unclean by touching him, but it is more likely that they were afraid of being attacked by the same robbers or simply did not want to be bothered with the inconvenience of helping the man.

Verses can be found today in Psalms 23 and Luke 10: 30-37.

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. 

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, December 25, 2022

It’s Christmas!

Today, Pastor Michael is all about Christmas and he’s piggybacking off the story of the Grinch’s heart.   In our culture, today, we use the heart for a lot of emotive responses.

In the Hebrew culture of Ezekiel, they didn’t express emotions via the heart, they used the bowels (whoa!). The Bible uses the heart as the center of the intellect; not emotional responses.  When the Lord tells us we are going to get a new heart, He’s giving us a new way of thinking, understanding and how to respond.   So true change of heart is more than an emotional switch.

Michael also brings up a fantastic point about hardness of our own hearts, towards others.  “Hardness in your heart will never create softness in another person’s heart.  It’ll just hurt you more”.  

(CSB Study Bible Notes) 36:26 The statement I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you reflects the teaching of Dt 30:6-8—that the Lord will circumcise the hearts of his people so they may live in obedience. This radical new creation (Ezk 11:19; 18:31; Jr 31:31-34) was necessary to break the people’s bondage to the cycle of sin and retribution emphasized in Ezk 20. Regeneration is a secret act of God by which he imparts new spiritual life to dead hearts.

Verses can be found today in Ezekiel 36: 26-27.

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. 

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, December 18, 2022

Family.  

Today, Pastor Michael is in Genesis and talking about creation, family and people needing other people.   People need meaningful, social interaction.   Our culture, in the pandemic, has moved towards more social disconnection and social isolation.  People need people and interactions with other people; God made us to be familial and social.  If you don’t have that family, you still have more family in God’s family!  And at ReCreate, we are one church, under God!

Nobody has to be home alone!

(CSB Baker Illustrated Bible Study Notes) God’s compassion reaches to those whom society often forgets: the orphans, the widows, the lonely, the poor, and the women who remain at home.

Verses can be found today in Genesis 2: 18., Psalm 68: 5-6.

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. 

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, December 11, 2022

Deviled Ham!

Today, Pastor Michael is back in Mark and discussing a man the odds were against.  His life was so messed up, he didn’t have a devil’s eggs chance of making it through a Baptist pot luck.  His problems look absolutely impossible to overcome.  Then he met the God of possibilities!

We find Jesus and His disciples have landed in a region noted as the Gerasenes (Decapolis) and it is important to know that this region was populated by Gentiles.  They get out of the boat and meet a guy that was in a desperate condition.  He had been restrained by chains and continually broke them and spent his time in caves (tombs).  Essentially a mad man.  As it turns out, he was demon-possessed.  He runs to Jesus and Jesus asks him, “What is your name?”.  He answered, “My name is Legion, we are many”.  Legion was a unit of the Roman Army, some 6,000 strong.  So this is an indication there wasn’t one evil spirit in this man but a BUNCH of them!

These spirits knew they were facing the Son of God.  They asked Him to be cast out of the man and went into a herd of pigs that ran off a cliff and drowned.  The crazy duality here is that the demons asked to be cast into the pigs (an alternative to the bottomless pit) and that Jesus allowed that.  If nothing else it shows the grace Jesus has even for Satan’s demons. 

(CSB Baker Illustrated Bible Study Notes) A legion in the Roman army consisted of nearly six thousand soldiers; the attribution of “Legion” to the demoniac may suggest that his demonic oppression rivals the force and domination of the Roman army in the Decapolis (5:9). The superhuman strength and explosive terror of the demoniac are no contest for the Son of God, however, whom the demoniac recognizes in Jesus, and to whom he pleads for clemency (5:7). The demons acquiesce to Jesus’s superior authority but beg not to be banished from the region (5:10). There is a measure of grace even in Jesus’s judgment of Satan’s minions, for he consents to their plea.

Verses can be found today in Mark 5: 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. 

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, December 4, 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. 

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, November 27, 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. 

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, November 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. 

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, November 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. 

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, November 6, 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. 

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, October 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.