ReCreate Church’s Podcast

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, January 16, 2022

Grace.

Today Pastor Michael is in Ephesians looking at one of God’s biggest proof of His love for us: Grace.  God’s grace is preeminent in ever aspect of salvation.  Pastor Micheal is showing how John Newton, whom lived in the 1700’s, discovered God’s grace.  And wrote, “Amazing Grace”.  How cool is that?

(CSB Baker Illustrated Bible Study Notes) God’s purpose in restoring and honoring humanity, in being kind to his rebellious creatures, is to demonstrate for all time the surpassing bounty of his forgiving grace (2:7). The point is not that God needs to flaunt it but that creation needs to see it. Paul now draws the obvious conclusion: if we were dead and therefore helpless, and if God intervened and by his own will revived us in Christ, then it is an act of his grace alone, a gift (2:8).

(Disciple's Study Bible Notes) SALVATION, Grace—Salvation is the story of grace heaped upon grace (Jn 1:16). It begins with God’s grace and continues with a constant unfolding of that grace. His grace is supremely expressed to us through his kindness in Christ Jesus. Grace is appropriated through faith and is intended to result in good works. We are not capable of good works until he makes us his new work of art, the new creation in Christ.

Today’s verses can be found in Ephesians 2: 1-22.

Along with the message, we have linked Andrea Bocelli performing, “Amazing Grace”, from the Duomo di Milano, particularly moving at the end.   See the show notes for the link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpXwOSHTwsY

 

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, January 9, 2022

When Temptation Comes Calling

Today Pastor Michael is in Romans, with Paul, in a general theme of discovering why it’s easier to do the wrong thing than the right thing.  Especially after we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  Paul here is chronicling inner conflict in his life before Christ.  A person desiring to obey God’s law and hating his sin.   

(Gospel Transformation Study Bible Notes) Some think Paul is focusing more abstractly on how the law does its work, and is not concerned with whether a converted or an unconverted person is in view. Many believe these verses describe the struggle of believers, even under grace, as we find that we often act against our own beliefs and will (v. 15). Each of these struggles confirms the goodness of the law (v. 16) and the persistence of sin’s effects (v. 17). We must always acknowledge that, although the gospel has brought Christ’s goodness into our lives already, we are not yet perfected in him (vv. 18–19). There remains still a despicable presence of sin in our actions despite our cleansed status through faith in Christ (v. 20).

Whichever interpretation we take, this passage drives home the profound and perplexing disorder that sin introduces into the human mind, a disorder that can be healed only by the even more profound grace of God in the gospel.

In closing, Michael gave a story, very paraphrased here, as a man gave his live to Jesus and felt as if two , sparring dogs lived within him.  A dark dog, wanting to revert him back to his pre-saved days and a lighter dog wanting to embrace Jesus and His love.  He felt as if they were constantly sparring.  He asked a friend, which dog will win this battle?  The friend replied, “The dog you feed the most.”

If we want to stay in Christ’s light we need to feed the Spirit.  By prayer, by reading the Bible, by being with other believers.  Seek to live by the teachings of Jesus!

Today’s verses can be found in Romans 7: 15-25

 

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, January 2, 2022

It’s 2022!  

Today Pastor Michael is in Ephesians and talking about living in newness.  The newness of a life in Christ.  How appropriate for a new year!

Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, told them that they needed to walk and live their lives differently, reflecting the indwelling influence of Christ.  Paul cuts straight to it, letting the Ephesians know that a futile mind doesn’t understand what God’s true values and standards are.  A pagan lifestyle does not follow the Christ that the Ephesians have learned to know.  

Paul goes on to explain the truth the tis in Jesus as it concerns inward change, with the focus on newness. And he describes it as a three step process: 1) Remove their old selves 2) Make Godly decisions and 3) Live a Christlike lifestyle. 

Newness, renewal and an inward change of mind wrought by God himself!

See 2022 as your renewal in Jesus!

Today’s verses can be found in Ephesians 4: 17-24.

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, December 26, 2021

Shepherds and Angels

Today Pastor Michael is teaching on the birth of our Savior from a neat perspective.  Not purely the neat perspective that this is the story almost everyone has seen Linus give on the Charlie Brown Christmas.  No, it’s that shepherds were selected to know of Jesus’ birth first…not a King, not a prophet, not a rabbi.  

Shepherds.

Shepherds in those days, well, frankly, smelled.  How could they not?  They slept on the ground next to the sheep and were not always highly regarded, especially in the days when there was so much “purification” done in religious ceremonies.  Pretty much the last thing a rabbi needed in his temple was a bunch of stinky shepherds!

So, for all of the wonder that is easily the most important event that ever occurred, shepherds were chosen for the visitation by angels.  

How cool is that?  Shepherds!

One would have to believe that they were just as startled as anyone, yet they showed spontaneous obedience (2:15) to what they had witnessed.  And therein lies the great lesson in this story: God sees in people what others don’t see, what even the person themselves don’t see.

And those shepherds knew to deliver the message to the world and they did!  God is with you, inside of you, just like the Shepherds!

What an ending to 2021!  See everyone in 2022!

Today’s verses can be found in Luke 2: 8-20.

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, December 19, 2021

Cosmic Jesus!

Today Pastor Michael is talking about a bishop from the fourth century, Nicholas.  Nicholas lived in Myra, a city in western Turkey, then a Greek territory.  

Nicholas came from a wealthy family and loved to help others.  He did so secretly, to not draw attention to himself.  He heard about one family that had a big need and he wanted to ensure that they wouldn’t know that it was him assisting them.  So, he actually went on to their roof and dropped a bag of gold down their chimney.  As luck would have it, a member of the household had hung some stockings on the fireplace to dry.  The gold bounced into the stocking!  Pretty cool, Nicholas!

Eventually people found out that Nicholas was secretly helping people and the story of “Saint” Nicholas spread far and wide.  It inspired a lot of generosity and a lot of giving.  The Dutch particularly loved St. Nicholas and called him “Sinterklass”.  When Dutch immigrants came to America, they brought the story of Sinterklass and it became modified a bit to the story of Santa Claus!

Christmas isn’t just about Santa, it’s also about Jesus.  And Christmas Jesus is likely everyone’s "favorite" Jesus.  But Jesus is on another level.  Not very far from  where Nicholas grew up is Colossae.  Paul wrote a letter to the Colossians,  the book of Colossians in the New Testament.  In this letter, Paul explained to them that Jesus was much, much more than “Christmas” Jesus.  It was not the boy Jesus, the Messiah Jesus, or even the resurrected Jesus.  It is literally, “Cosmic” Jesus!  Jesus is more than one thing; he transcends eternity!

Following the Bible verses listed below, Jesus is the image of the invisible God.  God is not a material being, He is a Spirit.  Jesus is God!

Saint Nicholas comes back in to the story now at the First Counsel of Nicaea (founded by Constantine the Great), where they are wrangling with the subject of Jesus and God being one, incarnate. This study is also called the study of the Godhead in Christianity. They had studied the Epistle to the Colossians and were firmly convinced that Jesus and God are the one and the same.  Now, they had a dissenter amongst themselves, Arius, who did not believe in Trinitarianism, the belief that God is one God in three co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  

Arius taught that Jesus was a created being, that He was not fully divine, but that He was a really, really good guy that does point us to God.  However, this didn’t then, nor now, jibe with the Bible.  No one was more upset on that than Nicholas.  He listened and listed and was getting madder and madder when Saint Nicholas walked across the room and punched Arius right in his mouth!  

Saint Nicholas knew the Cosmic Jesus, the one and eternal God.   He wasn’t created but is the Creator of all things!

Today’s verses can be found in Colossians 1: 15-20,  John 1: 1-18, John 10:30 and John 14:9. 

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, December 12, 2021

Broken for our Brokenness.

Today Recreate Church is having our very first Lord’s Supper at our new building!

Michael is covering the very first Lord’s Supper.  It occurred during Passover, a very significant celebration to the Jews of the day. It commemorated how God brought His people out of slavery in Egypt.  This meal that He and His disciples were eating was part of the Passover meal.  Jesus was there with his twelve disciples, His “family”.  

Jesus is giving his disciples His bread, not because they are hungry…He is giving it to them as a symbol of something important. The breaking of the bread is symbolic of how Jesus was going to be broken.  The disciples at this point really didn’t understand the point of his point of Him about to be broken.  

Just hours after this He was arrested.  He was mocked and spit on and a crown of thorns pressed down on His head.  He was made to carry a heavy cross to the execution site and then nailed to that cross.  It was a way of shaming and embarrassing others from committing crimes.  

His life wasn’t taken.  It was given.

The sinless One was broken for us.

Then He took the cup and the symbolism is it is His blood, poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.

His brokenness is our healing.  

(ESV Systematic Theology Study Bible Notes) At the final meal Jesus shares with his disciples before his death, a first-century Jewish Passover meal, he institutes the Lord’s Supper. At the appropriate time, he takes a loaf of bread in his hand, gives thanks for it, breaks it, and gives it to his disciples to eat, saying, “This is my body” (v. 26). Similarly, he takes the cup, gives thanks, gives it to his disciples, and instructs, “Drink of it, all of you” (v. 27).

By means of this symbolism of eating and drinking, Jesus teaches his disciples something they will understand only after his resurrection—the most basic meaning of the Lord’s Supper is union with him in his death and resurrection. Even as the disciples consumed the bread and wine, so in the Lord’s Supper believers “feed” spiritually on Christ.

Additionally, alluding to Exodus 24:6–8, Jesus explains that the wine represents his “blood of the covenant,” his violent death on the cross, which brings “forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28). When Jesus promises to drink new wine with them in the kingdom of God, he looks past the cross to his resurrection and second coming.

Today’s verses can be found at Matthew 26: 26-30 and Isaiah 53: 5-6.

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, December 5, 2021

The Potter’s Wheel

Today Pastor Michael is turning it over to Billy Huneycutt for his Potter’s Wheel presentation.  This is the time when it’s actually better to see a visual representation of what Billy is presenting, rather than an audio (though the audio is plenty fine!).   

Please check out our Facebook Recreate Church feed for pictures, tonight.

The video will be posted on our church YouTube feed, tomorrow, Monday, 12/6/2021.

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, November 28, 2021

Pixels aren’t the big picture!

Today Pastor Michael is finishing up the story of Old Testament Joseph.  Using pixels (picture elements) as a guide, Michael is showing that a picture, zoomed in, at the pixel level, is hard to make out.  But zoomed out, the pixels become a great picture! 

As a summary, Joseph grew up with 11 brothers and 1 sister and, to his great chagrin, his pops showed favoritism to him.  Plus, he was having prophetic dreams, growing up.  Dreams that foretold he would rule over his brothers…not a good thing, if you’re one of his brothers!  So, the bros decided to sell him into slavery, a great option over murder, which they had considered!  And sold him to a powerful Egyptian.  Joseph busted it, earning a position in the household as manager of the household.  Not bad!

Then the plot twist! Being a handsome kinda fella, his bosses wife noticed that!  She was determined to get him into bed, but he didn’t capitulate.  She grabs his clothes one day, and she is mad, cause she’s turned down but accuses him of trying to accost her and he is sent to prison.  He keeps his integrity even in prison and is a model prisoner.  The warden notices how responsible he is and trusts him with more and more authority.  So, now, he’s literally in ways, in charge of the prison.  Different, weird and all that is as a segue to his life, but, it is what it is!  Growth is found in struggle, certainly!

One day, two new, high roller prisoners show up.  They are in Pharaoh’s court and these cats have had some weird dreams.  Joseph tells them he can interpret those dreams and those predictions turn out exactly as he predicted.  God at work, again!

Joseph is summoned by Pharaoh to interpret dreams because the butler, after two years, remembers that Joseph interprets dreams.  Joseph is in Pharaohs court and interprets Pharaoh’s dreams so good, he is appointed Prime Minister of Egypt.  Pharaoh’s dreams predicted seven years of prosperity followed by seven years of really bad times (famine).  Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of the entire shebang and Joseph puts grain away and during the really bad famines, Egypt did well and folks from all over the Middle East come to Egypt to get grain during the famine.

The promised land was also hit by the famine.  So Joseph’s family, back home, sent his brothers to go to Egypt to buy grain.  The brothers arrived in Egypt and had to appear before the Prime Minister.  Plot twist!

His brothers are bowing down to Joseph.  He recognizes them but they do not recognize him.  So Joseph tells them to go home and bring back their younger brother.  He binds Simeon and puts him in prison and tells them to go back home. They get home and explain to Jacob the entire story.  Needless to say, it’s turmoil.  Since the famine is still going strong, they have no food, so Jacob sends the brothers back with Benjamin, their younger brother to Egypt.

They all arrive back to Egypt and arrive back at Joseph’s house and Simeon is released.  Yet through all this, the brothers still don’t know this is Joseph, their brother.  They have a huge feast, then sends them on their way, sacks full of grain and put their money back in their sacks and they insert a special cup into Benjamin’s sack.  Soldiers are sent to intercept them and the soldier’s ask them what they are doing with Joseph’s silver cup.  They open Benjamin’s sack and the cup is found.

They go back to the city and PLOT TWIST (again)!

One of the brothers, Judah, offers himself in place of Benjamin.  At this point, Joseph finally reveals his identity to his brothers.  They are, needless to say, terrified.  But the things that happen to us, appear to be done by people that want to hurt us, so against us, yet we cannot see the big picture. 

It is God doing the work through the stuff that happens!  Can you even think of a more convoluted, crazy story than what happened to Joseph?  Yet it STILL worked out, thanks to God!

We live our lives down in the pixels, but there is victory in the bigger picture!

Today’s verses are found in Genesis 45:  4-8 and Genesis 50: 20. 

 

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, November 21, 2021

Thankfulness.

Today Pastor Michael is handing the reins over to Nick Dowdy.  Nick’s message today is on Thankfulness.  Let’s address what we need to be thankful for.  As believers we can be thankful for the wondrous deeds that God has performed.  The biggest deed is that God sent his only Son to us to wash away our sins.  Jesus willingly died so that we can be reconciled back to God.   The other wondrous miracle is, as a Believer, you have been given a new identity.  He has taken people of this world, a place of acceptance and a place of love.  He has given us a place at His table.  We do not have to question who we are once we have accepted Christ.  God has deemed us worthy.  We can never take this for granted.  

This wondrous miracle, we can hold on to, no matter what.  This is the truth and the single reality of every single Believer in this world. There is nothing that can touch that. 

This is what we have to be thankful for.  It is so easy to get caught up in ‘today’.  We can lose sight, so easily.  

Giving thanks to God is more than checking off a box.  It is more than going through the motions.  It is taking time and stepping back, meditating and thinking of the magnitude and reality of what He has done.  We must allow Him to change our way of thinking.

Thankfulness is a matter of perspective.  We must talk about the works of Christ amongst ourselves and speak about the goodness of God. Thankfulness and peace are linked together.  The peace of Christ should rule in our hearts and we should be thankful.  

Today’s verses are found in Psalms 9: 1, Psalms 100: 4-5, Psalms 107: 21-22, Psalms 118: 1, Colossians 3: 15-17 and Philipians 4: 4-7.

 

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, November 14, 2021

From prison to palace: in one day!

Today Pastor Michael is continuing to follow the story of Joseph and how Joseph has experienced long delays in his life and certainly, life not being what he originally thought it might be.  He’s gone from being sold into slavery to being in prison and today’s story picks up with the prisoners Joseph has been assisting by interpreting their dreams.

In these dream interpretations, one prisoner has a good outcome and one did not.  The one that did, was supposed to help him by trying to obtain his freedom but he didn’t.  Joseph languished in prison for another two years!  As it turns out, Pharaoh has a dream about himself standing by the Nile and he sees seven cows come up out of the river.  These cows were fat and nice.  Then seven more cows, not nearly as good looking, come out of the river and eat the other seven cows!  Zombie cows?

Needless to say, this dream disturbed Pharaoh.  He then has another dream and sees a wheat plant sprout up, with seven stalks.  Then, as with the cow dream, here comes seven more stalks off the same plant and they’re ugly, unhealthy, diseased, blighted, scorched wheat.  The bad wheat then eats up the good wheat.  Give the man credit, he has some seriously weird dreams!

He wakes up and consults his trusted staff and no one can tell him.  But wait!  His butler overhears this and then suddenly remembers his time in prison where Joseph interpreted the dreams.  He tells him the story of Joseph’s dream interpretations and how accurate they were.  Pharaoh sends for Joseph and Joseph stands before him.

Joseph proceeds to tell the Pharaoh that he doesn’t interpret dreams.  But he did clarify his statement, stating the he couldn’t interpret dreams but God can.  

Pharaoh tells him the cow and the wheat dreams and the Lord gave Joseph the interpretation.  Which was: the two dreams represent the same message.  The seven good cows and wheat represent seven years of prosperous and good.  The seven bad cows and seven bad grains of wheat represent seven years of famine and those seven years will make the seven good years seem long ago and forgotten.

Pharaoh needs to appoint someone to plan for the seven bad years, by storing away grain and preparing for it.  Needless to say, Pharaoh is impressed with Joseph. Pharaoh appoints Joseph to oversee this effort and gives him royal clothing and jewelry.  To commemorate the promotion, Pharaoh gives Joseph a new name, Zaphenath-paneah (“Revealer of Mysteries”, how cool is that!), and a wife, Asenath.

Things went just as Joseph predicted.  They had seven great years and collected the grain and saved it up.  Then when the famine hit, if they had not laid aside that stock, everyone would have starved.  People came from all around to buy grain in Egypt.  Egypt was saved and provided grain for others and Joseph became a great hero.

From the prison to the palace, in one day!  

God has dreams for you and for me; but we have to grow into those dreams.  It took Joseph thirteen years to see God’s purpose for him realized.  Every day God grows us in our faith and our character.  

Today’s verses are found in Genesis 41: 1-57.