ReCreate Church’s Podcast

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

A Warrior’s Heart

Today Pastor Michael is talking about having a “Warrior’s Heart” and the best example of this is King David.  

(Gospel Transformation Study Bible Notes) Who is the Lord’s king? Not the tall and impressive (1 Sam. 16:7), but the smallest of Jesse’s sons (v. 11; “smallest” and “youngest” render the same word in Hebrew). For “the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (v. 7). The opening frame of 1 Samuel included Hannah’s declaration that it is not by human might that one prevails (2:9). Rather, where true faith and trust are, God’s “power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9; cf. note on 1 Sam. 14:1–14). David may seem insignificant—the youngest, left to tend the sheep—but God sees in him something special. As his story unfolds, we will encounter sin and failure—David, unlike the Son of David to come, was not sinless. But David had a heart for God. Of equal, or greater, importance, he had the “Spirit of the LORD” powerfully working within him “from that day forward” (16:13).

Heart is what makes a warrior and David was chosen for his heart.  As Christians, we have that same heart and as warriors, we may not take up the sword, but His Word, in our fight against the enemy and in spreading the love of Christ. 

Today’s bible verses are found in 1 Samuel 16: 1-13.

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

Maybe This Will Work!

Today Pastor Michael is discussing how we try to find things that will fix things in our lives.  When we’re stressed and pressured and frustrated, where can we turn for relief?  The background finds Paul in Athens, speaking to the citizens.  Athens in those days was a center of education, culture and religion.  So, Paul finds himself preaching to the Athenians and spreading the gospel of Jesus.  

Paul started at a place the Athenians could understand, notably that they were a city of many deities.  Paul discussed their altar, “…to an Unknown God”.   Paul then showed that there is only one, true God, by drawing heavily on Old Testament polemics, found in Leviticus (26: 1) and Isaiah (42:5), amongst others.  Paul also used Greek poets phrases such as Aratus and Epimenides.  Proof of Paul’s education and ability to give connecting points to an audience with a cultural background different than his.

As the Athenians learned from Paul, there is only one, true God.  Even when you have many altars, you still don’t have a relationship with Jesus.  Even the people that love you the most, cannot take the place where God should be in our lives.

Today’s bible verses are found in Acts 17: 22-33.

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, March 7, 2021

The Kingdom Underground

Today Pastor Michael is covering a parable of a master returning from a wedding party (12:35–38) that shows while the master is absent his servants should be ready and watching for his return, even if he comes at a time that is later than they expect. Luke 12:37 envisions a reversal of roles that was unheard of in Palestine. If the servants are faithful, then the master will serve them.  Further along (12: 41-48) the central thrust of this section is that the daily obedience of disciples shows their readiness for the return of Jesus; disobedience will be punished, and obedience will be rewarded. (CSB Illustrated Bible Study Notes).

Today’s bible verses are found in Luke 12: 35-40 and Luke 12: 41-48.

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

The Birth of a Movement

Today Pastor Michael is continuing the study of Jewish holidays and today’s focus is on the “Feast of Weeks”.

Matthew Henry said of this festival, “The feast of Weeks was held in remembrance of the giving of the law, fifty days after the departure from Egypt; and looked forward to the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, fifty days after Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. On that day the apostles presented the first-fruits of the Christian church to God. To the institution of the feast of Pentecost, is added a repetition of that law, by which they were required to leave the gleanings of their fields. Those who are truly sensible of the mercy they received from God, will show mercy to the poor without grudging.”

Thanking God for the harvest He has blessed us with!

Today’s bible verses are found in Leviticus 23: 15-22.

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

First Fruits.

Today Pastor Michael is continuing to dive into the Jewish holidays  and their meanings. Today is the First Fruits holiday.  First Fruits is the sixth of the holidays and just to wrap up these holidays, they are:

1. Feast of Trumpets
2. Day of Atonement
3. Feast of the Tabernacles
4. The Passover
5. Feast of Unleavened Bread
6. First Fruits

This is the holiday following The Passover and while it is called “Fruits”, it’s a grain (wheat) harvest.  If we will trust God with the First Fruits, He will trust us with the Full Fruits.  The Lord commanded them to present the “first” of the harvest to the priests and the Lord would bless them with the full harvest.  The meaning here is, what is the hard thing you need to trust the Lord with?  

Also, Jesus rose from the dead on the First Fruits holiday.  See 1 Corinthians 15: 20 where the term is used again.  Jesus is the first fruits; the festival points to the resurrection of Jesus.

Today’s bible verses are found in Leviticus 23: 9-14, Psalms 126 and 1 Corinthians 15: 20.

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

The Door of Blood.

Today Pastor Michael is discussing the Passover, one of Judaism’s most holy and widely celebrated holidays.  

Jacob took his family to Egypt, where his son (Joseph) was a high ranking official in the Egyptian court and lived there while his homeland was in a serious famine.  The Lord blessed Jacob during this time and even called him “Israel” a name used for the very nation he founded.  His family grew and did very well in Egypt but soon a pharaoh was convinced that Jacob and his people could foment trouble and potentially take over the land, so they were forced into slavery.

The Lord helped Jacob free his people from the Pharaoh by sending plagues to the land that culminated in the deaths of the first sons of the Egyptians.  He instructed Jacob and his followers to slaughter a lamb and paint their doorframes with blood so that the Angel of Death would “Passover” these houses and spare the children.   The Israelites were freed and started their journey to the Promised Land.

To connect-the-dots on three things this story summarizes, we are reminded that:

1-Passover then judged the Egyptians.  One day, we all will be judged.

2-Then, the Lord provided a way to escape.  Today, we have Jesus as our blood of the lamb to experience salvation and be ultimately freed.

3-Then, it was a doorframe, 3 pieces of wood and the blood of the lamb.  In the New Testament, it was three pieces of wood (a cross) and the blood of THE Lamb, Jesus.  

Today’s bible verses are found in Exodus, Chapter 12, verses 1 - 30. 

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, February 7, 2021

Unlikely Heros!

Today Pastor Michael is covering how the most unlikely of people can be used by the Lord in the most unlikely of ways!  So, what makes a super hero:  super powers?  A life situation?  Spandex?  :)   Sometimes it’s the most unlikely person who simply decides, “Enough is enough!”

Today we’re in Judges and Israel at this time in history (1,000 years before Jesus) is more like the Wild West than a civilized country.  There really is no centralized authority and they seem to be at war with mostly, everybody.  But particularly the Midianites.  Gideon at this point is about as unlikely a hero as can be found in the area but an Angel of the Lord tells him, “Mighty Hero, the Lord is with you!”.

Needless to say, Gideon is not really prepared for that and the ensuing leadership role he assumes, the battles he fights, the hero he becomes is all about trusting the Lord and breaking down idols.  Learning the we can never underestimate the difference God can make in our lives, when we trust Him!

Today’s bible verses are found in Judges, Chapters 6, 7 and 8 but particularly in 6 and 7.  

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, January 31, 2021

Love Without Strings

Today Pastor Michael is talking about, hugely appropriately before Valentines Day, of unconditional love.  Not our “human” love, the easy love, the love that we express with others but mostly with strings (conditions).  Jesus showed and defined unconditional love; that is love without limits.  Without conditions.  Without strings.

Human love is love reciprocated when someone loves us back.  But unconditional love is when you show love to those that may not love you back.  That may be a bad neighbor or a unpleasant person.  Or someone that you simply could never thing of ‘loving’.

When you love without conditions, you are loving as Jesus loves.  Unconditionally.

Today’s bible verses are found in John 13: 35 and Luke 6: 27-36.  Today, Michael is reading from the New Living Translation (NLT).

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, January 24, 2021

For Now, Forever!

Today Pastor Michael is deep in his study of the Jewish Spiritual Holidays, continuing where we left off last week.  He has covered the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement and today he is examining the Feast of Tabernacles.  This commemorates God’s deliverance, protection and provision during the wilderness wanderings of the Exodus.

The Feast of Tabernacles reminds us of the difference between what is for now and what is forever.

The wilderness was the “For Now”.  The Promised Land is the “Forever”.

Today’s bible verses are found in Leviticus 23: 40-43 and 2 Corinthians 5: 1-8 and Revelation 21: 1-4.

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, January 17, 2021

UnCancelled!

Today Pastor Michael is talking about how God restores us, if we mess up.  

Using the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement, Michael examines the Ark of the Covenant, the Mercy Seat and the visible manifestation of God during this holiday and, to the point of the story, goats!

On the Day of Atonement there were two goats used in the ceremony.  The first goat was used as a sacrifice.  The second goat was used by the High Priest, who laid his hands on the goat and put the sins of the nation upon him.  He was then released and never seen again.  

This goat was the “scapegoat” and where the term comes from as well.  

God wanted people to understand that the bigger story was the coming atonement of Jesus.  Through Jesus, we can be “UnCancelled”!

Today’s bible verses are found in Hebrews 10: 1-18, but Michael also touches on Leviticus 16 and 23 and Numbers 29.