ReCreate Church’s Podcast

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, April 11, 2021

The Art of Dodging Spears.

Today Pastor Michael is discussing what we do when someone throws a spear at you?  Do you have a plan?

Spears can be many things…hurtful jokes, subtle digs, backhand sayings, guilt tripping and shaming of bringing up your past mistakes.  The hurts that go deep inside our hearts with words that sting…those wounds can take far longer to heal that if an actual spear hit you!

We need to know what to do when those spears are thrown at us.  David can teach us about this, as he was a man that excelled at dodging spears.  Three things need to be discussed in this study:

1. Why do people throw spears?  Saul grew jealous of David when it was said David had slain more enemies than Saul.  This anger festers within Saul and turns into hatred and fear. So people sometimes lash out at us, out of fear and anger.  
2. What is the nature of spears?  Spears are close range (as weapons and as things that hurt us).  The closer you are (to the spear or to the person) the more dangerous it is.  David had grow into the family of Saul with Jonathan, Saul’s son being David’s best friend.  This infuriated Saul, all the more.  The people most close to us are the ones most able to hurt us with their words and actions. 
3. Resist becoming a spear thrower.  It’s natural to want to throw spears back when someone does something hurtful to you.  David could have killed Saul in the cave and did not.  David knew Saul would be handled by God.  David refused to give back the hurt that was given him.  He refused to become just another spear thrower.

Today’s bible verses are found in 1 Samuel 18: 1-30, 1 Samuel 19: 1-23 and 1 Samuel 24: 1-21.

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, April 4, 2021

David and Goliath.

Today Pastor Michael is continuing his study on David and the Heart of a Warrior.  The story of David and Goliath is one of the most famous in the Bible and David was an unlikely candidate, as a shepherd, to fight a Philistine giant.  David, however, had fought a lion and a bear protecting his flock, so when he went to Saul to convince him to let him fight Goliath, he told Saul of those fights with the animals and how the Lord protected him, so David had his blessing.  

David, as we knows, defeats Goliath.  But what allowed David to win wasn’t the rock cast from his sling; it was his faith in the Lord.  And since this message is on Easter Sunday, the greatest victory of all time is the Resurrection of Jesus!

Today’s bible verses are found in 1 Samuel 17: 1-58.

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

Essential But Unappreciated

Today Pastor Michael is using a parallel of today’s pandemic and the ‘un-appreciated/under-appreciated’ folks that simply take care of things, without a lot of limelight.  David was a lot like that too and King Saul and their story is what Michael is preaching on today.  

(CSB Baker Illustrated Bible Study Notes) While David is receiving the Spirit of the Lord, it departs from Saul (16:14a). In fact, the language and juxtaposition of these statements in verses 13–14 suggest that the historian saw these events as simultaneous and related. Not only, though, does Saul lose the divine Spirit; the Lord also sends an evil spirit to torment him (16:14b). (We must remember that the Hebrews’ perspective on good and evil was that God created and controlled them both; see Is 45:7.) Saul’s jealousy and depression are made worse because of the influence of this evil spirit, and at times it will drive Saul to violence (cf. 1 Sm 18:10–11). According to 16:23, the evil spirit affects Saul sporadically.

In an attempt to help Saul find relief from the evil spirit, Saul’s attendants suggest that he secure a musician to play soothing music (16:15–16). Ironically, the man they recommend is none other than David. In addition to his ability as a shepherd, David knows how to play the harp, and he has a fine personality. He also enjoys divine favor (16:18). By bringing David to his court, Saul gives his successor valuable training, during which David might make important personal and political connections. Saul likes David very much and asks Jesse if David might remain in his service (16:21–22). While the court service introduces David to the inner workings of the monarchy, what catapults David into the public eye is his heroic victory over Goliath, an event that also betokens his later successes and eventual domination of the Philistines.

Today’s bible verses are found in 1 Samuel 16: 14-23.

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.