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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 Feb 07, 2021
Sunday Feb 07, 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.
Sunday Jan 31, 2021
Sunday Jan 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).
Sunday Jan 24, 2021
Sunday Jan 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.
Sunday Jan 17, 2021
Sunday Jan 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.
Sunday Jan 10, 2021
Sunday Jan 10, 2021
Swoosh!
Today, Pastor Michael is taking a side trip past last week’s journey on the Hebrew holidays and jumping in on the weirdness that is the start of 2021.
Using Michael Jordan as an example, Pastor Michael shows that one life can make a difference. Pre-MJ, the Chicago Bulls were not championship material. After MJ: Champions!
Josiah, in the ancient world of Judah, was the Michael Jordan of his day. He was born into a bad situation, put into a difficult role at an early age and looked at the dysfunctional things around him and decided to elicit change. Josiah, at 16, decided that the family tradition of dysfunction had to go. Josiah ‘sought the Lord’ and got close to the Lord. He influenced people to chose different ways of life; people tore down altars and rooted out the strongholds of the devil. Many biblical scholars consider Josiah as the greatest king in his devotion to God. The key point to Michael Jordan and Josiah is that we can be that too, for the Lord! We can influence for the Lord, and be salt and light for others.
We need a reminder that life on this Earth can leave us feeling helpless. We can get discouraged and wonder how one person can make a difference.
Our lives are MADE to make a difference! We are responsible for being the salt of the earth and the light of the world in our own circles of influence!
Not matter how strange our world may be, our Lord is still at work!
Today’s bible verses are found in 2 Chronicles 34: 1-7.
Sunday Jan 03, 2021
Sunday Jan 03, 2021
The Reset Button!
Today starts our 2021 fellowship and ministry. Pastor Michael brings up the great point of “A Reset Button” for the new year. Almost a ‘magical’ one, since 2020 was so crazy with all that happened in all of our lives.
Using the Hebrew Feast of Trumpets as a New Year background, Pastor Michael talks about how, in this new year, we should be “…a little less full of ourselves and a little fuller with Jesus”.
And in discovering how we want a new year to offer new promise, we should examine questions of accountability. Notably:
—Are we walking closer with Jesus than we were a year ago?
—Is our spiritual life stronger than it was a year ago?
—Are there blessings that we may have missed because we weren’t in the right spiritual place?
Has the Lord been speaking to us? Have we been listening?
The one thing we can control in the new year is this: We can choose to trust the Lord!
The Lord will take care of the rest!
Today’s bible verses are found in Zechariah 4: 1-10, Leviticus 23: 23-25 and Numbers 29: 1.
Tuesday Dec 29, 2020
Tuesday Dec 29, 2020
Betwixtmas!
Today we’re continuing our focus on the birth of Jesus and the Three Magi (Wisemen) and King Herod and the fulfillment of prophecy from the Old Testament.
The Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to flee to Egypt because Herod is searching for the child and wants to kill him. They stayed there until Herod’s death and then returned. This leaving Egypt recalled a prophecy from Hosea, “I called my Son out of Egypt”. But before Joseph and Mary fled Egypt, Herod commited a horrible act of killing every male son, under 2 years old to ensure that his throne would not be taken. This, in turn, was more prophesy fulfillment, this from Jeremiah, of Rachel’s “weeping for her children”.
After returning from Egypt, Joseph was warned in yet another dream to settle in a town called Nazareth, where his son will be called a Nazarene, fulfilling yet another prophesy, from Isaiah.
Today’s bible verses are found in Matthew 2: 10-23, Hosea 11: 1, Jeremiah 31:15 and Isaiah 11: 1.
Monday Dec 21, 2020
Monday Dec 21, 2020
The Gifts of the Wisemen.
Today we’re following up on the Wisemen, the Magi that visited the baby Jesus. These wise men brought gifts; gold, frankincense and myrrh. The gifts, symbolically, Jesus gives us today.
Gold in those days was both tribute and currency. It represents the value of good leadership; in this case leadership in our heart.
Frankincense, a resin from a tree, was used in Jewish religious ceremonies for its fragrance and smoke, similar to incense today. Symbolically it represents shows, via smoke rising up, that our prayers are lifted to heaven. This also represents Jesus as a priest to people.
Myrrh was used in anointing oil for burial purposes. Jesus was born not just to live but to die. His destiny was to give his life for you and for me. Myrrh points to Jesus as a king and a Savior and points to the cross.
Today’s bible verses are found in Matthew 2: 11-12.
Sunday Dec 13, 2020
Sunday Dec 13, 2020
The wise men.
Today we’re examining the story of the Magi, the wisemen from Persia in the book of Matthew. The magi’s (astrologers) were looking for Jesus, as they had seen his birth announcement in the stars. The coming of the Magi was important for two reasons. First, their arrival and questions challenged King Herod, who considered himself to be the King of the Jews. Second, it showed the universality of Christ. He was not only the King of the Jews but the King of kings.
The wise men teach us that true seekers everywhere will honor Christ. They were seeking peace.
Today’s bible verses are found in Matthew 2: 1-2 and Micah 5:2.
Sunday Dec 06, 2020
Sunday Dec 06, 2020
It was over, but it wasn’t over.
Today Pastor Michael wraps up the long running series on Elijah and Elisha. This series started in August and we’re in December so it’s been a prolific study. This is a story that takes place after Elisha has died and his story appears finished but there is one more scene that tells us it has a better ending than we even thought. After being attacked by the Moabites, the Israelites were burying a man and saw the raiders and through him in Elisha’s tomb: he touched Elisha’s bones and was revived.
Elisha in this story had a power that extended beyond his mortal death. By the death of Elisha, another was brought to life. The dead man wasn’t raised to life by any of his own efforts. All of these point to the Old Testament showing Jesus through clues and similarities. These connections are parallels between Elisha and Jesus, all messages that point back to the fact that God is there and God cares.
Today’s bible verses are found in 2 Kings 13: 20-21.