ReCreate Church’s Podcast

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, June 23, 2024

Dinner with Jesus

Today Michael is talking about the Last Supper.  

Jewish holidays, during biblical times, were in the spring and close together, starting with Passover, going into the Feast of Unleavened Bread and then the Feast of Firstfruits. 

So, this lesson is on the Passover meal and how Jesus asked His disciples to prepare the meal and trust in Him.  There are two key takeaways from this lesson:

1. Trust in Him.  Even if you cannot see what He’s doing or the results you may seek or expect, He IS working in your life. 
2. It might be that He is wanting you to prepare something for someone else; not you. 

Mark 14:12-16 (CSB Bible Notes) 14:12 Jesus decided where they would observe the Passover, but his disciples were responsible to prepare it. 14:13-14 Luke (Lk 22:8) identifies the two disciples as Peter and John. Go into the city indicates they were outside Jerusalem, probably at Bethany. Meet could mean either “encounter” or that the man was looking for them. The owner of the house was apparently acquainted with Jesus since they identified him only as the Teacher. 14:15-16 The “guest room” (v. 14) was a large room upstairs, probably the spacious roof chamber of a wealthy man. The room was ready to accommodate a large group. Found it just as he had told them stresses the exact fulfillment of Jesus’s words.

Today’s verses can be found in Mark 14: 12 - 21. 

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, June 16, 2024

Generation Shapers

Today, as we celebrate Father’s Day, Pastor Michael is kicking off with a dose of “Dad Jokes.” He humorously insists that these jokes are the comfort food of humor, but whether you agree or not, they’re sure to bring a smile to your face!  

Now, here are some Dad statistics that aren’t so funny: 

1. 25% of children grow up without a Dad.
2. These 25% represent:  90% of homeless and runways, 85% of behavioral disorders, 75% of substance abuse admissions, 71% of high school dropouts, 70% of juvenile detentions, and 63% of youth suicides.
3. Boys without a dad are twice as likely to be incarcerated.

Fathers Shape Generations.  

None of us can live up to what it means to be a truly great father, but we need to celebrate and support fathers who are doing their best for their families.  Our relationship with God teaches us fatherhood.  We view our world through the lens of God.  As fathers, we want to teach our children right from wrong and to honor God. And they do watch what you do; you must show and demonstrate; be a leader, not a boss.

Fathers are truly generation shapers; we influence and help our children learn worldview.  We’re called to be fathers even to the fatherless.

You have a father, always: Father God and He will never, ever leave you.  

Things you can do to shape generations.

1. Teach wisdom.
2. Model godliness.
3. Speak life. 
4. Be present. Physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
5. Build a legacy of faith.

Proverbs 4:2-4 (CSB Study Bible Notes) 4:1-2 These verses introduce a series of a father’s exhortations to his sons to pay attention to his instruction. 

4:3 Being a true son implies obedience, not merely being a male child. A tender child is delicate as well as teachable. Precious means to be treated as if an only child (Jr 6:26; Am 8:10; Zch 12:10).

4:4,6 To keep . . . commands is to listen attentively, retain, and obey them; it could also be translated “guard.” Those who keep their way in godly wisdom

Today’s verses can be found in Proverbs 4: 1 - 5.

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, June 9, 2024

Jesus Is Worthy

Today, Pastor Michael is promulgating a story, seemingly unconnected in purpose and place, about parallels in why folks show up at places. Linking this to Jesus and His stories, the core idea here is “Jesus Is Worthy.”

Timeline-wise, this is about 36 hours before Jesus’ crucifixion. The next night would be the Passover meal. Jesus is not in Jerusalem at this moment but in Bethany. At this point, the scribes did not like Jesus at all; they saw Him as someone who would challenge the corrupt religious system and corrupt religious leaders, i.e., ‘their’ system.  So they plotted and worked with Judas Iscariot on how to plot against Him. 

If you understand how worthy Jesus is, there is no amount of giving of ourselves that is too much. 

Mark 14:1-2 (CSB Bible Notes) 14:1 The temporal clause—it was two days before—points to the start of the Jewish Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This means the Sanhedrin plotted to kill Jesus some time between sunset on Tuesday and sunset on Wednesday. 14:2 The Sanhedrin hesitated to act because of Jesus’s popularity among the people who had flooded into town for Passover.

Today’s verses can be found in Mark 14: 1 - 11. 

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, June 2, 2024

Trust the Timing to God.

Today, Pastor Michael is starting us off right on eschatology, a big word that means the science of the last things. If only we had someone on our side who could help us understand time and the last times. This concludes Pastor Michael’s study on the end times. 

We find Jesus telling a story about a fig tree. The signs Jesus talks about in this parable are during the Tribulation. The message is for the future generation that will live during that time.  And Jesus tells us that a fig tree, when sprouting leaves, shows that summer is coming.  Similarly, when folks in this Tribulation period see events coming, they will know He is near.  “Heaven and earth will pass away but My words will never pass away.”

The core of today’s message is, "Be ready and trust the timing to God."

(CSB Bible Notes) Just as Jesus’s followers knew how to read the signs of the coming summer, so also when they saw these things happening they were to know that a cataclysmic event was near. It is unclear whether Jesus was referring to Jerusalem’s fall or his return in the end time.

Verses can be found in Mark 13: 28 - 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, May 26, 2024

Jesus is Peace

Today, Pastor Michael is discussing how the world is always ‘on’ these days.  The world sells treatments, not cures.  It sells distractions, not peace.  Others gain power by keeping people anxious. 

This generation and every generation needs to understand that Jesus is peace.

Pastor Michael is in the book of Mark, which has Jesus warning others of false saviors.  In the last days, there will be many that will deceive, and the ultimate one will be the anti-Christ.  These verses describe the conditions in the Tribulation period.  Are there false saviors out in our era right now?  Are there others that can claim cures, false cures for anxiety?  The people who want to keep you anxious are very good at what they do.  The world gives us alcohol, porn, instant on everything; all things that keep folks believing false promises.  The world does not offer cures, only treatments.  Anxiety is the currency of power.

Jesus, however, IS peace.  

(CSB Bible Notes) False prophets were a problem in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Signs and wonders are a standard expression for miracles in the OT and NT. False messiahs and false prophets will have no trouble performing signs, but their purpose will be to lead astray.

Verses can be found in Mark 13: 21 - 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, May 19, 2024

Summer

Today, Pastor Michael turns it over to Duncan Crook.  Duncan is starting the message with “Summer”.  Thanking God, rejoicing with Him, for the good times, in the summer of our lives. 

Duncan starts on Psalm 139 and digs into it. Attributes outlined here in this Psalms are:

1. God knows me intimately. 
2. God knows what I think. 
3. God knows where I go.
4. God knows what I say.
5. God knows what I need.

There are many more in this passage, but the key is that God is omniscient and omnipresent.  All the time!

(CSB Bible Notes) The Hebrew verbs can be interpreted as timeless truth: “You search me and you know me.” God’s attributes are not restricted to time. The words know . . . understand . . . observe, and are aware speak of God’s omniscience. The word observe comes from the Hebrew root zarah, which means “measure.” The Hebrew word for ways does not necessarily denote literal walking but daily behavior.

Verses can be found in Psalm 139: 1 - 24.

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, May 12, 2024

Moma Fixes the Mess.

Today, Pastor Michael shares a powerful story from the Old Testament, a time of great turmoil. It’s the story of Moma Fixes the Mess, a testament to the profound wisdom of God and the importance of allowing Him to guide us in challenging times.

In this story, the hero is a Moma, Deborah.  Sisera, the commander of King Jabin, is going around the nation doing bad things, and the nation of Israel has a mess.  The Israelites went to Deborah as a prophetess for her advice during these times, and she told them to summon Barak, take 10,000 soldiers to Mt. Tabor, and fight against Sisera, as the Lord was on their side and would deliver a victory to them.

A bunch of shepherds went against an army that had iron chariots, the most advanced military machines of the day. On the surface, this appeared to be an almost suicide mission. Yet, the Lord routed Sisera’s army totally!  The Lord was with the Israelites!

The world still underestimates the power of a Mother. 

(CSB Bible Notes) As God’s appointed representative, Deborah summoned Barak to lead the fighting. She also gave him the Lord’s battle plan, deploying ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun on Mount Tabor, a strategic location at the northeast corner of the Jezreel Valley. Further, she assured him of the Lord’s victory over Israel’s enemies.

Verses can be found in Judges 4: 1 - 23.

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, Sunday, May 12, 2024 Special Message, Mother's Day

Mother's Day, 2024

Our pastor, Michael Shockley, asked Diane Crook to give a special message this Mother's Day, from Proverbs 31.

Enjoy!

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, May 5, 2024

Simple Faith for a Complex World.

Today, Pastor Michael is drilling down on the complexities of modern life.  We like complexity until it becomes overwhelming, but it is a real part of modern day-to-day living. 

God did not make a world that was overly complex.  He put people in a situation that was pretty idyllic and low-key.  But we, starting with Adam and Eve, pretty much messed that one up!  Now more than ever, we wish for a simple life, that world that God created before disease, sickness, and bad fortune.  But:

Good news!

The same God who created that simple life is going to bring it back. But we’re in the messy middle right now, and it’s a struggle.  So lets jump into the study:

We’re with Jesus in this lesson from the book of Mark, where He talks about the end times.  “Let the reader understand” is important in this passage, probably inserted by the author Mark for future generations.  Herein, they’re talking about the Abomination of Desolation, which is when someone in authority reaches the end of the sacrifices in the temple in an abominable way, causing desolation, happening in the middle of a covenant.  This prophecy has three fulfillments to it.  Two are partial and temporary, and one is complete and forever.

In the first fulfillment, Antiochus, a truly evil man, entered an altar and sacrificed a pig in their temple, defiling it utterly. Eventually, the temple was cleaned and restored. When Jesus arrived, the temple was humming along. Hannukah came about during this restoration, an interesting historical fact.  The second fulfillment, also partial, occurred during Roman times.  Revolts were now occurring against the Romans, and so in marches the Roman army right into Jerusalem, and they knocked down the temple, disrupting the sacrifices, which is still not occurring to this day. 

The ultimate fulfillment is the third one, the AntiChrist, who will broker the seven-year covenant. Seemingly, a peace treaty will be made with Israel and its neighbors, and the temple will be rebuilt. He will then break that covenant at the halfway mark and will defile the temple yet again. 

A complex world calls for a simple faith—a faith that is thought out, reasoned through, and returns to simplicity.  We’re in the middle, and it can be overwhelming, but God will make it simple again!

You CAN trust God!

(CSB Bible Notes) 13:14 The abomination of desolation is drawn from Dn 9:27; 11:31; 12:11 (cp. Mt 24:15) and was used to describe the desecration of the temple by Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 BC (see the apocryphal book 1Macc 1:54). Jesus’s reference may be to some event prior to AD 70 or to the “man of lawlessness” (2Th 2:3-10; cp. Rv 13:1-10,14-15). Mark did not identify the location for standing where it should not be, but Matthew (Mt 24:15) said “in the holy place,” meaning the temple’s sanctuary (cp. 2Th 2:4).

Verses can be found in Mark 13: 14 - 23.

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, April 28, 2024

Tribulation = Time to Trust.

Today, Pastor Michael is talking about tribulation.  What is tribulation?  What is THE Tribulation?

The dictionary defines tribulation as a state of great trouble or suffering. Health, loss, confusion, and generally rough times are also tribulations. So, what do we do when we go through a period of tribulation?

Jesus spoke a message to a group of people about “THE” tribulation, and the last half of that being the “GREAT” tribulation.  Here at Recreate, we don’t dwell on the tribulation and end times too much, but the world does talk about it, and we will confront it today.

It’s important to differentiate between the general concept of tribulation, which we all experience in life, and the specific biblical event known as the Tribulation period. We firmly believe that those who trust in Jesus in this age will not face the Tribulation period, but we will still encounter tribulations in our lives. However, these tribulations can be seen as opportunities to deepen our trust in God.

What is the Tribulation period?  A seven-year period of intense global turmoil and divine judgment first prophesized in the book of Daniel but most famously described in Revelation.  There will be widespread famine, chaos, natural disasters, and generally, really, really bad times.  A charismatic leader called the Antichrist who will rise up, and Jesus will return at the end of the seven years, destroy the Antichrist, bind the Devil, throw him into the bottomless pit, and establish an earthly kingdom that will resemble the earthly garden of Eden. 

It’s going to get really bad but really good, too. That’s a good general description of the Tribulation period. The Tribulation is a time of trust. Trust in Jesus, and those who do will be removed before the Tribulation in the Rapture. In the twinkling of an eye, they will be called up to heaven to be with the Lord. Enoch and Elijah are the only two who avoided death and went straight to heaven, but there will be a lot more in the Rapture. 

Michael drills down into the Rapture across many verses, so be sure to check the verse catalog below. 

And as previously stated, believers will suffer tribulations.  You will have some tribulation just because you follow Jesus, but it is worth it.  Trials and tribulations occur to everyone, so Mark 13: 9 - 13 speaks to believers in the future. 

Three promises to consider:

1. If you trust Jesus, you won’t have to face the Tribulation.
2. You will face periods of tribulation. 
3. If you trust in Jesus He will help you through any tribulation you might have.

Trust in Jesus!

(CSB Bible Notes) 13:13 You will be hated indicates the animosity unbelievers often feel toward Christians because of the name of Jesus (cp. 1Pt 4:16). Jesus did not warn his followers so they could seek safety but so they would endure faithfully.

Verses can be found in Mark 13: 9 - 13, Revelation 3: 10., 4: 1 - 2, 4: 18, 1 Thessalonians 1: 10, 4: 16 and 5: 9, 2 Thessalonians 2: 3, 2: 6 - 8, 1 Corinthians 15:52, Daniel 9: 24

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.