Episodes
Monday Feb 12, 2024
Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, February 11, 2024
Monday Feb 12, 2024
Monday Feb 12, 2024
In the World to Win the World
Today, Pastor Michael is preaching about being in the world to win the world. In this episode, Jesus will speak to the reality of our dual citizenship: heaven and earth. The timeframe of this lesson is about 48 hours before Jesus is crucified on the cross.
The leaders at this point were sick of Jesus because he was a light that would take away their control. These leaders sent a group of spies to catch him in his words (trick him).
“Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” was the question asked of Jesus. Jesus asked for a coin and showed them the inscription and image of Caesar. “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s” and they marveled at Him.
The leaders were amazed; they had never heard anything like Jesus was offering. Jesus was teaching that we have to obey earthly authority as long as it does not force disobedience to God.
(CSB Bible Notes) 12:15 If Jesus answered “yes,” he would be seen as pro-Roman and would alienate the crowds. If he said “no,” the Pharisees and Herodians would denounce him as a revolutionary (Lk 20:20). Jesus was not fooled. He saw their hypocrisy and realized they were testing him.
Verses can be found in Mark 12: 13-17.
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.
Monday Feb 05, 2024
Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, February 4, 2024
Monday Feb 05, 2024
Monday Feb 05, 2024
Honor God With Your Vineyard.
Today, Pastor Michael is discussing a parable Jesus taught about workers in a vineyard. He had just had an encounter with religious elites, those who should have been the most excited about Jesus, but they did not like Jesus at all! The zealots did not recognize that the power and authority that they had was not for their own benefit; it was to help people!
The temple courtyard in Jerusalem is the setting, and the time is Passover. So it’s a busy place, and among the crowd are Jesus and His disciples. So Jesus starts teaching, and a delegation of leaders comes out to challenge Him, essentially for the big table turnovers He did the day before, asking Him why he was back. Jesus answers them by telling them a story about a vineyard.
A man planted a vineyard and made it a productive and good vineyard. He rented it to caretakers and said he would return in a year to see how it was doing. So, after that time came, he sent a slave to see what was up, but the farmers beat the slave up and sent him away. He sent another slave: same story. Then a third slave and, you guessed it: same story. Then the owner decided to send his only son; obviously, the slave thing wasn’t working!
As it turns out, the slaves got off pretty good; the farmers killed the son and threw his body over the vineyard wall.
At this point in the story, Jesus turns to the leaders and asks them, “What should the owner do?” to which they reply, “The owner should come and kill the vineyard farmers.” Jesus said the owner of the vineyard should give the farm to others!
The context in which this was told is that Jesus is at the temple courtyard and was discussing this with Church leaders. What was Jesus challenging them on? Authority. What did Jesus expose about them? That they loved their authority and power they received for representing God more than they cared about God’s authority!
In this parable, the landowner represents God. Everything is His. Still is, by the way :) And, in this parable, the vineyard is the Promised Land, an image of Jerusalem, especially. The tenant farmers are the people of Israel, especially the leaders. And the owner’s only son? A representation of Jesus.
What God asked here, in this parable, is honoring God’s authority and obeying Him.
Did the tenant farmers (or Israel) do that? Absolutely NOT!
The religious leaders were just like the farmers in the story: they are rejecting the Son, sent to them.
Three takeaways:
- Recognize that everything you have is a gift from God.
- Don’t ignore God’s messages.
- Believe in the Son!
Verses can be found in Mark 12: 1-12.
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.
Wednesday Jan 31, 2024
Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, January 28, 2024
Wednesday Jan 31, 2024
Wednesday Jan 31, 2024
Embrace Your New Identity
Today, Pastor Michael is continuing the study of Ephesians, a letter of instruction given to believers by Paul. Paul talks of the old person versus the new person in Christ. The challenge before you is to embrace your new identity.
Paul is stating here that you will have times when the old you comes back, and it will take focus to live your life in a new way. Seek the Lord in prayer to help you in understanding this.
King Solomon, in Ecclesiastes, said the world is empty, coming from a man with everything he could ever want. Indulging yourself doesn’t leave you happy, at least not in the long run. Solomon said, fear God and keep His commandments. That is where you will find joy! Something has to change inside us, which is the new you!
Ephesians 4:21-24 (CSB Bible Notes) Paul pictures the truth totally in terms of the Messiah, who is the way, the truth, and the life (Jn 14:6). 4:22-24 The apostle often described who believers already are, while also pointing to what they should strive to become. The practical paradox is that while freedom from sin’s eternal penalty is already ours, freedom from the former way of life (a life of sin) comes only through our daily quest for obedience and purity. These are lifestyle commitments that every believer is called to make.
Verses can be found in Ephesians 4: 20-24 and Ecclesiastes 12: 13.
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.
Monday Jan 22, 2024
Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, January 21, 2024
Monday Jan 22, 2024
Monday Jan 22, 2024
Not Who I Used to Be
Today, Pastor Michael is talking about how new life in Jesus is truly new. The old person creeps in occasionally, though!
The big idea for this series is that the old man has no place in the new life. In Ephesians, Paul is talking to people in Ephesus and warning them that now that they know Jesus, they can’t go back and live how they used to live. We live in tension between the new life and the old life; it’s human nature. But if you have Jesus in your life, you’re not who you used to be
(CSB Bible Notes) The Ephesians passage contrasts a person’s former lifestyle and the new life in Christ.
Verses can be found in Ephesians 4: 19.
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.
Sunday Jan 14, 2024
Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, January 14, 2024
Sunday Jan 14, 2024
Sunday Jan 14, 2024
New Man, New Understanding
Today, Pastor Michael is doing some brain work (you’ll love his example!); the basic meaning is that to believe in Jesus is to become a new man (person).
First thing, the New Testament teaches that a relationship with Jesus is the ultimate eye-opener. Some things cannot be understood until you trust and have a relationship with Jesus.
Next, Paul mentions not to be ‘calloused’ like others. If you keep rejecting Jesus, eventually, you become insensitive to Him.
Don’t let the old person take over the new life you have in Jesus! If you’re a believer, Paul is challenging you here to live like a new person, period.
(CSB Bible Notes) This section of the letter provides the practical outworking of v. 1. Paul’s exhortations denounced the readers’ former way of life. The content of the exhortation clearly parallels early Christian baptismal practices of putting off old clothes before putting on new clothes to enter the baptismal water.
Verses can be found in Ephesians 4: 17-18.
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.
Wednesday Jan 03, 2024
Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, December 31, 2023
Wednesday Jan 03, 2024
Wednesday Jan 03, 2024
New Man, New Mind.
Today, Pastor Michael is talking about the end of the year and the beginnings associated with a fresh, new year.
This is the time of year folks say, “New Year, New Me,” and is this really true? Michael today is talking about “New Man, New Mind”, as Jesus develops a new mind in us as His followers, a more fitting resolution for new beginnings.
The original name of our faith wasn’t Christianity; the first believers called it “The Way,” a road or a path that started with a fellowship of people following Jesus on the roads in between towns, and these followers tried to learn and imitate the teachings of Jesus.
We are not people following a tradition or following a religion; we are people following Jesus!
So, what are some of the ways we can be better followers of Jesus? Consider a paradigm shift of:
- Get off the hamster wheel of this world and start following Jesus!
- Shifting from being mindless to mindful.
- Shifting from things meaningless to things that have eternal meaning.
- Shifting from things that drain life to things that create life.
- Shifting from a mind centered on the emptiness of the world to a mind centered on the fullness of Christ.
Michael also gives us three key verses to help us remember this:
- Renew Your Mind: Romans 12:2
- Set Your Mind: Colossians 3:2
- Guard Your Mind: Philippians 4: 7-8
Verses can be found in Ephesians 4: 17-24, plus those listed above.
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.
Tuesday Dec 26, 2023
Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, December 24, 2023
Tuesday Dec 26, 2023
Tuesday Dec 26, 2023
The Night Before the First Christmas.
Today, Pastor Michael is preaching on Christmas Eve, and that’s special all by itself! So where was Jesus on Christmas Eve? In the womb of Mary!
But where was Jesus before that? When did he come into existence? Was it when He was conceived? Or before?
Six Truths About Jesus BEFORE Bethlehem:
Jesus was pre-existant. He was there before time existed. Before Genesis 1:1. Before ANYTHING.
- Jesus was (and is and continues to be) God’s ultimate message.
- Jesus was in fellowship with God, even before He existed in a material form. He existed in an immaterial form, in perfect fellowship with God.
- Jesus was one with God.
- Jesus was creating and nothing was made without Him, including Him. Jesus was not a created being. He was the conduit of creation.
- Jesus was and is salvation.
Long before what we would call the beginning, Jesus was there. When all of this is said and done, when everything we know is gone, Jesus will be there!
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Verses can be found in John 1: 1-5, John 14: 20, John 17: 5, 1 John 4: 1-3 and Colossians 1: 16.
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.
Friday Dec 22, 2023
Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, December 17, 2023
Friday Dec 22, 2023
Friday Dec 22, 2023
God With Us.
Today, Pastor Michael introduces us to Beverly Burton of the Peacemaker’s School of Petit-Goave, Haiti. Her message is incredibly inspiring, being in their tenth year of school in a country that is lawless and run mostly by gangs. Her message makes anyone appreciate the luxuries we enjoy in this country, but we can always do more to help folks in Haiti. Please pray for Beverly’s ministry in Haiti to allow safe passage of needed food supplies and for the safety of her teachers and the children.
After Beverly’s message about her Haitian ministry, we had our children’s play but had to trim that out as the audio was pretty hard to hear.
Micheal then goes right into a story of an old man living in a cellar in Persia who has very few things, but he shares what little he has with a stranger who appeared at this door and even gave his shoes to the beggar. The king of Persia at that time was actually a man who loved his people so much that he would go out in the clothes of a beggar and visit them, allowing him to understand their struggles. Of course, you’ve probably figured out that the beggar who showed up at the old man’s place was the king!
However, the beggar was simply amazed that the king would actually visit him and give the greatest gift of all: the gift of himself.
God visits us in the person of Jesus Christ, who took on humanity and lived amongst humans. And Jesus gave us the same greatest gift; He gave us Himself.
Merry Christmas to everyone!
Verses can be found in Isaiah 7: 14.
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.
Friday Dec 15, 2023
Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, December 10, 2023
Friday Dec 15, 2023
Friday Dec 15, 2023
Joy to the (Messed Up) World.
Today, Pastor Michael is talking about our current world where the stress and the struggle can pile on! Christmas amps it up, with all the shopping crowds and noise. If only life weren’t so full of chaos!
So, we should strive for inner peace: true joy is inner contentment despite outer conflict. How can we have this? How can we get this?
Jesus = Joy!
If you want joy in this messed up world, you’ll have to gain inner contentment, and the only way to have that is to have Jesus in the right place in your life.
Jesus is coming again to bring peace on earth, but first, He came to bring peace in us!
Verses can be found in Luke 2: 8-20 and Isaiah 65: 17-25.
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.
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, December 3, 2023
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Jesus vs The Authorities
Today, Pastor Michael is in the heart of a quiet forest with a cold stream meandering through, and two soldiers in shining armor move forward to a figure, standing in plain wool clothing and a wicker basket with large fish in it. The man is whistling as he’s swinging a bamboo pole, and he’s fishing in the ROYAL POND! He’s trespassing on the King’s land. The man, however, is not frightened at all. In fact, he encourages the soldiers to join him in fishing. Soon, one of the soldiers poked the man with a spear, and the guard just got madder and madder.
The man asks the soldier, “Who do you think I am?”. This man who was fishing in the King’s stream is the King himself! Indeed, the guards did join the King and filled the basket promptly. They learned that true authority isn’t about power; it’s about compassion.
In another story, with another King, folks confronted him as a trespasser. This story takes place a few days before the crucifixion. Officials questioned Jesus’ authority. The Sanhedrin were the formal spiritual and political leaders of Israel at the time (the true authorities). They questioned Jesus by what authority he was doing things.
The things he did yesterday… running people out of the temple, chasing animals out….this was the Sanhedrin’s area to control, but they let thieves take over the temple. So here, the Sanhedrin questioned Jesus’ authority, and He questioned theirs!
Jesus asked the Sanhedrin if the baptism of John was from heaven or from men. Jesus was asking something completely legit to the Sanhedrin; it was their role to explain all things spiritual.
They reasoned amongst themselves, realizing this was a trick question, so they answered, “We do not know,” so Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
This tells us that the authorities are more concerned with keeping their power than the truth.
True authority isn’t about setting yourself up (for your benefit); it’s about setting others free.
Mark 11:27-33 (CSB Study Bible Notes) 11:27 The chief priests, the scribes, and the elders made up the Sanhedrin, the seventy-member governing body of the Jews. These were representatives, not the whole body. In his first death prediction, Jesus named these groups as those who would put him to death (see note at 8:31). 11:28 The questions focused on the nature (by what) of Jesus’s authority (Gk exousia) and on who gave it to him. Jesus’s authority had been at issue since the beginning (1:22,27; 2:10). These things probably refers to his temple clearing and his royal entry into the city. 11:29-30 John’s baptism encapsulates John the Baptist’s entire ministry. From heaven means “from God.” Jesus’s question turned the tables on the Pharisees. If they admitted that John was sent by God, they would have to admit the same about Jesus. 11:31-33 A genuine prophet has authority from heaven. If John was a prophet from God, Jesus was even more so. Unwilling to admit this, the authorities refused to answer Jesus.
Verses can be found in Mark 11: 27-33
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.