ReCreate Church’s Podcast

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, February 25, 2024

God’s Logic

Today, Pastor Michael is turning the reigns over to the ever-popular Billy Huneycutt.  Billy starts off talking about worldly and appliance logic, rolling into religious logic.  The latter isn’t always right, so Billy is expounding upon “God’s Logic.”

Billy will be using the Samaritan woman as an example in his story.  Also ever present are the Pharisees, who have gotten wind that Jesus and His disciples are getting more popular with the locals.  So Jesus had to go through Samaria, a place that devout Jews tried to avoid.  Jesus asked a Samaritan woman for a drink, which astonished the woman. She was trying to figure out why Jesus, a Jew, would ask for water, and Jesus explained to her that the water He could give would result in eternal life.  She then tried to apply her human logic and was mentioning that the well was deep and they had no bucket.  So Jesus told her to go and get her husband, and she replied that she did not have one.  Which Jesus told her she had previously had five husbands, and she was now recognizing Jesus as a serious prophet.

Jesus, at this point, lets the woman know that He is the Messiah, and she tells the town that He is the Messiah.  His disciples wanted to play this down a bit, as it was getting too much!  But this did result in many receiving His message, a large harvest, due to the Samaritan woman finally understanding “God’s Logic.”

(CSB Bible Notes) As others had done (1:40-41,45), the woman brought people to Jesus so they could see for themselves. Ultimately, it was on the basis of a personal encounter with Jesus that they believed. His large harvest among the Samaritans marked the first sign of the universal scope of his saving mission (10:16).

Verses can be found in John 4: 1-41.

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, February 18, 2024

Truth Demands Transformation.

Today, Pastor Michael is covering the last of Jesus’ earthly ministry, engaged in a topic entitled “Truth Demands Transformation,” meaning if you are receiving the word of God and it doesn’t prompt you to become someone different, someone closer to God, you are missing a huge part of the banquet laid out before you.

Here, the Sadducees were the rivals of the Pharisees and came from wealthy, powerful political backgrounds.  Even though far fewer than the Pharisees, they wielded more power.  They believed in only the first five books of the Bible and didn’t believe in anything supernatural, no heaven, no hell, no resurrection.  If spiritual truth were a banquet, these guys were picking at the rolls in the baskets!

The question they asked of Jesus was about a man dying and his brother remarrying his wife.  And it wasn’t as simple as one of them remarrying, but many brothers remarried her, and none left offspring.  So, in the Resurrection, the Sadducees asked, “Whose wife was she?”. 

Jesus tells them, “Are you not therefore mistaken because you do not know the scriptures nor the power of God? “   He is calling these men out for not believing in spiritual things, for they accepted spiritual things that made them feel good, but they believed in God on their terms.

Jesus affirms two truths here, neither of which the Sadducees believe in: the existence of life after death and the reality of a bodily resurrection.

And this makes us realize that truth demands transformation, something the Sadducees never embraced.   

(CSB Notes) The Sadducees approached Jesus with a situation based on the books of Moses. Specifically, the case involved the levirate (or brother-in-law) marriage law (Dt 25:5-6). This law obligated a male sibling to marry his deceased brother’s widow in order to preserve the family name and inheritance. Based on this, the Sadducees presented a scenario designed to make the doctrine of resurrection look absurd. Their question assumed that the future life will be like the temporal life, Jesus declared that the afterlife will be different from life on earth. In heaven, people will not marry or be given in marriage. By going to the book of Moses, specifically Ex 3 and the passage about the burning bush, Jesus used the part of the OT that the Sadducees recognized as Scripture. The point of the OT quotation is that Abraham . . . Isaac, and Jacob were long dead by the time God spoke to Moses, but God declared he was their God. Since God is not the God of the dead but of the living, they must still be alive.

Verses can be found in Mark 12: 18-27.

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, February 11, 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.

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, February 4, 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:

1. Recognize that everything you have is a gift from God.
2. Don’t ignore God’s messages.
3. 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.

 

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, January 28, 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.

 

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, January 21, 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.

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, January 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.

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, December 31, 2023

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:

1. Get off the hamster wheel of this world and start following Jesus!
2. Shifting from being mindless to mindful.
3. Shifting from things meaningless to things that have eternal meaning.
4. Shifting from things that drain life to things that create life.
5. 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:

1. Renew Your Mind: Romans 12:2
2. Set Your Mind: Colossians 3:2
3. 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.

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, December 24, 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.

1. Jesus was (and is and continues to be) God’s ultimate message.
2. 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.
3. Jesus was one with God.
4. Jesus was creating and nothing was made without Him, including Him.  Jesus was not a created being.  He was the conduit of creation.
5. 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.

Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, December 17, 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.