Refuge Audio Podcast

Jesus gave His disciples the interpretation of the Parable of the Sower—those who lingered longer to learn from Him. They would also be sowers, sharing the Good News with others. But they needed to know that Gospel ministry was not inherently successful. Sowing the good seed of God’s Word will be difficult, heartbreaking, gut-wrenching—yet worthy work. But most sowers don’t give up, even though this worthy work can be difficult. Most give up over what Jesus articulates in His next parable in Matthew 13. Watch our study as we consider the Parable of the Weeds and find encouragement to not give up.

Jesus knew that parables aren’t easily or immediately understood. And so, He ended His first parable by saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” But wouldn’t Jesus want everyone to hear and understand? Yes—but only those who genuinely desired to understand Him. For hard-hearted hearers, parables protect them from further accountability. Jesus used parables to weed out those in the multitudes who were following Him for a multitude of reasons—not simply to worship Him and hear The Ministry of The Word.

Have you ever wondered if you truly have eternal life? Many hope, wish, or even strive for it, but still aren't sure. So how can we be certain about eternal life? What are the criteria? How can we know for sure? God’s word is clear—He extends eternal life to all who believe in the name of Jesus, and wants you to know that you have eternal life. In fact, in the letter of 1 John, there are 8 times that John emphatically tells us, “By this we know…”

Compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus, all worldly treasure is ultimately insignificant. We are called to give up those things we cannot keep in order to gain a deeper, Christ-centered, joy-filled life. What might it look like for us to invest our earthly treasure for eternal impact? Watch our study of Philippians 4:10-20 as guest speaker Jim Stigman led our time considering seven marks of God-glorifying givers.

On the 1,500th Feast of Pentecost, God poured out His promised Holy Spirit upon believers in Jerusalem. After the Apostle Peter preached Christ and Him crucified, around 3,000 souls were added to the church on that day. Saved, sealed, and filled with the Holy Spirit, there were a few core components for these brand-new Spirit-filled believers: the Word of God, fellowship, prayer, and communion. These simple core components have been the foundation for the church since then. Not because we want to earn points with God, but because we truly love Him.

In Matthew 24:12, Jesus warns us that because of the increase of wickedness in the last days, the love of most will grow cold (Matthew 24:12). There is a slow-moving, seemingly unstoppable wave of what the Bible calls wickedness. The only way to withstand this flood of wickedness is to have your life firmly founded on the rock of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, you too will be swept up and carried away without even realizing it's happening. Watch our study on 2 Timothy 3-4 for encouragement from Paul's words to Timothy.

You’ve probably heard someone say at some point that God calls us to give tithes and offerings. They are often coupled together in our vernacular, but in scripture, they are unique—each serving a particular purpose. Tithes are our regular, planned, proportional, and responsive giving, echoing back to God a portion of what He gives us. This kind of giving is a regular act of worship. Offerings are above and beyond our tithes. This is sacrificial giving or a particular purpose. Watch our study from 2 Corinthians 8:1-12 as we consider the difference between these two ways of worshiping the Lord through our giving.

After Jesus fed the 5,000 (John 6), the people wanted to take Him by force to make Him king. But Jesus departed. The next day, some went looking for Jesus and found him in Capernaum. Jesus knew they were looking for Him to get more free food. But rather than dismissing them, Jesus engaged with them and told them that He Himself is the bread of life—the spiritual nourishment that they truly need.

Holding to cultural superstitions instead of Scripture can lead to some wacky conclusions. That’s why it’s always important to examine a belief to see if it’s following cultural norms or if it’s based in Scripture. Just as in Christian culture today, some in the Jewish culture during Jesus’ time held certain beliefs about what the devil could do that may not have been rooted in Scripture. So Jesus carefully provided some Scriptural teaching to address these ideas. 

Jesus is a gentle man. He calls out to us because He loves us. He corrects us gently and comes alongside us, asking for permission to take His rightful place upon the throne of our hearts. But Jesus doesn’t do this forcefully. He knocks at the door of our heart, but He will never pound and demand entry. He patiently convicts and convinces until a decision is made—either an invitation to enter, or a dismissal of His offer. And like a gentleman, when the knocks go unanswered, He will eventually stop knocking.