Renew San Diego

JEREMIAH 29:4-16

When we look at what is around us and cooperate with God to bring shalom into our neighborhoods and cities, truly amazing things happen. 

No matter who you meet today, they have suffered. 

No matter who you engage with today, they have stories of challenges that they have overcome or are trying to overcome. 

The ripple effects of renewal are long last, and reach much farther than we will ever know. 

Ephesians 4:1-16

Paul tells us that we are far more valuable, honorable, and important than we realize, and he admonishes us to act like it. 

In Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and his spirit that comes to us, we hear him say, “You are my beloved, in whom I’m well pleased. That’s the truest thing about you, so remember that when you go out into the world.”

The call to be reunited to God, reconnected to one another, and redirected out into the world is the life-blood of the Christians in every time, place, and language. 

ACTS 19:23-41

If we turn good things into ultimate things, they become idols that will ultimately crumble. An idol is whatever we look to aside from God to tell ourselves that everything will be okay, that we’re secure, and that we have meaning. 

Our work, image, and relationships are good things, but they will always let us down when they become the ultimate thing. 

We're invited to turn to God as our source of joy and meaning.

ACTS 17: 16-34

Our monuments tell us about what we value.

The Athenians’ monument to the “Unknown god” is also a picture of one of our deepest longings: we long for a connection to the transcendent. 

Paul makes the case that this longing can be fulfilled in the God who has been revealed in Jesus of Nazareth. 

What are the monuments in your life? Can you imagine putting your faith in something that actually makes you more resilient, when all else fails? 

ACTS 9:36-43

When we encounter Jesus, it is common for us to think, “How can this be?”

Jesus is so approachable and human, and yet to get in proximity to him is to have your life and perspective changed.

ACTS 10:27-48

God’s renewal comes first through God’s own initiative. In all conversions, there is always a moment when we realize that it’s God who is pursuing us. 

God pursues us with more love than we are able to give to ourselves. 

Where are you invited to recognize God’s love and renewal in your life?

ACTS 9: 1-19

Everyone is in a process of conversion and transformation. The question is, are you aware of what’s working on you? Are you consciously aware of the person that you are becoming? 

ACTS 8:26-39

Our culture has made the fear of those who are different from us a sport. At the core of the gospel is a call to bring different groups of people together in Christ with unity, charity, and grace. The gospel has the unique power to break through all sorts of walls that we have built against one another. 

ACTS 6:8-14; 7:1-2A, 51-60; 8:1-2

Christianity presents one of the best systems for handling suffering in the world. There is a God who has suffered on our behalf and walks through with us now and will one day heal all things.  

ACTS 6: 1-7

The earliest church, all the way to the church today, and the local church, all the way to the global church, is not only a movement, it’s a community. 

The church has always been made up of different people who wouldn’t normally be a part of each other’s lives - it was and is a diverse family.

We are invited to gather around Jesus together, with our differences