Renewal Church

Often soldiers who are deployed and spend a season (6-18 months) isolated from community and under threat of danger experience ptsd. A symptom of ptsd is often emotional numbness. As we emerge from the trauma of social isolation and the very real threat of physical suffering I wonder if some of us feel emotionally numb in our personal relationship with Christ. How do we combat this numbness? How do we press in to find the intimacy Jesus has for us?

The relationship with our fathers is often seen as analogous to our relationship with God, the one true Father for all. Today, as we celebrate Father's Day in America, Pastor Ulysses invites us to reflect on the characteristics of fatherhood in the context of our faith in Jesus, and how by modeling fatherhood after God's Fatherhood, we can help show the love of God to our children.

Where are you invested? In stocks and bonds or in the kingdom of God? In the final message in our series on heavenly reward, Pastor Ulysses teaches that while money and possessions in this life will not stay with us after we die, heavenly treasure will last for eternity. Where we invest our material possessions reveals what we really care about. When our focus is on heavenly things, we live in a way that brings light to the world.

We live in a reality where earthly rewards often drive the "why" behind what we do in life, but as Christians who aspire to live as God intended, what does that mean for us? In Luke 14, Jesus says: "when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed". This week, Pastor Ulysses' sermon centers around the idea of doing for those who can't give back, with the understanding that although these deeds come with no earthly retribution, the biggest prize comes from our God who is watching above.

Why do we follow Jesus? As Christians, we often feel that we should do so solely because of His sacrifice on the cross and its implications in this world, but another very real motivation is the fact that we get to spend eternal life in heaven with Jesus. But is it bad to follow Jesus with this kind of rewards-based thinking? This week, Pastor Ulysses preaches about to view heavenly rewards as one of multiple motivations for following Jesus, and how the fact that God rewards those commensurate to their obedience should drive us to earnestly pursue Jesus in every aspect of our lives.

In Matthew 23, Jesus says to do everything the Pharisees tell you to do. Why is this, when he also often rebukes and criticizes them? It wasn't that the content of their teaching was incorrect or particularly bad. Jesus rebukes the Pharisess because they do not live according to what they preach. This week, Pastor Ulysses teaches about the effects of this hypocrisy: people develop an incongruency between their public and private lives, striving to look good and be exalted in the eyes of others. He reminds us that Christians can live humbly without validation from the world, knowing that God sees those who serve in secret.

Usually, we find the Pharisees trying to trick Jesus; they ask him tough questions trying to get him to say something wrong. This week, Pastor Ulysses teaches about one encounter where Jesus instead puts them on the defense. He asks them a question which reveals they didn't care about the nature of Jesus' authority. If we say we recognize Jesus' authority, then we must also live every aspect of our lives choosing to do as he says.

In the New Testament, Jesus performed many signs and miracles, often to the amazement and benefit of those around him. Yet in Matthew 12, we see Jesus rebuking the Pharisees when they ask him for a sign. Despite the positive nature of signs, why does he do this? Today, Pastor Ulysses explains why as Christians we shouldn't rely on signs to fuel our faith, and how we should instead constantly fill ourselves with the things of God to have a substantive relationship with Him.

As Christians, we may often experience the dissonance of having two lives - a Christian life, and a worldy life. Alongside our obligations to the world is a constant call to also devote our lives to God. How are we to live both in this world and also wholeheartedly for Jesus? Today, Pastor Ulysses’ sermon focuses on this question, preaching from the book of Mark, and how through wisdom and loving God, we can live a life of wholeness before Him.