Renovate

We're constantly asking ourselves who we are. We develop, work on, exercise, mature, educate and refine ourselves; and we ask a lot of questions along the way. Questions like: "Who do you want me to be?" or if we're feeling particularly healthy, "Who do I want to be?" But the reality underneath all of our personal development and refinement is that we actually started with something broken that we're desperately trying to fix.

We live in a culture that has two responses to this brokenness: One response comes in the form of voices of affirmation, keeping us feeling broken or unworthy; magnifying any emptiness, loneliness or anxiety as it creeps in. Those voices offer inadequate solutions to actually fix these growing problems. The other response we often find are the voices that would tell us we're not inherently broken. There's nothing wrong with us. We're just victims, and any inadequate feelings we have must be because of someone else, and we should punish them and move toward any truth that makes us feel most comfortable.

There's a third option: Christians talk about it all the time, but their lives often reveal a difficult journey in applying it. Join our conversation as we dig into Scripture and ask a miraculous God to do miracles in our life as we ask Him the question: Who do you say that I am?

Looking for more conversation on this? Check out this resource for one of the best water cooler convos of your life! More about us? Go to https://renovateftw.org for find us on Instagram and Facebook: @renovateftw

Did you know there’s a right and wrong way to follow Jesus? Did you know the teachings of Jesus aren’t suggestions on ways we should live? When Jesus came, He came to establish His kingdom. And like any kingdom, there are expectations of how its citizens are to function. The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ inaugural address. It’s His declaration of what it means to be a citizen in the Kingdom of God. Join us for our new series as we learn what it looks like to pledge allegiance to The Kingdom.

While community involves our brothers and sisters in Christ, it doesn’t stop there. It’s not a social club for like-minded people. It’s a vehicle for taking the message of the gospel to the world. While we show love to one another, we also show to love to those who are far from Jesus.

A community built solely on a grace is a lopsided community. Is grace of monumental importance? Yes. But a community also needs truth. A healthy gospel-centered community is one that knows people need to hear hard things from time to time. A healthy gospel-centered community is one that doesn’t shy away from correction or rebuke. A healthy gospel-centered community is one that can walk the line between grace and truth.

So much of the Christian life is spent pretending to be who we think we should be. We talk a big game about vulnerability. And while we might be transparent from time to time, we’re rarely truly vulnerable. We rarely allow people to see the parts of who we are that bring us deep shame. Why? Because we fear that is people really knew us, they wouldn’t love us. The gospel, however, frees us to stop hiding. The grace of Jesus frees us to take off the mask, to step out from behind the bushes, and to be truly vulnerable.

Every person on the planet craves community. But not all communities are created equal. And since we’re so desperate for community we’ll oftentimes settle for community that is less than ideal because a community is better than no community. But what if there was a community that strove to provide a space to be fully known and fully loved? What if there was a community uniquely designed to bring about deep, rich friendships? What if there was a community that leaves you better than when they found you? Good news. That community exists if we’re willing to fight for it.