​We often give Peter a hard time for failing in his faith after he got out of the boat (see Matthew 14:30). But we must remember that he was the only one of the Apostles who actually had the faith to get out of the boat.

When we consider this event (recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John), we realize that Peter was afraid of sinking in knee-deep water. It was only when he took his eyes off of Jesus and focused on his circumstances that he began to sink.

We may falter in our ventures of faith, but we too must get out of the boat to be equipped by Jesus to do what He commands us to do—even if it’s impossible for us. When we take our eyes off of Jesus and fret over our circumstances, our faith will falter too—even if we are in knee-deep water.

Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author, perfector, and finisher of your faith. He will equip you to do what He commands you to do—even if it seems impossible. Nothing is too difficult for the Lord! 

​There’s no difference between the miraculous power of multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish to feed over 5,000 people and walking on water. And yet, just after the first miracle, the Apostles were surprised by another amazing miracle.

Are we any different? Just as the Apostles quickly forgot the miracle they witnessed, we also begin to forget—whether we are five feet or five minutes from God. Doubt starts to harden our hearts, and we’re surprised when Jesus does something that He promised He would do. 

Thankfully, Jesus knows this about us. Instead of condemning us, He continually calls us to Himself to make us into His disciples. This was just one of the many lessons learned as we studied a wild interaction with Jesus in Matthew 14. 

God’s vision for His church isn’t complicated: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39)

From these commandments, we see the vision for the church summarized in three words: Worship, Discipleship, and Evangelism.

We worship the Lord with all that we are and all that we have. Our love for our neighbor takes two shapes: if they follow Jesus, we encourage and help them in their faith (that’s discipleship). If they do not yet follow Jesus, we introduce them to Him (that’s evangelism).

The purpose of the church is to mature believers for the work of the ministry (see Ephesians 4:11-12). And it looks like what the church did when it first began: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42) When we gather, we study the Word of God, enjoy fellowship with one another, partake in communion together, and seek the Lord in prayer.

​This is all we’ve got…but this is all we really need!

​On the first Sunday of the year, we review the history, vision, purpose, and practice of Refuge to answer these questions: What are we doing? Why are we doing it? What does it look like? We turn to the Bible to find the answers to those important questions so we can understand God's vision for His church.

Happy New Year! A new year brings new beginnings! For many, it’s a time to recommit to reading through the entire Bible by the end of the year. Reading schedules can be helpful, but life happens, and it’s easy to become overwhelmed by missing a day, or two…or three!

Three and One is different.

All you need is your Bible and two bookmarks. That’s it. No matter how long it has been since you last read, just pick up where you left off and read three chapters from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. If you do this, five out of the seven days in a week, you will work your way through the entire Bible in one year (Psalms & Proverbs excluded). After you read the day's chapters, listen to corresponding episode where I will share insights and encouragements.

May God richly blesses you as you continue down the narrow path of knowing Him, and enjoying Him, forever!

“My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’
And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
—Psalm 27:8

Jesus could have miraculously prepared a meal for the multitude before Him without asking the disciples to do it. But He includes them in the work of ministry so that they can learn and grow. He will never command us to do something that He didn’t already intend to empower us to do. 

And yet, He often commands us to do something that is far beyond our abilities (”You give them something to eat.”) and calls us to Himself (”Bring what you do have here to Me.”).

In response, when we place what we have to offer in His hands, Jesus blesses it, breaks it, and multiplies it—equipping us to obey what He tells us to do. This pattern repeats in the lives of all those who want to love and obey Him. He constantly calls us to things that are beyond our ability, and as we learn along the way, we discover a very valuable lesson: where God guides, God will provide. 

In his commentary on the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, Scottish Pastor Alexander Maclaren wrote:

“Learn that the audacity of a faith that expects great things, though there be nothing visible upon which to build, is wiser and more prudent than the creeping common-sense that adheres to facts which are shadows, and forgets that the chief fact is that we have an Almighty Helper and Friend at our sides.”

With audacious faith, we are expecting great things from our Helper and Friend, as we put what we have into His hands, asking Him to bless, break, and miraculously multiply, so that many can be ministered to.

We invite you to do the same. Click here to make a year-end gift to our building fund.

May the peace, hope, and joy of Christ fill your heart today & throughout the coming year!

In each Gospel, we see a different perspective of Jesus that gives us a complete picture of who He really is. In Matthew, we see Jesus as the pre-existent King. In Mark, Jesus is portrayed as the humble suffering Servant. In Luke, Jesus is seen as the Son of Man. And in John, we see Jesus as the Son of God. In each Gospel account, we see these emphases reflected in the account of Jesus’ birth. Watch our service from Christmas Eve as we reflect on the birth of our Savior, when the Infinite became infant and the Maker became man.

There were a couple of things that caused Jesus to marvel. But it wasn’t what or who you’d expect. It wasn’t power, wealth, or fame. Jesus marveled at the faith of both Jews and Gentiles–both the presence of and the lack of faith.

The Gentiles had no history, heritage, knowledge, or understanding of the meaning and value of the Messiah. But this was not a disadvantage. In fact, it was quite the opposite. The Jews (especially in His hometown of Nazareth) knew enough for it to be dangerous for them. They had an odd and unhealthy presumption of familiarity. They knew a little, and so they thought they knew it all. This led them to an unwillingness not only to receive from Jesus but also to believe in Him.

But we never do that…do we?

Avoid an odd and unhealthy presumption of familiarity with Jesus. Keep your fellowship with Him fresh. Reject any presumption that equates knowing a little about Jesus with knowing all about Jesus. This kind of unhealthy relationship to Jesus can lead to contempt—or even worse—unbelief.

Approach Him with humility, as a child would—no culture, no history, no heritage. Just Jesus and His Word. Learn from Him and learn of Him.