​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.

​Throughout the Gospels, Jesus prioritized teaching over miracles. His goal was for people to seek a genuine relationship with God. Returning to Nazareth (His hometown), there may have been a special hopefulness as He preached and taught the Word of God to his family and friends. Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out that way. The unhealthy assumption of familiarity led to contempt, offense, and a tragic limitation of what Jesus was able to do for the people in Nazareth. 

Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?”
-Matthew 13:51

The word translated as “understood” means “to put together.” Jesus is asking those who follow Him if they’ve put together what He’s taught through parables in Matthew 13. 

There’s a lot to put together. The reality of counterfeit Christians. The reality of Satan’s emissaries. The reality of the judgment to come, where there will be wailing, weeping, and gnashing of teeth in the furnace of fire. The reality that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s holy standard. The reality that all are unjust and unrighteous? And that there will be a just judgment for the unjust and the unrighteous for all of eternity?

This is the bad news. 

But there’s Good News. You are the treasure that God seeks. You are the pearl of great price. Jesus gave all that He has to rescue you and redeem you so that you don’t have to enter into the eternal judgment that your sins deserve. 

To appreciate the Good News, the bad news must also be communicated. We must love people enough to tell them what they need to be saved from. The Good News is only good if the bad news is understood.

Join us for a special Christmas Eve Candlelight Service as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. This special service will be packed with Christmas-focused worship, a special Christmas message, and a time singing Christmas hymns by candlelight. This will be a family-style worship service (no Kid's Ministry offered—please plan accordingly).