(re)new

As summer turns to fall, young and old alike experience a season of fresh starts and new beginnings. It’s not as though everything is completely new, but there is a sense of renewal among us. In a technical sense, renewal holds several shades of nuance and meaning. On the one hand, it can describe the resuming of activity after interruption. Renewal signifies a restart. In other contexts, renewal extends the validity of terms to the present moment. A license, a subscription or a library book can be renewed with a sense of recommitment for the future. And yet, in a different sense, renewal can also be used to describe the renovation of something that is worn out or broken. Sometimes, due to wear and tear, there is need for repair. Restarts. Recommitments. Repairs. Often, renewal involves a little bit of all three. And fortunately, God is the master of renewal.

For the next few months, we are going to talk as a church community about who we are, where we are going and what it looks like to contend for that which matters most. We are a church that declares our pursuit of living everyday so that everyone experiences Jesus and His Kingdom come. And we are committed to see that happen by being and making disciples who are radically transformed by the gospel. For that to bloom in full, we are leaning into the God who is making “all things new.”

"Stories of Renewal, identity, & Community" Hebrews 12:1-2 - (re)new

Renewal of Identity: Part 3 (Personal Identity) - (re)new

"Renewal of Identity: Part 2 (False Identity)" Eph. 4:17-24 - (re)new

As we continue to talk about identity in the process of renewal, we will look at the false identities we so easily entertain. In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, he calls the people of God to avoid the way of the Gentiles and in doing so, repeatedly emphasizes that the core of the battle is in our minds. Putting off and putting on takes place in the thought processes and imaginations of the people of God. In order to fully put on the new, we must be aware of the false identities that have shaped our thinking. These false identities involve the names we called by culture, by others, by our sin and by ourselves. Transformation that stems from the renewal of our minds begins here and reveals in the truth of our real identity.

"Renewal of Identity: Part 1 (Biblical Identity)" Matthew 3:13-17 - (re)new

This week we are shifting our focus from "the real God" to "the real you" to talk about identity. If you come to the Bible and ask the question, “God, who do you say that I am?” you will find numerous answers. In the Scriptures, all throughout the story of God’s redemption of His creation, you will find God time and again calling His people with clarity around who they are. The Bible has clear and serious answers to the question of identity. But among the many names that God calls his own, there is one identity that stands as foundational to them all. We are going to explore the scene of Jesus' baptism to discover how that passage and the idea of being the beloved gives shape to every other identity.

"Renewal of Friendship with God" John 15:12-17 - (re)new

There are many ways a person conceives of God that shapes their relationship with God. While it is true that God is Almighty, All-Powerful, Sovereign and perfect in HIs holiness, the storyline of the Bible reveals that this same God delights in humanity, draws near and even dares to call people His friends. Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day. Abraham is repeatedly called a friend of God. Moses is graced with the chance to speak to God face to face as a man speaks to his friend. David is a man after God's own heart. And then, when Jesus arrives, He flips the paradigm in John 15 and explains that His disciples are not just servants but friends. This week, as we continue to unpack our theme of relational renewal, we are going to explore what friendship might look like as a paradigm for engaging God in the details of every day life.

"Renewal of Listening" John 10 - (re)new

In John 10, Jesus is speaking to his disciples and makes some bold an audacious claims. He takes them outside to the sheepfold to teach them lessons about the Kingdom of God. In doing so, he reveals that the Good Shepherd is deeply committed to a search and rescue mission to round up the sheep that belong to Him so that they may know Him, hear His voice and follow His lead. This, according to Jesus, seems to be normal discipleship: sheep that know the Shepherd in deep and intimate ways, hear His voice and are called by name. A life of discipleship and relational renewal is built on the idea of a God who speaks and a life that listens. This week, we will explore the various ways that God speaks to His people and how we might best know what He is saying.

"Renewal of Presence" Exodus 33 - (re)new

Relational renewal begins a vision for the God for which you have been created. God the Father did not send the Son, Jesus, into the world to obtain right behavior, right thinkers or to obtain an effective workforce alone. The Christian God- Father, Son and Spirit- is a relational community of love that seeks to be with us for His glory. This theme- God with us- is the vision God has for humanity. God loves to be with His people. This week, as we explore Exodus 33, we are given a snapshot of God's heart for us as a New Testament, Jesus-loving, Holy-Spirit filled new covenant people. God's interaction with Moses and the people of Israel as they prepare to move from the wilderness into the Promised Land reveals the priority of the presence of God and a picture of what it can be like- "face to face as a man speaks with a friend." We are a people of the presence of God and everything else finds its place underneath that pursuit. This gift is ours to prize because of Christ.

"A Devoted Community" Titus 3:3-8

"Trellis & the Vine" John 15:1-8 (re)new

As we continue to paint the picture of "Relational Renewal" at Reality Church, this week we will focus on the environments of transformation. Radical Gospel transformation doesn't happen in a vacuum, not does it happen without some structures. In John 15, Jesus uses the life of the vineyard as an analogy for life in the Kingdom of God. He talks in detail about the "life of the vine" - the vine, branches, the Vinedresser, pruning and fruit. However, the hidden and assumed element in HIs teaching is the trellis upon which the life of the vine flourishes. From Jesus' life and ministry, we discover that there has to be structures in place (invitation, community, time, intentionality, and expectation of obedience) to uphold the flourishing life that abiding in Christ brings. The trellis is not the focus or the point. But it is a necessary element to see relational renewal with God, self and others.

"Renewing our Vision/Mission" Mark 1:14-18 - (re)new

Stepping into the first week of this new series, we will spend some time refreshing our vision and mission along with understanding of renewal. As a church community, there are some distinctive ideas that we are committed to contending for among the push and pull of life and culture. Kingdom. Discipleship. Transformation. Jesus invites us to live a different way in a different story. May the Spirit bring renewal among us in every sense of the word.