Refuge Church

In our last episode of the Exodus series, we explore one of the biggest themes in the whole Bible: Heaven on Earth.

We are almost done with the book of Exodus. But before we conclude it, we need to remember the kind of God is introduced to us in this book.

Right before the 10th plague hit, the Lord gave the most sacred holiday to the Jews: Passover. This time we discuss the full significance of the first Passover, and the best Passover that came a few hundred years later.

We finish the plagues of Egypt trying to answer this question: how is it fair that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh?

We look at the first 4 plagues that the Lord sent to Egypt. And so many questions come to our mind: Did they really happen? Weren't they just recurrent phenomena in the region? How can a loving God send them? And finally, in the context of a pandemic ravaging the world - Did God send Covid-19, as he sent the plagues to Egypt?

Pastor Fernando Chavez is our guest speaker for this week, and he presents Exodus 6 for us.

We meet the last main character of the story: Pharaoh. As we study about this mighty king, we get to understand the evil of slavery and oppression, as well as the response of God to them.

God introduces himself to Moses in the most dramatic fashion. He comes and not only gives him the task to release his people, he also discloses his name for the first time in the history of the world. As we learn his name, we learn so much about the one true God.

We start examining the life of Moses. We get to know his passions and skills, and how his actions contrasts with God's. As we do, we'll understand why God's methods are far better than ours.

We launch our new series exploring current, sensitive topics from a Biblical perspective. We study what does God think of racism, abortion, and women.

We continue with our series on health. Elder Kathy discusses practical yet profound tips in how to manage our emotional wholeness.

Althought religion is useful in times of crisis, one can be religious and also be unhealthy. How can one keep a healthy religion in this turbulents times? What are the most common traps into an unhealthy religion, and how can we avoid them?

We start the series on health and wellness. Pastor Ron tackles wellness and mental health in the context of the death of George Floyd, racism, and protests.

Elder Katherine unfolds before us the cosmic war that the entinre Universe is experiencing, and how can we survive it.

Anxiety is one of the most common mental illness, affecting 40 million adults in the US alone [before covid-19]. With a pandemic roaming around, those numbers have skyrocketed to unprecedented heights. Is there anything we can do about it? On this sermon we discuss how incredibly useful the Bible can be for people struggling with anxiety.

Peter focuses his attention on elders. He reminds them both of their general responsabilities and their specific tasks in the middle of trial. His message is useful for pastors, elders, leaders of the church, and every Christian who aspires to maturity.

We dive deep on the topic on suffering from 1 Peter. How do we deal with it? Where do we find hope? How can be surpass it? This message is especially relevant for anyone who is suffering directly or indirectly from covid-19.

We cover a single verse in our study from 1 Peter. We focus on the crazy idea that Jesus will break into history once again. We examine why Christians firmly believe on that idea, and why it's so compelling for non Christians as well.

This weekend we celebrated Easter - the victory of Jesus over death. And we'll see in 1 Peter 4, how the experience of Jesus announces what every human being can also experience: suffering, dead, and resurrection.

We resume our series on 1 Peter, tackling one of the strangest pasasges in the whole Bible. But if we keep Jesus at the center of it, it's rather simple to understand, and really valuable for the current crisis that the world lives.

Continuing with the theme of submission, Peter addresses women, and commands them how they should submit as wives. This passage has been either misunderstood or altogether ignored by modern church. Pastor Kenneth does his best in explaining the original meaning and its application for today.

From submitting to the authorities, Peter moves on to submitting to masters, either if they are good or bad. So we'll tackle about the relevance of his commandment for today, as well as the misconception that Christianity is to blame for slavery and other social evils.

After a long introduction packed with theology, now Peter moves on to the practical side. He explains how his identity as elect exiles should play out in the real world. And one of the first applications, is that they should be submitted to everyone, including the emperor. The message from Peter is timely, since the US government is embattled in a fierce fight, and the US president was just acquitted from impeachment.

Our guest speaker, pastor Peter Iwankiw, continues our study on 1 Peter. He focuses on the amazing calling of Christians, and the blessings a follower of Jesus enjoys.

The word "Holy" has a bad rap in mainstream culture. People often associate it with closed-minded, restrictive, old-fashioned folks. In reality, holiness is a wonderful characteristic that, when we have it, can make us happier, better members of society, and present a better case for Christianity.

No one would deny the cultural and historical value of the Bible, but who on this day and age would take it seriously? Complains about this book range from its outdated authorship, to its many possible interpretations, to the excesses and crimes committed by its followers. This Saturday we'll explore why the Bible is still incredibly useful for our post-modern life, what is its ultimate message, and why we should take it seriously.

Christianity is known for offering salvation. But sometimes is not clear what does that really mean. The term may be even sound offensive to some: Why do I need to be saved? What am I supposedly saved from? This Saturday, we'll have an overview of the meaning of salvation, and why is so desirable, no matter your social status or overall success in life.

At the beginning of his letter, Peter mentions his God. But this Deity is unlike anything else the world has ever heard before. He is not like the other gods around. Reason alone could not be of no help to deduct his nature. He is complex, intricate, multifaceted –a mystery. On this occasion we'll try to unravel the mystery of God, and see why is so important for our day-to-day lives to have a good understanding of him.

Peter is probably the best known disciple of Jesus. He had a big heart and a big mouth. When Jesus went back to Heaven, he was left in charge of the church. As the movement grew, so did the troubles, and eventually Peter got so much heat that he had to run from Jerusalem. Near the end of his live, he writes a letter for all the new churches in the Empire, who are also facing oppression and persecution. He talks about embracing their new identity as followers of Jesus, and how to suffer well.

At the very end of the book of Ruth the big plot twist is revealed: Ruth is the ancestor of the great King David. This poor, widowed, Moabite woman is the great great grandma of the most renowed King of Israel. In this sermon we explore why is that so significant, and why is that good news to us as well.

Boaz commits to resolve the legal situation of Ruth after the interesting time they had in the field. He promises he will find a redeemer for her, though maybe he secretly wants to ensure he is that person. As we study the legal transaction that takes place in the gates of the city, we can learn principles about marriage and singleness.

Our guest speaker continues the story of Ruth and Boaz, and how the audacious proposal by Ruth unfolds. As we learn the story we will also find incredibly principles for plannig and dreaming.

Ruth and Boaz have been friends for a while, but nothing happens between them. Naomi, seeing that they should be together, gives an audacious advice to the young Moabite. As we learn what was the advice we can also learn several guidelines for dating in the 21st Century.

Last week we learned about Boaz and how he represents the ideal of God for single men. He was a wealthy man, and he was also caring and compassionate to people. On this message we'll talk about the ideal of God for single women!

We are loving the new series on the book of Ruth. If you haven't had a chance to come hear the messages, don't miss tomorrow's service. If you have come, you can't miss it either because we are going to meet the last hero of the story: Boaz!.Through him we learn what God expects from single men, and what single ladies should look for on a man.

The genius of the book of Ruth is that there's nothing uncommon, miraculous, or extraordinary on it. There are no miraculous signs or angels coming from heaven. It's just the story of common people going through common struggles of life. Just like us. And yet, on this story we are able to see the hand of God behind the scenes. And it helps us to understand the complex doctrine of Providence: how God is always at work in common people, through common means. On this sermon we'll study the Divine Providence.

We are continuing our new series on the book of Ruth. On this occasion we will focus on one of the most famous conversations from the book, the dramatic goodbye between Ruth a Naomi. And there is no one better to preach a conversation between two women, than another woman. We have Vivien Vazquez with us as a guest speaker.

In the Old Testament there's a tiny little book with big lessons for our times. The book of Ruth tells the story of a brave woman who left everything behind to pursue the Lord. She didn't grow up knowing about Him, and yet He had a great plan for her life. Through Ruth's story, we gain lessons about friendships, singleness, romantic relationships, and everything else in between. On the first sermon of this new series, we take an unexpected turn to one of the most common -an yet rarely explored- themes of the Bible: immigration.

As we reach the final of our series in the Creed is time to see the final destinity of redeemed and unredeemeed people,;what would happen to both groups when when Jesus come back. You may think you know what will happen, but there are a couple of big surprises in store for us.

We are almost done with the series on the creed. On this occasion we cover the most fantastic hope that Christianity offers: bodily resurrection. We tackle the common misconceptions of what happen after we die, what is the real promise that God gives to those that believe in him, and how the resurrection of Jesus ties everything together.

One of the most misunderstood topics in Christianity is the Holy Spirit. A lot of people associate it with a dove, with a force, with supernatural experiences. What is the Holy Spirit? (Or rather, who is him?) What does he do? And what's all the fuss about him? On this message we will explose the nature of the Spirit.

In mainstream culture, Jesus is a middle eastern teacher who was both wise and loving. He is often associated with a cross and an empty tomb, and not a lot more. The majority of people, including professed Christians, are oblivious about the current estate and activities of Jesus. And yet, in order to fully understand his character, we need to be aware of where Jesus currently is, what is he up to, and what his next move will be.

Everything that we have studied in the Creed so far until now, the deity and humanity of Jesus, his crucifixion, all of that is great, but wihtout the resurrection, it's all utterly meaningless. If Jesus did not in fact rise from the dead two thousand years ago, we can conclude without the shadow of a doubt that all his claims, that he was the Messiah, the Son of God, that he could give eternal life, etc. all of that are nothing but lies. On this message we'll analyze the facts about the cornerstone belief of Christianity: the resurrection of Jesus.

The one thing that everyone knows about Jesus is that he died by crucifixion. The cross has been assimilated by modern society, and we can see it in movies, books, arts, jewelry, and pop culture. Though familiar with the symbol, most people are unaware of the ancient horrors of crucifixion, and the excruciating process of this method of torture. On this message we'll explore what the death of Jesus was actually like, and we'll see how his followers dealt with the shock of seeing his master tormented to death.

We believe that Jesus is God, and we are unapologetic about that. But if he is indeed God, why did he come down to earth? What kind of divinity would want to defile himself with the suffering and decay that is found in our tiny, insignificant planet? As we continue with our analysis on the creed, we'll explore what's the reason that Jesus, being God himself, chose to leave behind his dimension and dwell among us.

Who is Jesus? There are as many answers as people around the world. Jesus can be a guru, a philosopher, an enlightened one, a preacher, a prophet, an impostor, the first socialist ever. Can we really know who is he? Of course we can; once we stop projecting our own agendas and preferences on him, his identity becomes quite clear. As we continue studying the Creed, we will examine the real identity of Jesus, as understood by the Nazarene himself.

As we go through the Apostle' Creed sentence by sentence, we tackle the idea of God this week. The beginning of the Creed describes the Christian God. It reads: "I believe in God, the Father almighthy, creator of heaven and earth". This week we discuss who is this God, what he is really like, and why the Christian depiction of God has more merit than the hundred of other ones out there.

There are so many flavors of Christianity. So many denominations, traditions, and emphases. And yet, the vast majority of Christians through history agree on the basic tenets of faith. They all can affirm the Apostle's Creed, a short declaration composed a few generations after the Bible was finalized. For the next 3 months, we'll explore the Creed, which can be comforting, challenging, confusing, and surprisingly practical.

As we finish the book of Proverbs, it's time to change to focus from enhacing our lives to helping the people around us. On this sermon we will study what the book of Proverbs has to say on service.

We are getting close to the end of our series on the book of Proverbs. On this message we will learn with us what this book says about the heart.