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Who Was Matthew from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. How much do we know about Matthew, who became one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus? We know that Matthew was the son of Alphaeus (Mark 2:14). Another of Jesus' disciples, James the Lesser, is also identified as the son of Alphaeus. However, it seems unlikely that the two were closely related....

The Shadow from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When I was around ten, a well-meaning soul took me bar-hopping after a long day of fishing. Jesus said, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," and I do believe that's what they would have liked done to them. It was a fairly common occurrence. That was a school day, so they stopped in,...

Positive and Negative from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. We live in uncertain and troublesome times. Fear is on the rise, and no one knows what tomorrow will bring. The news seems only bad, and each day, something new stokes the fire, replacing what we thought was the worst with something worse. The ingenious Homer Simpson, when his son...

Overcoming Fear in a Turbulent World from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt when he was about 80. However, upon reaching the Promised Land, the people discovered there were giants living there, which made them feel like grasshoppers (Numbers 13:33). Consequently, they decided to stone Moses, appoint...

The Woman at the Well from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When Jesus was traveling from Judea to Galilee, He stopped in a town called Sychar. While resting at the well and waiting for His disciples to return from grocery shopping, He had a conversation with a Samaritan woman who came to the well during the heat of the day. (John 4:3–6 NASB)...

Rivers of Living Water from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When someone is speaking, it is helpful to know the context and their environment to fully grasp what they mean. Consider the words of Jesus in John chapter 7: (John 7:37 NKJV) On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let...

Good Neighbors from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. We need to be good neighbors, and in turn, make the world a better place. Ever since Adam and Eve had children and one killed the other, learning to live in peace has been an ongoing thing. Most of the Ten Commandments are about how we treat each other. The word neighbor occurs about 153 times...

The Carpenter from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Jesus left His hometown of Nazareth around the age of thirty, where He had grown up and worked as a carpenter. Later, He returned as a rabbi with a group of disciples following Him, and the locals were astonished. (Mark 6:1–3 NKJV) Then He went out from there and came to His own country,...

Cranking It to Eleven from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. This is not the message I sat down to write. Partway through, the Holy Spirit hijacked it and made it something else. I don't want to upset you, but like Paul, I also don't want you to be ignorant (1 Corinthians 12:1). This is a rather long message, but it would be an injustice not...

Prayer Warrior from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. I have heard people teach that one should pray once "in faith" and never mention it again. The idea is that God has heard you and will bring it to pass when He is ready. There may be a time for that, but that is not how Elijah, Elisha, Daniel, Paul, or Jesus Christ prayed. Now, I totally...

The Underdogs from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. In today's world, people too often chase superficial and fleeting beauty. Supermodels are everywhere in advertising. Even the computer geeks we see on TV now have six-pack abs - if only that were true! We're bombarded with images of glamour models flaunting their wealth, fancy yachts, perfect...

Go in the Strength You Have from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Lord will intentionally place you in hopeless situations and separate you from those who might have helped you in order to teach you to trust in Him. He has done this throughout scripture, just as He instructed Abraham to leave his father's house and homeland to travel to a...

The Dark Night of the Soul from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. As Pastors, we receive many prayer requests about hearing the Lord, or more specifically, not hearing Him. When people are in a difficult situation, it becomes difficult to hear Him, and too often, they begin to feel like failures. They blame themselves and feel as if there must be...

Giants and Grasshoppers from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There are unseen forces all around us that we don't notice and may even take for granted. Consider gravity, without which we would drift off into space. You can't see it, though you interact with it all day. It holds your couch to the floor and your house to the ground. Although you...

The Night Before Christmas from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Imagine what it must have been like to be in Bethlehem, a cozy little town surrounded by green rolling hills, on the very first Christmas Eve over 2,000 years ago. Think about a time before we had electricity, twinkling Christmas lights and the happy holiday songs we sing today....

Treasure Chests from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Treasure chests are special boxes crafted to hold something precious. Just as a treasure chest, we, too, can be vessels for something incredibly valuable: the Holy Spirit. Think about the Ark of the Covenant, which Moses constructed according to God's precise blueprint: (Exodus 25:10–11...

The Door from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Over the years, I have sometimes asked the Lord what I am supposed to be doing now. That door closed, and that job ended. What now? What is Your perfect will for me? Sometimes, this became stressful because I couldn't hear anything when I thought I really needed to. Yet, most of the time, it was...

I Will Not Fear from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When God calls you to do something, fear is usually the first guardian you will encounter if you manage to overcome laziness and procrastination. It is so important to press on even though we are afraid of what may happen. In 1 Samuel, young David had a calling on his life to become the...

Jesus said there was one way to show everyone we are truly His disciples: by loving one another. Love is not a choice, an option, a recommendation, or a suggestion; it is a commandment. Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you." If we do not love each other, we are disobedient. (John 13:34–35 NKJV) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as...

Teachings inspired by the Holy Spirit are refreshing, but teachings from men are like throwing a wet blanket on the fire: they quench the Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings freedom, but legalism and men's doctrines bring bondage. Consider these two verses: (2 Corinthians 3:17 NKJV) Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (Luke 11:46...

In Chapter 10 of the Book of Acts, we meet Cornelius, who lives in Caesarea. This stunning Roman city, built on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, bustled with life and culture. With around 50,000 residents, it served as the home of the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate. Caesarea was truly a marvel of its time, featuring impressive aqueducts that brought in fresh water,...

During Hurricane Hugo, I saw a barn fall from the sky and land in the middle of the road, but you couldn't see the wind that did it. You could hear it roaring, and the wind would almost blow you down, but it was invisible to the eye. Though we can't see the wind blowing, we can certainly observe its effects and feel the air movement on our skin. For example, you can see someone's hair blowing...

In all types of sports, competitors may make mistakes, get frustrated, and even ruin the rest of their game. Sometimes, they get so focused on the goal they missed, the throw they botched, or the catch they dropped, that they let it affect their next play. This tendency has to be trained out of them. A key part of becoming a great athlete is learning to shake off mistakes and keep their focus...

Too often, we find ourselves playing it safe, staying on the sidelines, and hesitating to fully trust God with our lives. Maybe we choose comfort over stepping out to serve or avoid difficult conversations where we could share our faith. This approach can leave us with a watered-down faith - bland, colorless, and without the power that makes Christianity truly alive and compelling. It's the kind...

Moses had been tending sheep for forty years in the land of Midian when the Lord appeared to him in a burning bush. The bush was on fire but never burned up. The Lord told Moses that He had heard the cries of the Israelites who were suffering as slaves in Egypt. Then He said, "Come now, and I will send you." (Exodus 3:10). Then, an interesting conversation unfolded. Moses knew how powerful the...

Jesus was only hours away from being arrested. He had poured His life into the twelve Apostles, teaching them all things. Yet, on their way to their last supper together, the Apostles argued over who was the greatest among them. Add in a little pride and a little knowledge, and young men tend to puff up (1 Corinthians 8:1). It reminds me of seminary all over again. During their last supper together,...

In the first chapter of the Bible, we see God, our loving Awesome Creator, bringing the universe into existence with His words. Every part of His creation is not just good but perfect—full of purpose, harmony, and life. From the stars in the sky to the ground beneath our feet, every living thing was crafted with intention. And when He created us, humanity, He declared that it was very good. (Genesis...

Much like a newborn infant cannot compare in wisdom to a seasoned elder, so too is our understanding of God if we neglect the lessons of the Old Testament. Their experiences and overcoming faith are examples for us today. The Old Testament is not just ancient history - it's God's story for us, full of lessons that shape our faith today. Once, when I was studying the book of Revelation and end-time...

In Matthew 12:33, Jesus said that a tree is known by the fruit it bears. By trees, He meant people, and the fruit was their actions and attitudes. This is a common theme in the Gospels. John the Baptist said it like this: (Matthew 3:10 NKJV) And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Then Jesus...

Teach a Man to Fish from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today, I want to talk about something crucial for our spiritual walk: listening to the Holy Spirit for ourselves instead of relying on someone else to tell us what He said. It's kind of like that old saying, "Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day; teach a man to fish, and he'll...