Refresh
The Salvation Army Gwinnett
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Coming to you from The Salvation Army of Gwinnett County, Georgia, 'Refresh' is a podcast designed to revive, recharge, and renew your faith. It provides tools and insights for following Jesus, aiming to strengthen listeners' spiritual lives. The podcast features discussions and teachings centered on Christian faith and personal growth.
Епизоде
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The Sermon on the Mount (week 4: Salt & Light) 14.09.2026 45минJesus uses two simple but powerful images in the Sermon on the Mount to describe who His followers are: salt and light. Both were essential to survival in the ancient world, making them deeply meaningful illustrations. Christians are called to be distinct from the world around them, genuinely engaged with it, and impactful in the lives of others. Salt does its work by making contact, and light does its work by entering darkness. In the same way, faith is not meant to be kept private or hidden. The ultimate goal is not personal reputation or admiration, but that others would see a difference in how we live and give glory to God. We were not made to exist for ourselves. Like salt and light, we are most valuable when we are doing what we were created to do. -
The Sermon on the Mount (Week 3: Blessed to be Different) 08.09.2026 44минThe final four Beatitudes in Matthew 5 paint a vivid picture of what kingdom living looks like in everyday life. Mercy is not weakness but an active, Spirit-empowered compassion that flows from understanding the forgiveness we have received. Purity of heart means undivided devotion to God, free from the double-mindedness that pulls us between Him and the world. Peacemakers pursue genuine reconciliation rather than simply avoiding conflict or stirring it up. And persecution, when it comes as a result of righteous living, is not a sign that something has gone wrong. It is a mark of faithfulness to Christ in a world that rejected Him first. -
The Sermon on the Mount (Week 2: Blessed are the Broken) 31.08.2026 43минJesus opened the Sermon on the Mount with declarations that completely redefine what it means to live a blessed life. Being poor in spirit means recognizing our total dependence on God's grace rather than our own strength. Mourning over sin, not just its consequences, leads to the kind of godly sorrow that produces real transformation. Meekness is not weakness but strength held under the control of deep trust in God. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness means pursuing God with the same desperation a starving person pursues food. These four Beatitudes paint a portrait of a heart that has been genuinely changed by grace. They are not a checklist to earn God's favor but an invitation to live as a citizen of His kingdom. -
Sermon on the Mount (Week 1: Invitation to a Different Life) 24.08.2026 42минOver 2,000 years ago, Jesus delivered what many consider the most important teaching in history, known as the Sermon on the Mount. Found in Matthew chapters 5 through 7, this message is just as relevant today as it was then. Before Jesus ever spoke a word, He had already established credibility through His actions, healing the sick, casting out demons, and caring for those society had overlooked. The crowds who followed Him up the mountain were the broken, the suffering, and the marginalized. Matthew draws a clear parallel between Jesus and Moses, but with one key difference: the people were invited to follow Jesus up the mountain rather than stay behind. This reveals three core postures of discipleship. He went and they followed, He sat and they surrendered, and He taught and they listened. The Sermon on the Mount is not a list of rules designed to shame us. It is an invitation to live differently under the loving authority of Jesus in His kingdom. -
The Kingdom Has Come Near 17.08.2026 40минJohn the Baptist's message was simple but urgent: repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near. Before he could prepare anyone else, God first prepared him in the wilderness, stripping away distraction and teaching him to hear God's voice in solitude. His core call was not just to feel sorry for sin, but to turn completely and allow God to redirect every area of life. Religious appearance, church attendance, and biblical knowledge are not substitutes for genuine transformation. John pointed beyond himself to Jesus, who alone can forgive sin and baptize with the Holy Spirit. The same urgency John carried in the desert belongs to us today. We cannot keep waiting until tomorrow to release sin, forgive others, or surrender what we are holding onto. The kingdom is near, and the invitation is not one of shame but of release. -
The King has Arrived 10.08.2026 37минBefore hearing what Jesus taught, we need to understand who He is. Jesus is not simply a moral teacher or a source of wise advice. He is the King, and His authority over our lives flows directly from His identity. Matthew 4 shows Jesus moving into a region of deep darkness and hopelessness, fulfilling a prophecy made seven and a half centuries earlier, proving that God's promises always arrive exactly on time. His first public message was a call to repentance, which means transferring loyalty from every competing kingdom to the reign of God. The kingdom of heaven is not only a future hope. It is a present reality breaking into the world right now. The invitation is simple: trust the King, live as a citizen of His kingdom, and let that change everything. -
Rise: The Psalms of Ascent (Week 5: Worship Should be Anticipated with Joy) 03.08.2026 30минPsalm 122 opens with a simple but powerful emotion: gladness at the mere invitation to worship. God's call to come before Him is not reserved for those who arrive with joyful hearts. It is extended to the weary, the grieving, the doubting, and the grateful alike. Worship is not an obligation to fulfill but a relationship to enjoy. The Christian faith was never meant to be a solitary journey, and gathering together intertwines our lives in ways that strengthen us all. Just as redwood trees draw their resilience from roots that wrap around one another, believers find their strength in community. We do not gather simply to escape the world but to be transformed and sent back into it as instruments of God's peace. The same invitation David received is extended to us today: come, and may your heart be glad. -
Rise: The Psalms of Ascent (Week 4: God is Worthy to be Trusted) 27.07.2026 23минLife rarely announces when it is about to feel unsteady, but Psalm 125 speaks directly into that experience. Those who trust in the Lord are compared to Mount Zion, not because they are untouched by storms, but because they are not moved by them. Our steadiness does not come from self-confidence or personality. It comes from the God who surrounds His people the way mountains surround Jerusalem. The real danger is not the pressure around us but the slow drift it can produce within us. Spiritual drift does not happen suddenly. It happens quietly, until compromise begins to feel reasonable and obedience starts to feel like inconvenience. The promise of Psalm 125 is not that faithful people never struggle. It is that God remains faithful in the struggle. -
Rise: The Psalms of Ascent (Week 3- God's Promises) 20.07.2026 38минPsalm 126 was written by people who had experienced one of the greatest reversals in history, the return of Israel from 70 years of Babylonian exile. Even after that miraculous homecoming, the people still faced drought, opposition, and hardship. The psalmist cries out using the image of the Negev desert, where dry riverbeds can suddenly flood with life after rain, as a picture of what he is asking God to do. Distance from God is often caused by sin, disappointment, or simple neglect, and God invites us to return to Him in every one of those situations. The promise of Psalm 126 is that those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. Faith in a dry season is not passive waiting. It is active trust, planting seed into hard ground and believing God for the harvest. The same God who restored Israel is still able to bring life to whatever feels dry in your life today. -
Rise: Psalms of Ascent (Week 2: Our plans are Useless Without Him) 13.07.2026 35минPsalm 127 speaks directly to three of the most important areas of human life: work, rest, and family. No matter how hard we strive, any life built without God at the center will ultimately fall short of lasting purpose. True success is not the result of relentless effort but of faithful work done in dependence on God. Rest is not laziness but an act of trust, acknowledging that God is in control. Children are a heritage and reward from God, a gift that carries sacred responsibility. The home and the church together provide the foundation children need to grow in faith. God was never meant to occupy just one corner of our lives. He is meant to be the foundation of all of it. -
Rise: Psalms of Ascent (Week 1: God's Presence in Difficult Times) 07.07.2026 33минPsalm 124 is a corporate song of thanksgiving that gives God full credit for rescuing His people from overwhelming danger. Written by David, it paints vivid pictures of enemies like floodwaters and predators closing in, only for God to intervene at the critical moment. The psalm reminds us that God is not distant or indifferent. He is personally present and actively working on behalf of His people. Romans 8 echoes this same truth, declaring that if God is for us, no one can stand against us. Christ has died, risen, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us right now. Our help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, and that help is both deeply personal and shared by the whole community of faith. We are called to look back, name what God has done, and share it with others. -
SHINE Sunday 29.06.2026 29минWhat is the greatest treasure you could ever find? Jesus taught that God's kingdom is unlike anything the world expects. It starts small, like a mustard seed, and grows in hearts before it changes communities. Jesus does not wait for us to find our way back to God. He comes looking, just as a shepherd searches for a lost sheep. God's kingdom is open to anyone who humbly turns to Jesus in repentance and faith. When you truly discover who Jesus is, nothing in this world compares to Him. He is the treasure worth everything. -
Rest Area- Father's Day 22.06.2026 43минTrue spiritual courage for fathers and men of faith is not about dominance or self-confidence. It is about being alert, grounded in the faith, genuinely strong, and motivated by love. Drawing from 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, Paul's timeless charge calls men to stand firm against cultural confusion, lead their families with integrity, and reflect the character of Jesus. Strength rooted in God produces patience, forgiveness, and faithfulness. When men lead with love and obedience, they discover a deep spiritual rest that cannot be found any other way. The path forward is clear: be on guard, stand firm, be strong, and do everything in love. -
Refugee Sunday 16.06.2026 47минGod's heart for the displaced and the foreigner is not a minor theme in Scripture. It runs from Genesis to Revelation, and it calls His people to respond with love, not fear. The word foreigner or stranger appears more than 92 times in the Old Testament, and Israel is warned 36 times about its obligations to the vulnerable. Jesus Himself said that when we welcome the stranger, we welcome Him. Welcoming the displaced is not a political position. It is an act of discipleship. The stranger in your community is not a threat to God's plan. They are part of it. -
Acts: The Ends of the Earth (Week 2: A Moving Kingdom Faces Challenges) 01.06.2026 40минThe phrase 'to the ends of the earth' isn't about geography - it's about the need of the heart. Your mission field might be a family member, coworker, or neighbor you've known for years. In a world of spiritual darkness, believers are called to be bold lights, speaking the name of Jesus over their lives and communities. The church should be on a victory march, not a funeral dirge, knowing that Christ has already won. Global Christianity shows us that where the church stays focused on its mission, God's hand is evident. Don't wait for distant lands - identify your personal 'ends of the earth' right where you are and be willing to share the hope of Jesus with those closest to you. -
Courage Over Fear (Week 6: God can do what We Can't ) 18.05.2026 39минThe story of Joshua's longest day reveals how faith requires both trusting God's promises and taking bold action. When five Canaanite kings attacked Gibeon, God promised Joshua victory before the battle began. Yet Joshua still marched his army all night to engage the enemy. During the battle, God sent supernatural hailstones that killed more enemies than Israeli swords, while Joshua boldly prayed for the sun to stand still to complete the victory. This demonstrates the perfect partnership between divine power and human responsibility. Like Joshua's final challenge to Israel to choose whom they would serve, we must decide whether to live with passive faith or active partnership with God in our daily battles. -
Courage Over Fear (Week 5: Confidence in HIM Over Us) 11.05.2026 43минThe story of Joshua and the Gibeonites reveals the danger of making decisions based solely on our natural senses. When the Gibeonites deceived Israel with worn clothes and stale bread, Joshua relied on what he could see and touch instead of seeking God's wisdom. This costly mistake teaches us that our five senses, while gifts from God, have limitations and can lead us astray. As believers, we need to develop our spiritual discernment by seeking God's Word, resting in His peace, and finding confirmation through other believers. Even when we make wrong decisions, God can redeem our mistakes when we humble ourselves before Him. -
Courage Over Fear (Week 4: Sin has Consequences) 04.05.2026 36минThe Israelites' shocking defeat at Ai after their victory at Jericho reveals how hidden sin can derail God's people. Achan's secret theft of forbidden items from Jericho brought consequences upon the entire nation. His sin followed the classic pattern: he saw what was forbidden, coveted it, and took it. God sees everything, even our most carefully hidden sins. While Achan faced severe punishment, we can find forgiveness through Jesus Christ when we confess our sins. True prayer involves not just speaking to God but listening for His response and obeying His direction. -
Courage Over Fear (Week 3- God is All-Wise) 27.04.2026 27минThe story of Jericho reveals how God often uses unconventional methods that don't make sense to us. Before the battle even began, God told Joshua that victory was already accomplished, demonstrating that God operates outside our timeline. For six days, the Israelites marched around the city in silence, trusting God's process even when they couldn't see the purpose. When the walls finally fell, it was clear that God deserved all the glory. This teaches us to walk in obedience even when His methods seem illogical, stop rehearsing our limitations, and trust that God is working even when we can't see the results yet. -
Courage Over Fear (Week 2: Freedom From Bondage) 20.04.2026 40минThe Israelites faced an impossible situation at the Jordan River - a raging torrent blocking their path to the Promised Land. God required the priests to step into the dangerous water before He would part it. When they took that step of faith, the miracle happened 18 miles upstream at a place they couldn't see. God was already working where they couldn't observe it. Today, we often doubt God because we focus only on our immediate circumstances, but He is working in unseen places beyond our view. Faith requires movement before confirmation, trusting that God is preparing the way ahead even when we can't see it.
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