2 Corinthians: The Aroma of Christ to God

2 Corinthians 2:12 - 16

What does it mean to be “the aroma of Christ to God?” The aroma refers to the fragrance of a sacrifice burning up to the heavens. Imagine a person’s heart, marked by the sacrifice of Christ, set ablaze by the Holy Spirit, with smoke reaching up to please the Father—this is the pleasing aroma to which Paul in 2 Corinithians refers. Chris Waugh challenges some of the common habits we have, such as letting savviness for knowledge get in the way of the heart, or putting on our best self at worship services like we put on perfume. But God wants to purify the heart and set it ablaze. This is what pleases the Lord.

2 Corinthians: How to Respond to Scandal

2 Corinthians 2:5-11

How should a church respond to scandal within its community? Because the church is made of people who still sin, Christians need to prepare for how to disciple repentance and how to respond well to people’s sinful behavior. Pastor Scott talks about when to respond with tough love and when to respond with mercy by studying how Paul advises the Corinthians about a situation within their church community where they needed to call out the sin, confront, and restore the person back into the community.

2 Corinthians: Grief + Love for the Church

2 Corinthians 1:23 - 2:6

In 2 Corinthians 1:23 - 2:6, Paul refers to the grief he felt when addressing the corruption in the Corinthian church community. The portrait of Paul in the Corinthian letters brings us up against this question: do we possess this kind of abundant love for the Church, that her condition intensely produces deep grief or joy? How much are affected by the state of the Church? Or affected by the people around us who are spiritually lost? Pastor Scott challenges us to let God’s grief for the spiritual condition of people to hit our hearts. 

2 Corinthians: Now This is Our Boast

2 Corinthians 1:12-22

One day, followers of Christ will receive praise from Him for pursuing a life of righteousness. In the mean time, our present need is to motivate each other to seek Christ’s righteousness in the midst of trials and temptations. Following the model of church leaders encouraging believers in 2 Corinthians 1:12-22, Mark Skillin encourages us today to live in such a genuine way where Jesus is Lord over our politics, our homes, our work, even our meal times—every aspect of life, until the day when He tells us, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt 25).

Standalone Sermons: A Pastoral Talk

Pastor Scott shares thoughts and updates for the Ren community this season related to Lent, the move out of the 184 Broad St building, and Core membership in 2024. Chris Waugh closes out with a brief word on communion and the full measure we can have of Jesus in our lives.

2 Corinthians: Relying on God through Trials

2 Corinthians 1:8 - 11

In our own strength and wit, do we really have what it takes to live the way God wants us to live? Can we really rid ourselves of pride? God will help us get to a point of humility, endurance, and trust in Him when we’re in circumstances beyond our ability to handle on our own. When He calls us to do impossible things, He will give us what we need, but we must rely on Him. This message looks at the circumstances Apostle Paul faced that drove him to the Lord to get through, and Pastor Scott unpacks how we can approach our need for God in our everyday lives.

2 Corinthians: God's Comfort in Our Suffering

2 Corinthians 1:1-7

We’ve all had our share of suffering—it’s part of the human experience. It’s a reality that we struggle to understand, and it frustrates us because we know what suffering can do to the human spirit. Suffering can lead us to despair; it changes us for the worse—or for the better. Trials can lead us to lose faith or could bring character, even intimacy with God. Suffering provides an opportunity to experience divine comfort, which in turn equips us to comfort others in similar circumstances. In this message, dive deeply into what the opening of 2 Corinthians says about the unexpected gift of suffering.

Standalone Sermons: Essentials for 2024

As followers of Jesus, how do we prioritize our love for God, our love for one another, and our love for neighbors in our spheres? Pastor Scott gives a pastoral talk on the most important essentials for Christian living to set us in the right direction for how we live and how we are a church together in 2024.

Standalone Sermons: Pursuing Jesus in 2024

Matthew 2:1-12

There is no one God is not willing to pursue. The wise men, doing their job as well-off astrologists, followed an unusual star and discovered the true King of the Jews—Jesus. It’s worth looking at our own stories to ask, how might God today meet us in our communities and in our passions and interests? By studying the Magi story in Matthew 2, Ren Church member Vicky Griffiths helps us reflect on how we can pursue Jesus in 2024.

Advent 2023: Joy

Listen for a short word on the joyous arrival of Jesus and the way God included shepherds as part of the celebration.