Pastor Mark Reynolds' Podcast

In this message, we focus on the connection between gratitude, generosity, and joy. This helps us better understand giving as a spiritual discipline that rescues us from greed and helps us become more like Jesus.If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

Being part of a happy and healthy family is a gift, but it’s also a task and responsibility. We build love and support over time by the way we treat each other. This is true not only in our biological family but also in our church family. The quality of our relationships determines whether our church will be a safe place for people to healing and grow into the image of Jesus. The good news is that we get to decide what kind of presence we will be. In this message, Pastor Mark looks at three practices of a healthy church in Paul’s letter to the Romans, focusing on chapters 12-15. This empowers us to focus on what’s most important and be united in a common vision.    If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.   Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL)  Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

Everyone suffers, but not all suffering is the same. If we trust God, He can transform our pain into something productive. However, healing is hard work and takes time. Are we willing to put in the spiritual and emotional work necessary to build something new? Reflecting on the story of human trafficking victim, Barbara Amaya, Pastor Mark shows how God empowers us to participate in our own healing.Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  

Why do Christians say, "God saves us through the death of Jesus?" And what's up with all the sacrifice and blood imagery in the Bible, which some people find cruel and gross? In this message, we answer these questions by pointing to an essential claim in Paul's letter to the Romans, that we are "justified by grace through faith." What exactly does this mean? Pastor Mark walks us through this idea, giving clear definitions and helping us to see that it all comes down to one thing: God loves you to death and saves you for a purpose! Tune and and share this message with friends.Sermon Notes: https://notes.subsplash.com/fill-in/view?page=r1pG9wuZa  If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.   Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL)  Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

This is the first message in a series on Paul's letter to the Romans. Beginning with chapter one, Pastor Mark helps us answer the question: What is sin and how does it work? After exploring the dynamics that drive human suffering, he explains God's rescue plan and offers an invitation to follow Jesus. Tune in as we begin this journey together!If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

In this message, we continue the series, "Half Truths," by examining the phrase, "God said it, I believe it and that settles it!" Why do people use this phrase? Does it help or hinder our relationship with God? Is there a better way to understand the Bible? What's the role of interpretation? Tune-in to find out!Sermon Notes: https://notes.subsplash.com/fill-in/view?page=HkfbgrQJ6 If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

In this message, we continue the series, Half Truths, by focusing on the saying, "God will not give you more than you can handle." This common phrase has helped many people enduring hard times, so what's the issue? After exploring a few problems, we will see how rephrasing the saying allows us to hold on to its promise while making it more helpful and biblical.If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds Resource: Adam Hamilton, Half Truths.

In this message, we continue the series "Half Truths" by examining the phrase, "God helps those who help themselves." How does this line up with what we see in the Bible? How does this cliché help and how does it hurt? Tune in to find out.If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds Resource: Adam Hamilton, "Half Truths."

They are simple phrases that sound Christian―like something you might find in the Bible. They capture some element of truth but hide or distort others.Everything happens for a reason.God helps those who help themselves.God won’t give you more than you can handle.God said it, I believe it, that settles it.Love the sinner, hate the sin.In this message, we begin a new 5-week series, "Half Truths," where we will examine these common phrases within the context of scripture, starting with "Everything Happens For a Reason."Resource: Adam Hamilton, "Half Truths."If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

Jesus calls to love unconditionally even when we disagree politically, but this is too hard without some kind of strategy. After dispelling a few myths that perpetuate division, Pastor Mark points us to Galatians 6 where the Apostle Paul tells us what we need to do to love our political enemies the way that God has loved us in Christ.This is the second message in a series, "The Mission of the Church in Politically Divisive Times."If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.   Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL)  Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

As we gear-up for another election year, but before we all lose our minds, Pastor Mark is offering a new two-week message series titled, "The Mission of the Church in Politically Divisive Times." In this first message, "It's Not About Winning," we talk about how partisan politics can co-opt the church, pull it off course, and destroy its unique voice. Fortunately, the Bible offers us a solution. Take a listen to receive wisdom that will help you maintain peace.If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

Sometimes we hold our religious and moral beliefs so tightly that we cannot imagine the possibility of being wrong. When someone questions these beliefs, we feel compelled to defend them and confuse strength of conviction with dogmatic inflexibility. This stunts our spiritual growth, makes us more judgmental, and damages important relationships. In this message, Pastor Mark gives numerous examples in the New Testament and early church where followers of Jesus could not see the truth because of what they thought they already knew. What is required to get unstuck is humility, which builds a new kind of strength that is gracious, tolerant, responsive, gentle, loving, openminded, and flexible. Empowered in this way, we can consider the possibility that we may be wrong, and when we are admit the mistake and move in a different direction. Like the blind man in Luke 18:35-42, pray, "Lord I want to see!"This is message 4 of 4 in the Grown-Up Prayers series.Recommended Reading: Peter Enns, "The Sin of Certainty: Why G

The third petition in the Lord's Prayer, ". . . lead us not into temptation," gets us to reflect on where we are vulnerable to sin, and what we need from God to remain faithful. It also raises the question, who or what are we following? In this message, Pastor Mark talks about the importance of following Jesus if we want protection from temptation and deliverance from evil. Unfortunately, some churches have changed his invitation "Follow me" to "Believe in me," making it possible to call yourself a Christian for believing "the right things" while following yourself, your political party, your bank account, etc. As long as you change your mind you don't need to change your life. But belief without following is a false gospel that will inevitably lead us into temptation and cause us to fall away.If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreyn

In this message, we continue with the series, "Grown-Up Prayers." In the first message of the series, we learned that prayer is not about looking good in front of others or trying to convince God to give us all the things we want. Rather, prayer is about aligning our will with God's will and assuming a posture of surrender. In this message, we will ask the questions, should I ask God for anything in prayer, and if so, what?If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

In this message, we see how God speaks to us through nature. Reflecting on his own experience of being immersed in the beauty of creation while surfing, Pastor Mark helps us understand the importance of mindfulness, humility, and gratitude in our quest for happiness.If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

In this new series, Grown Up Prayers, we look at the meaning and practice of prayer to help us mature in our prayer life. The focus is on Jesus' teaching of the Lord's Prayer in the Sermon on the Mount. In this first message, we reflect on how common misconceptions of prayer can lead us to think that prayer doesn't work. If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

We often define freedom as being able to do whatever we want, but this misconception draws us further into various kinds of slavery. In contrast, the Bible gives us another way of understanding freedom that actually sets us free. Check out this message to see how.If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

In this message we look at the story of Jonah and the Whale and discover grown-up lessons about the importance of obeying God, receiving feedback, and praying for our enemies.If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.   Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL)  Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

Pastor Mark talks briefly about the burglary of First UMC Cocoa Beach on Sunday, June 18, 2023 and how you can help us recover.

In this message we continue our series, "Epic Stories in the Old Testament," by focusing on the story of Joseph. This great redemption story raises important questions about how to deal with frustration and pain.If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds