10/22/2026
pastor jason shared the message [readers + runners.] a message on the importance of both readers and runners, in the biblical times and the current church. and how we find unity between the two groups. this message was delivered as a part of our celebration service on october 18th, 2026.
our weekly message is available to stream on apple podcasts, spotify, youtube, and our website therefuge.live. new messages are available weekly on wednesdays at 5pm.
Here are pastor ephraim's notes on this message from our weekly newsletter:
True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. As it says in John 4:23-24, the Father is seeking those who will worship Him from the heart, in spirit and in truth. One of the things that really stood out to me was what God was doing in the underground church. There were many different expressions of faith, different denominations, different camps, and different tents, but they were not focused on what separated them. They were focused on what Jesus wanted to do. Their common issue was outside those four walls. They wanted to see the lost come to know Jesus Christ. They understood that God had called them to work together, to encourage one another, and to prepare for what God wanted to do.
I believe there has been a great divorce in the church today, a dividing line between the Word and the Spirit. We have churches that are of the Word, and we have churches that are of the Spirit, but we need both. A church without the Word of God is missing its foundation, and a church without the Spirit of God is a church in need of Jesus. We cannot be lazy on the Spirit side, and we cannot be lazy on the Word side. When we focus only on the Word, we can become dogmatic, legalistic, prideful, and unforgiving. We can begin looking for error at every corner instead of trusting the Lord. On the other side, when we focus only on the Spirit, we can follow emotions, accept teachings that do not match the Word, and become more concerned with a movement or a method than with Jesus Himself. We need the truth of God's Word, and we need the close fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
The Lord began to show me that there is more expectation than appreciation in both camps. We become so focused on the five percent that we do not agree upon that we miss the ninety-five percent of what God has brought together. Our eyes are on what separates us instead of what Jesus is doing among us. If we have expectations that everyone must see things exactly as we do, we will fight people we are called to love. I have been in both camps, and I have been wrong in both camps. I have used the Word to correct people without the grace of the Holy Spirit, and I have held back the truth because of the fear of man. This is why we must allow God to deal with our hearts. Sometimes our strongest beliefs come from a place of pain, and that pain can drive a belief system that keeps us in bo***ge. We need the Word of God and the Spirit of God to come together and bring the deliverance we need.
God is bringing the body back, and the question is whether we are humble enough to allow Him to do it. Are we open to what God wants to do, or have our expectations made us closed off? We need Jesus more than we need the right to be right in the eyes of man. We must be willing to be stretched, to learn, to grow, and to recognize the gifts God has placed in others. I do not want to become so liberal that I throw off the foundations of Christ, and I do not want to become so legalistic that I fail to recognize the work of the Holy Spirit. I want the fullness of God's expression for His body. Whether it is worship, prayer, study, teaching, or the way we interact with one another, it is time for the Word and the Spirit to come together. Let us return to being true worshippers who worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
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