The Renew Church Canada Podcast

Is Living the Way of the Cross Truly Worth It? / Keeping Up With the Corinthians Week 15

In this message, Elder Darcy MacCallum tackles a haunting question many believers quietly carry: is living the way of the cross really worth it? Walking through 1 Corinthians 15, he shows how denying or softening the resurrection guts the gospel and leaves our faith, sacrifice, and suffering feeling futile and “in vain.” But if Christ is truly risen, then every act of obedience—even costly, hidden faithfulness—is loaded with eternal meaning. Our future resurrection in real, renewed bodies guarantees that following Jesus now, in the way of the cross, is absolutely worth it. ABOUT THE SERIES What does it look like to follow Jesus in a culture that pulls us in every direction? This 16-week journey through 1 Corinthians explores everything from spiritual gifts and the nature of love to the reality of the resurrection. Discover how God builds a unified, holy people out of a collection of beautifully imperfect lives. We meet at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings at Cineplex Cinemas, 1175 Maple Ave, Milton. We'd love to meet you and invite you to join us there!

Speaking Up, Staying Silent, and Following Scripture / Keeping Up With the Corinthians Week 14

In a church obsessed with spiritual status, Paul calls the Corinthians back to a simple question: does what we do in worship actually build others up? This week, guest speaker Nathan Bryant unpacks 1 Corinthians 14 to show how gifts like tongues and prophecy were meant for clarity, not chaos, and why love and order must govern our gatherings. He also tackles the controversial issue of women speaking and teaching in the assembly, urging us to let Scripture—not culture or preference—set the pattern for church life. This message invites us to examine when we should speak, when we should be silent, and how to submit all of it to God’s Word. ABOUT THE SERIES What does it look like to follow Jesus in a culture that pulls us in every direction? This 16-week journey through 1 Corinthians explores everything from spiritual gifts and the nature of love to the reality of the resurrection. Discover how God builds a unified, holy people out of a collection of beautifully imperfect lives. We meet at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings at Cineplex Cinemas, 1175 Maple Ave, Milton. We'd love to meet you and invite you to join us there!

Love: The More Excellent Way / Keeping Up With the Corinthians Week 13

In this message from 1 Corinthians 13, Pastor Bartley Sawatsky shows why love is “the more excellent way” that outweighs even the flashiest spiritual gifts and most radical sacrifices. He explains biblical agape as a willful, self-giving commitment to another’s good, not a fleeting emotion or cultural sentimentality. Walking through Paul’s descriptions of love—patient, kind, truthful, enduring—he contrasts God-shaped love with common counterfeit motivations like pride, guilt, and control. Ultimately, he calls believers to be genuinely transformed by God’s love so that everything we do flows from His self-giving heart. ABOUT THE SERIES What does it look like to follow Jesus in a culture that pulls us in every direction? This 16-week journey through 1 Corinthians explores everything from spiritual gifts and the nature of love to the reality of the resurrection. Discover how God builds a unified, holy people out of a collection of beautifully imperfect lives. We meet at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings at Cineplex Cinemas, 1175 Maple Ave, Milton. We'd love to meet you and invite you to join us there!

The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts: Serving the Common Good / Keeping Up with the Corinthians Week 12

From the mystery of "sign gifts" to the practical dynamics of a healthy community, Pastor Bartley Sawatsky tackles the questions we often hesitate to ask about the Holy Spirit’s work. In this look at 1 Corinthians 12, we move past the debate of who has which gift and into the much more vital question: how do we actually function as one body? Whether you feel like a "hand" or a "spleen," you’ll discover why your unique contribution is the very thing someone else is missing. Join us to learn how to stop comparing and start impacting the people God has placed in your life. ABOUT THE SERIES What does it look like to follow Jesus in a culture that pulls us in every direction? This 16-week journey through 1 Corinthians explores everything from spiritual gifts and the nature of love to the reality of the resurrection. Discover how God builds a unified, holy people out of a collection of beautifully imperfect lives. We meet at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings at Cineplex Cinemas, 1175 Maple Ave, Milton. We'd love to meet you and invite you to join us there!

Men, Women, and Worship: Recovering God’s Design in a Confused Age / Keeping Up with the Corinthians Week 11

What do head coverings, shaved heads, angels, and shared communion cups have to do with modern worship? In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul tackles men and women in worship, authority and submission, and the meaning of the Lord’s Supper in ways that collide with today’s gender confusion and church culture. In this week’s message, Pastor Bartley Sawatsky explores how God’s good design for order, gender, and gathered worship still speaks powerfully into our lives. Week 11 of “Keeping Up with the Corinthians” presses us to ask: will we take our cues from Scripture or from the culture around us? ABOUT THE SERIES What does it look like to follow Jesus in a culture that pulls us in every direction? This 16-week journey through 1 Corinthians explores everything from spiritual gifts and the nature of love to the reality of the resurrection. Discover how God builds a unified, holy people out of a collection of beautifully imperfect lives. We meet at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings at Cineplex Cinemas, 1175 Maple Ave, Milton. We'd love to meet you and invite you to join us there!