The Renew Church Canada Podcast

In the opening week of the series Unstoppable Gospel, Bartley Sawatsky examines Acts chapter 1 as the early church transitions into a new covenant empowered by the Holy Spirit. Bartley demonstrates how God's perfect timing is woven throughout history, connecting the forty days of Jesus' resurrected ministry and the fifty days until Pentecost directly to the giving of the law at Mount Sinai. As Jesus ascends to heaven and hands the baton of the gospel to His followers, the disciples gather in prayer and cast lots to replace Judas with Matthias to restore the twelve apostles. Ultimately, Bartley challenges believers to wait patiently on the Lord in faith and prayer, trusting that the Holy Spirit equips us to live out the gospel from the heart as unstoppable witnesses to the ends of the earth. ABOUT THE SERIESAs the early believers in Acts stepped out to make disciples of all nations, they quickly learned that living on mission comes with real challenges. From navigating conflict and breaking down barriers to practicing bold generosity under pressure, they had to learn as they grew. We're called to that same mission today—and thankfully, we serve a God whose gospel cannot be stopped. 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!

In the final week of the series How to Discern Truth, Bartley Sawatsky examines the test of consistency, the test of personal bias, and the test of the spirits to equip believers to navigate a world full of deception. Bartley explains that consistency evaluates whether a teacher remains principled over time, while examining personal bias requires recognizing how emotions, guilt, and self-delusion can cloud objective judgment. He then outlines the test of the spirits, encouraging Christians to trace prevailing cultural attitudes back to their spiritual source to see if they align with God's word. Ultimately, Bartley challenges the church to put on the belt of truth with humility and speak God's word in love as children of the light. ABOUT THE SERIESIn a world filled with noise and mixed motives, knowing what's true can feel increasingly difficult. Our new series, How to Discern Truth, provides practical tools to help you test everyday claims and build a clear, biblically focused worldview. Join us as we learn to navigate today’s complex culture with wisdom and clarity. 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!

In week three of the series How to Discern Truth, Bartley Sawatsky examines the tests of fruition and balance to help believers evaluate complex messages and modern cultural issues. Bartley explains that the test of fruition observes the long-term results and beauty produced when living in alignment with God's word, demonstrating that God-honouring principles inevitably bear good fruit over time. He then highlights the test of balance, encouraging the church to examine all sides of an issue with fairness and humility rather than rushing into hasty, one-sided judgments. Ultimately, Bartley challenges believers to apply biblical wisdom thoughtfully so they can stand as children of the light in an increasingly polarized world. ABOUT THE SERIESIn a world filled with noise and mixed motives, knowing what's true can feel increasingly difficult. Our new series, How to Discern Truth, provides practical tools to help you test everyday claims and build a clear, biblically focused worldview. Join us as we learn to navigate today’s complex culture with wisdom and clarity. 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!

In week two of the series How to Discern Truth, Bartley Sawatsky explores the critical tests of morality and motivation to help believers evaluate both messages and messengers. Pastor Bartley examines how ungodliness and toxic empathy can distort objective moral reality, calling Christians to discern weightier biblical matters and practice ordered compassion rooted in truth. He then addresses the test of motivation, urging the church to examine the underlying agendas, financial interests, and biases of leaders, legacy media, and emerging technologies like AI. Ultimately, Bartley challenges believers to stand with courage against cultural pressure, anchoring their discernment in God's word rather than human approval or political ideology. ABOUT THE SERIESIn a world filled with noise and mixed motives, knowing what's true can feel increasingly difficult. Our new series, How to Discern Truth, provides practical tools to help you test everyday claims and build a clear, biblically focused worldview. Join us as we learn to navigate today’s complex culture with wisdom and clarity. 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!

In the opening week of the series How to Discern Truth, Bartley Sawatsky addresses the growing challenge of navigating deception, moral decline, and subjective claims in a post-modern, information-saturated culture. Drawing from John 18 and various New Testament warnings, Bartley emphasizes that Christian faith is an empirical, objective faith centred on Jesus Christ as the ultimate anchor point for truth. To help believers evaluate every message and messenger, Bartley introduces the test of divine authority, which grounds truth in the word of God, and the test of defensibility, which examines claims through reason and empirical evidence. Ultimately, Bartley challenges the church to reject passive belief by proxy, embrace God-given discernment, and actively stand as champions of truth in an increasingly chaotic world. ABOUT THE SERIESIn a world filled with noise and mixed motives, knowing what's true can feel increasingly difficult. Our new series, How to Discern Truth, provides practical tools to help you test everyday claims and build a clear, biblically focused worldview. Join us as we learn to navigate today’s complex culture with wisdom and clarity. 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!