The Rock Church

Heavenly Upgrade

Colossians 3:1-2 “…set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (NIV)

Thinking about and teaching on the reality of Heaven last month, was an amazing blessing to me. It reminded me of a flight I had out of Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C. a few years ago. The flight was full and the gate agent asked if anyone was willing to take a “bump” because they were overbooked. My friend and I had nothing better to do, so we volunteered. We got hotel and meal vouchers, were booked for the next day’s flight and were on our way.

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Shield

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.” Psalm 18:2

Just a few days ago, these verses came alive to me in a whole new way. As I write this, I am enjoying some time away with my family near Seattle, Washington. The house where my wife grew up has become somewhat of a second home to us; a place where we can watch movies, go boating on the lake and go on extended runs in the surrounding wilderness.

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Faithful and Faithless

The Book of Acts (Chapter 12), shows us how faithful and faithless people respond to the storms and trials of life. If you remember in Acts, the early church in Jerusalem was growing like a weed. About that same time, King Herod decided to persecute the church. First, he murdered James and then he arrested Peter. He most likely planned to kill Peter, too. I love Acts 12:5, “So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.”

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Undercover Jesus

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13 NIV)

Have you ever watched the show “Undercover Boss”? I’ve seen it a few times and it always makes me fear God. Let me tell you why.

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Grow

When you want to become a better basketball player, what do you do? You buy the best shoes, you start drinking Gatorade, and you work on your jump shot in your backyard every day. You put in the work and time needed to improve and grow!

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Make it Right

“However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Ephesians 5:33

Sometimes it’s human nature to build up a tolerance to discomfort. We have a physical ache or pain and we ignore it or stop worrying about it until we simply forget about it. We don’t actually fix the problem — we just learn how to deal with it. In some cases, ignoring these problems can have life changing effects.

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Little Flocks

As the Apostle Paul was getting on in his years, and was on his last great missionary journey (that would ultimately lead to his death), he called a meeting with the Elders of the Ephesian Church as he was passing through. His main command to them is found in Acts 20:28: “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”

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Entertain Evil Thoughts

“Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!” Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?” Matthew 9:1-4

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Doubts and Disciples

“A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:26-29

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Are You Ready to Die?

What would you do if you found out you only had 24 hours to live? Most of us would probably pray like crazy and desperately scramble to tell people that we love them, especially close friends and family.
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