The Rock Church

Selah

Selah is a Hebrew word of unknown meaning — you’ll see it at the end of verses in the Psalms. While perhaps a musical direction, it’s traditionally interpreted as a blessing meaning “forever”. Whenever I encounter the word Selah in the Bible, I can’t help but think it has been carefully (and intentionally) placed there to catch my eye. Like the conductor of a great symphony, the Lord looks at me intently. He directs my very soul with His baton. 

“Put them in fear, O Lord! Let the nations know that they are but men!” Selah — Psalm 9:20

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See to It

As a church, we have been studying the robust book of Hebrews. If you’ve listened to any of the sermons, you will have noticed that Hebrews comes with a ton of encouragement. But at the same time, it also has many warnings. Consider Hebrews 3:12: 

^“See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.”

Over the years, I have found that this “turning away from God” isn’t always sudden. In my experience of following Jesus (for the better part of my life) I have found that it certainly CAN BE sudden. It can be something devastating to our life of faith, like adultery or addiction. 

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Though The Earth Gives Way

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” — Psalm 46:10-11

Do you realize that it has been over two years since COVID entered our reality? Our last regular church service (before we temporarily closed) was March 8, 2020. Undeniably, the two years since then have been unlike anything I’ve ever known.

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Excited About Heaven

“…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.” — Colossians 3:1-2 (NIV84)

Not long ago, I taught about the reality of heaven. It reminded me how amazing heaven will be compared to this earth. We have such a blessing waiting for us. This truth hit home for me during a particularly powerful experience a few years ago. 

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Finding Rest

One of the more frustrating things for me in life is not being able to fall asleep. I don’t often have trouble with this, but I have gone through spells of it. Sometimes, it happens when I first get in bed. Other times, it’s when I wake up in the middle of the night (and can’t fall back to sleep). Instead of finding rest, my mind races, thinking about all there is to worry about in life. 

In the still of the night, it’s so easy to reflect on those things that scare us or give us anxiety. Or, perhaps we go through items on the to-do list that we missed that day. Health, relationships, finances, parenting, news of war, what does the future hold? Admittedly, it can all feel paralyzing. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton

Jesus Holds Me

Without a doubt, I am convinced that Jesus holds me. This truth permeates the Bible (from Genesis to Revelation). Here’s a snippet of verses:

• “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” — Isaiah 41:10

• “Though they stumble, they never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” — Psalm 37:24

• “He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.” — Colossians 1:17

I love, love, love these verses!

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Take Out the Trash

Every once in a while, I go through all the “stuff” in my house. I take inventory of things that are useful and decide what things are just taking up space. Then, I’ll put anything useless into a big pile and take it out to the trash. If we’re honest with ourselves, we all have “stuff” we need to take inventory of, don’t we? We need to know what’s useful and what’s not.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico

Perfectly Orchestrated

I’m fascinated by the story about Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-40). An angel directed Philip to a certain road and chariot (that was passing by). One of the Ethiopian Queen’s court officials was in the chariot. He had returned from worship in Jerusalem. While he rode, he read the scroll of Isaiah out loud. 

Philip ran to him and asked, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” The official replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” He invited Philip to sit with him. Philip then explained the Good News of Jesus Christ. The official saw some water and wanted to get baptized. As soon as Philip baptized him, the Bible tells us, “the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.”

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God Answers Prayers

God answers prayers. Certainly, we’ve all experienced Him answering specific prayers in the past. In faith, we eagerly wait for unanswered prayers in the present. This verse helps me; the Bible says that God not only hears our prayers but actually listens to them. 

“But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer.” — Psalm 66:19 (NLT)

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Listen to Him

“But all who listen to me will live in peace untroubled by fear of harm.” — Proverbs 1:33

There is a way to live that leads to harm, fear and restlessness, isn’t there? Most of the time, it’s the result of us listening to ourselves, to lies, or to negative influences. We need to ask ourselves, “Who am I listening to?” when we get a pit in our stomachs and a tinge of fear rattling our emotions.

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