We have an opportunity to encourage and give hope to a world around us that is looking desperately for a place to turn.
I wanted to share a story that I recently heard about how Christians lived out their faith in Ancient Rome. Watch the video above to hear it.
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There is this trend on social media where people write “I don’t know who needs to hear this…” and then finish the phrase with a humorous or heartfelt tagline. With the use of that line, I have read some pretty hilarious things as well as overwhelmingly beautiful messages.
(more…)Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton
A while ago, I decided to read my Bible cover to cover. As I read through the book of Daniel, I took my time. I want to encourage you with one application I gleaned from Chapters 9 and 10.
In chapter 9 verse 2, He writes, “I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.” I appreciate how he understood God’s Word and believed Jeremiah’s writing to be reliable. He believed that God would keep His Word. What he read he believed. What he believed he applied.
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As humans, we are inherently distracted. Add to that, all of our day-to-day technology and communication — we are simply inundated with pings, pops, notifications and buzzes. It’s amazing that we retain any information at all!
At the end of John 21, Jesus asked Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” Peter replied “yes” and Jesus said, “then feed my lambs.” That interchange went on three separate times. If I was Peter, I would have been super irritated and certainly wouldn’t have taken it as a learning experience. I would have thought, “I heard you the first time, Jesus.” But Jesus, being all knowing, understands that we need to hear things a few times before they really sink in. What a wonderful example for us to learn from.
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When you’re asked to help someone move, serve at church, or take someone a meal, what is your first reaction? Is it, “I don’t want to do that, I serve enough already. Someone who doesn’t already serve can do it.”? Maybe it’s, “Well, if nobody else does, I will.”? For some, it might be, “I’d love to! I thought you’d never ask!”?
The Bible is clear, we need to adopt the heart of a servant. We need to humble ourselves and make a habit of considering others better than ourselves. Consider Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
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“I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” — Psalm 18:1-2
It’s never easy to go through trials or see others go through them. The health scare Mac went through in Sweden recently, could have easily sent our hearts and minds down many paths. The reminder of life’s fragile state is always sobering.
(more…)Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton
“We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
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“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken” — Psalm 16:8
Last November, The Rock pastors traveled to St. George for a multi-day conference. On our free day, a group of us went to Zion National Park; we’d decided to hike to Angels Landing. The hike is five miles long with 1,500 feet of elevation gain. That doesn’t sound too bad, but the challenging part of Angels Landing is the extreme exposure and huge cliffs. Sadly, people have died there.
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Last month, Pastor Tony encouraged us to set goals in areas where we want to grow. My simple follow up question for you today – almost a month into our new year is – how are your goals going? Have you gotten a plan to read the Bible to connect with God, and are you working the plan? If not, let me give you some suggestions as we steam ahead into a new decade.
At The Rock, we use phrases like “daily devotions” or “quiet times” to describe the discipline of Bible reading and prayer. This is a great way to start your day! Your Bible reading can be what you want to make it — maybe a structured study using a devotional? possibly reading through certain passages? perhaps reading through the Bible in a year (One Year Plan)? You might even consider journaling some of the thoughts God gives you (Teaching on devotionals).
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When we read about Abraham’s faith in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews (Chapter 11), it’s incredibly inspiring to think of the belief he displayed. He left the land of his people and followed the Lord’s calling on his life; he went to the land that God would give to his descendants, the nation of Israel. Abraham believed God to do unbelievably miraculous things. Genesis 15:6 says that “[Abraham] believed the Lord and he counted it to him as righteousness.”
I often wonder what I would have done if I had been in his shoes. It can be easy to read Hebrews 11 and forget what Abraham’s faith looked like in a real-life. In a practically lived-out sense. I can wrongly think that Abraham’s faith was a flawless, unattainable faith with no doubts in it. However, when I was reading through Genesis recently, I was struck by something in Abraham’s interaction with the Lord.
(more…)Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton