Inner Transformation and Mind Renewal by Tony D'Amico

I recently read some New Testament verses that resonated with me deeply. Their powerful message centered around how we live as Christians. Although distinct in context, they were also intertwined. In this case, they offered me a transformative perspective on faith, purity, and the renewal of the mind. Let me explain.

In Mark 7:15, Jesus spoke about how we can act to ensure we appear perfect on the outside. Yet He said the external isn’t the issue. “Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” His words cut the religious traditions of His day to the core and challenged the norms. They were religious norms which heavily emphasized external purity laws and rituals. Everything had to do with the outward appearance.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico
Tags: actions, breaking free, Change, conform, core, fake, God's will, heart, holistic, Holy Spirit, hypocrisy, internal, jesus, like Christ, Mark, mind, new, new birth, perfect, perfectionism, process, punk rock, purity, rebel, religious traditions, renew, ritual, Romans, sanctification, spirituality, status quo, the rock church, thoughts, tony damico, transform, transformation

Forgiven By A Friend by The Rock Church

“The servant girl at the door said to Peter, ‘You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?’ He said, ‘I am not.’” — John 18:17

Imagine how disappointed in himself Peter must have been the second those words left his lips.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: beach, betrayal, Betrayed, Billy, billy johnson, broken, denial, fish, fishing, forgive, forgiveness, friend, friends, jesus, love, mistake, peter, Peters denial, psalm, redeem, redemption, regret, service, the church, the rock church

Pray About Everything by The Rock Church

The right response is to pray about everything. Perhaps you feel like you’re in an uphill battle. Are you distraught, downtrodden, sick, bankrupt, or confused? Oftentimes, life can be utterly brutal. And yet, in the same life, we can also experience the downhill thrill of blessings. Being in love, landing the perfect job, receiving gifts, learning new skills, having children, going on vacation, hearing, tasting, and so on.

In all our ups and downs, the Apostle Paul encourages us to assume the position of prayer.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: 1 Thessalonians, bankrupt, battle, blessing, broken, God, gratitude, grief, groans, guard, hebrews, humility, intercede, is God good?, Isaiah, John, loss, Mac, need, Paul, Peace, Philippians, pray, Prayer, rely, Rest, Romans, sad, safe, sick, Steve McInroy, suffering, thankfulness, the rock church, trial, war

The Cup of Blessing by The Rock Church

^“Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine. The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance!” — Psalm 16:5-6

Have you ever wondered where your life might be apart from knowing Jesus as your Savior? If not, spend a moment pondering what that might have looked like.

It certainly doesn’t take long to realize how richly blessed we are to be His children. It always goes far beyond the material blessing of His provision. We no doubt find that in our homes or aligning with our interests. Looking deeper, however, we also see a life filled with grace, forgiveness, purpose, hope, and beauty.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: awe, blessing, boundaries, cup, decisions, Future, Gifts, glory, Grace, grief, guidance, Heaven, inheritance, material, mundane, pain, promise, provision, psalm, psalm 16, Purpose, Resurrection, safety, steel, Steele Croswhite, suffering, the rock church, tribulation, Wisdom, wonder, Worship

IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES by Brent Kendall

IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES

God has been faithful to The Rock Church for almost 25 years. He has changed countless lives and allowed us to see thousands of salvations and baptisms. And He has done it through your generosity!

We currently owe ~ $1.14 million on our building loan with a $14,000/month mortgage payment. Just think about what we could do if we eliminated all that debt in 2024. The possibilities aren’t hard to imagine. We could plant new churches, begin a building addition, create more services, or engage in more outreach. Without a doubt, even more lives would be changed. Won’t you join us by investing in an incredible future for The Rock Church? People’s lives will be transformed because of your generosity.

Posted in Imagine the Possibilities by Brent Kendall
Tags: debt, expansion, faith, fundraiser, Mission, upgrades, vision

Come and See by The Rock Church

“Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” — John 1:45-46

Jesus’ first disciples joined Him at the beginning of His earthly ministry. Philip invited Nathaniel to “come and see” Jesus. However, Nathanael was famously skeptical of the prophetic significance of Jesus’ hometown. But I love Philip’s response, “Come and see.” It wasn’t “Believe or else.” In other words, Philip invited Nathaniel to investigate Jesus’ claims for himself.

Now, fast forward to the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Imagine the Sunday morning after the Resurrection. In due time, Mary and Mary went to the tomb. And what did the angel say to them? 

“But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” — Matthew 28:5-6

The angel invited Mary to investigate for herself if Jesus had risen from the dead! So again, it wasn’t  “Just take my word for it.” It was come and see for yourself! What an example of the Christian faith. True Christianity is never afraid of investigation. 

Start Investigating

While in high school and college, I had many questions about the truthfulness of Christianity.  Naturally, there were questions about to Jesus, the Bible, science, evolution, creation, and more. I spent several years researching those questions. And time and time again, I found solid answers. 

If you have questions about Jesus, the Bible, or Christianity, I certainly encourage you to investigate them. Some people are good at a “lazy skepticism.” They have questions that keep them from engaging, but they are too lazy to examine their doubts. Never let that be you! The Bible doesn’t mock doubt. Instead, it encourages personal investigation. Come and see! 

I have a directly related announcement for you. This spring, I will continue to teach God’s Grand Design class. Join us. It just might help your own investigation. Here are some schedule details and the previously covered topics.

Josh

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: Angel, answers, atheist, bible, Class, Darwin, doubt, evolution, eyes, faith, Flood, flood class, genesis, God's Grand Design, investigation, jesus, John, Josh Whitney, mary, Matthew, mock, moses, Nathanael, Nazareth, noah, Philip, Questions, Science, Searching, see, sight, skeptic, solid, Stars, the rock church, tomb, truth

You Are Free Indeed by The Rock Church

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” — 1 John 1:9

I recently had the privilege of leading a young man to Christ at our citywide “Night of Hope” event. His countenance went from sad, hopeless (and discouraged) to joyful, smiling, and thankful! The transformation happened before my very eyes. He absolutely understood (and believed) that God loved him. Also, he knew Jesus had died for all his sins. God is so good.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: 1 John, 1 peter, belief, believing, Bill, Bill Young, blood, bondage, Changes, christ, cleanse, confess, confession, depression, forgive, forgiveness, Free, freedom, gospel, Guilt, hebrews, High Priest, how to be saved, joy, just, new, Night of Hope, penance, perform, pure, purify, Romans, sadness, salvation, sanctification, shame, sins, slave, slavery, the rock church, transform, transforming, understanding

His Mercies Are New Every Morning (and Every Year) by Caleb Yetton

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” — Lamentations 3:21-23

It’s almost hard to believe that another year has come and gone. Every year, I seem more surprised by how quickly the calendar year moves. The new year always feels like a mixed bag of emotions. While January 1 can seem to give the appearance of a clean slate for goals, resolutions, and moving forward, it’s really no different from December 31.  

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton
Tags: affliction, caleb yeton, caleb yetton, circumstances, darkness, death, emotions, goals, grief, Hope, Jeanne, Jeremiah, lamentations, lonliness, loss, love, McInroy, memories, mercy, morning, new, new year, pain, pets, praise, Resolutions, sadness, steadfast, suffering, tears, the rock church, Time, trial, Year

Don’t Put This Light Away! by The Rock Church

Christmas is indeed the most wonderful time of the year! But, the day after Christmas… not so much. Admittedly, all the excitement that went into putting up the Christmas lights is now nonexistent. The time has finally come to take them down.

But certainly, don’t let December 26th be the day you put all of the excitement of Christmas away until next year. Instead, ponder the incarnation of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. It means He has come to illuminate our lives today and forevermore.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: Bryan, Bryan D. Edwards, bryan edwards, Christmas, christmas lights, darkness, Emmanuel, faithful, God With Us, Hope, immanuel, Incarnation, jesus, John 8, light, light of the world, Loneliness, new year, present, relationship, teardown

Waiting on the Lord by Tony D'Amico

I often find myself reflecting on the idea of waiting on the Lord. Waiting can seem frustrating in our fast-paced world, where immediate results and quick fixes are highly prized. My personality is to get in and fix things as soon as possible. So, it’s not easy when I have to wait days, weeks, or months for something. I can start to get anxious very quickly.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico
Tags: Abraham, anxiety, anxious, David, deeper, doubt, faith, frustration, Galations, God's Will, impatient, Isaiah, Joseph, mature, maturity, Patience, Peace, Perseverance, Prayer, Rest, roles, serving, slow, submission, submit, suffering, surrender, teacher, the rock church, Time, timing, Tony, tony damico, trial, trust, wait, waiting, willing, work