The Rock Church

Parking Lot Parable

The other day, I ran a quick errand to the grocery store. I pulled into my parking spot, and when I looked up, I noticed two cars near me backing straight into each other! The drivers were looking left and right but not behind them! With a split second to act, I honked my horn loudly without delay. As a result, both cars slammed on their brakes, narrowly averting an accident. 

But I don’t think one of the drivers understood why I honked. After pausing, the driver continued to back out, glaring at me the whole time. I pointed at the other car they had almost hit. However, their facial expression suggested they had no idea why I honked. In fact, my honking had made them pretty angry.

Afterward, I processed this parking lot incident as I walked into the grocery store. I had seen an accident about to happen. And I had done something to prevent it. But the driver who glared at me had no idea why I did what I did. 

Then it hit me. This is a tiny glimpse into the mind of God. 

God sees all of time and space. He not only knows the past, present, and future, but is all-powerful. Additionally, He is our Good Father. But the Lord does things and brings situations into our lives that make no sense (from our earthly perspectives). Along with my own life, I can think of numerous trials and difficulties my friends and family are dealing with. Very hard things.

Truth Speaks

But the Bible repeatedly speaks of the idea that God uses these difficult things for our ultimate good.  So, through tears, these truths speak to us. 

• “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” — Romans 8:28

• “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” — 1 Peter 5:10

• “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” — James 1:12

• “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” — Genesis 50:20

These verses present profound and yet challenging truths. Like the driver who glared at me, we often don’t understand why God has brought this or that trial into our lives. It certainly doesn’t make any sense. Also, it’s very difficult to accept. But faith is trusting that God sees what we don’t and knows what He is doing. Equally important, He is powerful and good. 

So, through tears, we strive to trust and not glare.

Josh

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church

Election Day

The election is less than two weeks away (November 5). Earlier this year, we took six weeks to study what the Bible teaches about politics in our King Jesus series. We specifically covered several important lessons during that time. Here are a few significant reminders as we approach election day. 

• First, if you aren’t registered to vote, please register before Friday, October 25. 

It says in Jeremiah 29:7, “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” More Christians voting biblically is a significant way we can bring good to our city, state, and country. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church

The Mercy Seat Connection

Recently, a sister in our church pointed out something rather remarkable to me. There is an obvious  connection between the Mercy Seat found in the Old and New Testaments.

The Ark of the Covenant was in the Old Testament Jewish tabernacle/temple. (You might remember it from Raiders of the Lost Ark). The Ark of the Covenant was a chest that contained The Ten Commandments, a pot of manna, and Aaron’s staff. On the top of it was the Mercy Seat. This was, in fact, where God’s presence dwelled. The priests sprinkled the sacrificial blood there, and He gave mankind mercy. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church

Musings on Miracles

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” — John 20:30-31

What is a miracle? One dictionary defines a miracle as an event that is an addition to the established laws of nature and attributed to God.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church

Fuses and Friends

“So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.” — 1 Thessalonians 2:8

Last July, several of us went to Faithcamp in Alamosa, Colorado. It was a fantastic four-day conference, and we definitely had an encouraging time. Very tired, we started the nine-hour car trip back to Utah early on Sunday morning.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church

Come and See

“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

Stay Awake! 

“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” — Matthew 24:42

You may have read a sad story in the news last week. A man shot at a woman, and the police then killed him (as of this writing, the details are still under investigation). But this happened a few miles from my house. Where this terrible story intersects my life (and your inbox) is that soon after the shooting, a police helicopter started circling the area and woke me up. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church

East Troublesome Fire

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” — Ecclesiastes 4:9

Some of my family and I hiked to Fern Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park this summer. It was a beautiful hike, and we had a fantastic time. I had been curious to hike to Fern Lake, given that a terrible fire had destroyed it three years ago. It was appropriately named the East Troublesome Fire. Additionally, the fire burned 193,000 acres (making it the second-largest fire in Colorado history). 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin

“Radical Parenting” Conference

It’s critical that we get radical in our parenting approaches if we are going to raise godly kids in this broken world. An incredible amount of time, money, and energy goes into raising them and we want to do it right. But, we live in a world that doesn’t really know how to help. Fortunately for us, God’s Word has a number of key principles for radical/godly parenting.

Posted in Events, Parenting by The Rock Church

God’s Will and Faithcamp

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” — James 4:13-15

A few weeks ago, many people from our church attended the Faithcamp/DTC Conference in Alamosa, Colorado. It was five days of teachings, worship, fellowship, meals, games, and heat. It was so encouraging. Also, tiring. Thank you for praying for the conference; the Lord indeed blessed it!   

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin