The Rock Church

Life Is But A Breath

As you’re probably aware, on July 13, there was an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. The bullets fired in this senseless act of violence killed a man; he was shielding his family from harm. They also critically injured two other men while grazing Trump’s ear. The bullet that hit Trump would have been lethal if he hadn’t turned his head immediately before the bullet passed by. Shortly after I heard the news, I started thinking. I thought about the possible retaliation against other political figures and even the divisions that could arise in the Church. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church

Will You Be My Neighbor?

When asked what the greatest (or most important) commandment was, Jesus said it was to love God and love your neighbor. 

“Jesus answered … ‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.’” — Mark 12:29a – 31

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A Sliver of Heaven

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” — John 15:12

As I write this, I am in a hotel room with my wife and three amazing kids. It has become a summer tradition for my family (along with our extended family) to journey to Lake Powell for our annual “Croswhites Do Lake Powell” family reunion.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church

Titus — Truth That Leads to Godliness

New Sermon Series at The Rock Church

“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. ⁸ The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.” – Titus 3:4-8

Posted in News, Series by The Rock Church

The Rule of Rehoboam

“When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him. … 5 Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “Thus says the LORD, ‘You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak.’” — 2 Chronicles 12:1,5

I recently read this story in 2 Chronicles 12:1-8. I encourage you to read the whole passage. In light of our King Jesus series, I thought there were some timely lessons from the rule of Rehoboam.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church

If You Can’t Be Kind, Be Quiet

I recently taught at church about how to treat fellow believers when we disagree politically. Christians who differ on such issues should always do so with a spirit of kindness, graciousness, and understanding. Indeed, this spirit honors King Jesus.

I know a little bit about conflict. Like everyone else, I’ve had my fair share of personal skirmishes with my wife, kids, family, co-workers, teammates, etc.  Additionally, for the past 33 years, I have been called in to help hundreds of other people resolve their broken relationships. In fact, just this past week, I had the opportunity to help resolve a dispute between two dear friends. Fortunately, humility carried the day, and all was well.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church

Recall Who He Is and What He Has Done

I don’t know about you, but I need reminding often. I forget things so quickly. They go in one ear and out the other. Do you struggle with that? I think we certainly all do in our human nature. And I believe the writers of the New Testament knew that as well. Paul and Peter both wrote to tell the early Church to recall God’s truths. (2 Peter 1:12-13, Romans 15:15)

The disciples also knew they needed reminding. They spent three years physically walking with Jesus, and it’s clear they always required a lot of reminders from our Lord. They knew what Jesus had taught them; they could indeed repeat it. However, many times throughout their days, He reminded them. It’s almost like they needed a good shake to recall His teachings.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton

Gratitude and Hope

Ephesians 1:15-21 is a set of verses that really encourages me. We glimpse Paul’s heart and his thankfulness for the church in Ephesus! He speaks with gratitude and hope. On top of that, he deeply desires the saints to continue their spiritual growth.

First, Paul starts by expressing his gratitude for the Ephesians’ faith in Jesus. At the same time, he also expresses thanks for their love for the saints.

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

Navigating Life With Self-Control

Many factors contribute to messing up a person’s life. Lack of self-control is a significant one. You might be on top of your finances and then wreck them by buying things you don’t need. Not to mention, you could excel at controlling your temper until something gets under your skin and you snap. Without a doubt, self-control is an essential and crucial characteristic of a Christian.

Put very simply, having self-control is sort of like driving a car. If you let go of the wheel, there’s a good chance you will run into another vehicle (or possibly off a bridge). But holding onto the wheel gives you the ability to drive defensively. Along with that, holding the wheel allows you to reach your destination. Paul certainly drove this point home (pardon the pun) when he wrote to Titus; he told him to teach everyone self-control. In fact, his instruction wasn’t just for pastors. It was for everyone who calls themselves a Christian. Indeed, he wrote about it five times in both chapters one and two.

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

The Power of God

A few Sunday evenings ago, we gathered together and heard Paul’s entire letter to the Romans publicly read out loud. For over an hour, sixteen different people read sixteen different chapters of a two-thousand-year-old text. After the reading, people weren’t falling asleep or bored. On the contrary, they were excited and encouraged! Imagine sitting down after a long weekend, listening to people read for an hour out of any other book. Before long, people would no doubt fall asleep and be ready to go home. They certainly wouldn’t be smiling ear to ear and talking about how amazing God is. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church