The Rock Church

God Loves You

God loves you! Jesus’ coming into this world and going through everything He did (including His death) was God’s gift to you. This is the heartbeat of the Bible and the wonderful message of Christmas. He loves you.

Isaiah 9:6 says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Look again at what that verse says. “For to us….”. Are you catching it? It says, “for to us a son is given…” Jesus is a gift from God to us!

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He Has Done Great Things For Us

“When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with joyful shouting; then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.” — Psalm 126:1-3

I recently read these verses and couldn’t help but reflect on some of the great things God has done in and through the people of The Rock Church (over the last 17 years).

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Delight in the Lord

“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” — Psalm 37:4

This past week, God reminded me how true this verse really is. As many of you already know, but I was privileged to release a full-length worship album with The Rock Music on a global level. I was also so thankful to be able to perform at our CD release party last Friday night. Thanks to all of you who have helped make this successful so far!

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Bright Friday

“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” — 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NIV)

Black Friday will be here in just a few days. I’m sure many of you are eagerly anticipating the thrill of the hunt … for the perfect cheap gift! But, as this special day approaches, I’m reminded of another Black Friday back on November 28, 2008. In a New York City Wal-Mart store, a 34-year-old Wal-Mart employee was crushed to death. A crowd waiting to get into the store got out of control. Hundreds of people bull-rushed through the doors. Wal-Mart employees had to scramble on top of vending machines to get out of the way. Employees were on the intercom pleading with people to leave the store. They begged people to clear the area saying, “Please, our friend is dying.” And you know what people said back to them? “We’ve waited all night. We’re not leaving.” According to retail store risk assessment consultants, incidents like this can be prevented by proper safety precautions.

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Suffering

“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.” — John 12:27

These were Jesus’ words before He was betrayed and crucified. If anyone knows about suffering, it’s Jesus. His suffering was foretold all the way back to the book of Genesis. Isaiah 53 calls Him the “Man of Sorrows”.

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Strengthen

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.” — 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I recently went on a retreat with some of the Draper pastors and deacons. It was a much-needed opportunity for us to get strengthened in the Lord. We were able to get away from the noise and busyness of day-to-day life. I’ve found that when we make time to simply focus on the One who gave us life, He always comes through with comfort and strength.

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Encourage

“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:11

In the spirit of encouragement, I wanted to pass along an email that was recently sent to a few of our pastors in Draper. It so encouraged us that we wanted to pass it along to you.

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Tested

“His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.” — Psalm 105:18-19

In Genesis 37, the seventeen-year-old Joseph had a dream in which the sun, moon, and eleven stars all bowed down to him. His eleven brothers correctly interpreted that dream to mean that they would one day bow down to Joseph. That only increased their jealousy of him. Their hatred was rooted in their father’s favoritism. It prevented them from speaking nicely to Joseph.

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Playground Lesson

“Cast all your anxieties on Him, for He cares about you.” — 1 Peter 5:7

Over the years, I have found myself coming back to this tremendous truth almost daily. I am a very anxious person. Sometimes, it can overtake my brain in a paralyzing way. The promise in this verse has always helped remind me that I am not alone. It helps me see that God cares about my problems. He isn’t surprised that I could be burdened.

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Uncertain

There will be times in life when you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what you are supposed to be doing with your life. There will also be times when you have no idea where God might be leading you. Even though you pray, read your Bible, and get counsel, you don’t feel certain about your next step. Here is the key to understanding the uncertain situations in your life: Sometimes God will ask us for faith when we are demanding clarity. We tend to look at situations in our lives and say, “God, show me what to do.” or “Just give me a sign.” At these moments, when we don’t hear from God, I believe He might be telling us to exercise our faith.

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