The Rock Church

Do You Really Believe This? by The Rock Church

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” — 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Recently, I was talking with a friend about the story of Jonah. We recounted the story play-by-play. It reminded me how the story of Jonah has undoubtedly become one of the most challenging Bible stories to believe. In 1794 (230 years ago), Thomas Paine, author of “The Age of Reason,” said the book of Jonah was “…A fit story for ridicule if it was written to be believed — or of laughter if it was intended to try what credulity could swallow, for if it could swallow Jonah and the whale it could swallow anything.”

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: 1700s, atheist, belief, believe, Billy, billy johnson, challenging, christ, David, doubt, fish, Goliath, help, historical, jesus, Jonah, legend, lies, myth, mythical creature, Old Testament, philistines, Questions, satan, Son of Man, stories, story, the rock church, Thomas Paine, timothy, Unbelief, whale

Gain by The Rock Church

I gained encouragement during some interactions I’ve had with my oncologist. I will share it with you in the hope that you will be encouraged as well.

My oncologist has helped me with my ongoing cancer challenges and was at the helm through my sweet wife Jeanne’s battle with cancer. Back then, we used to joke with him that we were his two-for-one clients. I often thank him for his tireless attention to his cancer patients. He genuinely cares for me and my family. Consequently (and like all of us), he was especially burdened when Jeanne lost her battle with cancer.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: afterlife, battle, cancer, christ, depressed, doctor, Family, gain, grief, Heaven, illness, Jeanne, loss, Mac, Ministry, Outreach, patient, Philippians, sharing the gospel, sick, Steve McInroy, suffering, the rock church, trial, Witness

Astounded by The Rock Church

There is nothing quite like being astounded by Jesus. Obviously, Jesus is always amazing, but sometimes, in our faith journey, He occasionally orchestrates something genuinely astounding.

In July, The Rock Church Youth Group attended our annual DTC (Discipleship Training Camp) in Colorado. It was a tremendous few days where our young men and women played tons of games, sang songs, and laughed with friends. What is more, they learned the biblical roadmap for godly manhood and womanhood. For this particular DTC, the men and women were in two separate camps — about an hour away from each other.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: amazing, astounding, Camp, car, car accident, car troubles, coincidence, Colorado, depression, Discpileship, drive, driving, DTC, God sighting, Grace, Is God There?, jesus, journey, manhood, map, mechanic, miracle, perfect, provides, right place, right time, road, see, storm, suffering, the rock church, The Rock Music, Time, timing, tire, trailer, Training, trial, trials, truck, trust, womanhood, Worship, youtube

The Mercy Seat Connection by The Rock Church

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
Tags: Aarons Staff, angels, ark, Ark of the covenant, Cherub, Cherubim, covenant, Easter, Exodus, foreshadow, gospel, hebrews, holy, Holy of Holies, jesus, Jews, John, Josh, Josh Whitney, Manna, mary, mercy, Mercy seat, Most Holy Place, Old Testament, Propitiation, Resurrection, sacrifice, shadow, tabernacle, temple, the rock church, tomb, type

A Common Faith Family by Caleb Yetton

I love how Paul calls Titus a true son in the faith — a common faith (Titus 1:4).

Believers, we indeed share a common faith in our Lord Jesus, in His personhood. We also share a common belief in His finished work on the cross. Additionally, we share a common faith in our hope for eternal life — the return of our King to set all things right. 

Without a doubt, our common faith unifies us, breaks down barriers, and distinguishes us from the world. Our mutual faith always sets us apart. Jesus is our connecting thread, which makes us unified and together. Despite our differences, we share faith. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton
Tags: built together, caleb, caleb yetton, common, connect, daughter, differences, disagreements, divide, division, division in the church, eternal family, faith, Family, foundation, friendship, get a long, humble, humility, jesus, Paul, Son, the rock church, titus, Together, unique, unite, unity, yetton

Honduras Update #6 by Brent Kendall

Our Comforter

Our last day started out at the University where some of the students danced a traditional Honduran dance and then one girl sang ”This is Amazing Grace.”  She had the most beautiful voice which brought us to tears because we felt God’s presence so strongly in that room worshipping together. We were also able to talk to a lot of them who knew God but were struggling with hard things in their life and had questions about miracles or about death. One girl shared how her grandfather, who had raised her, had died 9 days before. She was so sad and was just asking why. It sounded like her grandfather was a believer and she was looking at this tract with the gospel on it saying that the question on it was her own question of “where will I go when I die?” We were able to remind her of the hope that we can have in Christ and how she will see him again in eternity. 

Posted in Missions by Brent Kendall
Tags: honduras, Mission, mission trip, missions, short term mission trip, the rock missions

Honduras Update #5 by Brent Kendall

I have learned that one way Jesus spreads His good news, which is that He is Lord, is through the suffering love of the saints. Yesterday, I prayed that God would give me extravagant love for the people we were visiting in one of the poorest areas in Honduras. Getting there is difficult, but staying all day is even more difficult. One lady said she feels unsure about God because life is hard. She often doesn’t have enough food to feed her family, and many of them are sick. God did give me such love for her, and I was so excited to tell her how Jesus is taking over this world and the sin in our hearts. The sadness in our eyes is going to change very soon! One of my favorite parts of this day was that our team members and many local church members were engaged in serving this community together. Some were sharing the gospel or praying for healing. Others cared for physical needs, welcomed people, played with children, or chased dogs out of the clinic. 

Thank you for your prayers and support!

-Jenny 

Posted in Missions by Brent Kendall
Tags: honduras, Mission, mission trip, missions, short term mission trip, the rock missions

Honduras Update #4 by Brent Kendall

When All is Stripped Away

Hello, Rock Church. Thank you for your continued prayers. We continue to enjoy the favor of God and the Honduran people with whom God has surrounded us. When the obligations, cares, and concerns of our busy, hectic lives are taken away, it becomes easy to focus on spreading the gospel! God’s Good News is being preached in Honduras! Please keep a couple (Salvador and Victoria) in your prayers. They are fleeing the horrible situation in Venezuela. The other night, they made it to the Nicaragua/Honduras border but were robbed. They are trying to find a way into the United States. Please pray that God provides them safety, security, discernment, and peace

-Tony Rehmer

Posted in Missions by Brent Kendall
Tags: honduras, Mission, mission trip, missions, short term mission trip, the rock missions

Honduras Update #3 by Brent Kendall

“God’s Word Does Not Return Empty”

Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter”. Proverbs 24:11

God gave me the verse above during my first trip to Romania in 2009. I understood it to mean that many people needed to hear His Good News of salvation—especially those who were destitute or neglected and whose only option was to use whatever means necessary just to survive.

On Sunday, we visited an orphanage in Valle de Angeles, here in Honduras. We were touched by the work that they are doing as volunteers—because the government had stopped funding it in 2022. They have 76 residents—ages 3 to 60—who have severe disabilities, like Cerebral Palsy. The saddest part of this visit was to hear some of those individuals had been abandoned—one having been found tied to a chair in a park.

Posted in Missions by Brent Kendall
Tags: honduras, Mission, mission trip, missions, short term mission trip, the rock missions

Honduras Update #2 by Brent Kendall

Medical Clinic Outreach

Today, we had a clinic at the church where we are staying. We set up areas where people could get medical records, talk to nurses and doctors, get prescribed medicine, and an evangelism station where people received prayer and were presented the gospel. We had 85 patients in 4 hours! Many of the church members, people from the community, and people from the disabled home we went to yesterday came. Part of our goal was to encourage and come alongside the medical professionals and church already in that area, and we were encouraged to have 3 doctors, one nurse, and 20 church members join us! My grandparents were on the prayer team and were blown away by how open and vulnerable the Honduran people were. Also, how grateful they were for simply the gift of prayer. Many people shared hard stories about their lives, received prayer, and responded to the gospel! 

Posted in Missions by Brent Kendall
Tags: honduras, Mission, mission trip, missions, short term mission trip, the rock missions