“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you… 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” — Philippians 1:3,5
As we have been studying Philippians together as a church, this one word at the beginning of the letter really captured my heart: partnership.
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“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word from the mouth of God.” – Matthew 4:4
You may have heard that in 2024, Bible sales rose by 22% over the previous year. That is certainly very encouraging! At our “Hope for America” livestream event, we gave away 40 Bibles. There definitely seems to be a growing hunger for God’s Word.
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One little verse tucked away in the Old Testament has been rolling around in my heart lately:
“…Hushai the Arkite was the king’s friend.”— 1 Chronicles 27:33b
Isn’t that description beautiful? Not a big title. No grand exploits mentioned. Just “the king’s friend.” And not just any king. But King David, the man after God’s own heart. Out of all the military leaders, advisors, and warriors surrounding David, Scripture makes a point to name Hushai for one thing: friendship.
Let’s be honest—we all need a Hushai in our lives. Someone who shows up not because they need anything. But, simply because they care. A friend who stands with you in the palace and the wilderness. One who brings joy and tells the truth. Also, one who reminds you of who you are when you start to forget.
David knew the pain of betrayal (remember Ahithophel?). However, he also knew the strength of real friendship. Hushai stuck by him when others turned away (2 Samuel 15). Additionally, his loyalty helped preserve the kingdom.
Friendship is not a bonus—it’s a lifeline. In Proverbs 17:17, we read: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” And the greatest friend of all? Of course, it’s always Jesus.
Jesus said, “I no longer call you servants… instead, I have called you friends” (John 15:15). He doesn’t just save us. On the contrary, He walks with us and listens to us. Along with that, He rejoices and weeps with us. That’s the kind of friend He is. And He invites us to be that kind of friend to others.
So, let me ask you something. “Who’s your Hushai? And who are you being a Hushai to?”
Let’s be intentional today. Text a friend. Invite someone for coffee. Open up. Listen well. Laugh hard. Cry if you need to. Pray together. Don’t do life alone.
Without question, we were made for friendship. Even kings need them. And so do we.
Your friend,
Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
“Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!” — Psalm 139:6
Psalm 139 is definitely one of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible. The picture that David paints of God’s goodness and closeness is so comforting. It is nearly impossible to read those words and not feel God’s love. Without a doubt, it truly is too great for me to understand!
Do you feel like God is distant? Maybe you feel like He doesn’t understand you? Then, I would encourage you to read Psalm 139 and let His Truth change those thoughts.
(more…)Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton
“Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.“ — Proverbs 18:12
“For Pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.” -Timothy Keller
Christian, when we walk in humility, we walk within the circle of God’s blessing. The world tells us that we need more power, money, fame, position, praise, more…more…more! The Bible, however, actually calls a person like that a leech. The world is a leech!
“The leech has two suckers that cry out, “More, more!” — Proverbs 30:15
You see, God’s plan is the exact opposite of the world’s way. In the world, it’s always about more of me, more of me, and more of me. By contrast, the Lord tells us something else. We find true joy in thinking not less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves LESS.
Pride is indeed competitive by its very nature. If I am a proud person, then as long as there is one person in the world more powerful, richer, or smarter than I am, that person is my rival and enemy. Pride always means division and separation. Not only between people but also between us and God.
To be humble, however, is to recognize that you don’t always need to be correct. To be humble is to realize that you certainly don’t know everything. To be humble is to remember you can apologize when you’re wrong. To be humble is to recognize that you can finally stop pretending to be the best at everything. To be humble means you can absolutely have real friendships without having to “prove” yourself.
The point of humility is that God wants you to know Him. But pride always gets in the way of that. He wants to give you Himself. And when you know Him, you will inevitably be humble — wonderfully humble! As a matter of fact, you will feel infinite relief. The relief of finally getting rid of all the silly nonsense of your inflated ego. It has only made you restless and unhappy all your life.
For now, think about this. God is good, and He loves you. He wants what leads to your greatest joy. So, if He tells you that pride leads to destruction, by all means, we must learn to listen and obey. Therein lies true joy.
This week, consider thinking of yourself less. Consider not fighting for first place but being content to be last. Not surprisingly, this is a pathway to joy.
Seeking humility with you,
Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
“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.
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Then Jesus said to her, “I am the MESSIAH!” – John 4:26
Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite encounters in the entire Bible. You remember the story. In the Gospel of John, Jesus passed through a region called Samaria on His way to Galilee. As the reader, we should by all means know that (at this time in history) the Samaritan people were despised by the Jewish people. The Jews considered the Samaritans to be inferior economically, racially, spiritually, and socially. In fact, they were “the dogs” and often even hated.
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The Rock Music recently released a new single, “Saved By Grace (Live Acoustic Performance).” Additionally, we released a new live performance on our YouTube channel. It’s certainly a blessing and an honor to participate in these new TRM projects. I invite you to listen to the song on your preferred streaming platform and also watch the new video. Thank you for your support and encouragement with all the new music we have put out this year.
(more…)Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton
I have been undeniably blessed and privileged to meet with many people over the years. In fact, it is one of the most character-developing habits the Lord has placed in my life. I’m naturally an introvert; before giving my life to Christ, I was pretty happy riding my horse of life alone. Just me and my family. Perhaps you can relate? Without a doubt, a “lone ranger” existence was just fine by me. Now, I’m not saying that’s wrong. But I do believe God has better for us. These verses always spur me on,
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The Rock Music has released our new song, “Mercy.” It has been an honor to play a small part in writing and recording this song. Indeed, God has been so kind to our little local church in Draper, Utah (of all places) to allow us to put out so much original music.
I’ve helped release several songs over the past 15 years. This one is unique. From the first time we led worship with this song (April 2022), it has been a particularly special song for our body to sing together.
First and foremost, we write and record music for Jesus to be exalted and, secondly, for our local body. We want the music to be a blessing to the saints who call The Rock Church their home. Anything beyond that is just icing on the cake. And, of course, more glory for God.
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