The Rock Weekly – August 17, 2022

  • Wednesday Night Prayer Service – Tonight at 6:45 pm in the Sanctuary!
  • Baptisms THIS Sunday (8/21)  Email Family@therock.org
  • New Testament Reading Plan for The Rock, CLICK HERE. 
  • Food Bank this Saturday from 9am-11am. WE NEED HELP preparing orders & praying! Come at 8:15am to the church atrium.
  • Men’s Advance – A Call to Arms. Aug 26/27. Register HERE.

Abiding Love is Without Limits

“I tell you who hear me: LOVE your enemies, DO GOOD to those who hate you, BLESS those who curse you, PRAY FOR those who mistreat you….Love your enemies, DO GOOD to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” – Luke 6:27-28,35-36

We serve a Lord and King who does not ask of us anything that He has not already done.  All Jesus asks of us is to “Come follow me” (Matt 4:19)…”Imitate Christ” (Eph 5:1)…“walk as Jesus did” (1 Jn 2:6). I don’t say this lightly and I know that for me this can seem overwhelming and monumental to really live a life the way Jesus lived on this earth. It doesn’t seem fair…He is God and we are not. Right?  But I think we often forget that He is not asking us to do this alone…just as Jesus was not alone. He came out of the wilderness in the power of the Spirit!

Jesus tells the disciples in John 14:12 that He is going to the Father so that if we have faith in Him, we WILL DO what Jesus did on earth and even greater things! Why does Jesus say this with such confidence? Doesn’t Jesus know our faults, our insecurities, our inadequacies? I remember wearing those rubber bracelets with “WWJD” on them. The intent was to help us live like Jesus, but I’m not sure it actually helped.  Catch this, I don’t believe we can live a life like Jesus by “trying” to do the right thing all the time. Our minds do not have the ability to keep our “flesh” on track to live a life of loving like Jesus. But I do know that Jesus has given us, as the New Covenant generation, the secret to this! In Mark 4:11 Jesus tells us that “the secret of the kingdom of God has been given to us”!  And 1 Cor 2:6-12 explains that God’s secret wisdom, which had been hidden and is now destined for our glory, is revealed to us by His Spirit and that we have now received His Spirit!  The secret is not us…it is the Spirit of God in us!  We are God’s temple and His Spirit lives in us. (1 Cor 3:16) So if God is Love (1 Jn 4:8) and God’s Spirit now lives in us, our response is NOT to try live a life of love in our power. But our response should be to walk humbly, dependent on the Spirit, allowing the Spirit to lead every movement of our lives.

I will end with this encouragement… Jesus gave His Spirit to all who believe in Him so that we have the strength and power to walk and live the life Jesus lived on this earth. And the life we are to live boils down to this: LOVE as Jesus loved us!…This is the abiding love without limits!  As we abide in Jesus by living in life-union with Him, we will be empowered by His Spirit to LOVE others the way Jesus loved us. Kingdom fruit that lasts will come from this life, we will be called friends of Jesus, everything known by Jesus will be made known to us, and all we ask for in Jesus will be given by the Father! (Jn 15:7-17) This abiding love without limits is the life I desire for us all to live!

I LOVE YOU! 😊
Pastor Mike and your Rock Staff



 

 

IMPORTANT SERVICE & WEEKLY INFORMATION:

WEDNESDAY NIGHT WORSHIP & PRAYER SERVICE  6:45pm * In-Person & On-Line *
Facebook Live:  https://www.facebook.com/rockchurchco
The Rock Online Livestream:  https://www.therock.org/live/

 

YOUTH ~ BASE CAMP (6th – 12th Grade) – WEDNESDAY NIGHT – 7:00pm
Invite a friend and come have a great time. If you have any questions, email jaden@therock.org

 

EMBER – Young Adults (Ages 18-29) – Friday Nights at 7:00pm
https://www.therock.org/ember/
Meet in the Chapel for a time of worship, prayer, teaching, and connection.

 

FOOD BANK DISTRIBUTION – 1st & 3rd Saturday of the Month
https://www.therock.org/foodbank/
Email Lindy@therock.org if you would like to volunteer or have questions.

 

SUNDAY MORNING PRE-SERVICE PRAYER  8:15-9:15am – *In-Person & On-line*
ZOOM Direct Video Link:
           https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85340164797?pwd=V0lmWFRRL0R6Tm56QTdRUHNoMWI3QT09
ZOOM Meeting ID: 853 4016 4797
          ZOOM Phone Option +12532158782,,85340164797#

 

SUNDAY MORNING SERVICE 9:45am  *In-Person & On-line*
           Facebook Live:  https://www.facebook.com/rockchurchco
The Rock Online Livestream:  https://www.therock.org/live/

 

OPPORTUNITIES TO GIVE  Here are some ways you can partner with The Rock as you practice generosity – our regular tithe/giving, compassion help, missions, and our food bank.  Click on the following link or graphic.  www.therock.org/give

 

Have a Question, Need Prayer, Help, Feel Alone, or Disconnected?

Please email us at family@therock.org and put QUESTION, PRAYER, NEED HELP, or CONNECT ME at the top of your email.