The Rock Weekly – May 22, 2024

  • Tonight – Prayer & Worship Night! @ 7pm in the Chapel or via Livestream.  Growing in the Word – 6pm in the Prayer Room or via Zoom. See links below. 
  • Youth Summer Camp Car Wash Fundraiser – Sunday, June 2nd during service. Park anywhere, all cars will be washed for donations.
  • River of Life – Tues 5/28, prophetic art activation. 6:30pm in the Chapel www.riveroflife.online

 

You Can Only Reflect What You Behold

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”  (2 Cor 4:6)

This Scripture has been one of my favorite verses in all the Bible just because of how amazing it sounds…that God would give me the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ!  Wow! But it is also a little confusing.  Let me try and put this into more simplified terms. 

First of all, when God says, “Let light shine out of darkness”, He is making it known that without Him, we are darkness!  Ouch!  So there is no light in and of ourselves. I know this is strong language, but it’s the truth. Without Jesus, we have no life and no light in us…only darkness.  But here is the good news…the Scripture also makes it known that God’s intent is for His light to shine in our hearts as we look into the face (which can also be translated ‘presence’) of Jesus Christ.  So that when we do this, He then gives us His LIGHT – which is the knowledge of the glory of God!  Said another way, when we put our entire focus on Jesus (abide in Him), He reveals Himself to us as light through the Holy Spirit and removes the darkness in our heart and replaces it with the light of His Spirit…the Spirit of Christ or the Holy Spirit!  And the beauty is that this “light of the knowledge of the glory of God” keeps increasing as we continue to abide wholeheartedly in the face (presence) of Jesus…as we worship Him and love Him with our whole being…with all our heart, soul, mind and strength! 

When I was a kid, I had a Luke Skywalker lightsaber that glowed in the dark without any batteries.  I thought I was pretty cool! 😊  The only problem was that in order for it to glow, I had to expose it to the light.  After the light shined on it for a couple of minutes, I could take it into the dark and it would shine brightly!  In the same way, when we spend time with Jesus and allow His light to shine in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, our countenance changes.  We respond with more love, we are more kind to people, we have more joy in our life, we are more at peace even when things aren’t going as planned, we are more patient with people, when we smash our thumb with a hammer we remain self-controlled, etc…  This isn’t our great ability or strength, but it is a REFLECTION of what we have been BEHOLDING!  Galatians 5:22 defines these reflections of light as the “fruit of the Spirit”.

John 1:4 & 9 tells us that Jesus is the life and light of mankind and that He is the true light that is able to give light to everyone.  This is why we are to look to Jesus…and fix our eyes on Him. (Heb 12:2)   For when we BEHOLD Him, we are transformed into His likeness with an increasing degree of glory! (2 Cor 3:18)  If you missed last Sunday, I would encourage you to go back and watch Pastor Marcus’ message on beholding the glory of God.  It is in the BEHOLDING of the light that we become light. (Matt 6:22)  It is in the WAITING upon the Lord that our strength is renewed. (Isaiah 40:31)  It is in the DWELLING in the secret place of God that we find rest and protection. (Psalm 91:1)  It is in the ABIDING that we bear much fruit. (John 15) 

I want to encourage us as a church family to not focus on trying to do things for God, but to set our lives apart unto Him…to behold Him, wait upon Him, dwell with Him, abide in Him, worship Him, spend unhurried and undivided time with Him…let His light shine in your heart.  For from that positioning of your WHOLE HEART, you will become light in the darkness!  You will shine brightly!  And you will bear much fruit!  This will keep us in a place of rest in Him and keep us from the place of striving to please God…which apart from His light will be impossible.

Lord Jesus, I thank you that you are the light of the world and you have created us to be a reflection of your light as we behold you.  Help us to fix our eyes on you and not gaze upon worldly things or have any longing for the things of this world which have no light and no life!  May we, as the bride of Christ, be all-in lovers of Jesus…the Bridegroom King!  Amen.

I love you all.

Pastor Mike and your Rock Staff

 

 

 

IMPORTANT SERVICE & WEEKLY INFORMATION:

WEDNESDAY NIGHT WORSHIP & PRAYER SERVICE  7:00pm * In-Person & On-Line *
Facebook Live:  https://www.facebook.com/rockchurchco
The Rock Online Livestream:  https://www.therock.org/live/

 

GROWING IN THE WORD – 6:00pm Wednesdays
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7709609677?omn=83428418208

 

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

 

FOOD BANK DISTRIBUTION – ON BREAK UNTIL JULY 6TH
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.