Last Sunday we did an impromptu Q & A Sermon. So following is happening this Sunday:

Most of us are taught from a young age that we shouldn’t hate. We learn that hate is a harsh word and that we should find other ways to express our dislike for things. So it can be confusing when the Bible talks about hate in a positive way. Paul writes in Romans 12:9; “Hate what is evil…” This is a command. This is how we know our love is genuine. What gives? The idea is that we are to hate the things God hates. Wait, what? God hates things? Yes, He does. Actually, the Bible is full of things God hates. And if we are to genuinely love, we are to hate these same things!

Last Sunday we did an impromptu Q & A Sermon. So following is happening this Sunday:

Most of us are taught from a young age that we shouldn’t hate. We learn that hate is a harsh word and that we should find other ways to express our dislike for things. So it can be confusing when the Bible talks about hate in a positive way. Paul writes in Romans 12:9; “Hate what is evil…” This is a command. This is how we know our love is genuine. What gives? The idea is that we are to hate the things God hates. Wait, what? God hates things? Yes, He does. Actually, the Bible is full of things God hates. And if we are to genuinely love, we are to hate these same things!

Being authentic is one of the most sought after character traits of our age. Being real. Being genuine. Being sincere. Or on the other side of the coin, not being fake. Not being true. Being hypocritical. People can see right through us when we try and be something we aren’t. If we try and pass ourselves off as a surfer, the truth will come out once we paddle out into the waves. If we say we are a good cook, the truth will come out when we invite people over for dinner. If we say that we love people, the truth will come out when someone is in need. Romans 12:9 demands that our love be genuine, sincere, and not hypocritical.

One of my mentors, John Perkins, determined that there is one thing that he wants to define the last years of his life - love. Dr. Perkins declared that love is the final fight (depictied in Switchfoot’s song The Sound (John M. Perkins’ Blues)). Nearing the end of his life, Dr. Perkins is led back to the primary teachings of Jesus and the disciples - love. From the great commandment (love God, love neighbor), to loving enemies, to knowing Jesus’s diciples by their love, to the seminal chapter on love, 1 Cor. 13. Love is commanded. Love is emphasised. Love is central. Romans 12:9-16 is about love applied in our lives and in the church.

The third of the Summer BBQs is here! This Sunday stay after church for another epic BBQ. Everyone is welcome! Click Here (after you go into the main email text) for the invite and what to bring. See you Sunday!

This Sunday is the last sermon in our Mid-Romans mini-series on spiritual gifts. It is time to say; “Now you know the gifts, how are you going to use them?!?!” This is exciting. I will walk through some present and future ministries of The Rock and connect the spiritual gifts used and needed for these ministries. This is where we are called to obey. We are called to “use them (that is our spiritual gifts)!” In addition, we will take communion together. This is fitting for us to remember Jesus in a communal way while considering how to serve one another in the church!

Discovering one’s spiritual gifts is an exciting treasure hunt! God has given all Christians spiritual gifts to serve the church for the common good (I Cor. 12:7). Our discovery of those gifts is a God-ordained, worthy pursuit. We continue our discovery of spiritual gifts in our Romans Sermon Series this week. Are you one who is drawn to coming alongside people and encouraging and comforting them? Then you may have the gift of encouragement. Or maybe people naturally follow you and want you to lead them in ways to grow in Jesus. Maybe you have the gift of leadership! Or are you a person who is drawn to help the marginalized of society? If so, then perhaps you have the gift of acts of mercy.

The second of the Summer BBQs is here! This Sunday stay after church for another epic BBQ. Everyone is welcome! Click Here (after you go into the main email text) for the invite and what to bring. See you Sunday!

Just as God is always working on our hearts, it seems there is always construction at the school where we meet! (see what I did there?!) Don’t let that deter you! We have an ongoing issue with the gate/fence to the parking lot this Summer. We have to monitor so we don’t lock any Summer Concert in the Park people in after we are done with service. If the gate ever has cones in front of it, just move them and drive right on in. Sorry for the inconvenience. If you want to help with pre-service parking control let me know. Thanks!

There are many ways people determine if a church is thriving. What metric is best to measure whether a church is thriving? Size of the church is a popular one. Making attenders happy is another. How much money people give is one we don’t like to talk about, but is definitely used to measure thriving. In the New Testament one of the major ways the Apostle Paul measures whether a church is thriving is by how the church’s members use their spiritual gifts. The Bible measures a thriving church by how they serve one another for the common good (1 Cor. 12:7) by using their spiritual gifts. This can be true in big churches, small churches, rural churches, urban churches, etc.

This Communion Sunday we will worship, pray, and fellowship to the glory of God! Join in for worship, then join together at The Point for a communion fellowship meal!

The first of the Summer BBQs is here! This Sunday stay after church for another epic BBQ. Everyone is welcome! Click Here (after you go into the main email text) for the invite and what to bring. See you Sunday!

As we gather this Sunday in church we will continue in our sermon series in Romans. The main sermon theme this Sunday is the command to “be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” This happens in a number of ways that we will talk about this Sunday. One is to study the Bible together. At The Rock we do this in small groups. I want to highlight the start of a small group designed to “be transformed by the renewal of our minds.” This group will study theology together on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month beginning on June 26. I’ve found small groups are one of the best ways to transform ourselves to be more like Jesus. Please consider joining this small group. If you have any questions please ask me. Come this Sunday and be inspired to renew your mind!

We are in the middle of graduation season. Whether one is graduating from kindergarten or graduate school, there is always something that comes next. A good question to ask upon graduating is, “What now?” A kindergartner is going to apply their vast knowledge to succeeding in the first grade. A graduate student will apply everything they learned in their program to excel in their chosen career. In the book of Romans, our preaching series brings us to a “What now?” moment. After the first 11 chapters of explaining the gospel of God, how we become righteous through Jesus, and of God’s unfathomable mercies to us, we are left with the question, “What now?”

Is God knowable? Yes! Is God unknowable? Yes! I believe Romans 11:33 teaches that both of these are true in different ways. God is absolutely knowable through the Bible, creation, and the person of Jesus. We have information about God that leads us to worship in spirit and in truth. On the other hand, God is also unknowable. God is infinite. God is unsearchable and inscrutable according to Rom. 11:33. We absolutely cannot know everything about God. There are mysteries to which we do not have access.

The Bible’s declaration in Romans that all of Israel will be saved is mind-blowing! How will God save an entire ethnic nation? Is this consistent with God’s salvation by grace alone and faith alone? Romans 11:25-32 answers these questions. And in answering questions about Israel gives us Gentile Christians some good advice. Advice in the form of warning - warning against pride and arrogance on our behalf. These warnings are instrumental and deeply tied into our spiritual growth in Jesus!