Harbor Rock Tabernacle

Whenever we faithfully serve the Lord, we will face opposition for our identification with Jesus. But when we hold Biblical convictions and act to advance those, it will prompt the Lord to work in fresh ways and bless what we are doing. Paul and Barnabas sets a powerful example in Acts 14, faithfully speaking the Truth so many people trust Christ. As they follow the Spirit's leading, deflect any g...

The choices two people make when they are similar situations are determined by conviction about what each sees as true. In Acts 13, 7 groups and individuals respond to the truth of God's Word, making divergent decisions that revealed their heart and determined their futures. As we relate to them and apply them to our own lives, it gives us clarity about whether we are choosing what is easy and cul...

 When the women came to Jesus' tomb, fully expecting Him to still be dead, they found it open, Him gone, and angels who asked why they sought the Living One among the dead. It was the first conclusive evidence of Jesus' victory over sin, death and the enemy...and it changes everything for us. When we trust Him as Saviour, He powerfully enables us to be "more than conquerors", with surpassing victo...

 The details of the last hours before Jesus was crucified are hard to read, as He was brutalized and mocked. Part of His torture was having a crown of thorns jammed onto and beaten into His head. It was our crown--representing the consequences of our sin, and man's attempt to prove we're in charge. The enemy thought he was gaining a victory, but Jesus turned that crown into a picture of the victor...

Jesus doesn't randomly go through the events of Holy Week--every word and action points toward the cross and the resurrection ahead.  So when He enters Jerusalem on the donkey on Palm Sunday, He is the King who came to save.  The crowd recognizes this by shouting Hosanna and laying down coats and palm branches to show He is worthy.  Revealing God's deep and gracious heart for us, Jesus weeps over...

As the Gospel expanded to the world, there were many people who still wanted it's advance and it's ambassadors to be stopped. During the first Passover after Jesus went back to heaven, James was killed and Peter arrested. But the night before he was to be martyred, Peter was sleeping in his cell, surrounded by guards in an impossible situation. Rather than fear and doubt in the Lord's provision, h...

The church in Antioch never got a New Testament letter from Paul, but it was a pivotal church in Acts where he spent a year teaching new believers. This church was the first true mix of Jews and Gentiles who had been radically saved in a idol worshipping, deviant city. Luke described them as having "the hand of the Lord with them"--marked by 7 distinguishing characteristics that invited His blessi...

Throughout Scripture, the Lord communicates the concept of redemption--being saved from something and being saved to something better. This means that He not only wants to declare us not guilty from our sin, He also provides that we are given a hope and a future, adopted as His own. Like Ruth and Naomi, who dealt with great loss, the Lord provides redemption that brings great joy. When we trust an...

Most of us don't enjoy change. We like what we are used to, what is comfortable, and what we think is best for us. But that can adversely impact our lives and our relationship with the Lord. And when He is doing a fresh work, our ability to discern and follow that will be determined by our love for Him and trust that His way is always right. In Acts 10, as the Gospel continued to the Gentiles, bot...

 In one of the most pivotal chapters in Acts, 3 men face significant challenges to their thinking. Saul had been persecuting Christians, but the Lord humbled him, because He had plans for Saul that completely changed his life. He then met Ananias, who had to face his fear in order to be the catalyst for Saul's conversion. Then, when the disciples were hesitant to accept Saul (now Paul), Barnabas h...

We may be inclined to have low expectations for how we can be used of the Lord, and even to doubt His plan and power for us, especially when we compare ourselves to the believers in the early church. But in Acts 8, Philip serves the Lord in a way that should be foundational for every Christian. After leaving Samaria with Peter and John, the Spirit takes him on a solo journey into the desert. When...

What do people learn when they look at our lives? Are they convinced of our convictions and drawn to Jesus Christ? As the opposition to the Early Church increased, Stephen was put in the position of defending himself and the Lord against lies and defamation. By recounting the history of Israel, he established how the religious leaders had repeated rebellious, faith-less behavior, culminating in ki...

 Our character is the mental and moral qualities that are distinctive to each of us--it is who we are, rather than what people think we are. To that end, the Bible says that a good character is more valuable that great wealth. In Acts 6, the apostles character and motives were questioned, by people who accused them of insensitivity and lack of care. So they chose 7 men to specifically serve, with...

 In Acts 5, the Church hits it's first crisis--an internal sin that could have divided them and hurt their ministry. But the Church reacts with the right fear--awe of the Lord's holiness and power. This is a sharp contrast to the pandemic of fear and insecurity present in the world, caused by focus on self, the breakdown of the family and abandonment of faith in God. This contrast was similarly ev...

 As the Early Church started to have influence, the religious leaders tried to suppress it but demanding that the disciples not talk about Jesus. The enemy uses these types of tactics--mocking, discrediting, demanding, stoking pride and offering alternatives--to try to stop us. But he can't overcome believers filled with the Spirit, and he can't dissuade those who have heard the truth and been cha...

 In the days following Pentecost, Peter and John had an interaction with a man who couldn't walk and was looking for financial assistance. But they knew that his real need was spiritual--hope that could only be found in trusting Jesus. They show great love for him by calling him to spiritual attention, and tell him that what he is really looking for in life will not be found in the material. But t...

 Acts 2 gives a powerful picture of the purpose, power, function and ideal of the Church. The standard it sets for us is simple but unusual, because it is based solely on the filling of the Holy Spirit, and believers taking a bold, public stand for the Lord and speaking God's Word without compromise. In a time when the Church wrestles with the inclination to reach people through strategies and con...

 When we study the disciples in Acts, it may seem hard to relate to them in a practical way, because their responses and circumstances are so exceptional. In these times of uncertainty, we may struggle to react with hope, confidence and power like they did. But in the time between Jesus' ascension and the Spirit coming, they faced great uncertainty--Jesus was gone, they were outcasts, and the Jews...

 We often quote the verse where Jesus tells His disciples to "deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Me", but we may wonder why we need to do that, when we have already seen saved, transformed and filled with the Holy Spirit. By connecting it to His death and resurrection, Jesus is calling us to the proof of our confession--a verification that we accept Him as Lord of our lives. Denyin...

One of the great challenges of walking by faith is whether we are willing to confidently trust the Lord's plans and leading with contentment, by yielding our own plans. We want to believe the concept that if we had everything go exactly as we wanted, we would be satisfied. But not only does that never happen, it is also a misguided thought. The wise men and Joseph & Mary both faced a sudden ch...

 All throughout the Christmas account, we see the variety of reactions and expectations that people have about Jesus. Some want Him to be a warrior who does everything for them without any personal obligation. Others want a politician, who will negotiate everything without any personal responsibility. Many want an appeaser, who just excuses their sin without any personal accountability. But Jesus...

 All throughout history, people have been looking for a way to be saved and accepted by God. Because Jesus said He is the only One Who can save us, He is either a delusional fraud or He is our only hope. But even in the Christmas account and throughout His life, it is clear that mankind has a propensity to look for other options to shape Jesus into what we want. Some see Him as a warrior, others a...

 The amazing reality of the Incarnation is that the Son of God came here as a Baby. Jesus' birth shows the value of life, and God's offer of new life to all people. From a physical standpoint, His birth proves that unborn life is precious to the Lord, which is a stark contrast to the indifferent destruction of babies. From a spiritual standpoint, it shows that every soul is precious to Him. In res...

 Everything in the Christmas account points toward the message of salvation and hope. This has been established since the beginning of history, as God has given man a clear message of man's sin and His willingness to save us. During a time when Judah was spiritually cold and facing deserved discipline, the prophet Isaiah gave a message of hope. He previewed that the Lord would provide a Saviour, W...

Research shows that Christians are less engaged in their faith and practice than ever. This affects church attendance, giving, and telling others about the Good News of Jesus Christ. This apathy is a contrast to the people who first met Jesus. They immediately told others to "come and see" Jesus for themselves. Doing so changed their lives...and it calls us to analyze the extent to which we have l...