Harbor Rock Tabernacle

As we move into 2021, what are you living for and who are you living for? What are your spiritual goals, and why do you have them? What can you do for Jesus? Jesus teaches in Luke 9 that we would find more purpose if we would "lose ourselves" and live for Him at all times. In every decision, we need to analyze whether we are living for Christ or against Christ. The starting point is repentance and...

The difficult realities of 2020 have led to predictions that even darker days are ahead. But as Christians, we walk by faith and have been called to be light in darkness. We have a new opportunity to step out of our comfort zone and be powerful, prayerful believers. Christ didn't come to make bad men good, He came to make dead men alive, and as those who have been given eternal life, we need to jo...

The focus of Christmas is often making sure to get the right gift. Involved in that is an understanding the need of the person you are giving to, and making sure it has lasting value. God has shown His love and understanding of our eternal need in sending Jesus Christ. He saw that we are imperfect because we dead in sin, and gave the perfect gift to offer us eternal life. But we have to receive it...

2020 has exposed a spiritual divide that has put us on a path to increasingly polarize people. That inevitably will mean there will be less opportunity for people to be nominal Christians. There really are only two responses to Jesus Christ, and they are highlighted in the Christmas account with Herod and Simeon & Anna. When the wise men came with the news of the Saviour's birth, Herod could h...

Throughout Scripture, there is a direct correlation between being humble and being used of the Lord. The Lord blesses humility, which is evidenced in how He utilizes Joseph and Mary;. They were ordinary, unknown teenagers from a small, disrespected village, but the Lord had His eyes on them because of their pure character and selfless mindset. So when the word comes to each of them that they will...

In the middle of the awesome account of Jesus being born, there were real people experiencing significant challenges. One of them was Elizabeth, who had the heartache of years without having a child. But instead of being filled with resentment and bitterness about her difficult circumstances. Elizabeth stepped into trust in the Lord, and was faithful to serve Him. She and Zacharias kept praying fo...

On Harbor Rock's 10th Anniversary, we look at the account of Jonathan in 1 Samuel 14. His father Saul had strayed from the Lord and was living in fear and apprehension when the Philistine army assembled, ready to destroy Israel. But with deep faith in the Lord's help and provision, Jonathan and his armor bearer go to present themselves to the Philistines. They believed that the Lord would give the...

Living as a disciple goes beyond just believing in Jesus Christ--it's a full commitment and passionate implementation of the calling He has given to us. To really live as His disciples requires a radical change in our thinking--as evidenced in the lives of Peter and Paul. In their writing, they detail 4 essential steps that help us evaluate how "all in" we are in our discipleship. Assessing the ma...

In addition to the amazing eternal salvation and security those who trust in Jesus receive, the Lord gives His disciples extra benefits. The world can't offer or replicate the supernatural power, passion and peace given to those who faithfully trust, live for and serve Christ. These benefits produce an inner strength that not only gives us confidence and contentment, but also empower us to see liv...

Going out into a world that is hostile against Jesus and working to make disciples is a dangerous assignment. Not only do we face significant spiritual opposition, but the cost of discipleship can cause us to allow numerous actions of an undisciplined mind, which can hinder our faithful service. All of this can discourage and dissuade us, or we can seize the amazing opportunity the Lord gives us a...

A disciple is focused on both our call to walk worthy of Christ and make disciples, and looking for the return of Jesus. The next great event is the Rapture of true believers, which is different in multiple ways from Jesus' Second Coming. The signs Jesus gave about both events are very present today, and stir us to take four specific actions to prepare ourselves and others to hear the Trumpet. Vid...

Many people in the world lack peace because they have believed the lie that yielding to sin & living for ourselves gives freedom and contentment. Jesus taught just the opposite--that sin brings bondage and death, while He offers life and true freedom. As His disciples, we believe and continue in His Word, free from guilt, confusion and the wrong priorities. This gives us the joy and strength t...

Though none of us enjoy them, there is great benefit from the struggles we go through in life, especially the ones the Lord initiates. Tough circumstances and spiritual warfare are challenging enough, but what about the times when we wrestle against the Lord? That’s the position Jacob found himself in one night, when the Lord personally intervened in his life, challenging his stubbornness but also...

The Lord places great importance on us being teachable–accepting His instruction as being right and best, and willingly complying with it. Proverbs calls us to listen, watch and wait for the Lord, not only hearing and obeying Him, but having a sense of excited expectation of how He will work when we do. But we’re fighting against a dark culture that pushes stubborn, entitled selfishness…and even w...

As believers, we are marked by our “new birth” in Christ, and then by living as His disciples. Jesus says that the distinguishing characteristic of a disciple is that we love one another. But how do feel and show genuine love for those who hate and oppose Jesus…and us? As we face increased carnality, corruption and criticism, we can look to Jesus’ example. His anger over sin and compassion for tho...

A true disciple of Jesus Christ is someone who goes beyond just trusting in Him–it is a person who accepts, desires and engages what it means to be a disciple. Jesus defined this in John 13 when He said, “You are My disciples”. This first study in our new series examines each of those four words in-depth. Ultimately, discipleship is personal and non-negotiable, means we are loyal to only Jesus and...

We live in a time when any talk of privilege or inequality is criticized. But Psalm 61 says that anyone who fully trusts in the Lord for their help and strength has an advantage. This explains how people who faced impossible situations--like David, Elijah and Daniel--were able to experience victory that defied logic. As believers, we live in the disadvantage of spiritual opposition, cultural criti...

In the last months, we have gotten used to having our temperature checked as we go into establishments. But what would a scan of our spiritual temperature reveal? When Timothy was weary and lacking in spiritual "fire", the apostle Paul exhorted him to "kindle it afresh". He knew that the enemy looks for declining spiritual hunger and passion in a believer's life and works to exploit it negatively...

When we trust Jesus Christ as our Saviour, a transformation takes place. Through the act of regeneration, a new life is created, consecrated to God, which involves a radical change that restores us to a pristine state spiritually. We aren't just made "better"--God gives us a new nature and His Spirit indwells us, so our new life doesn't have any resemblance to, or association with, our past life....

The volatile events of the past week, combined with the adaptations of the last half year, creates a longing for normalcy and simplicity. From a spiritual standpoint, this involves evaluating what steals both our time and our heart from being content. Solomon wrestled with this in Ecclesiastes. He indulged in anything he wanted to see if there was any lasting value, and he found that nothing apart...

Amazing advancements in technology have essentially stripped away secrets and our sense of mystery. This can be disconcerting, until we realize that the Lord says there are hidden secrets that he has for His people. Those who fear the Lord receive special instruction, spiritual abundance and specific leading. As we understand His secrets--Daring Faith, Deeper Expectations and Divine Leading--the L...

The events all around us remind us each day that there is a full assault against the Kingdom of God. In response, we will either give in to discouragement and spiritual decline or go all in with diligence and spiritual development. We fight off multiple temptations to give up by actively anticipating the return of Jesus for His people. Our calling is to "continue" forward every day, steadfastly pe...

In the Bible, there are numerous examples of people who had similar situations, with the same opportunities, but took divergent paths based on their decisions. This was the difference between experiencing God's help and blessing, and being unhappy and missing out. Saul and David both had the Spirit of God leading them, but only David made the choices that honored God, establishing generational fav...

It is far too common for Christians to just sit and receive from the church, but do very little as a result. The church's job is to train believers to actively mature in their faith and step out to serve the Lord in the midst of a spiritually dying culture. In John 15, Jesus calls Himself the "Vine" Who gives life, and says it is necessary for those who receive Him to live every day as grafted, fr...

The events of the last 4 months have closely modeled Paul's description of the "Last Days" in 2 Timothy. As we seek to have a significant influence on our culture, this makes our calling more challenging, but also becomes an exciting opportunity to be used of the Lord. In this last study of the series, we examine the characteristics of the time we live in , and hear Paul's charge to all believers...