Harbor Rock Tabernacle

We've all hurt multiple times in relationships, affecting our self-worth, sense of security, emotional and mental health and often even our faith and worldview. But when we are the offender, do we show ourselves more grace and latitude than someone who has offended us? In the account of twin brothers Jacob and Esau's fractured relationship, we learn that each side must accept responsibility, while...

When Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers, he praised their knowledge of theology but was concerned about their soft gratitude and weak application of what they believed, especially in the face of opposition and difficulty. His prayer that they would be "filled with all the fullness of God" is an important reminder to us that we need to bold ask the Lord to keep our hearts humbled and broken, whil...

The Bible says there are "ancient paths" that bring rest to our souls--marked by repentance, faith, fear of God and love for the Lord. As we start a new year with anticipation of a fresh work of the Lord, it's vital to intentionally apply these principles to everything we do. Four familiar Biblical accounts spur us to to be faithful and effective for the Lord, rather than marked by regret.  Video...

In 2 Chronicles 18, three men in the same situation deal with one truth from different angles because of their varied convictions. Truth doesn't provide latitude for subjectivity, even though the enemy is trying to couch it as relative and situational. When our convictions are weak, compromise follows, so instead of resisting it, we need to have a teachable heart, so it to humbles us and produces...

When we give and receive presents, it may not be what we were expecting and we are disappointed, or sometimes, it is wonderful and exceeds what we could have hoped. The people who were there during the birth of Jesus had four different expectations about Who Jesus was and what He would do, and that symbolizes whether or not we see Him as the Perfect Saviour He is.  Video of this service is also av...

The historical account surrounding Jesus' birth contains change, discomfort, struggle, stretching of faith, uncertainty and alteration of plans. It was messy socially, relationally, emotionally and physically--a metaphor for the impurity caused by our sin. To save us, Jesus came to earth in the way that best identifies with our spiritual condition: Helpless, in need and dependent. He offers us the...

 In the genealogy list preceding the account of Jesus' birth, there's not one mention of sin, judgment, the cross or resurrection, repentance or salvation. And yet, it points us directly to Jesus and the Gospel. It details people who were good but flawed, selfish and morally corrupt, and outcasts--a picture of all of humanity, and why Jesus came as Saviour. Even the numbers in the text reveal God'...

As we celebrate 15 years as a church, we praise the Lord for His kindness and faithfulness, and members of the congregation share how He has worked in their lives and through Harbor Rock.  Video of this service is also available:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK8uTzTKGoA

If our faith has enough power and influence to move mountains and heal people, what are we doing about it? And who is actively being impacted by it? Even though they were young believers with little training in a carnal, polytheistic culture, the faith of the Roman Christians was known throughout the world. This is "loud faith": Clearly evident in our words, actions, character, worship and love......

In a time when there is a drastic drop in faith in the U.S., we have to examine how well we are living in the Light of the Gospel and making sure it is emanating from our lives. Rather than it being only perceptible in certain situations, or dimmed, obscured or hidden, we're called to be spiritually alert and sober, walking in the Light--which will evidence itself with passion, discernible change,...

We often make presumptive evaluations on who a person is, what their values are and whether we want to know them based on their appearance and clothing, because clothing impacts our identity. So it's important that when Jesus returned to heaven, He told believers that we would be clothed in power from on high...meaning HIs Holy Spirit. So we need to stayed clothed by deciding we want to represent...

"Losing" an hour on our clocks this weekend gets us thinking about the value of time and how we use it. Most of us would change a few major decisions if we could travel back in time, even knowing it would transform our current life. Hindsight gives greater clarity, but all we can do with it is to use it to shape wiser decisions going forward. So the Bible calls us to carefully "buy" our time, so w...

There is a four word phrase in the Lord's Prayer that not only embodies the mindset for prayer, but also for everything in our life as believers. Humbly and sincerely asking for the Lord's will to be done shows our desire to see the world brought to Christ, while declaring our gratitude to Him for all He has done to transform us. So it is vital that we are willing to fully surrender ourselves to H...

Living as a disciple necessitates that our faith, conviction and commitment are unwavering, so at times, the Lord needs to test our faith. The disciples learned this in a familiar but out of control situation, and their initial response was to fear, doubt and question the Lord, instead of remembering Who they were with. He challenged their lack of faith by showing His power and calm our the times...

There is one word which sums up the heart, nature and purpose Christianity. Jesus said love is the defining mark of His disciples, and described and modelled this love as selfless, sacrificial and unconditional. We're called not only to love the Lord this way, but also everyone else, including our enemies. Holding this heart of sacrifice will alter our mindset, change our relationships and give us...

 After Jesus called Matthew to follow Him, the former tax collector gathered some of his friends to have dinner with Jesus. The proud, self-righteous religious leaders were shocked and offended that Jesus would associate with sinners, but He was proving that He came to identify with us in order to redeem us. It reminds us how grateful we should be that He hasn't come to just "patch" up our old sin...

Studies show that the new cultural epidemic is loneliness. Younger generations especially are feeling overwhelmed and detached, craving authentic community and connection. The author of Hebrews detailed the solution for this: To faithfully be part of the community of believers, encouraging and strengthening each other in our faith, while also using our gifts to serve, which helps us not be self-fo...

Many of us find our minds cluttered by information, e-mails, texts and social media, but all our scrolling often indicates a deeper desire for connection, validation and inspiration. Our greatest hunger is for spiritual meaning, so we have to recognize that the craving of our soul is to know the Lord. That makes it vital to "feast" on what will feeds our mind, will and passions, while clinging to...

The shocking and tragic events of the week remind us that the enemy is attacking the Lord and our confidence and strength. This is designed to diminish God's Word, incite doubt in the Lord, defame HIs character and destroy HIs plans. Part of this strategy is to convince us that a person's values are fully negated by any failure. So the Lord reminds us of how He cared for His servant Moses, Persona...

Who do we do, and what do we learn, when we're in a struggle that we know is both spiritual warfare and a spiritual education from the Lord? The apostle Paul faced this after an amazing supernatural experience, when the Lord allowed a "thorn" to keep him from exalting himself. He recognized that this humbling trial challenged his pride and plans, and increased his confidence and faith in the Lord'...

There is a subtle but pervasive internal attack on our mind and convictions, to pressure us not to outwardly bear fruit in our worldview, words, actions and witness. In this attack, we are enticed to build the foundation of our faith on what is temporary, self-centered, appealing to our senses and has no eternal value, instead of what is firm, strong, deep and eternally secure. This requires us to...

As believers, the Lord calls us to "run with endurance" as we live for Him and deal with spiritual warfare and a world that opposes Him. Thankfully, He has already guaranteed us safety, freedom, a new nature and victory through Jesus Christ. But because there are multiple obstacles trying to hinder us from doing this, we must be undistracted, disciplined, consistent, strong and wise, to be able to...

Regret is one of the most powerful emotions, and can weaken us and wear us down in multiple ways. Jesus taught this by referring to Lot's wife, whose regret was marked by proximity to, and permissiveness about, sin.  Aslo, because regret is sourced in self-focus, we need to learn from our past, align with the Lord in the present, and see how His care and protection guides us for our future.  Video...

When Jesus gave the two greatest commandments, the call to love our neighbor as ourself is intricately linked to loving the Lord with all our heart. If we love the Lord well, it is certain we will love others well...but the opposite is also true. We need to love with actions as much as words. This was embodied in the parable of the Samaritan, who cared for his enemy in at least 7 distinctive ways....

When a man named Nathaniel first heard about Jesus, he was skeptical--simply based on the fact that Jesus was from Nazareth. But he quickly became convinced Jesus was the Messiah once he realized that Jesus had seen him and knew who he was. God's Personal care over us mitigates against our propensity to have our faith and confidence undermined, largely by focusing on ourselves. This is a subtle bu...