Harbor Rock Tabernacle

Apprehensive as they prepared to go into the Promised Land, Israel sent two spies in to scope it out, using unconventional means to hide. But the Lord showed them that this was a time to see how He would work in powerful ways. And it was the word of one of their enemies that actually built their confidence and expectation, because she knew that God had already secured victory for HIs people. When...

Any time the Lord brings us into a new situation--a "reset"--we need confidence, courage and His commission on our lives. In this new series in Joshua called "Taking New Ground", we are drawing parallels between Israel's calling to occupy and gain victory, and our calling as believers to advance into the world and reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To be effective in this, we need to be...

Why was the early church so powerful and effective? At the start, they had no resources, no confidence and no fallback. And yet, people were saved by the thousands, and there were baptisms, miracles, and advancement, all with the undeniable presence and power and leading of the Holy Spirit, In this study from Prayer Meeting, we see that it is only when we are fully yielded the Holy Spirit and aski...

A week of hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires and nuclear threats reminds us that Jesus said these are the "birth pangs" signalling His return. Though "no man knows the day or hour", His parable of the 10 bridesmaids in Matthew 25 shows that there are 3 responses to warnings of danger. This study challenges us to examine how we are responding and preparing for His return.

Tragedies like a devastating hurricane and a serious accident of a friend can cause us to wonder why the Lord allows such difficulties instead of preventing them, especially in the lives of those who trust Him. In 1 Kings 17, there was a woman who experienced both circumstantial and personal tragedy, and asked why God didn't seem to care. But through the prophet Elijah, the Lord shows her (and us)...

As technology has increased, the family has broken down and church attendance has decreased, studies show that people are more isolated and disconnected than ever. So when we live out the calling to "bear one another's burdens" from Galatians 6, we can not only increase care and community, but can impact people for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In this study, we see the three practical ways that we...

There are two resources and responsibilities that are unique for the disciple of Jesus Christ: Direct access to the living God through prayer, and proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In this study, Tony Yocco stresses the vital importance of proclamation--speaking about God's grace and how He has changed us, through our lives and especially through our words.

The words we say can either strengthen and encourage, or bring about discouragement, damage and division. In Ephesians 4, the Lord gives very simple instructions: Be kind, be tender hearted and forgive others as Christ forgave you. When put into use, these actions can literally alter the nature of our relationships. The only challenge is whether we are willing to implement them.

When the nation of Israel divided in two, many kings failed to follow David's righteous example, and led the nation away from the Lord. Two of those kings--Jeroboam of Israel and Abijah of Judah--faced a civil war in 1 Chronicles 13, but only one of them chose to reject rebellion and take God's side in the battle. In this study we learn how taking a stand for the Lord not only guides us through sp...

One of the great truths of the Bible is that Jesus Christ has won complete victory over sin. As His children, we live in the power of His victory. But one line of spiritual attack is to dispute this in our minds, which can render us weak and stuck in spiritual mediocrity if we believe it. The Spirit addresses this in Hebrews 6, warning the Jews and us to not fall back in hardheartedness, and point...

100 million followers...700,000 "likes". Identity is often now defined by who and what you follow. But what does it mean to "follow" Jesus? That was His call to Matthew the tax collector, and how Matthew responds in Matthew 9:9 shows us the decisions needed and the ways our lives are completely changed once we trust in Jesus.

In sports, players often try to insult and intimidate their opponent as part of the game. Spiritually, we face an even greater effort to demoralize us from trusting in the Lord. King Hezekiah of Judah faced this type of attack from the Assyrians, who launched a spiritual and psychological campaign declaring that God was powerless to defend Judah. How Hezekiah prepared and responded, and what the L...

He was wise, respected and had great authority in standing against the early Christian Church...but he became an unlikely defender of the disciples. Gamaliel recognized the danger of opposing God, and his words helped the disciples to spread the Gospel more effectively throughout the world. In this study from Acts 5, we see the importance of our reputation, the need to warn others about spiritual...

Manasseh was the most evil king of the nation of Judah. He was defiant toward God and sought to replace God in as many ways as he could. The Lord warned Manasseh but he "paid no attention", so God brought the Assyrians to take him captive. Then, Manasseh made a wise decision--to humble himself before God and entreat Him for help. The Lord was "moved" by this and changed Manasseh's life. God's amaz...

A man once approached Jesus, asking Him a question with a faulty premise: "Whave do I have to do to obtain eternal life?" He was grieved when Jesus told him that it required a full sacrifice of whatever we value more than the Lord. This was illustrated in a profound way during this year's Vacation Bible School at Harbor Rock, so in this message Pastor Rhoads tells the story that highlights the "po...

Timothy was a believer who was discouraged and feeling defeated, because of spiritual warfare, cultural decline, relational opposition and weakness in his spiritual walk. His mentor Paul wrote to him to be strong in God's grace through Jesus Christ, and then to invest into the lives of others by depositing the Truth of God's Word into their hearts. In this study from 2 Timothy 2, we learn the impo...

This Sunday we celebrated our graduating Seniors. We asked two of them--Sean Daniels and Jacob Rhoads--to teach the Word of God. Sean speaks about "growing up" from Luke 18, with a focus on having the mindset of a child as we trust and serve the Lord. Jacob speaks from 1 Samuel 1 about the example Samuel set, which encourages us to look forward to how we should walk by faith.

All throughout the New Testament, the Holy Spirit teaches us about living a holy life. Because "the days are evil", there needs to be a sense of urgency in our hearts to live in the transformation that God has provided through Christ. This study from Ephesians 5 reveals that there are two factors that will lead to a demonstration of our faith: Repentance and prayer.

As we approach the end of the school, many students are concerned about the grades they will make. Ultimately, those grades don't have eternal significance, but how we live spiritually does. Israel had every advantage to know and serve the Lord, but by 2 Kings 17, they had brought captivity back on themselves because they had failed to love, trust and obey the Lord. Their actions give us the oppor...

What do we do when we are in situations beyond our control--situations that are unfair, painful and without answers? For Jochebed, instead of giving up, she trusted the Lord and carried out a wise plan. But that plan required her to let go of what was most precious to her. The moment she did that, 5 supernatural transactions took place in which the Lord provided and blessed her beyond her imaginat...

The battlefield of spiritual warfare is in our minds, so the enemy attacks us by accusing us with words that make us feel worthless. Even though our Lord has complete victory, and promises that we are overcomers, these words can damage us unless we turn them around and use Scripture to give us strength. This study from Revelation 12 identifies 7 statements of warfare, and the Bible passages that o...

When the Holy Spirit empowered the apostles in Acts 2, there was the sound of a violent, rushing wind. Why not a soft gentle breeze? In this important study from Prayer Meeting, we define the characteristics of a violent wind, and the important spiritual parallels that are so needed for every believer and every church.

When Jesus intentionally stayed behind in Jerusalem at age 12, He wasn't being rebellious or disobedient. He just had a greater purpose--to be in the house of the Lord and teach His Word. This study from Luke 2 calls us to evaluate our priorities and our commitment, and to follow the example Jesus sets.

In speaking to the last of the 7 churches in Revelation, Jesus has very convicting words to Laodicea, where people who said they were believers were instead spiritually indifferent and passionless. Satisfied in the apathy, they were unmoved and unchanged by Jesus' resurrection and the call to conviction and commitment. This final study in our series looks at the direct correlation between His word...

The resurrection wasn't an illusion or a conspiracy--all the evidence points to it being reality. Because it is true, the implications are eternal. By dying and rising again, Jesus overwhelmingly defeated the 5 problems that sin creates, ensuring that all who trust in Him are saved forever.