Harbor Rock Tabernacle

The calling of every believer, and the Church, is to tell all people the Good News of salvation and hope through Jesus Christ. But first, we have to overcome obstacles like complacency, fear and personal biases. We have the answers people need to be rescued from sin and death. Jesus gave us an example and charge to do the ministry of outreach in the parable of the Good Samaritan. He highlighted th...

It can feel a bit awkward to hear the Church referred to as the "Bride of Christ", until we remember that marriage is the closest relationship we can experience. The concept of leaving everyone else and becoming "one flesh" is a metaphor for the restored and sanctified relationship we have with the Lord once we trust Jesus as Saviour. The new life He Alone gives us is based on His love and faithfu...

Everyone who is involved in the life of the church should be serving in at least one ministry. Not only the Church is our place of greatest community and encouragement, but Jesus modeled the life of a bond-servant, and His Spirit gives us each of us gifts to use. So like an aspen tree, we need to sow back into the soil we're planted in and reproduce. In addition, there are powerful benefits of ser...

For millenniums, religious and political leaders--good and bad--have known that it is essential to influence the hearts and minds of children.  As research shows that kids under 18 are rapidly becoming relativistic and spiritually disinterested, the Church has an urgent and vital responsibility to communicate the truth of the Gospel, and prioritize discipling the next generations.  As we call them...

Many people have been hurt by the local church, due to leaders failing morally, division about decisions, and people's selfish agendas. That was the case in Corinth, and the apostle Paul wrote to tell them this is not how the Lord designed it to be. Instead, we are to be walking by the Holy Spirit, because that creates a situation where we all have the same mind and judgment. So believers must be...

When the Church describes itself as "a family", that isn't trite hyperbole--it is how God designed it. When we trust Christ for salvation and receive forgiveness and freedom from sin, we are all given a heavenly nature and God's Holy Spirit. So, all believers share the same new spiritual DNA. As part of God's family, we share the same affinity and priorities, but this "family" gets messy if we all...

No matter what our age or life situation, we have a responsibility as disciples to be actively maturing in our walk and fulfilling the Great Commission. In writing to Titus, the apostle Paul explained the important value of the older generations teaching the young, and setting a strong example of faithfulness to the Lord. The younger generations are called to learn from that, while also stepping i...

With so much redefinition of the focus, style and substance of churches over the last 40 years, it is essential to understand why God founded the Church. Jesus defined it's purpose in the Great Commission to all HIs disciples, in 5 definitive and all-encompassing statements. As the Leader and Focus of the Church, He calls us to make disciples of all nations, teaching each other to obey all He has...

Whether it's 1st Century Thessalonica or the US in 2023, Christians can become discouraged by spiritual opposition and the state of the world. Unfortunately, one response to this can be complacency and compromise, rather than a determination to stay faithful. To combat this, believers need to remember our urgent purpose to spread the Gospel, persevering in the Lord's powerful protection against th...

After Israel failed at Sinai, the Lord gave them the Law, and established the Tabernacle to be at the center of their lives...because the Cloud of His presence was clear evidence of His mercy, faithfulness and leading. Still today, we need the Lord's presence. We fail when we're in control, but the Lord knows what is wise and best, and in His presence is the fullness of joy. Faith and spiritual ma...

During a time of political turmoil and spiritual decline in the nation of Judah, a priest named Jehoiada proved that one person who takes a stand for the Lord can make a significant difference in reforming the culture. Despite having a family that was evil and hated the Lord, Jehoiada "gathered his courage" and challenged the people to return to God, to precisely obey His Word, and to restore the...

Before technology became prevalent, writing letter was a primary form of communication. The brevity of the method caused words and emotions to be more thoughtful and more valuable.  During Biblical times, a letter of commendation was often sent with a person to authenticate who they were, and the apostle Paul used that as a parallel for our lives as believers, as "letters of Christ". This causes u...

 After Jesus' resurrection, the disciples obeyed Him and returned home to Galilee. There, they quickly went back to their "normal" life, going fishing but being unsuccessful. When Jesus appears on the shore and leads them through a miracle, they realize He is continuing to do powerful works, now through them, as they take on a new responsibility. Peter especially is challenged in new ways, because...

Throughout the Bible, the Lord uses powerful everyday symbols to communicate and tie together deep spiritual truths. One of these is a garden, the setting for 3 of the most significant events in human history: The fall of man, Jesus' substitution in taking on our sins, and His resurrection. When we realize the crushing weight of mankind's sins being placed on Him, even though we were guilty, it is...

The reality of Who Jesus is and what He calls us to forces every person to have a conviction about Him--whether it's 2000 years ago or right now. Issues like sin, death, eternal existence and faith cannot be ignored. Those around Jesus in the midst of the highly charged setting in which He was crucified had to decide in that moment what they really believed about Him. Even those closest to Him wav...

As David was running from Saul's threats on his life, the natural fear and despair he felt was offset by his strong and certain conviction about the Lord's faithful help. He learned that God's goodness is "stored up" for those who take refuge in Him--a hidden treasure of security in His presence. The Lord's love is extraordinary and beyond our comprehension, and He promises to hear and watch over...

At the start of the week of the most amazing events in human history, Jesus had a simple request: He needed a donkey. Both the two unnamed disciples He sent and the unidentified donkey owners understood this was important to Jesus, without knowing how significant it would be. Rather than balking at the level of expectation on them, they understood that obedience is not optional, and that we must b...

Significant life transitions are all throughout the Bible, and our experience. While exciting, they require faith and sacrifice, and also open us up to spiritual attack. So the Lord calls us to "take heed"--to see and perceive what's really happening, and examine it in order to act wisely. as we do this, we need to protect our heart so we don't fall away from the Lord, and protect HIs Church and H...

In order for believers to continue to mature spiritually, every thought, word and decision must be assessed as to whether it is honoring Jesus and making us more like Jesus. This is not only essential in our relationships and ministry, but especially as we strive to reach people with the Gospel. In light of that, Peter calls us to eliminate 5 toxic attitudes and actions that hinder our effectivene...

The recent revivals have highlighted the reality that there is immaturity in the American Church that has hindered our effectiveness in impacting our culture. So spiritual maturity must be our highest priority--moving on from the elementary basics. We will know this has taken place when we see 3 marks that highlight the fact that we are aliens--citizens of heaven. When we are walking in maturity w...

Like the Jewish remnant in Nehemiah 8, the American Church needs to remember God's warnings about spiritual indifference, but also find hope in the potential of His work when our hearts are right. The recent revival at Asbury University and other campuses has shown the impact of a fresh hunger for the Lord. This should not only be normal, but the simplicity of what is happening causes us to evalua...

Insecurity is an odd emotion. In one sense, our sense of inadequacy moves us toward humility and brokenness, but in another, the feeling of being unappreciated is subtly rooted in pride. This is exemplified in a man named Naaman, a well-respected Aramean army captain who was also a leper. This stigma led people to want to help him, but when the Jewish prophet Elisha offered a simple method of heal...

One of the most amazing promises the Lord gives believers is that He will "go before us". This is proven all through the Bible, from Israel at the Red Sea, to David at Baal-perazim to the Lord's vow to restore Israel to HIs Spirit's presence and armor. God's literal movement of the cloud ahead and behind Israel is a beautiful picture of HIs faithful willingness to lead and protect us, while giving...

One of the great challenges of walking by faith is discerning the voice of the Lord...especially because the devil is constantly working to deceive us and destabilize our faith. Jesus emphasized this concept after healing a blind man, and compared His followers to sheep who know His voice. Sheep have characteristics that definitely parallel who we are as humans and even believers. As our Shepherd,...

In His last teaching before He was crucified, Jesus called His disciples--and all believers--to "abide" in Him. This concept of staying near with contentment and anticipation is at the heart of living for Christ. We can visualize it through the concept of a tea bag: Do we dip back and forth into His presence and Word and prayer, or do we continually immerse ourselves and let Him transform us? Jesu...