Harbor Rock Tabernacle

The enemy regularly tempts even mature believers to be "familiar" with our salvation and become complacent about continued maturation. But Colossians 2 calls us to "walk in Christ Jesus", living in total alignment with Him. Paul describes 4 ways to do this: Being deeply rooted--like a palm tree whose roots go straight down, by being built up in Christ--like a skyscraper with it's foundation in the...

God loves words--they are how He reveals His character, communicates truth, make promises and guides us. As we seek the Lord and draw closer to Him, often He will give us a specific word designed to refine us, or indicate a fresh work that He is doing. As 2023 begins, it is important we aren't worried and bothered by many things, like Martha was in Luke 10, but that our main priority is to hear an...

After experience the life-changing news and wealth of emotions from Jesus' birth, the key figures had to process what it meant for their lives going forward. Not only were they amazed at the fact that God had come to save us, they were also amazed by the way in which He came here. The humility of Jesus' incarnation--including the time, place, setting and situation--should change the way we think a...

The last part of the angels' message that night in Bethlehem was that peace was now offered to anyone on earth, because of Jesus' birth. But so often, we find peace to be elusive in our lives. Much of the reason is that we are looking in the wrong places...because peace is supernatural. It only comes from the Lord--which is why Jesus came here. When we live by faith and according to His will, peac...

So many people don't experience genuine hope--which is not just a desire for something to happen, but according to the Bible, a confident expectation in the Lord to work. The genealogical line from Abraham to Jesus is a metaphor for how even good people use by God still were inadequate and failed. But the Lord is gracious, and when Jesus came, God proved His love and mercy to all people by offerin...

There is a visceral sense of diminished passion & contentment in our culture. Any sense of joy seems muted, which may be due to lack of trust created by the obscuring and alteration of truth. That's why the message of the angel to the shepherds about Jesus is so powerful--because God is openly declaring the truth about His mercy and plan for mankind, to an unlikely of common people. This "Good...

The core needs of all people are love, joy, hope and peace, but the prevailing characteristics of the world are hatred, depression, hopelessness and division. This has many people living in abject fear. Believers can be tempted to live in fear, especially in times of uncertainty--something that Joseph & Mary and Zecharias and the shepherds all faced. The Lord specifically told each of them, "d...

All throughout the Bible, the number 12 signifies God's power and authority, His future work that will be completed, and our called to remember His faithfulness and serve Him with sanctified hearts. On this 12th anniversary of our church, we look at Biblical people from whom 12 was significant, who had to make a decision about living for the Lord. They decided to stand up for the Lord, draw near t...

We can become inconsistent or negligent in praising the Lord, whether life is good or difficult. But it is a key component of having our minds renewed, especially when we are in difficulty. The accounts of Job, David, and Paul and Silas reveal that praise corrects fatalistic misperceptions and conclusions by reminding us of the power, authority and faithfulness of the Lord. When our focus transfer...

Our convictions drive everything we do, and show where our heart is. As has been shown in the US, confusion and division are an indication of not seeking the Lord. In a similar time, King Asa of Judah brought the people back to the basics, reminding them that the Lord is with those who are with Him. Asa courageously removed idols and restored the altar, calling the people to fresh consecration of...

When we have a broken relationship, what approach should we take when we are the offender or the offended? Jesus told a very powerful parable about a son who disrespected his father and wasted his inheritance early, because he was driven by selfish entitlement. But he quickly learned that pride and sin only leads to disillusionment. Instead of continuing in that, he humbled himself and repented, t...

We all fight against the temptation to sin. So when Jesus came to earth, He endured every temptation and test there is, yet without sin. He did to fulfill the Law, identify with us, and show us our need for His salvation and help. The worst temptation He faced was from the devil in Matthew 4, when He was alone and hungry, and under intense pressure. The enemy especially attacks during our times of...

When we are under stress, we can internalize, externalize or be self-destructive in response. So much of it is based on "what if?" and "fear of missing out", which causes us to be fearful and anxious. In Mark 6, Jesus modelled and taught us a different way. He showed the value of time with the Lord, faith in His unseen provision, and courage in His presence. HIs example of focus on what is importa...

Every person deals with some level of worry. But worry has costs--it damages our faith, impacts our health and thinking, and can control our lives...especially when we value our thoughts over the Lord's. In Jesus interactions, He met people consumed by worry, stressed because they prioritized things of this world. In showing them that this is damaging and blocks their faith, He also reveals a bett...

One of the most challenging people Jesus encountered in His ministry was a man possessed by demons. Unclean, in bondage, living among death, and tortured in his soul, this man is a broader representation of mankind as a whole--anyone who hasn't yet trusted Jesus as Saviour and is still living under the control of sin. And yet, all people have knowledge of the Truth about God and their own spiritua...

When people are hurting physically and emotionally, we have the opportunity to minister to them like Jesus did, showing love and leading them to His grace. Even as believers, our flesh can become irritated or too lenient, but in Mark 5, Jesus models the right response to two people who were hurting. His calm, kind, undistracted approach laid the groundwork to call them to big faith. As they humble...

Some of the most difficult interactions we have in life are with people who are very proud and arrogant. Arrogance is pride at it's extreme--an overexaggerated sense of self with condescension and control mixed in. It warps our thinking and ruins our relationships. One person near Jesus who showed this very subtly was Judas Iscariot. He betrayed Jesus, but before that, exhibited the traits of arro...

There are some people we deal with who are difficult and hard to love. While it can be a result of something out of their control, others choose to be harsh and defensive. When Jesus met a Samaritan woman at a well, she was the picture of poor decisions, proud isolation and a search for love and meaning. Jesus sets an amazing example of speaking truth in love, showing her understanding and grace,...

Jesus always responded to difficult people and situations by giving us a holy, humble example. He was persistently criticized by people like Pharisees, who unfairly accused Him of blasphemy, sedition and disobeying the Law, but He met that with calm, gracious and wise statements centered on the Truth. None of us likes to be criticized, but when we are, we have to look at ourselves first, to assess...

The areas of our lives that serve as tents--character, marriage, family, friends, work and ministry--all should please the Lord and be places where we can build altars. Even though he was righteous and blessed, Noah became careless and calloused about that, regressing into impurity--which characterizes the approach of the world. That was a sharp contrast to the Rechabites, who were unwavering in t...

In the Bible, a tent signified a dwelling where people lived--a place of protection, refuge and even community. They were also a spiritual metaphor, sometimes a picture of negative decisions, and other times, a picture of God's leading and blessing. For Lot and Abraham, where they pitched their tents showed a contrast of heart and priorities, and remind us that if we can't built an altar where we...

The steadiness of the Early Church rested in the simplicity of their approach. Simply being filled with the Holy Spirit, being faithful to their calling and fervent about the Lord gave them a powerful effectiveness that is unmatched by anything we try to do now. Since the enemy's biggest tactic to limit our influence is to attack our depth and consistency and our distinctiveness as Jesus' disciple...

Despite the heavy opposition the 120 and Paul faced, they remained unflappable, with a powerful calmness that was not normal. But often, the fact that being a believer doesn't exempt us from difficulty can tempt us to question the Lord's leading. One benefit of being Spirit-filled is that we are given a special insight into the invisible work of the Lord. Focusing on His power, control and faithfu...

We are blessed to hear from our missionaries in Kenya, as they talk about how the Lord has been working in their lives and ministry.  Video of this service is also available:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fhtc0RyJFM

The enemy tempts us to be spiritually discouraged by promoting fear and frustration, to push us toward shallow selfishness. That is indicative of the Last Days, when people will be marked by arrogance, rebellion, lack of self-control and love of self and pleasure more than love of God. As the world becomes more volatile, people are dissatisfied with the results of that behaviour, and look for real...