Harbor Rock Tabernacle

When false charges were brought against Paul in Caesarea, the accusations were based on feelings, emotions and perceptions, which is typically how the enemy tries to fight truth. But Paul was strong in destroying their arguments. Knowing that God is not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance, he showed his areas of theological agreement with his accusers, while detail...

With the Bible's undeniable emphasis on walking by faith, the strength of our convictions, the maturity of our walk, and the effectiveness of our ministry rests on one truth:  Being certain that we can fully trust the Lord. Even as a faithful servant of God, the apostle Paul had this tested when he was guarded from a hostile crowd by the Romans, and detained awaiting trial. Jesus appeared and stoo...

When the apostle Paul was threatened by a crowd in Jerusalem, he spoke to them to try to persuade them to trust Jesus. Rather than a theological or philosophical defense, instead, he described how his life had been completely transformed by Jesus. Using 5 important details, he explained how his eyes had been opened--away from self-sufficiency and works, to being saved by God's grace. His speech se...

One of the most common issues believers deal with is how to discern the will of the Lord for our lives. This shows up in Acts 21, where Paul was determined to follow the Spirit's leading to go to Jerusalem, where he knew he would be arrested and likely martyred. When his friends heard this, they tried to talk him out of going, not out of contradiction over the word he had received, but out of sadn...

As the apostle Paul makes his final trip through many of the cities he had impacted with his ministry, he offers final words of exhortation, fervently urging them to stay strong in their commitment to the Lord. These powerful words of encouragement also spur us to be faithful no matter what our circumstances, to not fear what seems impossible, and to always speak what is spiritually profitable, fe...

The Early Church faced constant opposition, especially as they lived for the Lord without shame and proclaimed Jesus with truth and power, calling people to trust Him. The enemy constantly tries to co-opt Jesus' power and authority, but the Lord works in extraordinary ways when Jesus is magnified. We can fight the confusion and lack of logic the enemy promotes, as he tries to push a humanistic nar...

When the apostle Paul went to the very wicked city of Corinth, he met a couple who became important, trusted partners in ministry. Aquila and Priscilla were tentmakers like Paul, and their maturity and commitment to the work gave Paul confidence,. The Lord also reassured Paul not to be fearful about opposition, because He had a hidden provision--which also reassures us that when we trust in His pr...

One of the reasons the apostles were so effective in Acts is that they saw opposition as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. They knew the devil fights hard against us because he is jealous of Jesus' victory, and stirs up people to be offended by the Word and our faith. When Paul's heart became provoked by how sin blinds and deludes people's minds, he went into the public space and explained h...

As the Gospel expanded in Europe in Acts 16, Paul and his team found it important to keep the focus on correct doctrine and discernment from the Spirit, and away from preferences. They recognized that not every obstacle and experience of suffering is a spiritual attack--sometimes, it is a God-ordained shift in direction. So they continued on, defending the Gospel and proclaiming the freedom that c...

A significant conflict took place in Acts 15, as Paul and Peter challenged Jewish believers who demanded that Gentile believers be circumcised inn order to be saved. The apostles knew that this theological deviation would essentially negate the work of Christ and damage the message of the Gospel. So they handle conflict in a Godly way, holding fast to the truth of God's Word to explain the error o...

When the passion of his experiences and the effectiveness of his ministry in Ephesus had worn off, Timothy lost heart when opposition came and he wanted to leave the work. Writing from jail, Paul encouraged his young protegee to look at the genuine faith and commitment of his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois. Having overcome obstacles of conviction, nationality and divided marriages, these women...

Whenever we faithfully serve the Lord, we will face opposition for our identification with Jesus. But when we hold Biblical convictions and act to advance those, it will prompt the Lord to work in fresh ways and bless what we are doing. Paul and Barnabas sets a powerful example in Acts 14, faithfully speaking the Truth so many people trust Christ. As they follow the Spirit's leading, deflect any g...

The choices two people make when they are similar situations are determined by conviction about what each sees as true. In Acts 13, 7 groups and individuals respond to the truth of God's Word, making divergent decisions that revealed their heart and determined their futures. As we relate to them and apply them to our own lives, it gives us clarity about whether we are choosing what is easy and cul...

 When the women came to Jesus' tomb, fully expecting Him to still be dead, they found it open, Him gone, and angels who asked why they sought the Living One among the dead. It was the first conclusive evidence of Jesus' victory over sin, death and the enemy...and it changes everything for us. When we trust Him as Saviour, He powerfully enables us to be "more than conquerors", with surpassing victo...

 The details of the last hours before Jesus was crucified are hard to read, as He was brutalized and mocked. Part of His torture was having a crown of thorns jammed onto and beaten into His head. It was our crown--representing the consequences of our sin, and man's attempt to prove we're in charge. The enemy thought he was gaining a victory, but Jesus turned that crown into a picture of the victor...

Jesus doesn't randomly go through the events of Holy Week--every word and action points toward the cross and the resurrection ahead.  So when He enters Jerusalem on the donkey on Palm Sunday, He is the King who came to save.  The crowd recognizes this by shouting Hosanna and laying down coats and palm branches to show He is worthy.  Revealing God's deep and gracious heart for us, Jesus weeps over...

As the Gospel expanded to the world, there were many people who still wanted it's advance and it's ambassadors to be stopped. During the first Passover after Jesus went back to heaven, James was killed and Peter arrested. But the night before he was to be martyred, Peter was sleeping in his cell, surrounded by guards in an impossible situation. Rather than fear and doubt in the Lord's provision, h...

The church in Antioch never got a New Testament letter from Paul, but it was a pivotal church in Acts where he spent a year teaching new believers. This church was the first true mix of Jews and Gentiles who had been radically saved in a idol worshipping, deviant city. Luke described them as having "the hand of the Lord with them"--marked by 7 distinguishing characteristics that invited His blessi...

Throughout Scripture, the Lord communicates the concept of redemption--being saved from something and being saved to something better. This means that He not only wants to declare us not guilty from our sin, He also provides that we are given a hope and a future, adopted as His own. Like Ruth and Naomi, who dealt with great loss, the Lord provides redemption that brings great joy. When we trust an...

Most of us don't enjoy change. We like what we are used to, what is comfortable, and what we think is best for us. But that can adversely impact our lives and our relationship with the Lord. And when He is doing a fresh work, our ability to discern and follow that will be determined by our love for Him and trust that His way is always right. In Acts 10, as the Gospel continued to the Gentiles, bot...

 In one of the most pivotal chapters in Acts, 3 men face significant challenges to their thinking. Saul had been persecuting Christians, but the Lord humbled him, because He had plans for Saul that completely changed his life. He then met Ananias, who had to face his fear in order to be the catalyst for Saul's conversion. Then, when the disciples were hesitant to accept Saul (now Paul), Barnabas h...

We may be inclined to have low expectations for how we can be used of the Lord, and even to doubt His plan and power for us, especially when we compare ourselves to the believers in the early church. But in Acts 8, Philip serves the Lord in a way that should be foundational for every Christian. After leaving Samaria with Peter and John, the Spirit takes him on a solo journey into the desert. When...

What do people learn when they look at our lives? Are they convinced of our convictions and drawn to Jesus Christ? As the opposition to the Early Church increased, Stephen was put in the position of defending himself and the Lord against lies and defamation. By recounting the history of Israel, he established how the religious leaders had repeated rebellious, faith-less behavior, culminating in ki...

 Our character is the mental and moral qualities that are distinctive to each of us--it is who we are, rather than what people think we are. To that end, the Bible says that a good character is more valuable that great wealth. In Acts 6, the apostles character and motives were questioned, by people who accused them of insensitivity and lack of care. So they chose 7 men to specifically serve, with...

 In Acts 5, the Church hits it's first crisis--an internal sin that could have divided them and hurt their ministry. But the Church reacts with the right fear--awe of the Lord's holiness and power. This is a sharp contrast to the pandemic of fear and insecurity present in the world, caused by focus on self, the breakdown of the family and abandonment of faith in God. This contrast was similarly ev...