Thy Rod & Thy Staff
Nondenominational Church
A place to serve, not sit.
What We Do
Church Purpose
Our purpose at our Bible base church is to get people to be like Christ and turn from that which is contrary to Him. We would like very much to lead others to make Christ the foundation of their lives. We would like to show Jesus as a faithful friend, a loyal companion, as someone who will stand by our side when no one else will.
As a body of Bible based Christian believers, we see our whole purpose as doing the will of God so that His Spirit might be manifested in our midst. With His hand we hope to convince others that Christ is our Lord and Savior. We want to show that if we trust in Him, He will very clearly show us that He is who He claims to be.– a Provider who can supply whatever we need whenever we need it under any and all circumstances, a Physician with no limitations in His healing power, a Counselor with infinite understanding and wisdom. We would very much like to reflect Christ in our midst as the Good Shepherd (Psalms 23 and John 10:1:18), as the one and only way to God, our Father in heaven.
Consequently, our Bible based churches goal is to get others to see the love of God and act accordingly. Undoubtedly God wants us to do His will but He wants it to be done out of love. God wants us to serve Him not because we have too but because we want too. God wants us to serve Him because we see Him as He is. He wants us to do His will because we see that doing His will is for out good. This is the purpose of our church and the platform on which it stands. We want to weld together a body of believers who love Jesus Christ so much that they want to be just like Him.
What Jesus Did
‘Watching by the Fire from Far Away’ – Mark 14:53-54
[The soldiers and Temple guards who arrested Jesus, took him] to the high priest’s home where the leading priests, the elders, and the teachers of religious law had gathered. Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and went right into the high priest’s courtyard. There he sat with the guards, warming himself by the fire.
Key Thought
Jesus was brought before the leaders of the Jewish people, but Peter — the leader of Jesus’ followers — stayed at a cowardly distance sneaking around trying to watch the proceedings. While Jesus faced the cold ridicule of those in power, Jesus’ self-proclaimed loyal follower warmed himself at a fire in the company of those put in charge of the Son of God’s torture. While it all seems so despicable from the safety of our distance of two thousand years, if we are honest, most of us have done the same thing. When Jesus, his cause, or his Kingdom is maligned, we sometimes pull back from the discussion, hang back, and try to be unnoticeable.
Today’s Prayer
Father, give me wisdom to know how to stand up for your truth, your Son, and your will without alienating others. Also, dear Father, help me to never back down in my spoken faith because I am afraid. I want to be wise and courageous in my loyalty to your Son. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Related Scripture Readings
Ⓒ 1996-2024 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.