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
‘Pulling the Sword’ – Mark 14:47
[After Judas betrayed Jesus to the mob,] one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.
Key Thought
Peter and the apostles had all agreed that they would die with Jesus if necessary. [1] Yet their thoughts seemed locked into a wrong way to view their LORD as Messiah. Apparently they thought he would be a military and political deliverer. So in what seems like an attempt to start the battle of deliverance, Peter drew a sword and began the fight. [2] He surely was thinking that this Jesus he had seen raise the dead, heal the sick, restore sight to the blind, mend the limbs of the lame, open the ears of the deaf, and give perfect skin to the leprous would also use his power for victory over an armed crowd. So in an act of faith, defiance, and hope, the sword was drawn and the attack was begun. It was aimed at the house of those behind this whole evil scheme — the high priest and his gang of Sadducean thugs. While Peter’s action was totally misguided, he did show courage and the passion and his commitment to die with Jesus if necessary. Unfortunately, when Jesus refused to be that kind of Messiah, all of Jesus’ followers deserted him. [3] Ignorance of the LORD’s will is not bliss, but disaster. Passion is good, but if it is misguided, it is also dangerous. Our hearts need to be tuned to the Savior or else we will miss his direction and find ourselves embarrassed and defeated.
[2] John 18:10.
[3] Mark 14:50.
Today’s Prayer
O LORD God, ruler of heaven and earth, teach me to know your ways and walk in your will. May I live with passion, but may that passion always be expressed in the direction of your will. May I live with courage, but may that courage be demonstrated in righteous actions. Search me, O God, and correct anything wrong in me. 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.