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
‘Trembling and Bewildered!’ – Mark 16:8
[After the angel spoke to them, the] women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.
Key Thought
Mark wanted us to know two crucial things about Jesus. First, Jesus was mighty and powerful, something even the demons recognized and feared. Second, despite all of his power, he submitted himself to the will of the Father and went to the cross to ransom us from sin and death. Mark knew Jesus was raised from the dead. But he used the women and their bewildered fear to remind us of the resurrection — not because they doubted, but because they believed. Jesus changed everything in their understanding of “the Messiah, the Son of God.” [1] He was willing to go to the cross even though he clearly had the power to prevent it. His dying didn’t fit the women’s expectations, and they couldn’t understand how it could be so. All their hopes had been dashed with his crucifixion, and their lives were ruined with his death. On the Sunday morning in today’s verse, however, they found out he was raised from the dead and they were told this good news by an angel at Jesus’ empty tomb. How could they not be bewildered and fearful? Their worlds were forever changed. If Jesus could rise from the dead, then what would happen next? If they followed Jesus, what could the resurrected Jesus do through them? And if Jesus could use them to “turn the world upside down” with his message and his follower’s courage, what can he do with us? So let’s join these faithful women at the empty tomb, bewildered and frightened, but full of expectation at the thought of what lies ahead for us!
Today’s Prayer
O God, release the resurrection power of Jesus in our day and in our lives. Empower us to live for you and impact our world in a similar way to how these first followers of Jesus impacted their world. 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.