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
‘One of Them!’ – Mark 14:69-70
When the servant girl saw [Peter] standing [outside while Jesus was being abused by the guards], she began telling the others, “This man is definitely one of them!” But Peter denied it again.
A little later some of the other bystanders confronted Peter and said, “You must be one of them, because you are a Galilean.”
Key Thought
Galileans were not very well liked by many in Jerusalem. They had a bit of a different accent. Galilee was known as Galilee of the Gentiles by the Jews. Then Jesus was known as “The Galilean.” Peter was branded guilty by association with “The Galilean.” Rather than defending the LORD or accepting this “guilt by association,” Peter continued to deny his association with the LORD. We sometimes get angry and talk badly about Peter because of his failure. The real question that each of us needs to face is this: How many times have I denied or betrayed my LORD when far less was at stake for us than for Peter? Despite Peter’s failures after Jesus’ strong warnings to him and to us about what happens to those who do not stand up for their LORD, Peter was reclaimed and used mightily. Let’s not use this example of God’s grace to justify our failure, but rather use it to stiffen our wills so we won’t fail and to celebrate the grace of God that reclaims us if we do.
Today’s Prayer
Father, your grace is incredible. I am encouraged that even after Peter’s failure, you reclaimed him and used him in mighty ways. Dear God, I don’t want to fail like he did. Help me to never do so. Also, dear Father, use me to help reclaim those who have failed and don’t think they can find their way back to you. In Jesus’ name. 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.