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
‘Slaying the Innocents’ – Matthew 2:16-18
Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him [by not returning to tell him where Jesus was. Herod] sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
“A cry was heard in Ramah —
weeping and great mourning.
Rachel weeps for her children,
refusing to be comforted,
for they are dead.”
Key Thought
I don’t know about you, but I don’t like this story. It spoils the sentimentality of the birth story of Jesus. But, at a more primal level of truth, this story of Herod’s brutal paranoia shocks us awake and helps us understand why Jesus had to come. Without a reverence for God and his word, we human beings sometimes show a remarkable propensity for brutality as culture loses sight of the preciousness of each person created in the image of God. The slaying of the innocents reminds us of how easily we can slip into a mentality that puts personal protection, reputation, and position above the rights of those who are vulnerable and powerless. Just because Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, that doesn’t mean he came to a safe and pristine world or was somehow insulated from the realities of evil unleashed among us. This brutal world awaited him. That’s the core of the story. Even the innocents are not protected, even if that innocent is God among us — as later events in Jesus life revealed.
Today’s Prayer
O God, please forgive us for the “slaying of innocents” today — especially when we do such things to maintain appearances while we extinguish any unexpected and unwanted “surprises.” Thank you for sending Jesus in a time and in a way that exposed him to the brutality of the world, a brutality that still haunts us to this day. Thank you that his blood will cleanse any repentant sinner, even those who have been a part of the brutality. Father, please forgive me for the times I have looked at others without your love for them in my heart. In Jesus’ precious name, I pray. Amen.
Related Scripture Readings
Ⓒ 1996-2025 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.