Common Ground Fellowship

31/07/2026

Reminder of God—Come In

I love the narrative of Noah and the ark, though I think it is too often misrepresented. It is in no way a story that is cute, or age appropriate for children. It does, though, have all the elements of a horror story, including of course, redemption.

The ark narrative deals extensively with the nature of man and the nature of God. It is incredibly deep (sorry, had to...). It also interacts with the relationship between God and man, and does so on many levels, as it highlights those who have a relational knowledge of God versus those who, at best, have an intellectual knowledge of God.

The story is also often mis-taught. For instance, though it might look like a small detail. I was always taught that God told Noah and his family to “go” into the ark.

That is not the case. Take a look.

Genesis 7:1 & 16

“Then the Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.”

“So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in.”

Properly translated, God did not tell Noah to go into the ark, but instead to come into the ark, as the special presence of Goad was already inside. Scripture is not clear on the exact timeline, but it probably took Noah about 100 years to build the ark.

And then God bid him to come in to where His special presence was, in the ark itself.

And God calls us into His special presence as well.

This past week a group of men and women came from our sister Church, Southwest Bible Church, to work with us. They didn’t “go” to Mexico. They came to enter the domain that God bid them to enter, that domain where his special presence lies.

Ephesians 2:10

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Remember in the creation narrative that God created a series of domains (light, water, sky, etc.) . He then spoke into those domains and filled them—for example, the domain of light, He spoke into and created the sun, moon, stars, etc.

God created a domain of good works, and spoke into that domain, and the team from SWBC entered that domain, into not only good works, but also into the special presence of the Lord.

And they saw God use them to feed people, and to lead them to Christ.

They answered His call to enter the domain He spoke into.

God called Noah and his family to come, not go, into the ark, into His special presence, and it was God who pulled the door closed from the inside.

And God is calling you to come to Him as well. Jesus said, “Follow Me.”

What, then, is your answer?

Grace, Peace, and Love,

Dr. Ted Rogers, Ph.D.

Co-Pastor, Common Ground Fellowship, San Antonio Tlayacapan Mexico.
Executive Director, Chapala Theological Seminary.

29/07/2026

Reminder of God—Acceptance

When we started our church, we adopted the tagline “An Inclusive Place to Worship,” which we use in a great deal of our advertising.

About 95% of people are supportive of that phrase.
..And then you have the other 5%.

Typically they are those who have categorized in their minds a list of “sins” that they have put into an order of “not so bad” (read, those things they do), to “horrendous,” or those things they do not partake in.

These are the delightful souls who will then say something to the effect of “Well surely you won’t let somebody who is guilty of (insert their favorite sin of choice here) worship in your congregation!?!?

It doesn’t matter if it is well known about their own sexual sin; if somebody has a different sexual sin than theirs, well that must be condemned and that person must be forbidden from coming to Church.

Thing is, God doesn’t work that way...

I’ve been teaching through Romans the past 16 weeks or so, and in studying to teach on Romans 8 this past week, I came across a great quote from A.W. Tozer—“Nobody in hell can ever say Christ rejected them."

That, my friends, is a true statement, and it follows scripture...

Romans 15:5-7

“Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.”

There is no one in hell who can say that Christ rejected them, but how many people on earth are there who can say that “Christians” have rejected them?

Are we, somehow, better than Christ? I don’t recall reading anywhere in the gospels where Christ rejected and/or resorted to name-calling regarding a woman caught in the act of adultery, a tax collector, a revolutionary... Fill in the blank. I do recall him rebuking the religious types who did reject those people I just mentioned. They not only rejected them, but they did so in the name of God.

And, frankly, too many who call themselves “Christians” do the same, even though scripture is clear that we are to accept others just as Christ accepted us.

Looking for a good Church? I know of an inclusive place to worship...

Grace, Peace, and Love,

Dr. Ted Rogers, Ph.D.

Co-Pastor, Common Ground Fellowship, San Antonio Tlayacapan Mexico.
Executive Director, Chapala Theological Seminary.

27/07/2026

Reminder of God—Transformation

I went to high school with a great girl who was kind, fun, and funny. She was not in any way homely, but, frankly had a visage that one would not remember unless one knew her. Her senior year in college she had a whirlwind romance with a great guy. This guy was an all around good guy--a believer, a gentleman. I was talking to my friend-girl about two months into her courtship, and she said how good it made her feel when her beau kept calling her the most beautiful girl he’d ever known.

Fast forward to their wedding, and lo and behold, my old friend-girl was absolutely stunning. Her visage now lived up to the reality of her husband’s love for her.

A few years ago, we adopted a four-year-old Great Dane, Maya, who had been chained to a telephone pole and left to die. When she came to live with us, her first day she was as quiet as a mouse, trying to blend into the furnishings.

We loved on her day after day, and her personality began to show through.

We kept on loving her, and in about a month, she was behaving like a puppy. I have to tell you that a Great Dane with the zoomies is a hysterical sight to see!

Galatians 2:20

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

My point?

There is a transformative effect that love carries with it, even if it is the love us fallen humans can give.

But the love of God is perfect, and is persistent, consistent, and insistent.

So here’s my question—Are you availing yourself of that love?

If so, expect to see changes in your life!

Grace, Peace, and Love,

Dr. Ted Rogers, Ph.D.

Co-Pastor, Common Ground Fellowship, San Antonio Tlayacapan Mexico.
Executive Director, Chapala Theological Seminary.

26/07/2026

What a great time of worship today!! Join us next Sunday!!

24/07/2026

Reminder of God—

Glenda and I have lived in places where the summer heat would exceed well over 100 degrees, and we have lived in places where the winter cold hit minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

Humas are amazingly adaptable, but some creatures take it to the extreme. Consider the Pompeii worm, a beautiful tube worm that exists hundreds of feet beneath the ocean, and nest next to—get this, volcanic lava vents. The Pompeii worm endures temperatures of 221 degrees in this extreme environment.

Then there is the Wood Frog, which, during winter, actually freezes completely solid, returning to life when it thaws.

But the Wood Frog could not live where the Pompeii Worm lives, nor the worm endure freezing like the frog.

Though each can adapt within a limited range, they each are intended for a specific environment.

And as we grow in Christ, the environment we are intended for changes. As CS Lewis once wrote, "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."

John 17:14-16

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”

Philippians 3:20-21

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

Here’s the dealio—The more we come to mature in Christ, the less this world feels like our home, for it is not. A new reality has taken place. And, thank the good Lord, we have His promise that He will continue to transform us to conformity with His body of glory.

Sure beats being a frozen frog or a volcanic vent worm!

We will find true and ultimate satisfaction being conformed to Christ in our heavenly home.

Grace, Peace, and Love,

Dr. Ted Rogers, Ph.D.

Co-Pastor, Common Ground Fellowship, San Antonio Tlayacapan Mexico.
Executive Director, Chapala Theological Seminary.

22/07/2026

Reminder of God—Influencers

Rarely do I feel old, even though I am now 65 years old, but sometimes it hits—Like when I see somebody getting paid a high six figure/low seven figure salary for being an “influencer.”

Frankly, throughout my life I have seldom cared what anyone else thought of something unless they were a very close friend or a respected scholar. But hey, different people have different values.

However, when it comes to truly valuable influencers, I’d take the human from the equation and list instead these three things:

Faith, Hope, and Love.

And even here I’d say that only one has a sense of eternality to it.

You see, one day faith will be knowing.

One day hope will be experience.

But Love, love is eternal.

And love is transformative in an eternal sense.

This morning at 11:00, our beautiful Golden Retriever, Sassy, died.

Sassy was love on four legs with fur, and she changed my life—And I wasn’t even her favorite hooman! That would have been Glenda, for Sassy was Glenda’s Velcro dog. And yet, frankly, Sassy changed my life for the better more than most humans I know, for her love was consistent, insistent, and without judgement.

Imagine if we chose to share the love of Christ in that fashion with our society, our culture?

Matthew 5:43-48

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore, you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Did you ever notice that Christ never called the woman at the well a slut? Or Matthew a traitor? Or the woman caught in the act of adultery a w***e? Or Simon the Zealot a rebel?

As well, scripture never calls on us to judge or be a name caller towards the members of our society. Oh, to be sure, if a brother is stumbling, we help, but we don’t chastise.

No. Christ met these people where they were, as they were for what they were.

And then He loved them.

Loved them with a brutal consistency.

Loved them with a reckless insistency.

And that love changed their identity.

Like His love for me has changed mine.

Scripture never tells us to call people names.

It does however call upon us to love our neighbor as ourselves.

And that kind of love is transformative.

Even if from a dog.

Grace, Peace, and Love,

Dr. Ted Rogers, Ph.D.

Co-Pastor, Common Ground Fellowship, San Antonio Tlayacapan Mexico.
Executive Director, Chapala Theological Seminary.

20/07/2026

Reminder of God—Friendship

I have been a pallbearer three times in my life. Each time, I was asked at the last minute to do so. It has been said, though, that a man is truly blessed if, at the end of his life, no one has to ask eight men to take on the handles, in that they would see it as one last honor for the relationship.

During WWI, two young men, friends, who lived in the same neighborhood, enlisted in the army together. Together, they trained and were deployed in the same unit. Their unit was ordered to leave the trench, storm across no man’s land, to take the German trench across the field.

The mission failed.

One of the two friends was wounded and could not make it back to his trench. When his friend saw him on the field in the distance, he began to try to climb out of the trench to go get him. His sergeant saw him and pulled him down. He yelled, “There is nothing you can do for him! Any attempt would get you killed. Stay here!” After the sergeant was out of site, the man once again scaled the trench, and ran to his friend. By the time he returned, he was carrying his dead friend, and he himself was mortally wounded. The sergeant, in tears, cried out, “Why did you do that? He’s dead, and now you’re dying. How could it have been worth it!?!” The soldier replied. “Sir, it was worth it. When I reached him, he was alive, looked up at me and said simply “Jim, I knew you would come.”

Glenda and I were talking about friendship last night. In that I had to move seven times by the middle of 7th grade, and Glenda was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of ten, making her the butt of jokes throughout her school, both of us realized that for each of us, Jesus was the first friend either of us had.

Friends.

John 15:13-15

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”

Consider this: Like the soldier, Jesus left the safety of the trench, except for Him it was not a trench, but heaven. He scrambled into no-mans land, enemy fire all around him. And He ran. Ran to you, to me, each of us mortally wounded to the soul

And He took the death blow for us.

But unlike the story, He returned to us life, and life abundantly.

My question for you, then, is simply this. Who is it that you choose to call friend? Because that is the word that Jesus uses to describe you.

Grace, Peace, and Love,

Dr. Ted Rogers, Ph.D.

Co-Pastor, Common Ground Fellowship, San Antonio Tlayacapan Mexico.
Executive Director, Chapala Theological Seminary.

17/07/2026

Reminder of God—Comfortable

Growing up, I remember a milk company running a series of ads about how their milk was the best because it came from “contented cows.” In some ways contentment is good, such as being content with the earthly goods one has, and not coveting more.

However, contentment with every facet of one’s life, and with one’s spiritual state shows nothing more than an apathy towards life and God.

I knew a woman who, when she turned 45, stated “Well, that’s it now. I’m too old to change.”

I wish I were making this up, but what is more, she did everything in her power to prove that true. She recorded all her favorite shows, and watched them repeatedly, refusing to watch new films or shows. She and her friends would vacation at the same three places each year. She would sleep with the television on, with the volume on high. When I asked her why, she responded “So that when I wake up in the middle of the night, I don’t have to think about things I shouldn’t have to think about.” When an item of clothing wore out, she would purchase an identical item to replace it. Food? No new restaurants or recipes.

And that, literally, is how she spent the last 33 years of her life, so afraid of change that she never experienced anything new.

But when she died, she DID have 25 pairs of identical white Keds shoes...

This is my question—did she even actually live those 33 years, or did she simply exist?

Proverbs 1:32

“For the turning away of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.”

John 10:10b

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Did God send His Son so that you might...Exist? Do you want your life to be defined, in large part, by the number of identical white Keds shoes you own?

Life abundantly includes abundant change, abundant feeling, abundant depth, abundant service, abundant learning, abundant sharing...

And the list goes on.

But it does not include abundant lethargy.

So, lethargy or life? Complacency or Christ?

What defines your life?

Grace, Peace, and Love,

Dr. Ted Rogers, Ph.D.

Co-Pastor, Common Ground Fellowship, San Antonio Tlayacapan Mexico.
Executive Director, Chapala Theological Seminary.

Hey! After several attempts to post, we FINALLY have the video of last Sunday’s service! Message starts around minute mark 26:18. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1357618352369846

17/07/2026

GREAT time of worship last Sunday!!

15/07/2026