Faith Rock Church Ava

Faith Rock Church Ava Faith Rock Church is the little country church in the middle of town.

06/15/2026

At Faith Rock Sunday our message was titled Religious Rhetoric. We were in the book of Jeremiah chapter 7 as Jeremiah spoke from the gate of the temple to warn the people to amend their ways if they wished to be delivered from God's judgment. These warnings fell on deaf ears as a commonly held belief was that God would not allow His temple in Jerusalem to be destroyed and if it would be saved, so would they. The words of Jeremiah were percieved as lies in regards to the coming of the Babylonians. God told Jeremiah to remind the worshippers at the temple of the previous center of worship in Shilo, for the tabernacle was in it but the Philistines destroyed that city regardless of its presence due to their disobedience to the Lord.

It is a reminder to us that all the things which accompany our faith found in religious practices cannot become more important than God in our lives. It is a common stumbling block for us to believe that if we meet a self imposed requirement in the form of religion that God will be forced to respond to our dedication. Be it limits we set on the length of our prayer time, or set numbers of chapters read in our Bible, or perfect attendance at church, all of these things done with the belief that ny them we become more valuable in the eyes of God are vain attempts to earn what God gives freely, His grace.

Yet, if we do these same things from a pure heart without religious posturing, we find the distance we were trying to close between ourselves and God was never because He was far away from us but that we were from Him due to our lack of understanding. It is easy to falsely believe all of these acts of dedication to the Lord are requirements for service but if done only for an outward show of faith without an inward desire from the heart to perform them, then they are simply works being dead without faith. Jesus warned of these actions as recorded in Matthew.

Matthew 15:8-9 KJV
[8] This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; But their heart is far from me. [9] But in vain they do worship me, Teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

We are called to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth, any other way will not be acceptable to Him. God has clearly stated His desire to be in fellowship with us, we simply must be willing to come to Him as we are, in the truth of whatever state we may be in. If we do that, He will never turn us away and we will find through Jesus we dont have to earn His love but it is willingly bestowed upon us.

God bless you,
Pastor Jess

06/07/2026

Faith Rock started its church service with a testimony from Wanda Whitaker about the power of God working miracles in her life and health. It is always inspiring to hear about how God moves in the lives of His children. It is evident He is a very present help in our every time of need, be it the little things that many may overlook, or be it the big things that try to consume us. I am thankful for a church family that not only prays for each other but also proclaims God's glory when He answers those prayers.

Our message was titled Jesus Has The Power of Life and it was found in Hebrews chapter 2. We looked into the fact Jesus willingly submitted to taking on flesh and was placed a little lower than the angels in obedience to the Father. It was through that mortal body that He faced the power of death and overcame it, and in so doing defeated the one who held that power, the devil. For this cause we are no longer bound by the fear of death but can now look upon it as a release from the constraints of this world and have full confidence in the captain of our salvation.

Hebrews 2:14 KJV
[14] Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

It is very comforting to know the devil is a defeated foe. We are not in this world battling to overthrow the evil syndicate of satan but to live a more abundant life through Christ. The devil has no power over us if we are exercising the authority of Jesus within the battles we face. The Bible says the devil had the power of death, it is past tense, for it has been stripped from him by the power of life in Christ. Death no longer has dominion over those who know Jesus, we are free from it and from the fear it creates.

If you don't know this wonderful Savior, I encourage you to come visit us at Faith Rock Church. If you are shackled by fear, the fear of death, fear from condemnation, fear of your own mortality, please come and be set at liberty from the power of the devil. Your testimony of deliverance through Jesus will be welcomed and celebrated for the glory of God by a loving family looking to expand the kingdom of God one soul at a time. Praise God.

God bless you,
Pastor Jess

05/31/2026

This Sunday at Faith Rock we addressed the fascination with the U.A.P.s or U.F.O. videos the government has been releasing to the public. While there are many different view points as to what these objects may be, one thing is clear according to scripture, God is still sovereign and Christ created everything that is seen and unseen, known and unknown. With this being the case, there is no room in the mind of a Christian for doubt as to the credibility of God's Word regarding anything in creation or in His plan for our future.

Our scripture was from Luke 21 and there Jesus told us to live our lives in such a way as to be ready to leave this life without notice as we draw closer to the end of God's timeline for this world. It is a warning not to be weighed down with the cares of this world nor be caught up in the vanities of worldly knowledge or beliefs.

Luke 21:34 KJV
[34] And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

Within scripture He encourages us to look for the signs of His return indicated by what can be seen in our natural world. This coupled with Matthew 24 gives us a descriptive picture of what to expect and how to address the challenges of these last days in which we currently live. As we move forward we will find many issues will continue to arise and come at us at an accelerated rate of speed to bring into question our faith and put our knowledge of God's Word to the test.

The answer to questions like that of the U.A.P.'s origins and existence is that everything we will face on this earth will have only one of two origins, they are either of God or the devil. They either glorify God or deny His existence and power. The devil is looking to exploit our lack of knowledge as to what cannot be explained through natural means by answering those questions with anything but the truth of God. As we unpacked this in more depth through our message, the bottom line comes down to if you are willing to trust God with everything you can comprehend as well what you lack the ability to understand equally? If you do, then nothing can shake you that lies ahead, but if you don't you are in danger of believing a great deception devised by the devil. Not every question will have an explanation but every one requires faith to find peace with it, answered or not. I dont have to have all the answers but I have to know Him that does.

God bless you,
Pastor Jess

05/24/2026

As a Full Gospel church, Faith Rock simply takes what the Word of God says and believes it. This is just as true for the power given on the day of Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as it is to the truth of salvation through Christ. This Sunday was Pentecost Sunday and we looked at the fulfilling of God's promise in Acts chapter 2 in the baptism of the Spirit during Sunday School and the gifts of the Spirit from 1 Corinthians 12 for our message.

The title for our message was the Gift of the Gifts. Through the indwelling and power of the Holy Spirit, Paul lists nine gifts that are manifested through the Spirit for the benefit of the church. These gifts are available to every believer who receives by faith this promise of the Spirit. Each of these nine gifts are still applicable present day and necessary for the health of the body of Christ and the furtherance of the gospel.

1 Corinthians 12:7 KJV
[7] But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

The purpose of these gifts is not to exalt the one ministering but for the profit of the entire body. This manifestation is simply seeing the evidence of the power of the Spirit made tangible in the physical realm. Be it the word of wisdom, word of knowledge, working of miracles, or any other of these gifts, its purpose is to exalt Jesus and proclaim His power in the church in addressing its needs. Each one has a proper application and use in ministry as directed by the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:1 KJV
[1] Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

Paul's concern was that the Corinthians be not oblivious to the power that was available to them. If we do not know what we have, we can never receive the advantage of it being so accessible. We have endless books of commentary on the Bible, we have countless hours of teachings and preaching, we have more translations of the Word than I can name, but often with all this knowledge many will miss the power of God while searching for a knowledge of God. Even in knowing the availability of these gifts, many do not operate in them with a misunderstanding that these gifts disappeared with the apostles.

Thankfully there are many churches out there today who not only believe these gifts are for us but also act upon that belief. For the body of Christ at Faith Rock, it is believed not only are we given these diversity of gifts but with them have a responsibility to use them as they are present. We do not all have the same gifts but with what we have been given we seek to use for the same purpose, to glorify God to the best of our ability. In so doing, we are rewarded with testimonies of faith and the power of God moving in the lives of His children.

God bless you,
Pastor Jess

05/17/2026

If you were asked the question of whether or not God was for you, how would you answer that. Many people would say He loves them, many would agree He is good, and many would say He will help them out of trials, but how many are convinced He is fighting for them? How many of us believe He is working for our good even when we are not always working towards His definition of what is good? I think many people in the issues and struggles of life can easily forget God is for us and not against us.

That was the subject of our message Sunday, titled God Is For You. Our scripture was from Romans chapter 8 and within this chapter Paul tells us that God has adopted us as His children through Christ as our Savior. As His children we find all condemnation is removed from us and we need not suffer the effects from it, for we are freed from the law of sin and death. He is in fact working all things together for the good to those who love Him.

Since we are made aware of all these things, we should have confidence in the fact God has made these blessings available to us because He is for us.
Romans 8:31 KJV
[31] What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

If He is truly for us then what enemy could possibly stand against us when we are walking in God's will? If He is for us then what need do we have to worry about what man may do to us or even think about us? When we know God is on our side it should inspire us in our battles, knowing Christ has already obtained the victory over the devil who seeks to destroy us.

How do we know God is truly for us? What has God done to convince us He is actually on our side?
Romans 8:32 KJV
[32] He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

To prove the depth of His love for us, the Father gave His own Son to redeem us from sin and deliver us as His children. He gave His very best to redeem us when we were at our very worst. If He was willing to part with His Son and allow His suffering for us when we were yet sinners, what is it God wouldn't do to help us? What is it God would withhold from us if He already gave us everything when He gave us Jesus? How much more could God be for us than by sacrificing His own Son in our place?

No, rest assured God is on your side. He is urging each one of us to draw nearer to Him and find shelter in His all-powerful arms. To be encouraged in our battles knowing He is fighting for us, not against us. We should be looking to Him for the answers to the problems we find in life, not at Him as if He is the cause of them. What else could He do to prove it to us beyond what He has already done?

God bless you,
Pastor Jess

05/11/2026

We celebrated Mother's day at Faith Rock by honoring all the moms in the congregation with flowers. There is not enough appreciation that can be given for the work of a mom, especially in the world we live in today. I thank God for my mother and all the years she spent praying for me and encouraging me to be the best version of myself that I could by God's grace. Happy Mother's Day.

Our message was titled Facts and Faith. The scripture was from John chapter 10.
The setting was on the temple grounds and Jesus was surrounded by the people. They had one question, was Jesus the Christ? Jesus responded by saying He had already told them this answer but they chose not to believe. This resulted in a controversy in which the people wanted once again to stone Jesus.

Jesus over the previous course of His ministry presented many facts to the people that He was the Son of God. He did many of those actions openly before the masses for all to witness. He told them if they would not believe His word or have faith in it, then look to the facts of His works as to if they testified of His relationship to the Father.

John 10:37-38 KJV
[37] If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. [38] But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

We all have a choice when presented with the facts of the life of Jesus, we can either believe the Word or reject it. We can either take those facts and apply our faith to them and follow Him, or deny the truth and place our faith in man and the facts that he sets as the worldly standards by which to live. Either way we choose to follow our own understanding of what constitutes the definition of factual and where we apply our faith.

There are some undeniable facts of this earthly life that we must acknowledge whether we like them or not. Those man made and visible facts that pertain to this world. Our bank statements, our age, our doctor's reports and medical test results, all the numbers and facts that compose our understanding of life and science, these are often true and factual. Though when put into perspective, these are all only surface level truths. Those worldly facts we face should not change our faith in God but our faith should be applied to change those facts when they oppose God or His love for us.

The fact is Jesus loves us and died for everyone. It doesn't matter if you have faith that He did or not, that won't change this underlying fact. Yet if you apply your faith to that fact, you will find that all the worries associated with this life are less important than what God has in store for your future. In that I have faith.

God bless you,
Pastor Jess

05/04/2026

The gifts God gives of mercy and grace are both required for us to live in this world today. He is rich in both according to His Word and He bestows them upon us out of His deep love for us. Yet the two are very different though we often use them interchangeably when we speak of God's goodness to us.

Our message Sunday was titled The Mercy Of Grace and it was from the book of Ephesians chapter 2. There we find that God out of His love for us brought us from death and disobedience in our sins, into life through Jesus.
Ephesians 2:4-5 KJV
[4] But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, [5] even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

It was because of His love that He afforded us His mercy when we clearly did not deserve it. As children of disobedience we were on a collision course into His wrath but God Who has an unfathomable depth of mercy, loved us enough to allow us entrance into His heavenly kingdom through salvation provided by Christ.

That entrance comes through His grace that is given to all who put their faith in Jesus as their Savior. His grace is the undeserved favor and benevolence that is given, not because of who we are but Who Jesus is to us. As we accept His love we can understand His mercy and receive His grace to be made a new creature through Christ.

We often mistake mercy for grace. Many people believe they will be saved by the mercy of God. They do not expect a God that is full of mercy to cast anyone into Hell. They believe because He is merciful He will pardon their disobedience and unrepentant heart. Yet His mercy is revealed through the giving of His Word, that all who confess and believe in Jesus will be saved and all who do not believe will be damned to an eternity in hell. Out of His mercy He warns us and tells us how to be saved and how to avoid the penalty of sin. It is by grace we are saved, mercy allows us the time to accept the truth of Jesus and come to a place of repentance but grace provides our salvation when we apply our faith to it.

Mercy is not getting what we deserve, grace is receiving what we do not deserve. There is a stark difference between the two but both are necessary in the process of our salvation. By God's mercy we do not receive the due punishment for our sins, by His grace we receive salvation, a gift we cannot earn nor deserve. Sadly many will rely on God's mercy without ever accepting His grace. Many will pray to be delivered out of life's trials by calling upon God's mercy but less will seek to surrender to Him with a heart of repentance to receive Jesus as their Lord and be partakers of His grace.

I am thankful for all who have accepted the free gift that Jesus has purchased for us with His own life. I pray for many more who are currently lost and only experiencing God's mercy to soon know the joy of walking in His grace.

God bless you,
Pastor Jess

04/26/2026

This Sunday at Faith Rock for our service we were blessed with a visit from the Cross Country Gospel group. They led us in praise and worship and encouraged us to put our trust in God in all things. They testified of the power of God they witnessed in their travels serving the Lord in revivals and chruch services across the region. It concluded with many of us gathered around the altar carrying the needs of others as well as our own to the throne of God.

We also honored our secretaries past and present for their faithful service and for the fruit of their labor which has helped to keep our doors open all these years. As a church we appreciate the fact that we are truly blessed to have every member which is called into this precious family with us and are so thankful for them. For it takes each individual member of the body to fulfill their calling so that we as the church function properly on every level.

If you want to experience the love of God expressed through the hearts of others, we invite you to come and join us in study, in worship, and in the preaching of the Word every Sunday morning. Next Sunday I will be back in the pulpit seeking to glorify God and deliver the message He puts into my heart. I don't know what the title will be as of yet but I guarantee it will come straight out of the Word of God. Please accept this invitation to be a part of what God is doing in Faith Rock Church and see if it is not a place where you feel as though you belong as well.

God bless you,
Pastor Jess

04/19/2026

2 Kings 17:25 KJV
[25] And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them.

God sent lions to make His presence known to the King of Assyria and to the people he relocated from Babylon to reside in Samaria. After they displaced the ten tribes of Israel that dwelt in the northern kingdom by conquering the land and taking them captive, king Shalmaneser repopulated it with foreigners of his choice to occupy the cities therein. With no respect to the God of the Israelites, they set up idols throughout their new home and each people group worshipped their own gods. To reveal His presence to these strangers to the land, God supernaturally sent lions to attack the people and distress them. Their answer to this problem was an order from the king to bring back a priest of the God of the land to teach them to show reverence to Him.

This was done but sincere and dedicated worship to God was not accomplished as the people still incorporated their own gods into their religious beliefs and practices.
2 Kings 17:29 KJV
[29] Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.

The problem with the lions was addressed but the reason for the lions arrival was ignored. It seems so often we seek resolutions to the results of our sins but do not want to address the cause of these effects. We want the lions gone but don't want to close the gate that lets them in. We want a safe and wholesome environment for ourselves and future generations but don't want to address the reasons for our insecurities in that hope.

Make no mistake, we are still suffering at the jaws and claws of lions today. With our current social atmosphere many things are taught, encouraged, and even accepted that are clearly against God's revealed will. Lions lurk in the darkness waiting to bring down their prey, they are sins that are embraced, celebrated, and even normalized. We claim to serve God and want deliverance from the lions but sometimes we choose to open the gate to let them in at the same time.

There should be a distinct difference between the world and the Christian life. The merging of the two is just as impossible as sincerely worshipping God and blindly serving idols. The two cannot coexist in a dedicated life submitted to the Lord. With each issue we must choose where to draw that line in our lives but we all must admit that the world is pushing that line farther into the church and blurring the expectation of what a Christian is. The lions are stalking in the shadows but we choose whether to let them in or keep them out. We can proclaim the truth and live by it keeping those lions at bay or let down our defenses and fall victim to their appetites. Their presence should cause us to seek God to reprove them, not to make us wonder if we can tame them and take them in.

God bless you,
Pastor Jess

04/15/2026

Reminder, Sunday is the pickup date for the diaper drive. Please bring them this Sunday. Thank you.

Address

809 N. Jefferson Street
Ava, MO
65608

Opening Hours

10am - 12:30pm

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