Solid Rock Christian Church Boca Raton

10/27/2026

Interesting portion of Scripture—plenty to unpack!

I am sure we have all heard Romans 8:28 quoted, as we often use that Scripture to encourage one another. Basically, it is all going to work out. God works everything together according to His purposes. I believe that to be true. However, where do we fit into that plan, and are we actively participating in it?

Notice that Scripture doesn't say everything will work together for the good of everyone, but rather, for "those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."

Those who love God and are called according to His purposes. This brings to mind another Scripture that states, "Many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14).

Which leads me to a question: Have we answered His call? Are we among those who have responded to His invitation?

My thought is that life works better when we are walking in step with Him. That doesn't mean we won't experience difficulties, but there is something to be said for cooperating with God's purposes rather than resisting them. Even when we stumble, His grace is sufficient to help us get back on track.

Now, consider this: God knew His people in advance. Hmmmm.

He is God and exists outside the limitations of time. He knows the end from the beginning. He knows those who are His, which also implies that there are those who are not His.

Jesus alluded to this truth in the parable of the Wheat and the Tares. On this particular occasion, Jesus told several parables, yet the disciples specifically asked Him to explain this one.

In Matthew 13:37–43, Jesus explains that the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom, while the tares represent the sons of the evil one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest represents the end of the age, when the angels will separate the wicked from the righteous.

There are so many rabbit holes we could go down concerning this parable, but suffice it to say, not everyone is a "son of the kingdom."

Some are plants, so to speak, sown among the wheat by the enemy. And they can look so much like the real thing that Jesus warns against attempting to uproot them prematurely. Ultimately, God knows those who are His, and the final separation belongs to Him.

In the meantime, Jesus gave us an important principle: We will know them by their fruit.

The challenge is not to be tripped up by those whom Jude describes as hidden reefs in our love feasts.

We have all placed our trust in the wrong people at times, and it really hurts when we get burned. Yet, in hindsight, there were often clues we chose to ignore—whispers of the Holy Spirit, checks in our spirit, or subtle indications that something wasn't quite right.

When we sense those things, it is wise to take note and observe. Guard your heart. Don't become too emotionally invested in relationships where there are legitimate reasons for concern. Give people time to demonstrate their character through their actions.

The enemy is always looking for opportunities to exploit our vulnerabilities and inflict harm. Unfortunately, some people operate without the moral restraints that should govern their behavior, and we can suffer the consequences of placing our trust in them.

Yet I believe that even in those painful experiences, God can teach us valuable lessons. He can sharpen our discernment, expose patterns we previously overlooked, and help us recognize the schemes of our common enemy.

We are called to love everyone, but that doesn't mean we are called to be ignorant!

There is a reason Jesus instructed His disciples to be "wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16).

Innocence without wisdom can leave us vulnerable to deception and manipulation. On the other hand, wisdom without innocence can make us suspicious, cynical, and hardhearted. We need both!

Don't fall victim to the enemy's wiles.

I tend to look at Romans 8:28 in light of this truth: There are times when we are going to make mistakes. There are times when we will be taken advantage of because of our own inexperience or misplaced trust. There may even be times when we suffer simply because of someone else's wrongdoing.

Yet none of these experiences places us beyond God's reach.

He is watching over those who belong to Him, and even when He allows us to walk through difficult and painful circumstances, He is able to use those very experiences to accomplish something good in our lives.

Think about Joseph. His brothers meant evil against him, but God used their betrayal to position Joseph for something far greater than he could have imagined.

What the enemy intends for destruction, God can turn into an opportunity for growth, maturity, wisdom, and even blessing.

And perhaps that is one of the greatest assurances we can take from Romans 8:28. Not that everything that happens to us is good, or that we will never experience loss, betrayal, or disappointment, but that God is able to work through all of it for our ultimate good and His eternal purposes.

I have said it many times: God wastes nothing!

Somehow, He takes the beautiful moments, the painful lessons, the victories, the failures, and even the things we wish had never happened, and weaves them together into a beautiful tapestry called our lives.

And the Master Weaver isn't finished yet!

Ps…God's ultimate purpose is to conform us to the image of His Son. Sometimes the "good" He is working toward is not the outcome we hoped for, yet the “person” we are becoming through the experience—is!

10/26/2026

The Holy Spirit helps us in our weak areas—or weakness, as Paul puts it. Some of us may not think we have weaknesses, but truth be told, we all have them!

One area of weakness Paul immediately identifies is not knowing what God wants us to pray for.

Did you know there are things God wants you to pray for?

Most of us tend to think of prayer in terms of our own needs, and even then, how much time do we actually spend praying?

Yet consider this Scripture:

““I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.”
Ezekiel‬ ‭22‬:‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What prayers is God asking us to pray? Are we willing to stand in the gap and serve as intercessors for our land?

There is certainly no shortage of things that need prayer in our world today. But where would we even begin?

Thankfully, the Holy Spirit helps us!

Let's read Paul's words in the Amplified version:

“So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance. And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's will. [Ps. 139:1, 2.] We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.”
Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭26‬-‭28‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

Some have suggested that these unspeakable groanings and yearnings can be associated with praying in the Spirit, or praying in tongues.

Although Paul doesn't specifically identify these groanings as tongues, there is an interesting connection worth considering.

In 1 Corinthians 14:14, Paul says that when he prays in an unknown tongue, his spirit prays, but his understanding is unfruitful. Jude also encourages believers to build themselves up in their most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit (Jude 20).

That certainly sounds like help to me!

And think about it. We have all prayed about circumstances directly affecting us or those within our immediate circle. But how often do we take time to pray for the things God knows need to be prayed for—things we may know absolutely nothing about apart from the Spirit of God?

There may be people, situations, and circumstances that desperately need prayer, yet they are completely outside our awareness.

But they are not outside God's awareness!

And that is why we need the help of the Holy Spirit. He knows what we don't know. He sees what we cannot see. And He intercedes according to the perfect will of God.

Why would God invite us to pray if there were no power in prayer? Do our prayers really make that much of a difference?

Absolutely!

Prayer changes things because we are appealing to the One who has the power to do what we cannot.

Martin Luther is often credited with saying, “God does nothing but in answer to prayer.”

Whether or not those were his exact words, the sentiment reminds us of the tremendous privilege and responsibility we have been given.

God invites us to participate in His purposes through prayer. And the wonderful thing is that He doesn't leave us to figure it all out on our own. He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us, even when we don't know what or how to pray.

The question is, are we willing to make ourselves available?

Will we limit our prayers to the things that concern us personally, or will we allow the Holy Spirit to enlarge our hearts and lead us into intercession for the things that concern God?

Will we partner with God through prayer to make a difference in the world—and allow Him to change us in the process?

10/25/2026

Sunday 10/25/26

10/25/2026

10/25/2026

Wonderful time painting today at Elite Tutoring Center! Thank you Nikki Warris for hosting and thank you to Megan Kielar for guiding us with our masterpieces!

10/24/2026

This is not all there is, nor is this how things were meant to be. There are better days ahead! As the saying goes, “The best is yet to come!” We must remind ourselves of these truths when life seems out of control.

Paul tells us that all creation was subjected to God's curse. We deal with the consequences of mankind's fall every day. Adam, the first man, failed to properly steward what God had entrusted to him, including the garden and his own choices. As a result, sin entered the world, and all creation was subjected to its consequences.

Mankind continued in its destructive ways, eventually leading to God's intervention through the flood—in a sense, a new beginning. Unfortunately, history is filled with examples of the destructive patterns of fallen humanity apart from God.

Yet God had a plan! What was lost through the first Adam would be redeemed through the obedience and sacrifice of the “second Adam”—Jesus Christ. And there is coming a day when God will bring us into the fullness of our inheritance as His adopted children, including the new bodies He has promised us, no longer subject to sin and decay.

In the meantime, God has given us the Holy Spirit as a foretaste of future glory. Somehow, I feel we all need a much greater understanding of Who resides within us! The Holy Spirit is powerful!

Scripture refers to Him as our Comforter, Counselor, Advocate, and Helper. The Greek word is Parakletos (Paraclete), referring to one who comes alongside to help, guide, defend, and console. No one knows us like He does, and in Christ, we are truly never alone. The problem is that many believers have never developed a meaningful relationship with Him.

The Holy Spirit is always mentioned as part of the Trinity, yet He seems to be the One we know the least about. And that is truly our loss!

Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit is a foretaste of future glory. What exactly is a foretaste? In biblical terms, He is a guarantee, a down payment, or a pledge of what is to come. Through the Holy Spirit, believers can experience something of God's future kingdom right now—righteousness, peace, joy, and the power to live victoriously—even though the fullness of our redemption is yet to come.

Even as I write this, I am woefully aware that there is so much more available to us that we fail to partake of, whether through ignorance, disobedience, or even a lack of faith.

I am reminded of Paul's words to the Philippians:

“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul was willing to discard everything for the surpassing privilege of knowing Christ and experiencing the mighty power (Holy Spirit) that raised Him from the dead through the Spirit of God.

And here is something worth considering: I believe we are often experiencing only what we have developed an appetite for.

How hungry are we for more of God? Have we become satisfied with what we already know and have experienced, or are we pressing on, like Paul, to know Him more?

I find myself praying this morning for the Lord to increase my appetite for Him. If we desire to be used mightily by God, we must cultivate a deeper, more personal, and experiential relationship with Him. There is so much more to discover, so much more to experience, and so much more of His power available to accomplish His purposes through us.

Help us to know You more, Lord!

A question for us all: How would our perspective on present difficulties change if we kept our focus on the future glory God has promised? 😊

10/23/2026

Paul uses an interesting choice of words here. We have not received a spirit that makes us “fearful slaves.”

Some people serve God out of fear—not the healthy, awe-inspired reverence that recognizes God's holiness and authority, but a fear that keeps them in bo***ge. We don't serve God because we are terrified of Him; we serve Him out of love, honor, and respect.

Is there something to fear? Absolutely—if you are in the wrong camp, serving the wrong things! There is a day coming when those who have not appropriated the blood of Christ to their lives will stand before a just and holy God to be judged. It is called the Great White Throne Judgment, and trust me, we don't want to be at that one!

Believers, however, will stand before the judgment seat of Christ, where our works will be evaluated for their eternal significance. Everything we have done will be tested by fire, and we will be rewarded accordingly—or suffer the loss of rewards. Our salvation is not in question, but what we have done with the life God has given us certainly is.

Yet, Paul is describing something much more intimate here—a relationship with God that allows us to affectionately call Him “Abba, Father.”

Think about that! We are no longer fearful slaves but beloved children of God!

The Spirit of God confirms to our spirit that we are His children. And if we are His children, then we are also His heirs—joint heirs with Christ who will share in His glory!

However, Paul adds an interesting qualification. To share in His glory, we must also share in His suffering. And isn't that the life we experience here on earth? We continually contend with the darkness of this world, which seeks to overwhelm us, discourage us, and dim the light of Christ within us.

Yet, even in our suffering, Paul reminds us that what we endure now is nothing compared to the glory that will be revealed later. In other words, everything we go through here will be worth it when we get there!
Now that's something to look forward to!

There is a future day when God will reveal to all creation who His true children really are. What a glorious day that will be!

I want to be in that group! How about you?

10/22/2026

Talk about a power-packed couple of verses!

Humanity, without the Spirit of God, can be an ugly thing—just sayin’. It seems like we hear more and more about atrocious things happening, especially to children, which makes you wonder how people can commit such horrible acts. Then there are those being martyred simply because of their faith.

Throughout history, Jews and Christians have repeatedly been targets of persecution. Both share a belief in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the enemy has a special hatred toward those who belong to Him.

Such is the world we live in, but we don't have to be of it.

Jesus' prayer in John 17 comes to mind. First, He says this:

“And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”
(John 17:3 NLT)

Jesus then goes on to say:

“I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do.”
(John 17:14–16 NLT)

Let that sink in. We do not belong to this world anymore!

We have been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of light—God's Kingdom—because we belong to Christ (Colossians 1:13–14). We now serve in more of an ambassadorial capacity here on earth, representing the Kingdom to which we belong. We are still in the world, but we are no longer of it.

That is a huge distinction. We belong to another Kingdom, and that changes everything!

So when Paul says that we are no longer under any obligation to do what our sinful nature urges us to do, we need to understand why. Our sinful nature is no longer our master! We have been given a new identity, a new allegiance, and a new source of power—the Holy Spirit who lives within us.

And by the power of that same Spirit, we are able to put to death the deeds of the flesh and live for God.

We no longer have to live according to the dictates of our sinful nature. We have a choice! And with that choice comes the responsibility to live according to the Kingdom to which we now belong.

The question becomes: Who do you want to live for?

10/21/2026

Wednesday Night 10/21/26 - Rock Class #6 - The Importance of Prayer

10/21/2026

Which will it be? Are we going to let our sinful nature or the Spirit of God control our minds?

The choice is obvious—letting our sinful nature control our minds leads to death, but letting the Spirit of God control our minds leads to life—and peace. Who doesn’t need some peace in their lives?

Notice how Paul says that our sinful nature is always hostile to God. It is our constant enemy, seeking to undermine everything good God is trying to do in our lives. We choose what we allow ourselves to think about and dwell on each day—and trust me, those thoughts eventually lead to action. Paul makes it clear that we can never please God when we are controlled by our sinful nature.

How do we know if we are controlled by our sinful nature? We do what it wants! You could say that we are obedient to it. The same is true of the Spirit of God. If we are controlled by the Spirit, we will be obedient to Him and will not carry out the desires of the flesh. It is all about whom we listen to and to whom we give expression in our lives.

Christ lives within us, and even though our mortal bodies will eventually die because of sin, we have been given new life that will be fully realized when we receive our resurrected bodies at Christ’s return.

Sin has already been condemned through Christ's sacrifice in the flesh, yet our mortal bodies remain subject to death. As Paul reminds us, flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, nor can mortality inherit immortality (1 Corinthians 15:50).

But here is the wonderful news! The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives within us and will one day give life to our mortal bodies. We have the promise of resurrection and bodies clothed with immortality, just as Jesus has!

Lots to look forward to! However, in the meantime, there is lots to do as we learn to live each day under the control and direction of the Spirit of God.

The question is not simply whether the Spirit of God lives within us, but whether we are allowing Him to direct the way we think and live.