Why have we chosen to call our ministry the Rock, you might well ask.
We are here in Phoenix AZ serving the men, women and families at Luke AFB. Most people, if they know nothing else about Phoenix, AZ they do know it is a desert region that is hot and dry. We wanted a name for our hospitality house that evoked a refreshing and thirst quenching experience. The challenge was that great names like The Well, Peter and Tanya Kinney's Cadence ministry, Desert Springs Community Church, (our church home) Streams Church, (and the list goes on) were already taken. And so, after much prayerful consideration we decided on The Rock Hospitality House. Why the Rock? To find that answer we have to go back to another group of people who found themselves in a dry and thirsty land. In the book of Exodus chapter 17 we see the account of the Israelites as they are wandering in the wilderness of Sin and stopped to camp at Rephidim. There was no water for the people to drink. One million men, women and children all in peril of dying of thirst. No rivers or streams or wells or springs of water were anywhere to be found. The people railed against Moses and even said they were better off as slaves in Egypt, where at least they had water to drink. In verse 4 Moses cries out to God fearing for his own life because the people are so angry. God hears his cry and answers in verses 5 and 6 "And the Lord said to Moses, "Go on before the people, and take your rod, that you struck the river with, in your hand, and go. Behold I will stand before you there upon the rock in Horeb; and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel". Moses obeyed God's command and God provided water in abundance to satisfy the thirst of all the children of Israel. The miracle of water from the Rock is repeated later in their wanderings, this time in the wilderness of Kadesh Barnea found in Numbers 20. Here we see the conditions as at Rephidim, absolute lack of water to satisfy the thirst of all the people, their complaint to Moses and God's merciful provision of thirst slaking water from the rock. The Psalmist recounts these miracles of God's forbearance in Psalms 78:15,16 "He split the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths, He brought streams also out of the rock and caused waters to run down like rivers". What did God provide? Not a trickle but a flood, not a stagnant pool, but rushing rivers of cool refreshing water, this was God's provision for His children Israel. What's the connection, you ask? These accounts foreshadow the One who was yet to come and who is the source of " Living waters". John 4:4-26 is the account of Jesus meeting the woman at the well offering her the "living waters". In John's gospel we have Jesus proclaiming that He is the source of the "living waters" John 7:37-39
Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
These "living waters" then are the Holy Spirit given to all who believe on the name of Jesus Christ. Our ministry focus will be on Jesus Christ, who is the source of these refreshing, thirst quenching "Living Waters. "
We will also be exploring the other facets of Christ Jesus, the Rock of our salvation in our Bible studies.
We are here in Phoenix AZ serving the men, women and families at Luke AFB. Most people, if they know nothing else about Phoenix, AZ they do know it is a desert region that is hot and dry. We wanted a name for our hospitality house that evoked a refreshing and thirst quenching experience. The challenge was that great names like The Well, Peter and Tanya Kinney's Cadence ministry, Desert Springs Community Church, (our church home) Streams Church, (and the list goes on) were already taken. And so, after much prayerful consideration we decided on The Rock Hospitality House. Why the Rock? To find that answer we have to go back to another group of people who found themselves in a dry and thirsty land. In the book of Exodus chapter 17 we see the account of the Israelites as they are wandering in the wilderness of Sin and stopped to camp at Rephidim. There was no water for the people to drink. One million men, women and children all in peril of dying of thirst. No rivers or streams or wells or springs of water were anywhere to be found. The people railed against Moses and even said they were better off as slaves in Egypt, where at least they had water to drink. In verse 4 Moses cries out to God fearing for his own life because the people are so angry. God hears his cry and answers in verses 5 and 6 "And the Lord said to Moses, "Go on before the people, and take your rod, that you struck the river with, in your hand, and go. Behold I will stand before you there upon the rock in Horeb; and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel". Moses obeyed God's command and God provided water in abundance to satisfy the thirst of all the children of Israel. The miracle of water from the Rock is repeated later in their wanderings, this time in the wilderness of Kadesh Barnea found in Numbers 20. Here we see the conditions as at Rephidim, absolute lack of water to satisfy the thirst of all the people, their complaint to Moses and God's merciful provision of thirst slaking water from the rock. The Psalmist recounts these miracles of God's forbearance in Psalms 78:15,16 "He split the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths, He brought streams also out of the rock and caused waters to run down like rivers". What did God provide? Not a trickle but a flood, not a stagnant pool, but rushing rivers of cool refreshing water, this was God's provision for His children Israel. What's the connection, you ask? These accounts foreshadow the One who was yet to come and who is the source of " Living waters". John 4:4-26 is the account of Jesus meeting the woman at the well offering her the "living waters". In John's gospel we have Jesus proclaiming that He is the source of the "living waters" John 7:37-39
Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
These "living waters" then are the Holy Spirit given to all who believe on the name of Jesus Christ. Our ministry focus will be on Jesus Christ, who is the source of these refreshing, thirst quenching "Living Waters. "
We will also be exploring the other facets of Christ Jesus, the Rock of our salvation in our Bible studies.