Summary of Venezuela Relief Giving

Created on July 05, 2026 at 11:26 AM

Sermon Info
- Speaker / Pastor: Executive Head Pastor Laura Schneider(Pastor Laura Schneider)giving invitation;announcements by Pastor Jeffrey Bailey
- Church / Location: The Rock Church Legacy Campus

Scripture References
- Deuteronomy 16 - used to encourage giving “in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you” (scripture quoted as foundation for generous, proportional giving).

Central Message

The congregation is called to live a life of open-handed generosity, supporting long-term disaster relief in Venezuela through Convoy of Hope and practicing proportional, joyful giving as a spiritual discipline.

Key Points

1. Convoy of Hope response: volunteers are on the ground in Venezuela distributing food, water, and emergency supplies after two major earthquakes; this is a long-term recovery effort (reporters on the scene included Al Donaldson and Ethan Forrest).
1. Convoy of Hope background: a grassroots, church-supported organization (not government-funded) that feeds 677,000 children every school day and mobilizes churches for disaster relief.
1. Local church response: Rock Church is invited to give through today’s offering (envelopes in chairs or marked in the plate) or online (select Convoy of Hope Venezuela). Missions pledges and regular missions giving are handled through designated giving options; today is the first Sunday of the month — missions emphasis.
1. Spiritual call: living with unclenched fists — giving generously is spiritually healthy and changes lives both for givers and receivers.
1. Community notes: Pastor Jeffrey welcomed newcomers, invited people to fill kiosks to connect, and announced a post-service 4th of July celebration with pie and ice cream.

Notable Quotes
"Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you." (Deuteronomy 16 — quoted)
"Live a life of unclenched fists. Live a life of open-handedness and be generous." — Executive Head Pastor Laura Scneider
"We will continue to be there long after the news cameras have stopped rolling." — Al Donaldson (Convoy of Hope)

Application
- Give specifically to the Venezuela relief effort: use the envelopes in your chair or mark cash/check in the plate Convoy of Hope or Venezuela; give online to the specific giving location Convoy of Hope Venezuela.
- If you give monthly pledges to missionaries, designate as usual and leadership will route funds to missionaries or relief as appropriate.
- Practice generosity daily: cultivate a posture of open hands — consider increasing proportionally to how God has blessed you.
- Newcomers: fill out the kiosk in the hallway so the church can connect and help you get plugged in.

Prayer Points
- Pray for the people of Venezuela displaced or affected by the earthquakes: immediate needs for food, water, shelter, and long-term recovery.
- Pray for Convoy of Hope relief workers and local church partners as they serve on the ground.
- Pray for provision, healing, and that those who suffered would come to know God’s love and find restoration through this hardship.

Reflection Questions

1. How has God blessed you, and what would proportional, generous giving look like for you this week or month?
1. Where can you practice living with “unclenched fists” in daily life (time, money, possessions, or relationships)?
1. Will you support the long-term recovery work in Venezuela through prayer, giving, or involvement?

Please pray for me to be able to have the money needed to go to ladie's retreat, my first time ever, and for everything that is a part of it. Some stuff needs to be preregistered for, and I have to be reguarly registered by July 30th...Also, on another note, please pray that my daughter will be able to go to Camp On Campus. It is $95 until the 17th of July, and I am hoping to have the funds for her to pay for Snack shack spending and t-shirt. It goes up to $105 after that. She wanted to go, then didn't and wants to go again now, so explained it to her dad, and he didn't shut me down. Instead, he said he would talk to her and see what they can do because it is mostly on his time with her. But I am volunteering at the camp so, I'll be able to see her even if it means it takes from my parenting time.

Summary of Hunger for Righteousness

Sermon Info
- Speaker/ Pastor:Executive Head Pastor Laura Schneider

Central Message

The condition of our desires determines the direction of our lives: sinful cravings lead to destructive actions, while a growing hunger for God (shaped by the Holy Spirit) leads to repentance, transformation, and healthy action. Turning to Jesus and practicing confession and communion open the way to forgiveness and new life.

Key Points

1. Every sinful desire promises satisfaction but leaves an "afterthought"; unhealthy desires ultimately mislead actions.
1. The principle works the other way: every healthy desire produces a healthy action.
1. What we feed (our desires and attention) grows, and what grows shapes the direction of our life.
1. The Holy Spirit tugs on our hearts when desires are misplaced, inviting us to desire God instead.
1. Practical responses: confess sin, turn toward Jesus, be willing to confess to another person when needed, and allow God to replace pride, bitterness, lust, greed, and secrecy with humility, forgiveness, purity, generosity, and honesty.
1. Communion is a remembering: the bread (Christ’s body) and the cup (His blood) symbolize forgiveness, cleansing, and new relationship with God.

Notable Quotes
"What we feed grows, and what grows eventually shapes the direction of our life."
"I want you to desire Me." (the Holy Spirit calling us toward Jesus)
"This bread was broken for you... This is the blood I shed for you." (reminder of forgiveness and cleansing in communion)

Application
- Regularly examine your heart: ask yourself What am I hungry for? What occupies my attention?
- When you sense misplaced desires, respond by confessing to God and (when appropriate) to a trusted person.
- Intentionally feed spiritual things: prayer, Scripture, worship, and fellowship so Godly desires grow.
- Use communion as a moment to remember Christ’s sacrifice, receive forgiveness, and recommit to walking with Jesus.
- Invite the Holy Spirit to transform specific areas (pride, bitterness, lust, greed, secrecy) into Christlike fruit.

Prayer Points
- Thanksgiving for God’s grace, love, forgiveness, and transformation.
- Ask God to reveal desires growing within us and to expose those drawing us away from Him.
- Pray for God to replace pride with humility, bitterness with forgiveness, lust with purity, greed with generosity, secrecy with honesty.
- Request a greater hunger for God’s presence, Word, truth, and righteousness.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to keep shaping our desires so we want to be with and pursue Jesus more.

Reflection Questions

1. What are you truly hungry for right now?
1. What desires or longings are occupying your heart and attention?
1. Are you aware of any tug from the Holy Spirit inviting you to turn toward Jesus?
1. What practical step of confession, repentance, or spiritual feeding will you take this week?

Summary of Desires Shape Life

Sermon Info
- Speaker / Pastor: Pastor Jeffrey Bailey

Scripture References
- James 1 - used to explain how desire conceives sin, and how sin "when fully grown" brings death (spiritual death, separation from God). Speaker referenced the language of conceiving and growth to connect heart-desires to actions.
- 2 Samuel 11 - the David & Bathsheba story as a case study: a small, convenient choice escalates into adultery, cover-up, and murder, showing the chain from desire → action → destruction.
- Joshua 7 (verses 19–21) - the Achan (Aethan) example: coveting plunder against God’s command, hiding the loot, confession, and the wider consequences for the whole camp.
- Matthew 5:6 - Jesus’ call to hunger and thirst for righteousness as the healthy, God-centered alternative to sinful desires.

Central Message

Sinful desires, if entertained and fed, grow from a small, private longing into outward actions that bring destruction and spiritual death; by contrast, cultivating Godly desires (hunger for righteousness, Scripture, and prayer) shapes life toward healing and blessing.

Key Points

1. Desire precedes action — James teaches that temptation is conceived in the heart and, if allowed to grow, leads to sinful action and death.
1. David’s cycle — a convenient choice to stay home became a chain: seeing Bathsheba → inquiring → bringing her to his house → conceiving → cover-up → Uriah’s death. Small compromises multiply.
1. Achan’s parallel — Aethan/Achan coveted loot from Jericho, hid it, and his sin affected the whole community. Personal desires have communal consequences.
1. Two kinds of desires — Regrettable desires produce regrettable actions and destruction; healthy Godly desires produce righteous actions and blessing.
1. What we feed grows — whatever we nurture (vices or virtues) will eventually shape the direction of our life.
1. Practical spiritual alternative — develop a hunger for God’s Word, prayer, and righteousness so your desires align with Christ.

Notable Quotes
"Simple actions bring to death."
"The death that James is describing is not physical death — he's talking about death inside of us."
"Every desire, every sinful desire, makes a promise that it can't keep."
"What we grow, what we feed, grows — and that growth eventually shapes the direction of our life."

Application
- Notice the small, "convenient" choices and stop feeding desires at the earliest point (turn eyes away, refuse the inquiry, remove opportunity).
- Replace tempting longings by cultivating a hunger and thirst for righteousness: daily Scripture reading, prayer, and seeking Christ-centered desires.
- Use accountability and confession (to God and trusted leaders/friends) when temptation becomes action — community matters, because some consequences affect others.
- Remember consequences extend beyond the individual: consider how choices may harm family, friends, and community before acting.
- Reorder desires intentionally: practice pursuing what God wants (service, truth, holiness) so desires lead to healthy actions.

Reflection Questions

1. What small, "convenient" choice this week might become a seed for larger sin if left unchecked?
1. When a desire arises, what is your usual next thought: a secondary thought toward God, or toward covering/justifying the desire?
1. How have your unchecked desires affected others (family, friends, community) in the past?
1. What practical habits will you adopt to cultivate hunger for Scripture, prayer, and righteousness this week?
1. Who can you invite into honest accountability so temptation does not become hidden sin?

Summary of Desires as Battlefield

Sermon Info
- Speaker / Pastor: Executive Pastor Jacob Presson

Scripture References
- John 10:10 - used to show Jesus came so we might have life to the full; frames God’s desire for our flourishing.

Central Message

God created us with desires and these desires are the battlefield of our spiritual life; the issue is not desire itself but when desires become disordered by sin and pull us away from God.

Key Points

1. Desires are normal and God-designed. Everyone has desires; God made us to long for relationship with Him.
1. Desires can be good or bad, growing or shrinking. Our strongest desires move and direct our lives.
1. The problem is disordered desire. When sin twists our desires they become issues and lead us into trouble.
1. Three things God wants for us (reviewed from last week): abundant life (John 10:10 — purpose, peace, hope, freedom), to resource us (provision for needs and gifts), and relationship with us (friendship, hearing His voice, walking with Him).

Notable Quotes
"Our desires are the battlefield of our spiritual life."
"He came that we might have life and have it to the full."

Application
- Examine your strongest desires and ask whether they are ordered toward God or away from Him.
- Repent and realign any disordered desires by inviting God to reshape what you long for.
- Seek God’s voice daily so your desires increasingly match His—practice listening and walking with Him.
- Trust God for provision as you pursue Him; He resources those who continue to seek Him.

Summary of Testimony & Worship

Sermon Info
- Speaker / Pastor: Speaker A (testimony & singer); Rebecca Presson (worship leader)

Central Message

Speaker A gives a heartfelt testimony of being rescued by Jesus—sin forgiven, bondage broken, raised to new life—and calls the congregation to respond in praise and trust God's grace to do the same for others.

Key Points

1. Request for testimony and intent to share a personal story.
1. Personal testimony: God took away sin, broke bondage, and raised the speaker "upright out of that grave"—a picture of spiritual rescue.
1. Repeated chorus highlights transformation from sinking/drowning to being rescued (lyrics repeat about being "brought... out of different lands").
1. Gratitude over perfection: the speaker praises not because they are perfect but because God brought them through.
1. Encouragement: If God did it for the speaker, He'll do it for you—an invitation to trust God.
1. Worship invitation: Speaker C leads the congregation to worship God wholeheartedly, affirming He is good, faithful, and worthy of praise.

Notable Quotes
"He took my sin and He broke my bondage, and He raised me upright out of that grave."
"If He did it for me, He'll do it for you."
"Our God is good, and He's faithful, and He's always worthy of our praise."

Application
- Share your testimony to encourage others and point to God's transforming grace.
- Choose praise and worship even when you feel imperfect; acknowledge God's faithfulness.
- Turn to God when you feel "sinking" or trapped—trust He can rescue you too.
- Enter upcoming worship opportunities with wholehearted participation and gratitude.

Reflection Questions

1. Can you identify a time when God rescued you or led you out of bondage?
1. How can you offer praise this week despite your imperfections?
1. Who in your circle would be encouraged by hearing your testimony of grace?

please pray for me and my daughters friend Sierra. She is battleing stomach cancer and was given a prognosis on Friday that she had 1.5 years.

Why I want to be baptized:

I am so grateful to the Father for what he has done for me. Jesus's love is for all. No one person that has come before the birth of The Son Of God; or that will ever come after his birth, death, and ressurection will ever be completely sinless in the eyes of The Lord. And yet, God still calls us his family.

God's love for us is such; that he sent His Only Begotten Son to Earth for us through his faithful servant Mary; so that we may not perish from an earthly death, but through The Savior we could be given the gift of an everlasting life. The Lord sees us at our worst, and wants more for us. Because of Jesus, we can once again live in the promised land. It is only by faith and mercy; that all those who have come before, and that all those who will ever come after; have an opportunity to be born again.

Only one man has ever walked with God; descended down on earth;and rose again to be in the heavens, serving as God's right hand. Only one man;has been in our midst, and also; at the same time, wading in the depths of Sin while remaining pure of soul and free from the Darkness Of Sin. And still, Jesus calls us his friends. Who am I;to deny the life Jesus intended me to live, and the goodwill towards men that God has created me for?

Being A Child Of God; is more than I could have ever longed for, and also more than I could have ever asked for. It means a great deal to me knowing that regardless of how far gone I may have been in the past, and how far gone I may be in the future; does not compare to the purpose for which the Lord has in store for me.
I could only hope that through me; even one life would be saved in His Holy Name, because of the holy spirit that lives inside of us all; and because of the unending love that Jesus's acts of unconditional kindness have instilled in me.
In every season of my life; The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, have shown compassion towards me; and I want to spend my life living for The One That Made It All Possible- from before it all began, to the beginning, to the middle, to the end, and to beyond what could ever be considered possible; and to beyond whatever has ever been considered possible.

He said deny me in front of your friends and I will deny you in front of my father. Amen!! 🏻

I am not ashamed....