BECOME A CHRISTIAN

God created us in His own image to be His children and to experience a full life assured of his love, abundant and eternal.

 

ROCK HARBOR CHURCH

God's Love & His Plan

God created us in His own image to be His children and to experience a full life assured of his love, abundant and eternal.

Jesus said, “…I have come that they might have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10b) “…we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)

Since God planned for us to worship Him and experience peace and abundant life, why are most people not doing so? Why is the world filled with pain, suffering and heartache? Everywhere we turn, we can see evidence that the world is not as God intended it to be.

What happened to the human race?

ROCK HARBOR CHURCH

Our Problem:
Separation from God

Rather than obey the Lord, humanity chose to disobey God and go our own sinful way. We still make this choice today. When sin entered the world, man became separated from God. Death entered the world, as did suffering and pain.

“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) “…your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)

The Story - https://thestoryfilm.com/

Because of sin we must face the ultimate separation from God which is eternity in the lake of fire.

“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” (Rev. 20:14)

On our own, there’s no way we can attain the perfection needed to bridge the gap to God. Through the ages, individuals have tried many ways, without success. Good works won’t do it. Neither will religion, morality, or philosophy.

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

ROCK HARBOR CHURCH

God's Remedy: The Cross

Jesus Christ is the only answer. Jesus is the Son of God, and when He died on the cross and rose from the grave, He paid the penalty for our sin and made a way for humanity to be reunited with God.

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God…” (I Peter 3:18) “But God showed his love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross was a sufficient payment to cover the sins of all who believe in Him, because He is the Son of God. His redeeming love made a way for us to be right with God.

ROCK HARBOR CHURCH

Our Response:

It’s not enough to simply hear the truth of the gospel – we must BELIEVE it. Believing means trust and commitment – acknowledging our sinfulness and trusting in Christ’s forgiveness. Eternal, abundant life is a gift for us to receive.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12)

 

How to Become a Christian, a Follower of Christ:

  1. Be willing to turn from your unbelief & Admit your need: “Lord, I am a sinner.”
  2. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose from the grave: “Jesus, I believe that you died on the Cross to save me.”
  3. Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit: “Lord, I ask you to be Lord of my life, and to take me to be with you in eternity.”

What are we doing?

  • Love the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
  • Love People of all Nations.
  • Share Jesus the Messiah.
  • Make Disciples of all Nations.

What are our values?

  • A maturing relationship with the Messiah.
  • Biblical authority as God’s perfect standard for life and faith.
  • Biblical hospitality to all people to know the Love of the Messiah.
  • Ministry excellence since we serve the Messiah.
  • Ministry integrity since we are accountable to the Messiah.

What makes us successful in the eyes of the Lord?

We worship the LORD.

  • Love the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
  • We read and study the Scriptures.
  • We pray.
  • We obey.

Love People of all Nations

  • Our family relationships are growing.
  • Our church family relationships are growing.
  • I’m involved in a Bible Study.
  • I give care to the believers at church.
  • I serve at church.

Share Jesus the Messiah

  • We are prepared to share the Gospel to the Jew first and the Gentile.
  • We are proactively developing relationships with lost people.
  • We engage in witnessing opportunities with lost people.
  • We are supporting missionaries who are taking the Gospel to the nations.

Make Disciples of all Nations.

  • We are personally accountable to other believers.
  • We are involved in equipping other believers.
  • We are multiplying disciples.
  • We are using our spiritual gifts to edify one another.

How are we doing it?

  • We worship, serve and connect weekly.
  • We reach and equip regularly.

Where is the Lord taking us?

We believe God is calling us to be a light in the darkness to a lost and ever-darkening world. The Gospel of Jesus Christ (the Good News about the Person and work of the Messiah) provided the way for sinners to move from the Kingdom of Darkness to the Kingdom of Light. Once we receive this truth by faith personally, we’re compelled to share the effects of this spiritual change with others and to grow in our relationship with the Messiah.

To learn more about the beliefs and doctrines of RHC, please view our Statement of Faith. For more information or to connect with RHC, we encourage you to Contact Us.

ROCK HARBOR CHURCH

We're On a Mission

Rock Harbor Church is a community of believers devoted to God’s Word. Founded upon an unwavering commitment to “anchor ourselves to the rock of Christ,” we teach the entire Bible verse by verse from Genesis to Revelation, and seek to apply its truth to our daily lives in order to go deeper in our walk with the Lord. We are a growing body of believers committed to reaching our culture with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe that the Bible is God’s Holy Word, and that it contains God’s perfect plan to redeem humanity from sin, through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

We defend God’s absolute truth in a relativistic culture. We desire to ground our understanding of current events from a biblical and prophetic perspective. We protect our people by warning of the growing apostasy inside and outside of Christendom. We value the Biblical family unit which was created by God to be the bedrock of a society. Therefore, our desire is to preserve our marriages and seek to protect and prepare our children to encounter a culture that is hostile to a biblical view of the family. We support the Jewish people, the nation of Israel, and the Lord’s plan for them.

We believe that Rock Harbor Church just didn’t happen, but that the LORD planted us in this area of Bakersfield for a specific reason. Our mission is simple and it guides everything we do: Love God, Love People, Share Jesus, Make Disciples. This mission is uniquely different compared to what the world offers to people. Our church offers what people need instead of what they think they want.