Dallas' Greeting

In the fall I spoke at a missions conference in Regina where the theme was “Jesus is the Hope of the World”. I have recently had the privilege of to speaking in a couple local churches, and I was drawn to present that key message. It is the central, non-negotiable reality that must be understood in our broken world.

Three realities that come forward in this:

1. We all put our hope in something. And what we put our hope in, is also what or who we worship. Ed Welch, author of Addictions, A Banquet in the Grave, would say addictions is a worship disorder. Where is your hope? Who do you trust—and therefore worship—more than anyone else?

2. Is Jesus your only hope? This is personal. Most of us are very familiar with Jesus conversation with Nicodemus in John 3. Jesus explicitly says, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” This is a very personal matter. Are you born again? Have you turned in faith and repentance to Jesus as your only hope for now and eternity?

3. As much as belief in Jesus Christ is a personal matter, it’s not a private matter. Jesus was lifted up on the cross publicly, the apostles spoke boldly in public, and Jesus commissioned all Christians to take the good news to all peoples.

Here at Rock Solid Refuge, we see in powerful ways that our students (and often their families) have put their hope in things and people other than God. We believe at the deepest level that they need to believe and repent, personally, for both salvation and transformation. In believing and repenting, God grants the gift of the Holy Spirit to empower our transformation.

Finally, we believe that their lives are meant to advance the Kingdom of God. If Jesus taught us to pray “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”, then we are to work towards the goodness of God in the world. That good is both the salvation of souls, and the change from a destructive life to a life that blesses and encourages.

I am grateful every day for your partnership. Because of you, the students and their families are discovering the hope of the world: Jesus Christ.

God Bless you this summer!

Dallas Block