HBC Blog

If God is Sovereign, Why Pray?

[The following is a summary from a sermon Pastor Mike Ruel preached on Romans 15:22-33, which can be found here] In Romans 15:30, Paul writes to the church in Rome: “I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together

Nehemiah Blog: January 30, 2024

Welcome to our first installment of the Nehemiah Blog! The elders at Highlands Bible Church want to provide regular updates on the Nehemiah Project, the natural outgrowth of the Nehemiah “Fund.” What, you ask, IS the “Nehemiah Project?” Welp, it is the project to expand the current facilities of Highlands

What Is (and is not) Forgiveness?

Matthew 18:35 is one of the scariest verses in the Bible. Jesus has just told a parable about a servant who refused to forgive the debt of a fellow servant, after his master had forgiven him of a massive debt.  Jesus says this: “So also my heavenly Father will do

Announcing the Nehemiah Fund for the Next Chapter

Dear Church Family, Many of you have been with us since January of 2016 in the Cedar Mountain School gym, where a faithful band of volunteers would arrive at 7:30am to begin unloading the trailer and transforming a grade school gymnasium into a space where we can worship God together.

What is the Unforgivable Sin?

Many people are familiar with the unforgivable sin found in Matthew 12:31-32 “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks

What Does a Christian Do With the Sabbath?

There are a few topics that are historically prone to controversy in the church world.  The “Sabbath” is one of them.  If you don’t know what a Sabbath is…let’s start at the beginning, literally. At Creation, God created the world in six days and then Genesis tells us that on the

2020 – Best Year Ever!

It sounds like I’m being sarcastic, but I’m really not. I’m tired of the 2020 bashing.  (I know, I’ve done a fair amount of it myself and allow me to take this opportunity to publicly repent.) Truth be told, 2020 was quite possibly the hardest year ever for many of

The Gathered Church […sort of]

We are blessed with the people we have at Highlands Bible Church…I just wish we could see all of you.  At one time, in one place…like we used to do every *SINGLE* Sunday morning.  Boy…will we ever take that for granted again?  I think not. Don’t get me wrong, I

Pastor Mike’s 2019 Top Books

Hello, Friends! As many of you have no doubt been seeing on the Interwebs these days, it’s that time of year for the “Top [Whatevers] of 2019.”  Our top Spotify songs, top workouts, top news photos, top burritos…and in the world of reading, many people take the chance to list

Why Baptism Is Important

This past Sunday, August 25th 2019, was our annual baptism service.  We saw seven people publicly proclaim their new life in Jesus and their desire to live as Christians, with the help of the Holy Spirit and the church. It was a gorgeous day and we did it (intentionally) at