Preaching a recent series about angels at St. Andrew Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the Rev. Kyle Rodgers taught that they are eternal creations with an eternal purpose and yes, that they are constantly among people and they comfort, protect and defend the redeemed.
“They have a lot of power, but we’re not to worship them,” the Rev. Rodgers said. “They are not like God. They can be like us, but we can’t be like them.
“We do have guardian angels who are messengers and protectors from God. There are times when we’re led in different directions in certain scenarios that would have been really dangerous to us or our families or our integrity.”
Rodgers said angels “are emotional.
“There are millions of them,” he said. “They love and care for people and they are around the throne of God, praising him. That’s their job. The finality of the picture is that when Jesus comes again it will be angels who accompany him.”
Rodgers is a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who went to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., on a scholarship as a football offensive lineman and upon deciding to be a minister he transferred to Bible Baptist College in Springfield, Mo., and took a degree there.
After preaching in Pueblo, Colo., he worked with the Revs. Jerry and Curtis Thorpe at Temple Baptist Church in Odessa from 1985-2007 and left to join Whirley Equipment & Sales and Dragon Products, work with Permian High School athletes and serve as the team pastor and character coach for the Jackalopes hockey team and lead chaplain at the Odessa Police Department, Odessa Fire & Rescue and Ector County Sheriff’s Office.
The average attendance at Rodgers’ 1514 N. Grandview Ave. church is 50 people at 11 a.m. Sundays. His wife’s name is Brandy.
“We are unapologetically Biblical,” said Rodgers, whose church is affiliated with the Montessori Mastery School of Odessa next door, which has 120 students. “We did a series on what the Bible says about peace and in the New Year we will have eight weeks on spiritual discipline.
“I team teach with Brandy and Grif Jones, who was on the staff with me at Temple Baptist.”
Rick Gasser of Midland said Rodgers “is the kindest person I ever met and the most trustworthy person I have been associated with.
“Kyle worked for me when I owned the Jackalopes from 2004-12,” Gasser said. “Every time you have a need, he is always there and available.
“He’s a wonderful man to know, very approachable. I call him the gentle giant.”
