Last week we studied Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthian church to prioritize loving others by not exercising personal freedoms when love and freedom conflict. This week we will study the reverse: prioritizing loving others by not restraining freedoms when restraint is unnecessary and deters people from receiving the Gospel message. Love restrains freedom for the sake of other Christians but love also frees restraint for the sake of those who aren’t yet Christians. Join us as we seek to better understand this way of living that Christ himself lived.
Sermons by Arik Stewart (Page 2)
We’re Christians. We’re people of deep conviction; primarily about the lordship of Christ but also about lesser things, even things that Scripture doesn’t directly address. When we believe that we’re free to do something that another Christian believes is wrong or is tempted by, should we do it? Should we exercise our freedom or restrain it? Though the Corinthian church had different circumstances than ours, they too grappled with this difficult question and Paul, an Apostle of Christ, answered it, for them and for us.
Our community is committed to growing, gathering, giving, and going together. Each of these commitments is crucial for us and our church to thrive, especially giving. Giving honors God and empowers Hope to meet the material and spiritual needs of families within our community and within the communities of those we partner with. It’s biblically supported, practically needed, and deeply fulfilling to invest in Christ’s redemptive mission through his local church. May we all freely give as we’ve freely received!
Let’s be honest, “go therefore and make disciples of all nations” is a big ask. Participating wholeheartedly in Jesus’ Great Commission is a big investment of time, money, and energy. So much so that many who do eventually burn out. However, there are also many who endure for years, decades, even lifetimes co-missioning with Jesus. How do they? What sustains them? God sustains them in his great, big MISSION by sharing with them his great, big VISION. And he can do the same for each of us!
What is God’s vision for his world? What is his ultimate purpose for it, especially for its people? Where does his vision apply and whom does his vision apply to? The Psalmist answers, “let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!”
Jesus demonstrated his kingdom and his kingship in his life, death, and resurrection, so that all who believe that he is king can glorify him and enjoy him both now and forever. Join us on Sunday at 9 a.m. as we consider this compelling invitation to believe.
As we continue learning the biblical origin and present application of Hope Church’s values, our third value is God’s peace. When we receive God’s presence and guidance in every area of our lives, we also receive God’s peace. Jesus told us that God’s peace differs from the world’s peace. How does it? And how can each of us and all of us experience it for the first time or to a greater degree?
Happiness comes and goes as circumstances change but joy transcends all circumstances, and Jesus wants his followers to experience it. He taught us to abide not only to enact God’s redemptive plan for the world and to glorify the Father, but so that we can fully experience His joy. Join us on Sunday at 9 a.m. in person or online as we worship together and learn how we can each experience Christ’s immense joy.
God created life. But sin created death. And the inevitability of death is troubling. We have a variety of ways of coping with this reality, of protecting our minds from fearing it. We deny the inevitability of death or rationalize it to try to lessen its burden. But none of these things actually prevent it or our fear of it. Only one thing can truly alleviate our fear of death: the assurance of salvation, of life after death. The assurance of salvation is a helmet that protects our minds from fear.
Kids are to obey parents, students are to obey teachers, employees are to obey employers and citizens are to obey governments. God wants us to obey all whom He puts in authority, assuming they allow us to obey Him, our greatest authority, and He wants us to do it in a Christ-like way because obeying them is ultimately obeying Him. Similarly, God wants parents, teachers, employers, and governing authorities to use their authority in a Christ-like way so that both our obedience and our authority imitate Christ and unite us in Christ.