Obedience is birthed from love. When Paul calls the church to obedience, he is reminding them of God's great rescue and our rightful response of a life of submission and gratitude. This life of worship is one of God's great means of demonstrating his renewal of all things to the world which labors in darkness. When we gain a posture and perspective of gratitude, we make space for obedience. And when we live in obedience to God, we demonstrate the hope of the gospel to an onlooking world.
Mar 04, 2018•37 min
The Apostle Paul calls the church in Philippi to "next level humility" in light of the opposition that was surrounding them as well as a disagreement in their midst. But in classic Pauline theology it is based on understanding, and being motivated by, Jesus and the Gospel. And what we see is that humility is an act of faith that depends not so much on what we think of others, but what we think of God. Ultimately, we find that we are called to join Jesus in suffering and carrying our cross, but d...
Feb 25, 2018•40 min
In Philippians 1:12-26 the apostle Paul encourages his Philippian friends and readers that, though the journey for him (and them) is difficult, the Gospel is advancing and that is cause to celebrate. And in one of the loftiest verses in the New Testament, Paul claims that "to live is Christ and to die is gain." Digging deeper it is clear that Paul can make this claim due to his purpose aligning with God's, his power coming from the Spirit, and his perspective that he has gained over the years.
Feb 18, 2018•40 min
The Philippian church has a special place in Paul's heart because of their clear partnership in the gospel. This is evident from their radical hospitality, sincere faith and financial generosity. And Paul's prayer for them is that this love for and commitment to the gospel will increase even more and result in love that abounds.
Feb 11, 2018•44 min
As followers of Jesus, we are sent as ambassadors. People who are entrusted with the good news of true life found in Jesus. At Hope, we are committed to living into this reality by living with intentionality in our spheres of influence and by launching a network of churches that will be able to represent Christ in communities across the Lehigh Valley.
Feb 04, 2018•50 min
The main role of the leadership of the church is to equip the people so the church can be built up. We are called to be equipped to maturity in the gospel so that we can withstand the winds of this world. And we are called to be equipped for ministry so each one can do his or her part to see the church grow.
Jan 28, 2018•49 min
The Bible reminds us that we are powerless to live the life that we were created for. Yet through the work of Jesus for us, we are now empowered to live that very life. Two of the most significant ways to tap into that power are through a devotion to prayer and a desire to be full of the Spirit.
Jan 21, 2018•47 min
We are a church formed by a provident God through a gracious gospel. And therefore we desire to be a gospel outpost and a gospel family. A place and people who are defined by God's love and undeniably joined together for his glory.
Jan 14, 2018•50 min
Who would you expect to be present at the grand arrival of God to earth? Certainly not the people who make up the nativity story. And yet, in this upside story we find a God who has come for those who need him and calls people personally to himself. And we find those who have responded to his calls with faith.
Dec 31, 2017•47 min
The true beauty of Christmas is the realization that the light of God has invaded the darkness of our world. In so doing, we are called out of the darkness through the incarnation of Jesus to be sons and daughters of God, children of light. ** This teaching includes personal stories of light coming into darkness from our Hope family. Thanks to Regina, Maura, Jesse and Michelle for sharing your stories!
Dec 24, 2017•35 min
Growth can be slow and gradual or happen in spurts. But when it happens, it is the Spirit's work of changing us to be more like Jesus. Even though this is true, the Bible still calls us to cooperate with the Spirit's work. We cannot do this personal improvement projects where we stop doing wrong things and start doing right things. We have to get to the foundation of our behavior and bring the gospel to bear on our belief.
Dec 17, 2017•47 min
Doubt is a common and universal reality. In fact, our call to faith implies the presence of doubt. Rather than turning away from God in pride or stuffing our doubt deep inside to be more religious, God receives those who humbly and honestly acknowledge their doubts to him. And in so doing, we actually find more of him.
Dec 10, 2017•41 min
For followers of Jesus, mission is something that is meant to intentionally define as aspects of our lives. No matter what we are doing, we believe God has providentially placed us there is order to reflect his image and his gospel to those around us. And so it becomes critical for us to become aware and active in the spheres of influence.
Dec 03, 2017•45 min
Loving others is foundational to Christian faith, yet difficult to live out. In this talk we look at the origin of Christian love and some practical ways to try and grow this character trait in partnership with the Holy Spirit working in us.
Nov 26, 2017•36 min
God is generous. And he calls his people to be generous people. True generosity is found in the gospel and in a life lived in response to the gospel. We are called to a radical, sacrificial generosity because we are made in the image of a radically and sacrificially generous God.
Nov 19, 2017•55 min
Prayer was never meant to be some religious activity for the spiritual elites. It is actually one of God's means of welcoming us into his loving arms. In prayer, we reflect on who God is and what he has done. And in light of those realities, we speak honestly with him about our lives and trust in his goodness. Rather than trying to prove ourselves as spiritual people, we come to God in prayer simply to be with him and to acknowledge our helplessness without him.
Nov 12, 2017•51 min
In this talk we look at how the Holy Spirit works in both dynamic and subtle ways to make us "Heaven and Earth" people that reveal God to the world around us. This was God's intent as prophesied in Ezekiel 36 and 37 (among other places) and fulfilled in Acts 2. Furthermore, the Spirit also fills us and transforms us as we see in Ephesians and Galatians 5.
Nov 05, 2017•42 min
The Bible, inspired by God, is a gracious gift that provides for us the wisdom that leads to salvation. In other words, it faithfully and authoritatively tells God's story. So, engaging with the Bible should be a regular part of the rhythm of our life. As the Bible helps us find our place within God's story and we meditate deeply on those realities and implications, we see our lives continue to be transformed.
Oct 29, 2017•42 min
Faith is not just a set of beliefs or an internal feeling. More than anything it is action. Action on the basis of hope. When Scripture calls us to faith, it is calling us to act on the hope we have in God's love for and divine rescue of us. When we find our identity in this story, we take holy risks - big and small - living into what it means to live by faith.
Oct 22, 2017•48 min
God's story will conclude just as it began - God dwelling with his people in his perfection creation. God will fulfill his promise to make all things new. This is both a great hope to believers living in a broken world today and a call to live new creation lives now rather than thinking escapist thoughts. Maranatha!
Oct 15, 2017•45 min
The resurrection of Jesus was a world-altering event. It gave rise to a new gathering of the people of God called the church and unleashed the kingdom of God into the world. As followers of Jesus, the church then and now is called to experience the kingdom (already and not yet), embody the kingdom in the way they live and extend the kingdom by making disciples.
Oct 08, 2017•43 min
Jesus shows up to an Israel still very much defined by exile. And in Jesus we see God make good on his covenant by rescuing humanity. As a new Adam, Jesus demonstrates his trust in God. As a new Moses, he announces a new exodus in his baptism. As a new David, he unleashes his kingdom ministry against the greater enemy of sin. And as a new Abraham, Jesus calls a people around himself through his death and resurrection. In response to this good news, we are called to change our life's orientation ...
Oct 01, 2017•51 min
How will God deal with the ever growing pervasiveness of evil outside the garden? He moves to bring the world back to himself through a man and ultimately a nation. He promises to bless them and calls them to be a blessing to the world and draw them to God. Humanity's continued pull toward autonomy disables their ability to live into this covenant relationship. And yet, we continue to see the love of God for our broken world in his willingness to remain faithful to the covenant even when humanit...
Sep 24, 2017•44 min
How could an apple bring about the interruption of a perfection creation? The truth is that the problem lies much deeper. Humanity's prideful pursuit of autonomy has traumatized all of our relationships within creation. And yet, in response to our rebellion, we again see a God who is defined by love.
Sep 17, 2017•38 min
The story of God starts off in a compelling way by sharing the story of creation. While people tend to be consumed with the "how" question of creation. The storyteller is far more concerned with the "who" and the "why" questions. In this first part of the story we see a big God who comes close to his creation because of his love for it.
Sep 10, 2017•31 min
In Hebrews 12, the author is reaching the conclusion and purpose of the letter: to encourage the readers to endure the suffering they are going through.Today, nearly 2000 years later the call to endure still stands, as does the reality of suffering in all of our lives. Though God is a mystery and His ways are not our ways, we find hope to endure suffering by looking to what God has done in the past, who He is currently, and what the future holds for those who follow Jesus.
Sep 03, 2017•40 min
Jesus, and all he has accomplished on our behalf, calls us to be a family on mission. We are not alone, neither in isolation nor in our responsibility to one another. We are, instead, called to encourage one another, to spend time together, and to worship God as part of a long line of faithful followers of God.
Aug 27, 2017•40 min
The Old Testament system of worship called for sacrifices to cover the sin of the people. But now through Jesus work on the cross, God himself has provided a perfect and final sacrifice. When we place our faith in this perfect sacrifice we find the security we long for in this life.
Aug 20, 2017•41 min
Genuine peace doesn't come from conjuring up an emotion. Genuine peace is found only in the person of Jesus who has not only paid a debt that we could not, but has also given us access to the full blessing of God through a new and better covenant.
Aug 13, 2017•52 min
Aug 06, 2017•36 min
