Interesting links, articles, book reviews and information for the people of Hope Fellowship
The World, the Flesh, and the Devil
When we looked at Galatians 5:16-17 we spoke about the flesh. But it is more than simply the flesh that threatens to undo us in this life. Ephesians 2:1-3 speaks of the trifecta of difficulty we face in sanctification. ...
The three deaths of a Christian described in scripture
In our sermon last week we looked at Galatians 2:20, the description of the decisive death to our old person that has happened when we believed in Jesus and where crucified with Christ. In this quote from John Stott see three ways that Scripture speaks of this union with Christ in his death and the kind of death(s) that we die....
But where do I start? Following up from Psalm 119
On Sunday morning we spent some time in Psalm 119:9-40. My main goal was to begin this new school year (and re-entry into post COVID??) by helping us desire to be nourished by the Word of God. We didn't spend time on the "what does this look like practically" or "how can we try some new ways to study God's Word" because I wanted for us to desire God's word before we looked for ways to satisfy that desire. In this and the next few blog posts, I want to give a few practical tips for how you can practically infuse more Bible into your daily lives. ...
Two Perspectives on the Plans We Make
We should be set free from the view of planning and decisions that make us put the weight on ourselves that only God should bear. We will not plan for everything. Sometimes we won’t know what to do. Even in our best plans, there will be the unexpected that arise. We take comfort in a God who is in control and who works all things according to his purposes....
Biblical Theology for Women Workshop
Join other Hope Fellowship women on October 8th & 9th in Bristol, WI as Nancy Guthrie leads ladies through the basic makeup and storyline of the Bible. She'll trace major themes that run from Genesis to Revelation and demonstrate how a better grasp of these themes can help to understand and apply the Bible rightly. Find out more information or register to join ladies from Hope for the Biblical Theology Workshop here. Early bird registration ends August 31 - current cost is only $20!...
The Central Gospel Sermon Series
If you have been around Hope for any length of time, you have probably heard us talk about the “functional centrality of the gospel” from the pulpit and in our mission groups. Starting the last week of August we’ll be unpacking what it means that the gospel is central and functioning as it should in our lives and church. My desire is that this short series serves to help people connect with one another as we begin our mission groups and welcome those who are new to Hope....
Six Ways We Can Ask God to Act from Psalm 90
In Psalm 90:12, Moses lays out a long list of petitions, asking God to act. What does he request of God? I suggest that each of you read these and pick out one or two of them to focus on this week. They can serve as a starting point to recalibrate 2019 in light of who God is and who we are....
Gentleness and the Christian Life
Many of my books sit on the shelf only being referenced once every year or two, as need arises. There are other books like "Jonathan Edwards on the Christian Life," by Dane Ortlund that I come back to again and again. And there is one chapter in this book that I find exceptionally helpful to me personally as I seek to grow in my faith; his chapter on "Gentleness: The Aroma of the Christian Life."...
The Role of Reason and Faith in Our Decision Making
By “reason,” I mean rational thinking and God-given common sense. Proverbs 3:5 does not say, “do not use your understanding” but rather, “don’t rest on human understanding, don’t make it your ultimate rule; don’t put all your weight upon it!” Instead, put all your trust in God who rules and over-rules all human decisions. There are always gaps in our knowledge. Even the most logical decisions necessarily have some unknown factors. So what is the proper role of reason? ...
How Do I Know God's Will for My Life?
Of all the issues that cause stress and confusion among Christians, the question of divine guidance must be near the top. How can I know God’s will for me? Are there certain steps we need to learn in order to access information from God that we would not otherwise know? How does God guide me?...
Five Reflections on Missing Church
The garage door went up and out went our minivan. For the first time in nearly 8 years, I wasn’t going to church. I was scheduled to preach, but stomach issues laid me low, so home I sat (providentially with an internet outage to remove the temptation of NFL Countdown)....
Sturdy Grace
Grace is enough for even the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). It is sturdy. It can withstand the most difficult suffering and trials. It is enough on our best days, when we think we earned something, and enough on our worst days, when we wonder how God could possibly love us....
Scripture Journals for 1 Thessalonians available Sunday
This Sunday, we will have the 1-2 Thessalonians ESV Scripture Journals for sale for $3. These are a great resource for our new series “Don’t Give Up: Messages from 1 Thessalonians” which will enable you to see the text of scripture as well as take notes....
The Power of Hope to put the Heart at Rest
We’re always looking for peace in our lives, but can’t find it because our hearts are always shifting allegiances. None of the things we set our shifting hearts on can cancel out the noise in our lives. Psalm 131 shows us that calm and quiet souls are possible. ...
Be Still and Know, Part 2
Psalm 46 shows us that God created all of us with the need to be still and know that He is God and we are not. ...
Be Still and Know, Part 1
We're all busy. We need rest. Psalm 46 helps us find true rest by answering two big questions: Who is God? And what is our response? ...
A Concise Background to Ezra/Nehemiah
Ezra and Nehemiah is the last chapter of the Old Testament narrative ...
God Provides for the Worship He Requires
“And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.” ...
What Difference Does the Resurrection Make?
The resurrection is meant to be an immediate and constant source of joy and hope to the Christian. The empty tomb gives us meaning beyond the grave, and meaning brings hope...
A Savior Who Forgives the Unforgivable
If we look at Luke 23, we see Jesus, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, wrongfully accused, tried, beaten, and now hanging on a Roman cross. If anything seems unforgivable, it is that offense. And yet, we hear Jesus on the cross pray, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”...
How to Pray Against Temptation
In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, "lead us not into temptation" and near the end of his life, Jesus calls them to "pray that you may not enter into temptation." This should lead believers today to ask what temptation is, and how God uses prayer to combat it....
Being a servant in a #mefirst culture
We live in a #mefirst culture. But lest we think the disciples who spent time with Jesus were any different, we see how on the last night of Jesus’s life with them before the cross, they begin to argue among themselves who is the greatest. Jesus takes the time to show them who is truly great, and what true greatness is....
Is Jesus Worthy of Worship?
It’s not enough to be interested or intrigued by Jesus. We can’t stop at agreeing intellectually to some facts about who he is...
Waiting and Working: Seeking First His Kingdom
In Luke 12:22, Jesus is reminding us of our value to him, so much more than other things of creation. He provides for those other things, so why are we anxious about those things that we can’t ultimately control? Jesus concludes Luke 12 with the call, “Seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” What does it mean to seek his kingdom? ...
Waiting and Working: Stewarding Resources
We should spend ourselves, no matter how many years we have left, waiting purposefully for Jesus return by working for his glory. Luke 9-19 points to a number of ways we can do this. Today, we will focus on how as we wait, we should be about the business of being good stewards of what he has entrusted to us....
Waiting and Working: Demonstrating Mercy
We should spend ourselves, no matter how many years we have left, waiting purposefully for Jesus return by working for his glory. Luke 9-19 points to a number of ways we can do this. Today, we will focus on how as we wait, we should be about the business of showing mercy toward those in need. ...
How Do Works and Grace Go Together?
Jesus has a call in Luke 19:11-27 for how we are to live as we wait for him to return: we need to be busy about kingdom work. In short, we’re not called to kill time or be distracted as we wait, but to work...
Jesus is the One Who Seeks
Throughout the Bible, we see that God is a missionary God...
The Heart of a Follower of Jesus: Childlike Faith
Jesus cares about the children, because he cares about all those made in his image. But Jesus’s point isn’t to give us a verse to use for why churches should have children’s ministries...
The Heart of a Follower of Jesus: Dependence
The faith of a follower of Jesus is a dependent faith, dependent on God who does the impossible...
What is the Gospel?
What do the writers of the New Testament mean when they say gospel? Why is it such a central concept that Christians need to understand today?...
The Grace of God Trains Us
What does it mean for us to be trained by the gospel? Titus 2:11-14 is a key passage to help us understand grace, gospel and training in righteousness....
How should we live today in light of that day?
Martin Luther said every Christian should have only two dates on their calendar...
What does the Gospel have to do with Unity?
What does the gospel have to teach us about unity as Christians?...
Why we must think in a Christ-Centered Way
At the heart of the gospel and the Christian life is the person and work of Jesus. If Jesus is most excellent and above all and if Jesus is worthy of all the praise of the universe, then it would follow that for our thinking to be what Paul is calling for in Philippians 4:8, “If there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise†then it must find it’s source in Christ. If we want to change the way we act, we must change the way we think and the way to change how we think is to understand right doctrine that is founded upon Jesus. He is the cornerstone....
Josh Moody Article on Justification
Dr. Josh Moody, Sr. Pastor at College Church in Wheaton, joined us on Sunday morning, October 14. He preached from Galatians 2:11-14 "How One Long Word Can Make a Big Difference to Your Life." Dr. Moody wrote an article on justification that has been posted on Christianity Today Online. Since we have been going through our doctrinal statement as a church, and Dr. Moody will be touching on justification this Sunday, it would be a helpful article for you to check out....
