Interesting links, articles, book reviews and information for the people of Hope Fellowship
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. ...
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....
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. ...
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....
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!...
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....
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....
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."...
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? ...
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?...
Over the next few days we're going to walk through Acts 2 to see how this first sermon by Peter speaks so clearly about the resurrection and why it is essential to Christianity. To do so, each point will fill out the acronym "R.A.I.S.E.D."...
Keep ReadingA few years ago I asked a friend about some good research on Pontius Pilate and the events surrounding the crucifixion of Christ and he recommended Pontius Pilate: A Novel by Paul L. Maier. He explained his unique recommendation by telling me that Dr. Maier was a top-notch historian who wrote a historical novel about Pontius Pilate in order to help people understand the h...
Keep ReadingConcerning serving others,the over arching question we could ask ourselves is about our understanding of how the gospel informs our service of others; "Do I see the gospel as both the remedy for my sin of selfishness and the motivation for Christlike service?" When we see the gospel as the solution for our sin and the motivation for serving others we can then ask ourselv...
Keep ReadingJonathan Dodson: "Contextualization is the intentional process of communicating the historic gospel and teachings of Jesus in contemporary cultural forms. [3] This may result in churches gathering in white tents or rodeo arenas, to hear how the grace rebuffs bootstrap religion among country folk in rural areas of Texas (also known as Cowboy churches). Alternatively, it may...
Keep ReadingA Short story for children (and adults!) that was written by Pastor Jeff Brewer about Amanda Snidefeller, the little girl who was positively fed up with Christmas. It was shared on Christmas Eve at Hope Fellowship....
Keep ReadingAt Hope Fellowship we have been looking at the incarnation through the lens of how Christ is our King. It has been a joy to worship together celebrating advent for the first time as a new church. The links to the audio for the four week series are now online. ...
Keep ReadingJoseph often gets forgotten in the Christmas story. Russell Moore writes, "I played a cow in my first grade Christmas pageant, and I had more lines than the kid who played Joseph. He was a prop, or so it seemed for Mary, the plastic doll in the manger, and the rest of us, we were all just following the script. There's rarely much room in the inn of the contemporary Chri...
Keep ReadingOur membership class is being held two separate weeks. You need only attend one class. Each class will be from 6-8pm on Sunday evening November 13 and 20th. Childcare will be provided each week. For directions, see our events page and click on Membership class....
Keep ReadingGrowing up in a large traditional church, all I can really remember about the worship service was wondering if it would be possible for me to swing from chandelier to chandelier in order to reach the platform from the balcony. It was clear that I wasn’t thinking through truth about God in those days, let alone contemplating what worship meant! Little did I know howe...
Keep ReadingI once knew an engaged couple whose whole relationship seemed to depend on the fact that they were engaged rather than on the reason why they were engaged. The relationship itself was nurtured through their constant (and somewhat sickening) reminders to themselves and others of the greatness of the relationship they were in. When they met other people they talked about ...
Keep Reading
Join us Sunday mornings at
10:00 am