Hope Community Church

How do we live a life with God's compassion while also ministering with the Spirit's wisdom? How can we take steps to truly help the poor? Join us as we continue with part 7 in our series “Developing a Biblical Worldview” as we look again at God’s heart for the poor.

Updated 4/7/2021 When the Apostle Paul met with the apostles in Jerusalem, he presented the gospel which he was preaching to the Gentiles. Paul said that the apostles approved and blessed his ministry. All they asked, Paul added, was that he remember the poor; to which Paul added, “the very thing I had been eager to do all along.” So is ministry to the poor separate from the preaching of the gospel or are they related? Join us this Saturday at 5pm, as we will continue with part 6 in our series “Developing a Biblical Worldview” as we look at God’s heart for the poor.

An encounter with the risen Christ!

The viewpoint of the centurion as he witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus.

How important is this topic of creation vs. evolution? Consider these quotes from my son’s AP biology textbook while attending Lakes High School: “The denial of evolution requires denial of the bedrock of two centuries of biology and geology.” “The argument for design by some external intelligence is eviscerated. It is hard to imagine how anyone in command of these facts could harbor any reasonable doubt.” “At best, then, intelligent design is a myth.” This textbook was required reading in his high school AP biology course. And, of course, no other view was offered. I believe this issue of evolution taught in our secondary schools and in college has the dangerous potential to shipwreck the faith of so many of our young people. However, many of us do not feel equipped to address this important topic. So what do you need to know to talk about this issue intelligently?

Genesis 1 tells us that all human beings are created in the image of God. This worldview has huge implications regarding the ethics of human life. How so? Join us as we address a critical topic facing our culture today!

As a young believer majoring in biology in college, I really struggled with the issue of creation vs. evolution. I knew that evolution contradicted the Bible, but even after talking with more mature believers, the logical, science side of me had a difficult time embracing creation. And so when I attended Trinity seminary, it was still a hot issue for me. I believe God met me and answered many of my questions through an Old Testament professor who challenged me (and others in his class) to take a deeper look into Genesis 1. One of his concerns was that too many Christians (myself included) dive right into the science of the creation vs. evolution debate without first seriously studying and grappling with the Biblical passage of Genesis 1. So what was Moses envisioning when he wrote Genesis 1? Tune in to this message to find out!

As Christ-followers, it can be fairly easy for us to look at the morality of our culture and see how it continues to trend away from Biblical values. But what is driving that trend? What worldview is our postmodern culture adopting and how does that affect the way people think? How does it compare with a Biblical worldview? And how can we intelligently and yet graciously engage unchurched people as we talk about these important issues? These are crucial issues for us to understand if we are going to be salt and light in this world. So join this Saturday at 5pm as we continue with part 2 of our new series, "Developing a Biblical Worldview"!

There is an unusual story in Mark 8 of Jesus healing a blind man. First, it’s unusual in that Jesus spits on the man’s eyes before laying his hands on them. (Can you imagine going to a prayer meeting with eye problems and before someone prays, they spit in your eyes?! ) But what is more unusual is what happens next. Jesus asks the man if he sees anything. The man replies, “I see men, but they look like trees walking.” It’s not until Jesus lays hands on him a second time that his eyesight is fully restored. So why the two-stage healing? Many think that Jesus was using this healing as an object lesson. Jesus had just talked about the Pharisees and their hard hearts. He also rebuked the disciples saying, "Having eyes do you not see?" So perhaps Jesus was showing that many people only partially see, but they lack true spiritual vision to clearly see and understand reality. In essence they lack a Biblical worldview. So how can we see clearly? How can we look at life through a Biblical lens? That’s what this new series is about.

In recent years we have received the sobering news of well-known Christian leaders who have concealed secret lives of marital indiscretions and even blatant infidelity. It's easy to stand in judgement of them. However, Scripture warns us, "Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." So what must we do that we too do not fall into the same destructive traps? Join us this Saturday, February 20th at 5pm for a single message about The Dangers of Secret Sins. (Note to families who will be joining us online: Because of the topic, the message itself will be a PG-13 message. For those joining us in-person, the children will be dismissed to their classes prior to the message.)