Hope Community Church

The final sermon in our series on I Corinthians.

I became a Christian in the early 70’s during the charismatic Jesus movement. In some ways those times were exciting —seeing and hearing about God working in supernatural ways. But those days were also confusing times, particularly when it came to the spiritual gifts of tongues, prophecy, and healing. In retrospect, there tended to be an overemphasis on those gifts without balanced Biblical teaching. Unfortunately, this unhealthy preoccupation and practice resulted in division and church splits. Today, we seem to have the opposite problem. Thankfully we don’t see as much tension and division regarding these gifts. But perhaps it is because we have relegated these gifts to either the first century and/or to only certain church denominations. So how should these gifts like tongues and prophecy operate today? What is their purpose? Can anyone speak in tongues and/or prophesy? How were they meant to operate in a church? And how can we maintain a Biblical balance as we exercise these gifts? Join us this Saturday as we address these issues

As a kid, I remember watching the black and white TV series "Superman" on UHF channels (come to think of it, we only had a black and white TV, so maybe it was in color!). Then, much later, Marvel began producing superhero movies which became instant successes. But why have those movies been so popular? Certainly, some of us enjoy the action, but I think there is a deeper reason. Deep inside of us, we all long to do something significant— something that will have a lasting, meaningful impact. That deep desire has been placed in our hearts by God Himself. Jesus calls us to join His Spirit in the exciting adventure of building and expanding the kingdom of heaven here on earth! It’s part of the momentous calling He has placed on each of our lives! However, many of us tend to think that this awesome task is only for the gifted. We can tend to think, “What’s so significant about what I bring to the table?” But Jesus says that what you have to offer is incredibly significant! How so? Join us for this message on I Corinthians, chapter 12 to find out!

In I Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul is going to make the case that it has everything to do with it. But this is not just any kind of love we're talking about; it is God's agape love. In the New Testament, "agape love" refers to the covenant love of God for humans, as well as the human reciprocal love for God (which extends to the love of one's fellow man). How should that be playing out in our lives today? Join us this Saturday at 5 pm to find out as we hear part 14 in our series on I Corinthians.

Routines can be helpful. I have a morning routine: I get up, shave, wash my face, brush my teeth, get dressed, and then go downstairs to make my oatmeal in the microwave (btw– I am not a fan of oatmeal, but I eat because Ollie tells me it’s good for my health!). But the downside of routines is that we can go through them without thinking about them. I remember when I was on staff at VCG, I was in such a habit of driving to the church that it felt like I was on autopilot. In fact, one day I was running errands in a different direction, only to find I myself headed to the church. I made the correction but a few minutes later, I find myself driving again to the church! Unfortunately, when it comes to celebrating the Lord’s Supper, we can do the same thing. We can go through communion on autopilot without really thinking about why we do it. So why do we celebrate communion? And how should we approach this God-ordained practice? Let talk about it this Saturday afternoon as we hear Part 13 in our series on I Corinthians!

Idols in Disguise Years ago when Ollie and I were single, we went on a summer missions project to Thailand. Most of the Thai people were either Buddhists, animists, or a combination of both. So it was very common to see spirit houses in people’s yards. These structures looked similar to elaborate birdhouses perched on a pole. Each one had a flat area to place flowers and/or fruit as offerings to the spirits in return for either the favor and protection of some or the appeasement of others. In addition, Buddhist temples were also very common. Many of them housed mammoth statues of Buddha where the Thai would do homage and pray to him. I remember thinking how unusual it was to see people worshiping idols. It seemed so strange and foreign. We don’t think idolatry is all that common here in America. But the reality is that idolatry is practiced here just as regularly as in Thailand; it just looks much different. Our idolatry is much more subtle, but just as dangerous. So what does that idolatry look like & what should we do about it? Join us for Part 12 in our series on I Corinthians.

Special Message from guest speaker Dr. David Seiver

Part 11 in our study of I Corinthians. Today we are looking at I Corinthians 9.

I Corinthians 8