Hope Alliance Bethlehem

As a leader, God told Joshua to be strong and courageous. This courage was actually rooted in his obedience to God. And in Jesus we see this courageous obedience that delivers the promises of God to his people.

In Jesus' parable of the mustard seed, he tells us that the kingdom of God starts improbably, but becomes and undeniable reality. As we consider the impact God wants to have through us, this is the vision of the kingdom that he wants us to grasp. Using this picture of multiplication, our vision for the coming year is to see God use each of us to see one for one growth!

Jesus came as a king. This is why he said that the kingdom of God has come near. And his urge to those who heard him was to repent. True repentance is not regret, but a change of mind that brings about a change in action. When we truly believe that Jesus is our king, we become people who desire to follow him and make his ways our ways.

Jesus came to as a man to heal what humanity could not. He entered deeply into our story, not to condemn us, but to rescue us and to call us to a whole new way of living.

In this talk we we continue our Advent series by looking at how "Jesus came as a light in the darkness, to those waiting, as a man and as a king." Specifically we look at the story of Zacchaeus and how he was actively waiting for Jesus and how Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

In this talk we kick off our 2016 Advent Series. We cover the first part of a four-part statement: "Jesus came to be light in the darkness, to those waiting, as a man and as a king."

The atoning work of Jesus on the cross for us covers our sins and offers us a whole new way of life. A big part of this is the availability of healing through Jesus work of atonement. Just as he took up our sin, so too he took up our pain and sickness. Jesus moves for healing according to his will and for his glory. We cannot manipulate him, nor make demands of him. However, we should pursue him w...

How do we respond to the aftermath of a crazy election cycle? We need to learn to listen. Listen to God when he reminds us he is sovereign and therefore our only hope for the salvation and security we all so long to feel. And listen to each other has people given to gentleness which seeks fairness and justice for each other.

On November 6th, our church became an accredited church with the Christian & Missionary Alliance. One this important day, we considered Jesus' caution against trading mission for comfort and were reminded that we are a family on mission.

Jesus promises abundant life to those who follow him. This life comes not on the basis of how good we are, but on the basis of his unfailing love for us. It is not a promise of an easy life, rather a promise of his constant presence with us. And when we learn to hear the voice of God, we lean more into the life he promises us.

Jesus said you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. The truth is Jesus and when we know him intimately we find the freedom we so desire. Freedom from sin and freedom from religion. Freedom from the pursuit of building our own value and worth and instead finding our true value in God's love for us announced in Jesus.

At the root of hope is a desire for an identity - to be loved, to have meaning and to have a destiny. This human desire was always intended to find its fulfillment in God himself. And when we do this, we lead lives characterized by confidence in God and a willingness to take faith-filled risks.

As followers of Jesus we are sent people. We are sent not only to proclaim the gospel, but also to embody the gospel while loving our neighbors as ourselves. But how do we do this? Jesus answer is somewhat surprising. He says we cannot do this unless we have been radically loved ourselves. To simply try harder to love others is a religious dead end. However, when we are so moved by Jesus' lov...

In order for us to live the kinds of lives God has created us for, we are called to the intersection of a shared gospel and shared lives. Shared lives give credibility to and embolden our gospel commitments. We need each other in order to grow in our embrace of the gospel and a life oriented around it.

Care is not a Christian obligation. It is a way of life for those who have been changed by the gospel. We have been formed into a family where we give and receive care in the way of Jesus.

Community is not just an interesting idea. It is an absolute necessity. The beauty of community is that we are able to build something together. This imagery is so beautifully seen in the story of Nehemiah and the reconstruction of the wall around Jerusalem. Just like in this story, as we seek to build our lives in light of the gospel we do it side by side with those around us, experience mutual i...

Multiplication is at the core of what it means to be a disciple. It defined the existence of the early church in the book of Acts. Likewise, we want it to define us as not only a value, but our vision. This is why we are beginning the process now to be able to plant another church in the next few years. And our ultimate goal is a regional network of churches partnering together to advance God&apos...

As followers of Jesus, we are called to let people know that God has won the ultimate victory for humanity in and through Jesus. We do this through our actions, choices and conduct. But we also do it through our words. We're to be ready to share about our hope and always seeking opportunities that God gives us. However, this is never about being pushy, obnoxious or religious. Its about speaki...

John the Baptist had a singular calling. He was preparing people for the kingdom of God. Martin Luther said that John was famous for his finger which was always pointing to Jesus. The truth is that this is also what every disciple is called to do. We have the opportunity to point to Jesus with every choice and action we make. Unfortunately, more often than not our finger is point at ourselves rath...

Jesus said that people would know we follow him if we love like he loved. Love is to be a singular definer of the church. For this to be so, our love must be real and consistent. It cannot be shallow or contingent on what we receive in return. This kind of self-sacrifice demands that we be totally committed to love as our way of life.

The Bible is not a rule book. And its not an owner's manual. It is the beautiful story of God meant to envelope each of us. We read it to be taught the truth of the gospel and trained to live in response to the gospel. In the midst of a broken world and our broken lives, the Bible constantly pulls us back to the person and work of Jesus and the eternal love story of Creator God for the world.

For many Christians prayer is a hard reality. The truth is we aren't sure we know how to do it. That unfortunate reality has more to do with how we have seen people pray in church then what prayer truly is. When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, he taught them a memorable means of prayer which can serve as a wonderful paradigm to launch us into meaningful prayer.

How should followers of Jesus respond to the racial tension in our world? First, we must lament that this world is not the way God intended it to be. Second, we must have a vision of God's intention for humanity - unity through diversity. This reality is only possible through the gospel. Finally, we must act. We are called to embody God's future in the now so that everyone might know the...