A Moment of Hope

by David Chadwick Naomi. Today's hidden hero and a woman of tremendous significance. Most people know the story of Ruth, but sometimes Naomi's heroic attributes can be overlooked. Her story is found in the book of Ruth. Naomi was a Jew who married Elimelech. During a great famine in Israel, she and her family went to Moab. While there, their two sons married two Moabite women: Ruth and Orpah. And...

by David Chadwick Our next hidden heroes are a group of people named the Bereans. Their story is found in Acts 17. Paul went to the city of Berea in Asia Minor to preach the Gospel to a group of people called the Bereans. Amazingly, the Bereans did not become angry or aggressively defensive towards Paul's proclamation of Jesus. In fact, the Bible says "they received the word with all eagerness, ex...

by David Chadwick Our next hidden heroes are a group of people called the "sons of Korah." Who were they? They were the descendants of people who were involved in one of the  most despicable incidents in all of Scripture. A horrendous story of rebellion, which the Word of God says is as bad as divination and witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23). Let's take a look together. Korah led a rebellion against Mos...

by David Chadwick Asaph is our next hidden hero. His name means "gatherer of the people." Keep that in mind as I tell you his story. We find a small reference to Asaph in 1 Chronicles 6:39. But many of you may wonder why that would give him heroic importance in my book. Have any of you ever read this verse? "The Mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to i...

by David Chadwick Hidden heroes. The BIble is full of them. Men and women who may not be front and center, but carried  significant impact historically. Today's hero is named Rhoda. Did you even know there was a character in the Bible named Rhoda? Most do not! Let me tell you about her. Her story is found in Acts 12. She was a servant girl who, we think, lived in the home of John Mark and his moth...

by Marilynn Chadwick "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled" (Luke 1:38 NIV). For centuries, Jewish women throughout ancient Israel wondered who would be given the glorious honor of giving birth to the long-awaited Messiah. No one could have imagined a young peasant teenager named Mary would be the chosen vessel for God to enter earthly history—God in human fle...

by Marilynn Chadwick The book of Esther tells the dramatic story of a 15-year-old teenager who saved an entire nation. Years earlier, the Jews had been taken from Jerusalem into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (Esther 2:5-7). Babylon was then defeated by Persia. Esther was a Jew living in the Persian empire and being raised by an older cousin named Mordecai. Described as "lovely in fo...

by Marilynn Chadwick There were no warriors in Israel until I, Deborah, arose...to be a mother to Israel  (Judges 5:7 NCV). Ever feel like you're in a war? For your faith, your family, your freedom? Sometimes victory only comes when you rise up . "Rise up" is a call to action. To step into the game. It's a call to war. The Bible is filled with stories of women who dared to rise up. One of those wo...

by Marilynn Chadwick Now my daughter, do not be afraid! Everything you propose, I will do for you, for everyone in town knows that you are a woman of valor (Ruth 3:11 TLV). Ruth is one of just two women to have a book of the Bible named after her. What's more, she ended up in  the lineage of Jesus , one of only four women listed by name (Matthew 1:5 NIV). Yet there is nothing in Ruth's early life...

by Marilynn Chadwick Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies (Proverbs 31:10 KJV). Deep down, I believe most women long to be world-changers. To use their powerful influence for good and give life to those around them. The Bible presents us with many examples of women who changed their world. Some were wives and mothers. Others were prophets, judges, and leaders. Some were...

by David Chadwick My final hidden hero is an unnamed Roman centurion. He was a Roman leader of over 100 soldiers. A powerful person, he knew what it was like to order people to do something and have them respond immediately. He understood authority. Nonetheless, in spite of his power, he felt unworthy to have Jesus even enter his home to heal his beloved servant! Take note of the  humility he disp...

by David Chadwick My next hidden hero is Silas. You may have heard of Paul and Silas. Well, who was Silas? He was Paul's second partner on his missionary journeys after Paul and Barnabas split up. Barnabas wanted John Mark to rejoin them on their second trip and Paul wouldn't allow it. So they went different directions and Paul chose Silas, a Greek convert from the first journey. I find Silas to b...

by David Chadwick My next hidden hero is Nathan the prophet. Did you know the name "Nathan" means gift of God? I, for one, can see how Nathan's life was a  gift to the world , but especially to King David! Nathan was a prophet who lived in the time of King David and had a close relationship with the king. We see his heroism in the story of David and Bathsheba. I find this to be one of the most tra...

by David Chadwick My next hidden hero is a wise man named Gamaliel. His character comes on the scene in Acts 5. Who was Gamaliel? He was the head of the Sanhedrin, which was the Jewish Council of 70 people who ruled over all affairs of Judaism. As the early church was gaining traction, antipathy and anger exacerbated against the early church. In Acts 5:27, the apostles were brought before the Sanh...

by David Chadwick My next hidden hero is Timothy. We don't know when, but at some point he became a follower of Jesus and a mentee of Paul. Over Paul and Timothy's journey together, Paul developed a tremendous love for Timothy as a fellow worker for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus. He ended up writing letters to him in 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. Timothy was raised in the Christian faith by his mothe...

by David Chadwick My next hidden hero of the faith is the boy who brought the five loaves and two fish to Jesus when he fed the 5,000 people in John 6:1-15. Who was this little boy mentioned in verse 9? Well, we don't know exactly who he was, how old he was, or even his name. It appears  he came to hear Jesus preach and it seems from the text that his mom packed him a small lunch. He was one of th...

by David Chadwick John Mark is most likely the young boy in the Garden of Gethsemane in Mark 14:51-52 who followed Jesus "with nothing but a linen cloth about his body" and ended up being seized. He was able to escape and run away. We see in the book of Acts that Jesus and his disciples commonly frequented what they call the upper room. It was probably a wealthy residence in Jerusalem. That reside...

by David Chadwick John the Baptist is today's hidden hero. A more well known Biblical name, but someone whose story has so many treasures I want to share with you. Who is John the Baptist? He is Jesus's second cousin. Born to Mary's cousin Elizabeth. He was six months older than Jesus. John the Baptist and Jesus grew up together and knew each other very well. They were very close. Their closeness...

by David Chadwick There are so many heroes in the Bible. Whether big or small, each person who made it into the Bible for doing something for God's kingdom  is worthy of honor . Phinehas is my next hidden hero. Who was he? He was the grandson of Aaron. If you remember biblical history, Aaron and Hur were the two that came alongside Moses in Exodus 17:12-13 to hold up his arms in battle. Well, by t...

by David Chadwick Over the next two weeks, I want to take you on a fun journey to explore some of the  hidden heroes in the Bible.  Too often, we only discover the well-known characters of the Bible that make it into a sermon on Sunday morning, which is why I encourage people to  dig into the Word of God on their own. The Bible is like the ocean. Vast and full of wonder! There is so much more to d...

by David Chadwick Grief is real. But thankfully, because of Jesus' life, death and resurrection, we now have access to restored communion with the Father, the blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.  A life surrendered to Jesus gives us a new operating system  rather than the evil, dysfunctional one by which Satan wants to keep the world ensnared. Because of this we can grieve differently...

by David Chadwick We are learning how to have GOOD grief that produces character and hope (Romans 5:3-4) instead of living with a cacophony of "good griefs" that keeps us in despair and agony. How do we do this? First, recognize that grief is real. Secondly, grieve with friends. Third, grieve openly. Fourth? Realize that everyone grieves. We all go through it. I wish there was a way around it, or...

by David Chadwick Good grief! No, really, don't get frustrated. Grief really can be good. If Romans 8:28 is true, that God works ALL things together for our good, then  even grief can be worked together for our good and for his glory. Recognize grief is real. Grieve with trusted friends and/or family. And today? Grieve openly! It is so important not to isolate yourself from a strong, biblical comm...

by David Chadwick Grief. Defined as deep sorrow or poignant pain. If you are living, you will inevitably go through grief in your life. When, not if you go through grief, always remember to grieve with people you love, ones who will point you to Jesus and to hope as you work through your pain. Ask the Lord to show you trustworthy friends and family members who can enter into your grief with you. ...

by David Chadwick "Good grief." It's a commonly used statement to display frustration. It's a phrase that shows deep emotion. Sometimes even annoyance with someone. But at its core, the phrase really is about grief. Many of you probably remember it as Charlie Brown's favorite phrase. But I want you to walk away from this week knowing that grief really can be good.  God can take all your "good grie...