Hope Church at Silver Lake

2 Kings 11:1-3 Jehosheba answered the call to do God’s will, even when it was hard. When it was uncomfortable. And through her, God’s promise was kept to the people, and to the world. May her story remind us that God calls us to hard things, but also that he keeps his promises.

1 Samuel 25:28-35 Abigail was a hero in the OT that we don't hear that much about. She didn't get to choose her circumstances, but God used her in a powerful way. What can we learn from this heroine? What encouragement does her story give to us?

Nehemiah 13:4-9 All of this work is done. The culture is being built. Things are going well. And then some start to backslide. Some start to forget the promises they had made. Some start to undo the good work that has taken place. And that is true for our churches today. We will not perfectly live into God’s plan for us. We will even work AGAINST what God has called the church to be. In what was i...

Nehemiah 11:1-2 The walls are built. People are returning. Relationships are being set right with the Lord. But Nehemiah needed people to live in the city walls. Many had moved outside and gotten comfortable, but now it was time to bring people in. It wasn’t as nice in the city. Some things were hard. Some were forced into the city. Some entered voluntarily. All were needed to help build the commu...

Nehemiah 9:30-37 The people confess that their sins and offer praise to the Lord. Confession is therapeutic, true, but it is also biblical. Not one of us has lived into God’s call perfectly. We have not obeyed his commands perfectly. We have all, at times, worked against the work that God is doing in our hearts and the hearts of our neighbor. Let us confess. Let us praise. Let us take joy in the f...

Nehemiah 8:1-8 The walls are finished and people are returning. And Nehemiah takes the time to intentionally remind them of who they are. In the grind of the day to day and the struggle to navigate the curveballs that life sends our way it can be a simple thing to forget who we are. Just like the people who had just finished so much work, were exhausted and tired, we too, need a reminder of who we...

Nehemiah 4:7-23 Not everyone wanted the walls to be rebuilt. Nehemiah faces opposition from outside, as well as from within. How did he handle the opposition? Are there times when our traditions, our comforts, our preferences, our peace stand in opposition to the work that God is doing? How have we contributed to the opposition? How will we help to build the walls in spite of the opposition the wo...

Nehemiah 3:6-12 Nehemiah has arrived in Jerusalem, and it’s time to build the walls. Not everyone is a trained wall-builder, so who will do the work? It wasn’t all trained laborers. God calls and equips ALL. When the needs of the ministry are obvious, are we willing to listen to the call of God and do the work? 

Nehemiah Chapter 1 The Lord puts upon Nehemiah’s heart the need for restoration of Jerusalem’s walls. He confesses to God. God opens doors. He walks through them. Are we willing to see the work that needs to be done? Are we willing to walk through the doors that God opens?

Luke 5:12-28 God meets us in our places of hurt and suffering. Are we willing to meet others in their areas that make us uncomfortable?

Matthew 21:6-11 Jesus was welcomed to Jerusalem with palm branches and much fanfare. And yet, the whole city asked: Who is this? Was Jesus who the crowds expected? How would they react if he wasn’t? How does knowing Jesus affect our lives?

Matthew 28:1-10 Jesus has risen! Mission has been accomplished! What does his rising mean for us? Let us celebrate this good news together!

Isaiah 53:10-12 Jesus died for us, and it was God’s will. And yet through the crushing of Christ, we have hope. Because of Jesus we can live in the promise of life eternal. How grateful we are for the love that Christ poured out.

Isaiah 53:7-9 Jesus was innocent, and yet he offered no objection to the punishment he endured. He did not raise his voice in protest. He did not push us away. How does it feel to sit in the grace that was poured out over us that day?

Isaiah 53:4-6 Jesus bore our sin. Are we comfortable with that concept? Someone else being punished for what we have done? Are we comfortable with sitting in the realization that we are sinners and that we could do nothing to make ourselves right with God?

Isaiah 53:1-3 Jesus did not come to us in the ways that we expected him to. And so he was rejected. Have we put expectations on God? Do we want him to treat us a certain way? Have those expectations been met? How have we responded?

Acts 1:8 As the Early church lived out being the Early Church, God added to their number generously. God didn’t stop wanting to save people. His mission didn’t end in Acts 2. God is still growing his church and we have been called to be part of the church, part of the missional arm of the body of Christ.

Psalm 145:1-13 In the church we praise our God. For all that he has done. And for all that he will do. We are united in the faith that he has given us, the promises that he has made us and the hope that we have in mighty works and the abounding love of our God.

1 Chronicles 29:14-20 All that we have been given is from God. Do we struggle in giving back? Why is it important to tithe? Why is it important to give to the church? How is this a part of ministry? How is this a part of mission?

John 15:9-17 Discipling is inviting people in. Jesus doesn’t hold us at arms length. He invites us into the mission. Into obedience. Into fellowship. Are we discipling well? Are we handing down well? Are we encouraging and enabling the gifts that we see in others well? Or are we creating silos? Are we scared of losing our place? Losing who we are? Losing our value to the church? Are we a disciplin...

1 Corinthians 1:10-17 The Early Church was united in who they were and their service to each other. What does unity look like today? How well are we doing at being united in our mission/goals/calling? 

Romans 1:8-13 Fellowship, being together, is a huge part of being a church. We see it in the Early Church. We see Paul’s desire to gather with the church in Rome, that they might be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. Does our faith encourage others? Are we encouraged by the faith of others? How does this functionally play out in churches today?

2 Timothy 3:14-17 The early church submitted itself to the teaching of the Apostles. The Word of God is central, the foundation of what we teach. What are our churches teaching? Are we willing to submit ourselves to it?

Isaiah 9:2-5 God has heard our cries, called us out of captivity, and come to lead us Home—into light, life, and everlasting love. So let us sing with joy!

Isaiah 66:18-23 In the unbroken Home Jesus will one day establish, every wound will be accounted for, every relationship restored, and every heart united in everlasting joy.