Houston Chinese Church - English

The trouble brewing in the church of Corinth was evident by the factions that had developed around particular church leaders. Underlying that kind of fleshly behavior is a significant misunderstanding of Christian leadership. We would do well to avoid the same mistakes of building a church with an unhealthy reliance on ministers, methods, and ministries that are contrary to the foundational messag...

The Corinthian church was troubled by a divisive spirit among its members – where some had elevated themselves, claiming to be wiser and more spiritual than others. So Paul began his letter by demonstrating how their fascination with “human wisdom” is incompatible with the gospel. But in today’s text, he is careful to explain that, while contrary to human wisdom, Christianity is not opposed to wis...

As a church, we may be tempted to rely on human wisdom. But an overreliance on human wisdom has the potential to cause division within a church. Unity within the church requires an understanding of God’s wisdom. What is God’s wisdom that unifies the church?

These days, it’s easy to get enamored by celebrity culture. Even in the church, it’s not hard to imagine people clamoring for recognition or finding ourselves wanting to be associated with certain people who are powerful speakers or influential. What does this tell us about our hearts? And how do we get out of this mess?

Paul is a man who has seen a fair share of miracles, so it would take a lot to shock him. That makes his surprise at the generosity of the Macedonian churches all the more significant. They were a persecuted and impoverished bunch, and yet they overflowed in an abundance of joy and generosity. Paul recognized this as a supernatural work of grace. As we continue a pledge campaign for our building p...

As we near our church's fiftieth anniversary, we reflect on all the ways in which the Lord has blessed our church and its ministries. So as we look to our future with hope and a clear vision, now is the time to rededicate our attention and resources towards the upkeep and expansion of our facilities. In this morning's text, we see God's people approach a building project of another sort and do it...

Unlike the rest of us, who came into this world without premeditation or purpose, Jesus could confidently state the exact reason why he came that first Christmas morning. In today’s text, he says he came to seek and save the lost. Who fits in this category of the “lost” might surprise you and most definitely will include you.

Christians and prospective Christians alike can sometimes have misguided ideas about what Jesus came to do and what it means to follow him as a disciple. We need clarity about the kind of Jesus who would say that he came not to bring peace, but division. And we need to know why this is ultimately still good news for us.

We live in evil times that we wish would end. Evil manifests itself in broken relationships. We wonder if our uncle and aunt will revisit a grudge from their childhood at Christmas dinner. Evil manifests itself in death. A family member will not join us for Christmas dinner because a terminal illness claimed her life. Evil manifests itself in our inability to do good. Jesus entered this world, whe...

  In our text, James identifies three fruits that pure religion will inevitably produce in a person. In this sermon, we will focus on true religion’s care for the helpless – with a particular focus on our church’s child sponsorship project among the Muong people of Northwest Viet Nam.

As we introduce a churchwide project aimed to serve the unreached Muong people group of Northwest Vietnam, we want to provide a theological basis for how to approach the ministry of child sponsorship. Before you begin a relationship with a needy child, consider the way in which God chooses you in love.   Learn how World Vision conducts child sponsorship Meet the Muong Ang community Sponsor a...

Habakkuk is not wrestling with why bad things happen to good people. He is wondering why enough bad things don't happen to bad people. He specifically has in mind the wicked Babylonians, who are coming to destroy God’s city and deport his people. After being assured of Babylon's future judgment, Habakkuk concludes with a prayer of faith. While all else fails around him, he quietly waits and trusts...

We live in a world where we experience the effects of wickedness. People die in a building collapse because a construction company decides to cut corners on building materials when constructing an apartment complex. A manager uses his authority to elicit sexual favors from potential employees. A young teenage driver dies because someone decided to get behind the wheel despite having too much to dr...

Why does God allow evil to persist and evildoers to prosper? That question has pestered people since ancient times – leading many to question the goodness of God or doubt his mere existence. But the prophet Habakkuk demonstrates how you can still live by faith even as you wrestle with the apparent disconnect between God’s character in the Word and God's (in)action in the world.

Theodicy - a dictionary definition: The vindication of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil. In the book of Habakkuk, the prophet complains about the actions, or inaction, of God when it comes to the suffering of his people and the evil acts done against them. But as the book goes on, Habakkuk changes his tone and understanding of God and His actions. He learns to wait a...

Although there exist more churches than ever before, the task to take the gospel to the unreached remains. According to the Joshua project, there remains 7,417 unreached people groups. This means that among these groups, there is little to no gospel witness. Mission work requires believers to overcome cultural and linguistic barriers to bring the gospel to these groups. How does a mission-minded c...

Healthy churches have a strong pulpit ministry. But expository preaching is never enough. Healthy churches also provide their members with expository counseling. The kind of counsel that is shaped and guided by biblical texts with the same carefulness you would expect from a sermon. This conviction undergirds our vision to establish a biblical counseling ministry that blesses both our church and o...

Healthy churches plant churches. Just as healthy body cells naturally multiply and divide, healthy churches aim to do the same. It need not be viewed as a sad loss or a pragmatic necessity. Church planting can be seen as a natural and intentional response to healthy gospel growth. That was the pattern set by Paul and Barnabas in the book of Acts.

It’s easy to get our priorities misaligned, filling up our to-do lists and busying ourselves with all sorts of different things. But if we want to be a church that sends out disciple-making disciples, what will it take to realign ourselves with God’s mission in this world?

Moses spells out how the Israelites could be successful as they enter into the Promised Land. They are to love God completely, which would motivate them to obey God’s commands and to fear God. To be successful in the long run, they must teach their future generations to do likewise.

What is our church’s reputation? What are we known for? This series on the church’s vision raises big questions about our church’s identity and reputation. In Christ’s letter to the Ephesian church, we’re warned that it is possible to be known for loving God’s truth and loving to defend it – without really loving God or others. We who have ears, let us hear.

The Acts 6 church had to deal with the same challenges faced by all multicultural communities – the dangers of division and discord. But instead of letting their differences sow distrust, they found a different way to preserve the unity of the church and pursue her gospel mission. —————————————— Vision Statement: HCC seeks to be an urban Chinese-heritage church in central Houston that reaches all...

What do we think about when we hear about giving to support God’s work? We might think that we must give because if we don’t, then the church will go under. We think that we must give because we will receive recognition. We think that we must give because we feel guilty. What does the Bible say that we should think about when we hear about giving to support God’s work?