New Hope Christian Chapel Podcast

It's not enough to just know what God is calling you to do...you need to fight for it! Despite the obstacles. Despite the opposition. Despite your own fatigue. If it's God's plan, it's worth giving everything you have, using the tools and weapons and strength God provides, and standing together with all the others fighting for the same cause...building God's Kingdom for His glory!

How do you measure your faith? What activities or habits or behaviors do you consider essential? How do you think Jesus evaluates you? How does your life imitate His?

Have you "been discipled"? Did you know that phrase isn't in the Bible? Jesus invited people to "be" His disciples (students), and He called His followers to "make" disciples...but Disciple is a noun, not a verb. Do you have a noun or verb understanding of what Jesus meant by being His disciple? And when you share your faith, are you hoping to make noun or verb disciples for Jesus? What are the co...

Do you consider yourself a prophet? Most would say, "no". But have you ever felt led to share a thought with someone that you felt God had put on your heart? Isn't that "speaking for God"?! Isn't that the biblical definition of prophecy? Maybe you are a prophet! What would it look like if all of God's people were sharing the thoughts He was putting on their hearts, instead of waiting for a pastor...

In the days following the trial and conviction of Derek Chauvin, how have your conversations about it gone? Have they been opportunities to share God's thoughts on our present situation, or divisive arguments over information and opinions? What are we as Christians supposed to think, say, and do in response to current issues? How do we go about bringing God's truth and wisdom into the world around...

The news in our world is consistently discouraging and full of problems...so what are we as Christians supposed to do about it?! Jesus would invite us to "opt out" of the culture around us, provide the world with a demonstration of God's power, and be motivated by an overflowing love for God! That good news will change the world!

As we gather together more and more in the months ahead, what exactly are New Hope's thoughts on masks, service registrations, Zoom, Missional Communities, and Chapel vs. Home worship? Take a few minutes to let Pastor Dave share with you how New Hope is seeking to come out of the last year of lock-downs into a new season of growth and mission!

As Christians, we may earnestly want to have changed lives...but how exactly do we get there? Do we try harder? Do we take on new activites or friendships? Do we hope it just happens automatically? Jesus answered this question by saying there is no such thing as resurrection without death first! If we want to rise anew, we first need to put to death our old self! How will you go about your own spi...

When Jesus rose from the dead, He came back different...better...changed...glorified in such a way that even His friends often didn't recognize Him! As we all come out of our isolation and quarantine "tombs" of this past year, how will we come out? Will we come out the same as we were before? Will we come out timid and afraid? Or will we come alive in new and beautiful ways like Jesus did?! Resurr...

Where do you get your information? What sources do you trust? When you talk about current issues, do you share your personal convictions or align with the crowd? And when you share your faith, do you try to remember what your pastor taught or do you share what Jesus means to you personally? How can your faith be more celebrating and less debating?!

Where do you go to be with God? How exactly do you seek out His presence? Do you hear from Him and walk and talk with Him? Do you know how to go deeper into prayer and seeking out His presence? Let Pastor Dave's investigation of three gardens in the Bible give us guidance on how to seek out God's presence ourselves! May your pursuit of God be accessible, available, communal, Grace-based, relationa...

In your life and faith, which do you want more...to hear God speak, or to know His will? Are they the same thing, or not? When we face difficult decisions or challenges, do we feel a confident freedom or a rigid, fearful uncertainty? We CAN know God's will! And He DOES speak! Us finding confidence in living Christ-like lives IS possible!

Do you ever suffer from "faith fatigue", when doubts creep in and it gets harder to trust and believe? If so you are not alone! Even Jesus' own 12 disciples struggled with times when their usually-strong faith began to waver, and it took Jesus lovingly reaching out to lift them up to help them through their weakening faith. Let Jesus strengthen and encourage you when you struggle with doubts and y...

When you look closely at Jesus and His disciples, you quickly realize that He wasn't simply acculumating "followers", He was training leaders!  Discipleship and Christianity is actually leadership training!  When you think of joining a church, accepting Jesus as your savior, becoming a Christian, or participating in a ministry, do you think of it as leadership training?  Are we trainining our chil...

We have more details written about the apostle Peter in the Bible than on any other of Jesus' disciples, and yet instead of him being portrayed as a hero and over-acheiver, he most often is shown putting his foot in his mouth, doing something rash, or making mistakes. This makes Peter a very accessible and relatable disciple for all of us who constantly make mistakes and rely on Jesus' grace too!...

The history of mankind is one of a search for belonging...searching for "our people", and "our home". God has given advice to His people again and again on what it looks like for them to be strangers living together in community amongst a foreign people. Let's learn from letters to believers of the past what it looks like to live influencial, powerful, beautiful lives of faith in exile amidst the...

What does it mean to be great? What would you picture as a "great" family or job or church or country? And if you are going to commit yourself to helping make those things great, what exactly should you do?! The world defines greatness in a much different way than Jesus does! Take a lesson from the "Sons of Thunder", two of Jesus' 12 disciples in what true greatness is. And may God bless us all wi...

What did Jesus preach on more than any other topic? What is the most powerful force driving our country behind the scenes? What temptation proved to be the downfall of Judas in betraying Jesus? What is the "other god" about which Jesus says, "You can't serve both God and ________."? Take some time to reflect with Pastor Dave on the lessons we can learn from Judas, one of Jesus' first apprentices,...

Shame, embarrassment, guilt and regrets can be powerful and destructive elements in our lives...but, they are exactly the sort of bondage that Jesus came to break! If you or someone you know is struggling with shame, take heart from one of Jesus' own 12 disciples who experienced personal shame, but then had Jesus set him free and became a tremendous advocate for all those still under its weight! M...

Have you ever compared yourself to other Christians and felt like you didn't match up? Does every follower need to be outspoken, Biblically trained, confident, and comfortable in public settings? What about the quiet, behind the scenes, familiar people who have introduced us to Jesus?...were they all extroverted and prominent? Sometimes it is the unassuming friend who can make the best connection...

Do you ever stop to see if what you're working so hard on is actually accomplishing anything? Do you have a spiritual practice of regularly checking in with God to refocus ourselves on His goals rather than our plans? Every painter needs to step back to see how their progress looks in relation to the entire work of art...and every Christian needs to regularly step back to see how their lives and f...

This Advent & Christmas season, join Pastor Dave in a cover-to-cover Bible word study digging into the beauty and power in the concept of the "Light of God" in Christ and in us! What is God's light to you? What is God's light to the world? How are both Jesus and His followers the light of the world? Are you standing and walking in the light that leads to life?!

This past Veteran's Day one of our missional families was blessed by a surprising encounter with a man named Mike. Take a few minutes to hear their story and see how God coordinated this beautiful encounter for His glory!

God is a God who throughout history has always showed up for His people when they needed Him most. As God in human form, Jesus constantly showed up for people and met their needs in hands-on-ways. And as Christians, apprentices of Jesus, we need to show up and give help and love to the people in our lives too! Don't hide or withdraw, step up and show up for others!

Prayer is power...not a Christmas-style wish list to a Santa-type God in heaven! Prayer is the pure, personal, powerful, direct connection to the God of the universe! Let's not settle for less!