Mount Hope | Burlington Campus: Recent Episodes
Rick Picariello
Life is full of changes. There are season changes, changes of scenery and sometimes we have a change of plans. That change of plans can come because of our doing or it can come to us when we didn't plan it or expect it. What do we do when it is the latter and how do we react to that change? And what about when our plans change because of the gospel? What does that even look like? Last week we began a new series at Mount Hope, A Life You Can be Proud Of, and we discovered that a life we can be proud of may look different than what the world would say is a life to be proud of. As we continue, we dive right back into 2 Corinthians to learn that sometimes our plans need to change in order for the gospel to go forward. We need to ask ourselves the pertinent question of whether or not we hold our plans loosely enough to be changed for Kingdom purposes and allow the Lord to teach us what that means.
Since we are all different, it shouldn't be a surprise that we may have varying ideas on what makes a life one to be proud of. Certainly we can all think of at least one person that we know that is living a life worth being proud of. So what does that kind of life look like? And how is a life to be proud of marked by God? At Mount Hope, we are beginning a new sermon series entitled A Life You Can Be Proud Of, through the book of 2 Corinthians. In our first week, we learned about suffering and comfort and how God's Word speaks in to both of these areas as they are part of life. How we walk through suffering and how we comfort others matters to the heart of God.
This month we take time to focus on Global Outreach and understand why it is important to the heart of God. Jesus instructed believers to go and make disciples of all nations and to teach them of God's love and commands. But what does that actually look like for us as the body of Christ? How can we as believers be a part of the great commission?Some are called directly to the mission field while some are called to give support and to pray. But no matter our instruction to this call, we are all asked to serve God on His terms and not our own. We are all asked to be productive and give of ourselves sacrificially in some capacity. Listen in to this week's sermon to learn more of how you can live out this part of God's Word even if it's outside of your comfort zone.
This time of year, we get to enjoy many different aromas around us. The smell of the first pumpkin latte of the season, that fresh apple pie that just came out of the oven or the scent of the cinnamon spice candle you just lit. Many pleasing aromas surround us. In the physical world, these pleasant scents add to our days and seasons. But what about on a spiritual level? It is vital to know what kind of fragrance we are giving off to those around us.As we celebrate Global Outreach here at Mount Hope during the month of October, it is a good time to examine ourselves as to what kind of aroma we are giving off to others. The Bible clearly talks about this spiritual aroma and how we are to be the fragrance of Christ to those around us. Listen in to this week's sermon to learn what God's Word has to say about your spiritual fragrance and how you can reach others through it.
There are many, many churches in our community and in our world. And we live in a culture that rates everything, and that includes churches too. It seems nothing in our culture is left unrated. People rate churches based on varying features. It might be the worship or the fellowship time or the sermons preached. But whatever the aspect, people all have something to say and an opinion to share.So how does a church gain a "high rating"? What does a healthy church actually look like? And is Mount Hope a healthy church? This week in our sermon, we learn what the word church means and how we as a body of believers can be a healthy church according to God's rating system and not ours.
“You are what you eat.” We’ve often heard that as a reminder that what we consume determines who we are and how we interact with the world around us. How we fuel ourselves, determines the challenges we are able to face. In our Christian journey, challenges abound. We’re often pushed up against circumstances that push us to our breaking point. In those moments, what is inside of us will determine how we handle these moments. John reminds us that as Christ followers, we must abide in Christ. However, today we’ll consider God’s promise that as we abide in Him, He abides in us. And as He does, we are able to rise to the challenges around us.
Has there ever been a time in your life when you thought something was going to go one away and then it took a turn in a another direction? Or maybe you thought you were going to have one conversation with someone and it turned into a different conversation altogether? This happens in life with practical situations but it also happens in the life of a believer when it comes to sin. We don't want to face it or be confronted with it but we must as followers of Christ. This week, in our 1 John Series, there are two important areas that must be addressed when it comes to sin in our own lives and sin in the lives of those around us.
Social media. TV. The internet. The news. Friends. As we all know that there are many, many voices around us each and every day. How are we supposed to know which ones to listen to? Which ones are we suppose to follow? And in this culture we live in, how can test each voice and know which ones are credible? God's Word does not leave us without answers on this important topic. At Mount Hope, we have been learning, through the book of 1 John, about our daily living within a stormy world. This week the scriptures reveal to us that we are supposed to test each voice in our life. There is criteria to know who we should listen to and who we should not adhere to. Check out this week's sermon to understand more about how to determine which voices you should be listening to in your life.
Many of us need corrective lenses of some sort to help us with our vision. Without our glasses or contacts, it is difficult to see what is right in front of us or what may be up ahead of us. We may only view this is in a physical sense. But honestly, as believer, as soon as we choose to follow Christ, we are in need of vision correction. We should no longer see things the way the world does. So what does our current series have to do with our "corrective lenses"? John knows the people have a vision problem. Through some powerful scripture in the book of 1 John, God teaches us how we are to live in this world each day with the correct vision. Listen in to this week's sermon to learn more about how our love for God should affect our love for the world.
If we are truly honest with ourselves, there might be times in our lives when we want to deny the reality around us. Maybe we don't want to face this situation or that circumstance so we engage in some sort of denial toward it. However, we all know that just because we deny something doesn't mean it isn't real and denying is not helpful to us. In fact, light must be shown on these realities in order for us to grow. More importantly, light must be shown on the sins within our lives. This week in our sermon series, we see that John shines light on storms that were happening within the church and on the sin nature that is in all of us. God teaches us through His Word that we cannot stay in fellowship with Him and His light if we walk in the darkness.
We have all been caught in a storm at one time or another. Maybe it was just a hard rain or maybe something more serious, like a hurricane, that we needed to take cover from. Regardless, we all know that some storms can be scary and even dangerous at times. We can become frantic during them. But what if walking through a storm can refine you as a person? As believers, that is what a storm in life can do for us. This week at Mount Hope we begin a new sermon series in the book of 1 John, Walking with Jesus in the Stormy World. In our first week we already see what John is trying to teach us about the storms of life and the storms we face as a church. But we also see how in that very same storm, joy can be found and made complete when our faith is certain in Christ.
Every book in the Bible matters. God gave us each and every book because it plays a role in the larger picture of the Story of Scripture. If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that some books are much easier to understand and grasp than others. However, that doesn't mean we disregard any of them. This week is our last week in the Story of Scripture sermon series. In closing, we take a look at the book of Revelation, which can often be hard to understand. In this current series, we have learned that everything in the Bible from the beginning to the end matters when it comes to the gospel of Christ and Revelation is no exception. Join us for one last week as we look at Revelation and the hope that it brings us as followers of Christ!
This week we look at the letters, or epistles, written in the New Testament. In reading someone else's "mail", we may have only part of the story. As we dig deeper into His Word, we learn the right order and right practice of our beliefs matters to the heart of God and to our witness to others. Listen to this week's sermon to learn about the importance of the letters written in God's Word which are an important part of the larger story.
This time of year at Mount Hope, we like to take time to highlight our Compassion Ministry. And at the same time, as we continue in our sermon series, Story of Scripture, we see what God's response is when the covenants that we have been learning about, are broken. We see how compassion comes in when it comes to our walk with Christ. And in turn we learn how that compassion reaches out to those around us in this broken world.
Getting outside of our comfort zone is not always appealing to us. We like to stay in places where things are familiar and recognizable. But what about when God calls us out of our comfort zone in our daily living? How do we walk that out on our journey as Christ-followers? We can be grateful that God doesn't call us to do this on our own.In the continuing of our sermon series, Story of Scripture, we learn, through the book of Acts, that God sent us His Holy Spirit as a gift to be able to be a witness to those around us. But what does that actually look like when we encounter others? How does the Holy Spirit help us and lead us?
As we have been learning about the structure of the Bible through our Story of Scripture sermon series, we have come to the place where we are between the Old Testament and the New Testament. What a pertinent place to be! However, we see that God is silent. Why? How are His people supposed to move forward, learn and grow in these years of silence?As always, the Lord does not leave His people. He is still working even when we can't see it - and at times, especially in the silence. Listen in to this week's message to understand the three things we can learn about trusting God even when He seems distant.
Have you ever had times in your life when things are going fine and then something comes along that you just did not see coming? An interruption that may even cause you to get off track or drift. As believers, we don't always know how to deal with these things that throw us off. What does the Story of Scripture teach us about these times in our lives? In our current series, we are seeing that when we understand how God operates throughout history, we understand God Himself. We have learned about how the Bible is divided up and this week we see how the prophets give their message to the people who went through a time when things weren't going along as they thought they would. These prophets give the message that the people need to hear that also applies to us today.
The covenants that God made with His people throughout the Bible matter to us today more than we realize. Dive in with us this week as we learn about the Covenant God made with David and the significance of David's life has in the story of Scripture. Our legacy matters to future generations. But it may not be in the way that we often think.
God has laid out His story for us from beginning to end and He did much of that through the covenants we see throughout scripture. This week as we continue in our sermon series, Story of Scripture, we are introduced to the covenants given to God's people and how they were the catalyst to Jesus Christ coming and dying for our sins so that we may have eternal life with Him, God's ultimate plan.
God's Word is full of stories that inspire, promises that encourage, truths to live by, and commands to obey. At times we feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of different events, characters, and stories of the Bible. When reading the Scripture it is important for us to remember that it is one big amazing story that God is writing. In our new series, "The Story of Scripture," we start to unpack how the Bible is one big story and how it relates to our own!
Sometimes, if we are honest with ourselves, we might question somebody's motives. We wonder why they are doing what they are. Surely, they must want something or must have an angle that we are simply not aware of. However, wondering about someone's motives isn't always a negative thing. In fact, as Christians, the people around us should wonder about us. They should wonder why we are living the way we are. They should ask us why we do things the way we do. We want them to know our motivation.Because the fact of the matter is, we should be living the way that we do because of who Jesus is and because of the fact that He died for us on the cross. This week, as we celebrate Resurrection Sunday, we learn from God's Word what redemption truly means and how it should affect our everyday living so that people wonder about our motive to live a life that is holy and set apart.
Any of us that have brothers or sisters can understand that sibling rivalry is real. There are arguments, disagreements and even wrestling matches that can take place among siblings! Unfortunately, this is not a new fact. Sibling rivalry even took place in the Bible. We have been seeing this quite clearly as we have learned about the life of Jacob and his relationship with his brother, Esau. This week, as we continue to learn more about the transforming life of Jacob, we see how God intervened in this brotherly relationship and how He used their difficulties and journeys to bring The Unstoppable Blessing in a way that neither one of them may have imagined. After you listen to this week's sermon, ponder some of these questions and discuss them with another to learn more about trusting God.
Restoration. It's a word we often hear today in the age of HGTV, isn't it? This show is updating a house and that show is rebuilding a barn. Constant restoration. But what about in real life? Do we see restoration in our own lives? In the lives around us? The truth is, when we look at Scripture, we see that God is certainly in the business of restoration. When we look at the life of Jacob in our current series, we see that God is restoring him through different life events. And maybe not in the manner that we would imagine, but restoring just the same. So what did the process look like in Jacob's life? And what does it look like in our lives today? Listen to this week's sermon to learn more about how God longs to bring restoration to us and how we can live that out each day.
Has there ever been a time when you looked back and realized something significant happened in your life but you weren't even aware of it? You didn't even realize that it was going on? Often, that is how God works in our lives. He works in significant ways and we don't even recognize that it is happening. As we continue through the book of Genesis learning more and more about the life of Jacob, we see The Unstoppable Blessing on his life. We learn about the ways that the Lord moves in Jacob and the among those around him. These blessings have nothing to do with the work of Jacob and everything to do with the blessings of God. Listen in today to understand more about what this all means for God's blessings in our own lives.
There are times in this life when we walk into a mess. Sometimes it's a physical mess in our homes, a mess of paperwork at the office or an emotional mess within our family. Some of these messes can affect our daily lives and make us wonder about the circumstances around us. How do these messes come to be? And where is God in the midst of the mess? Through Jacob, in our Unstoppable Blessing sermon series, we have seen how the hand of God works in particular circumstances and how God moves in blessings over His people and for His ultimate plan.
Life brings uncertainty. There is no way around it. Plans change, mistakes get made, life throws us curveballs. So how do we deal with the uncertainty that comes our way? Where do we turn? And more importantly, do we see God working in these times of uncertainty? In our Sermon Series, The Unstoppable Blessing, we are learning about the life of Jacob. There is not doubt that Jacob had much uncertainty in his life and yet, God worked through it. Listen to this week's sermon to hear more about this time in his life and how God showed Himself to Jacob and how God can do the same for us.
Blessing. We hear the word often in our Christian walk. It often seems to be a normal part of our vocabulary as believers. But what exactly does it mean to be blessed? Do the blessings come because of God's actions or do they have anything to do with our actions? And how are we to react when they maybe don't come in the manner we expect? At Mount Hope, we are beginning a new series, The Unstoppable Blessing, and taking a look at the life of Jacob and how God used him. This week we look at the blessings upon Jacob and how exactly they came about. We see that despite our actions, God's blessings that are a part of His plan, still come to fruition and how we can learn from the process.
We are all aware that living an unhealthy lifestyle can lead to the result of us not being able to carry out our everyday duties and tasks. It's important to be fueled up on the right things to do what we need to do each day. Every marathon runner can relate, right? Without the proper fuel, that race will be harder to run. The book of Hebrews tells us that this life we are a part of is also a race to be run. Since that is the truth of God's Word, what do we do with the spiritual fuel that we receive each Sunday? Do we keep it ourselves or do we use it to run the race set before us? Listen in to this week's sermon to learn more about how we can know God's will and how He speaks to us. And after you listen, be sure to ask yourself this important question: What has God put in my hand and am I using it for His glory to serve others?
In thinking about God's will for our lives, our minds tend to automatically go to our job, our family, where we are to live or how we are to be involved in ministry. However, there is an aspect of our lives that God also wants to focus on when it comes to His will. Our finances. God is the source of our blessings but where do those blessings go? How do we know who to give to? Truthfully, it can be overwhelming with so many pressing needs around us. But this week as we continue in our sermon series in learning about God's will, we meet some friends of Jesus who show us the importance of generosity. We see where our generosity comes from and how we should view the needs around us through the eyes of Jesus.
We all want to know God's will for our lives. Naturally, we want to know where we are headed and exactly what He wants us to do. One way to learn this is to pray. We are often told to pray, but do we even know how? How should we approach Jesus and how do we go about asking him about our wants and needs? And more importantly, how do we handle His answer to our requests? This week, in our most recent sermon, we learn about two instances where Jesus is approached and asked to fulfill a desire. There is much to be learned in God's Word through the ways these people come to Him. And Jesus, in turn, teaches us that the response may not always look the way we want, but that His response is always just what we need.
When we set out on any new task or endeavor, we often expect to see results immediately. When we don't see those results, we begin to wonder if what we are doing is even making a difference. Should we continue? Will we eventually see the fruit of our labor? And how do we go from that new venture being a difficult change to it being one of the best decisions we ever made? This week, we dive into the scriptures to have a better understanding of why God's Word matters in our life on a daily basis. The Bible is very clear on what reading His Word can do to reshape our lives. As we begin a new year, listen to this week's sermon to understand the transformation that will take place in your life when you read and meditate upon His Word each day.
Starting a new year leaves many of us asking the question, "What is God's will for my life?". A new year gives us each a blank slate. But what if a blank slate is not where we should begin? What if we should be learning and growing from what we have seen in the past? This not only applies to our own selves, but these questions can apply to a company, an institution and a church. So what is God's will for Mount Hope? Where are we headed in the new year? This week as we continue on in learning God's will for our lives as individuals, we also learn more about what God's will is as we move forward as a church body. The Lord has been guiding and directing Mount Hope over the last year as to how we are to be approaching 2023. Listen to this week's sermon to hear more about the direction that Mount Hope is moving and the ways He has been guiding the staff to live out His will.
Happy New Year to you! As you entered 2023, you probably started the new year with certain resolutions in mind. Unfortunately for the most of us, we lose steam and our resolutions are often abandoned. How do we do better, pursue what God has for us, and living the life that He intends for us? The best thing we can do is to seek God's will. Listen in as we explore how we we can discern God's will for us.
Welcome to our Christmas Eve Service. Today we consider the Hope that we have in Christ. As we light the candle of hope, we celebrate the hope found in the first Advent. The hope that is grounded in the work and promises of God to His people. This hope points us forward to Jesus' second Advent.
Welcome to our Christmas Eve Service. Today we consider the Hope that we have in Christ. As we light the candle of hope, we celebrate the hope found in the first Advent. The hope that is grounded in the work and promises of God to His people. This hope points us forward to Jesus' second Advent.
This time of year our minds are filled with giving just the right gift to our loved ones. Sometimes we may give them something they need while other times we may give them something they want. Often when we choose to give them something they want, we are under the impression that giving what they want shows more love than if we gave them what they actually need. But how does giving work in God's economy? How does He give to us and how does He expect us to give to those around us? As we light the Advent candle of love this week, we learn from God's Word how the Lord gives to us out of love and why He gives the way He does. He sees a need in us that we don't even see ourselves. Listen to this week's sermon to learn more about how we are to show love to others by meeting their needs using Christ as our example.
Joy. It is what we as believers are to have in our lives. But if we are honest, when we look around our world, there is so much pain that it can make it difficult to hold onto that joy. However, the joy that God calls us to is not only for us. So what is the purpose of our joy in this world? And what did that joy look like when Jesus was born in a manger so many years ago?
In the hustle and bustle of the season, it is vital to take the time to observe this time of waiting in Advent. This week we take a look at what the first candle of Advent represents -- peace. Often we think peace should look a certain way in this world. But what if the peace we think we should see around us comes to us in pieces? And what is our role when it comes to peace? What does the Bible teach us during this season about peace in our lives when there is so lack of it around us?
As we have been learning in our most recent series, "Anxious for Nothing", that the Bible has much to say about worrying, anxiousness and our concerns in this world. Jesus did not ignore this issue when He spoke truth to those around Him. In fact, Jesus gave us instruction on how to handle this anxiety that we feel. What does He teach us to do? And what does this look like in our day to day lives? Listen in to this week's sermon as we take another look at Philippians 4 to learn more about how to be "Anxious for Nothing" so that we can stand strong when the storms and trials of our world come.
With everything swirling around us right now in our world, we can certainly feel like we are in the middle of a storm. And with a storm can come anxiety for some of us. Unfortunately, that panic can spread to those around us. So how can we find calm in the middle of the storm? Jesus and His disciples were no stranger to storms. So how did Jesus help them during storms and how does He still help us today? As we continue on in our "Anxious for Nothing" series, listen to this week's sermon to learn about how we can find our calm in Jesus and not from worldly measures. When we have Jesus' calm living inside of us, others take notice and we are able to reach out to those around us with His love.
Anxiety. What is it and why has it risen in our culture? How do we deal with it in our lives or help those around us who may struggle with it in their lives? These are key questions. But even more important than these few questions, is the question of "What does God say?". God's Word speaks to every area of our lives, and the area of anxiety is no exception.
We may hold dear to something that we deem very important. Maybe it has sentimental value to us, but if someone else happened upon it, they would view it as unimportant or insignificant. This was the same in Jesus' times. Many viewed children as a hindrance. Yet God, in His love and compassion, held children dear to His heart. So much so, that He even requires us as believers to be like them. But what does that look like? And how can we embrace this idea as a church?
In this life, we don't always know what's coming. There are times when we wish someone would tell us what lies up ahead for us. We want to know in order to be prepared and move in the right direction which seems to make sense. However, this life is unpredictable and we do not always know what might be down the road. Thankfully, God's Word speaks into this through another parable in the book of Luke.
Authority. It is a part of all our lives. Whether it be a boss, a teacher or that police officer in his cruiser on the side of the road as we drive by, authority exists and is a part of our world. There are many ways we can respond to the directives of authority. But how should we respond in circumstances? And more importantly, where does God's authority stand in our life and how should we respond to it?
It can be hard to know what to do when we are awaiting upon the return of another. Patience can be difficult to come by. What do we do to pass the time? What is our purpose in the time of waiting? Jesus knew that He would be gone for awhile and He wanted His followers for be informed and prepared for the time when He would not be with them. We are now living in that gap of time that Jesus was talking about. Our parable from the book of Luke this week teaches us that we have been entrusted with a very important task while we are waiting on Jesus' return. It is vital that we take this call seriously as we will have to account for our time here in the waiting. Listen in to this week's sermon as we are challenged to "Go and Do Likewise" with what we have been given.
How do we become righteous? The Bible talks about quite a bit about living a righteous life. This week as we take a close look at one of Jesus' parable, we are introduced to two different people who teach us much about how to live out a righteous life before God and before others. Join us as we continue on in our "Go and Do Likewise" sermon series.
Prayer is a vital part of our walk with Christ. It is the foundational communion we have with Him each and every day. In our prayer time, we take time to thank and praise our Father, inquire about what's on our heart and we bring to Him our requests. And of course, when we pray about a request, we want Him to answer it. But what about when we have unanswered prayers? Does that mean He isn't hearing us? No. But it does mean we can look to scripture for how to handle the times when we are waiting upon an answer to our prayers.
Money. It is certainly a part of our life but people do not always want to talk about it. It seems to make people uncomfortable or may even feel like a taboo subject in our culture. However, Jesus wasn't afraid to talk about money. In fact, about one-third of His parables have to do with money. So what exactly does Jesus tell us about our money? How are we to spend? How are we to share it? This week, as we read through "The Parable of the Dishonest Manager", we learn how we are to view the money that God has given us and how to invest wisely with a Kingdom mindset. We should not be afraid to talk about the subject of money because it was an important topic in the Bible and God's Word teaches us how to "Go and Do Likewise" in the area of serving Him with what He has given us.
The Prodigal Son is one of our favorite stories, reminding of God's unconditional love for lost people no matter what their past holds. However, that's not the complete message of the parable. Jesus has much more to say especially to those who were considered the religious elite of the time. The story of the prodigal son has much to say to about our attitudes towards each other and about ourselves. Listen to this week's sermon to learn how we can "Go and Do Likewise" as we spend time with others.
Sometimes we may see one person spending time with another and we wonder how it happened. How did they come together? They don't seem to have anything in common. It appears they have come from two different worlds. But yet, they have come together in friendship. What brings a relationship like this together? And it begs the question, how did Jesus decide who He would spend time with?
Sometimes we may see one person spending time with another and we wonder how it happened. How did they come together? They don't seem to have anything in common. It appears they have come from two different worlds. But yet, they have come together in friendship. What brings a relationship like this together? And it begs the question, how did Jesus decide who He would spend time with?
It's natural for us to know where we rank in life. How do we measure up in our job or in our class? Often, we are keeping score in our own heads. But what happens when we worry too much about our position in this life? How can this affect our perspective?
As Christians, we may have questions that arise when it comes to our possessions or material things. How much is too much? Is this extravagant? Is a Christian even allowed to own this or that? Our flesh often desires a hard line to be drawn with these thoughts. However, there is more to be considered. Jesus takes into account more than what we see on the outside.
Listen to this week's sermon to learn about the importance of doing right when it comes to our neighbor and how the parable Jesus teaches through should change the way we interact with those around us.
At particular seasons in our lives, we may feel that we are ready to move on or move up. We think we are ready for that promotion or that varsity team only be told by another that it is our time to wait. This isn't a new feeling. Even Jesus' disciples were "sitting on ready" to do His work when He told them to wait for the Holy Spirit. So why are we sometimes asked to wait? When and how are we to carry out the work He has for us?
It is no secret that we live in a social media world. And within that world, people are bold to share many thoughts and opinions. In addition, many believers are bold to share the truth of the gospel which is wonderful! However, sometimes as believers we are bold to share online but not when we are going through life with those around us. What happens to our boldness? And how can we grow in sharing with others?
We all have our weaknesses. But we all also have our strengths. Our strengths help us and direct us each day at work and with our families. But what about within the church? What about the Spiritual gifts that have been given to us through the Holy Spirit? Why are they given to us and how are they to be used among the body of Christ?
When it comes to driving or traveling, we often use mile markers or GPS to know where we are headed and more importantly, if we are headed in the right direction. It is crucial to know that we are going the right way. This is no different in our Christian walk. But this isn't always as simple as reading a mile marker or following the GPS. So how do we know in our walk if we are headed the right way? How do we know if we are on God's path?
As believers, we love Jesus and want to serve Him. We do our best to live lives that are pleasing to Him. But what about the seasons when we aren't walking as we should in our relationship with Christ? What about when our actions don't align with following Jesus? We follow Jesus but we still sin. As we continue in our "I Follow Jesus" series, we continue to dig into God's Word to understand who the Holy Spirit is and how he works in our lives. In this walk with Christ, we will battle our sin, but we are comforted in knowing that we don't have to do it on our own. The gift of the Holy Spirit is for us.
In this life, there can be somewhat of a letdown after a holiday or a significant event in our life. Once that time is over, we often wonder, "now what?" We can imagine that this question would have gone through the disciples' minds after the death and resurrection of Jesus. After Jesus had died a cruel death, after the veil was torn in the temple and after He rose again on that glorious day, now what? How were they to move forward? Just like we move on with our lives on Monday after a worshipful Sunday, they went on to do the things that they knew. They went back to their fishing and their daily living. But we learn from God's Word that He didn't leave them there alone. Join us in our new Sermon Series, "I follow Jesus..." to learn more about what it actually meant for Jesus to ascend from this earth and leave us with the gift of the Holy Spirit and how that impacts everything in our daily living.
Explore the three days starting with Jesus' trial and crucifixion on Friday, a day of silence on Saturday, and the resurrection on Sunday.
Toddlers are not the only ones who want to stake claim or ownership on the things around them. We too, as adults, want to hold onto things or relationships. But what happens when what we hold onto comes into conflict with what God has for us? What if holding on too tightly prevents us from our purpose? There is a tension between what we have and what God has for us.
Our past has a way of defining who we are and how we interact with the world around us. Our relationship with God is so often affected by our past failures and brokenness. Oftentimes, we write off God’s promises and goodness to us because we do not feel worthy of God’s goodness. As imperfect people, how do we accept God’s perfect promises?
It is good to ask questions. In many circumstances, we are taught how to ask good questions in order to learn. Inquiring through questions helps us gain knowledge, teaches us new skills and aids us in getting to know another person. Yet, we aren't always comfortable asking our tough questions about life and our circumstances. There was a time in Abraham's life when he had to ask God some questions. He inquired of the Lord God Almighty in order to understand more of who God was, His justice and what His plans were. We see that it is okay to ask questions and that we don't have less faith because we ask tough questions. Listen in to this week's sermon to learn more from Abraham about why it is important to approach the Lord with our questions and concerns.
As believers, we know that God has a plan for our lives and for our days. God's Word makes this truth very clear to us. However, even as believers, we do not always understand His plans. We don't see the whole picture like God does so we assume that, because of our circumstances, we can't be used by Him. But God's Word shows us differently. As we continue walking along Abraham's journey with him, we see that even Abraham questioned God's plans and promises. And like many of us, he even laughed at times. But also like Abraham, we see God working through these difficult moments and through our obedience to Him. Listen to this week's sermon to grasp just how great and how big our God is as He moves in our lives.
Often times in this life, we have to go through periods of waiting. Whether it be waiting in the doctor's office for a check-up or waiting on a life changing situation like moving or a promotion, waiting is a part of the world we live in. But what about when God asks us to wait? How do we respond? When I am in the "waiting room", does my faith weaken or does it grow?
We know that God's Word is full of His promises. These promises comfort us and bring us hope to our lives as believers. But what about when we hear a promise from God but our circumstances don't seem to be lining up with that promise? How do we deal with the dissonance between what is and what should be? As we continue to follow Abraham on his journey through our current sermon series, God helps us to understand the reality of a delayed response
We know that God's Word is full of His promises. These promises comfort us and bring us hope to our lives as believers. But what about when we hear a promise from God but our circumstances don't seem to be lining up with that promise? How do we deal with the dissonance between what is and what should be? As we continue to follow Abraham on his journey through our current sermon series, God helps us to understand the reality of a delayed response
As we approach Easter this year, we would like to take a closer look at the season of Lent. While we typically don't observe Lent, it is practice of the Historical Church. A practice where the individual and the church observes to focus on the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Join us as we explore Lent and how God uses it in the church today.
Many of us know what it's like to have too much "stuff." Often, we look around and wonder how we accumulated so much stuff in the first place! Should we even have bought that particular item? Was it really worth bringing it home? Should we just have said "no" to buying it in the first place? In our series on Abraham, we have been learning about the origins of our faith and what it means to trust God and His promises. This matters when it comes to what we hold on to and what we release.
Faith certainly isn't easy but as believers, we know that it is fundamental to our walk with Christ. As we continue in our series and look at the life of Abraham, this week we watch him step out in obedience. And with that obedience comes a few challenges. As followers of Christ, we can relate. When we step out in faith, there are times when we will also be met with opposition. So how do we hold onto God's promises even in the midst of difficulties?
Have you ever considered your origin? In many ways we are intrigued with where we come from and what our origin story is. How about the origins of your faith? Scripture traces our faith back to Abraham. God's call to Abraham required him to step out in faith in some extraordinary ways. How do you continue this legacy and live out our faith as Abraham did?
Prayer is foundational to our relationship with Christ and to our Christian walk with one another. This week, join us as we dive into God's Word to learn how we are to pray. God is extremely clear on in His instructions to pray and outlines what it should look like in our lives. And not only is it important to pray on our own but it is important in our growth as a Christian to pray with one another. Listen to this week's sermon to be challenged in building your faith in 2022.
As we begin the year of 2022, we also begin a new sermon series here at Mount Hope. Our Foundations Sermon Series is going to help us take a closer look at how we can draw closer to Christ in this new year. Join us this week to listen in what the Word has to say about reading the scriptures together and some practical ways as to how we can make that a part of our walk with Christ this year.
We all know what's it like to wait. Especially during this time of year, there is a lot of waiting. Waiting for gifts to arrive, waiting in line, waiting for Christmas morning. Lots of waiting. And waiting can be hard. During this time of Advent, we learn what it was like for the people of the Bible to wait for Jesus, their Savior. By taking time to dwell on this Advent season, we get a glimpse of their long time of waiting. But what exactly were they waiting for? They may not have realized it but they were waiting for the "way of Jesus." And what is the "way of Jesus"? What they were waiting for was the way Jesus would go about coming into this world and the way He would go about His Father's business on this earth. And when we closely look at how Jesus did this throughout God's Word, we learn how we can walk in the "way of Jesus" as well. Listen in to the latest sermon to learn how we walk in the way of Jesus each day.
We all know what's it like to wait. Especially during this time of year, there is a lot of waiting. Waiting for gifts to arrive, waiting in line, waiting for Christmas morning. Lots of waiting. And waiting can be hard. During this time of Advent, we learn what it was like for the people of the Bible to wait for Jesus, their Savior. By taking time to dwell on this Advent season, we get a glimpse of their long time of waiting. But what exactly were they waiting for? They may not have realized it but they were waiting for the "way of Jesus." And what is the "way of Jesus"? What they were waiting for was the way Jesus would go about coming into this world and the way He would go about His Father's business on this earth. And when we closely look at how Jesus did this throughout God's Word, we learn how we can walk in the "way of Jesus" as well. Listen in to the latest sermon to learn how we walk in the way of Jesus each day.
Nobody particularly likes to be told what to do. This begins at even a young age. People like to make their own choices and not have others make choices for them. However, we live in a world with authority. We have bosses at our job, leaders in our business world and government in our country. So when we take a look at Peter's charge to "honor the emperor", what exactly does that mean? And how do we live that command out when we naturally don't want to be told what to do?
Nobody particularly likes to be told what to do. This begins at even a young age. People like to make their own choices and not have others make choices for them. However, we live in a world with authority. We have bosses at our job, leaders in our business world and government in our country. So when we take a look at Peter's charge to "honor the emperor", what exactly does that mean? And how do we live that command out when we naturally don't want to be told what to do?
As we grapple with the question of who God wants us to be in a secular and divided world, it is important for us to understand and live out God's call for us within the Church. The last year presented many challenges for the Church. It was a messy time in which we disagreed, argued, and even broke fellowship with each other. But it was also a time where we grew, blessed, and loved each other. As we move forward, it is important that we love each other in the ways that God calls us to. Listen in as we consider what it means to love the Brotherhood.
Peter calls the Church to honor everyone. However, we live in a time where people treat each other poorly in politics, on the news, online and in real life. Families are often in turmoil because of a lack of respect between parents and children. Employees are often put down by their employers, and employers are often undermined by their employees. In such a state, it can be disheartening to the Christ follower who is called to honor all people. So what do we do? How do live out this command?
Join us for our latest sermon series in the letter of 1 Peter through which we will have a series of family conversations within Mount Hope. Our goal is to seriously consider what sort of person God wants the Christ-follower to be in a culture that is secular and divided. Our conversations will move past the popular opinions on this matter to explore what God wants for His people. Our hope is that you are challenged to live out God's desire in your life.
At Mount Hope, what excites us most is to see people responding to Jesus, both locally and globally. In this mission to see the Gospel shared and lives transformed, a question we often grapple with is this: "What is our place in this mission?" As Christ followers, we are called to take the good news of the Gospel to every person around the world. How does that translate to each of us? What is our place in this mission? As a church, we have the privilege to partner with many who committed their lives to this mission. Most of them have left their homes and loved ones and moved to places around the world. While most of us within the church aren't able to do the same, we still have a role to play in God's mission. Join us as we consider our place and God's call.
At Mount Hope, what excites us most is to see people responding to Jesus, both locally and globally. In this mission to see the Gospel shared and lives transformed, a question we often grapple with is this: "What is our place in this mission?" As Christ followers, we are called to take the good news of the Gospel to every person around the world. How does that translate to each of us? What is our place in this mission? As a church, we have the privilege to partner with many who committed their lives to this mission. Most of them have left their homes and loved ones and moved to places around the world. While most of us within the church aren't able to do the same, we still have a role to play in God's mission. Join us as we consider our place and God's call.
Ed & Kim Nye have served as global outreach workers in the Muslim World for nearly 20 years working towards Church Planting Movements among all the people groups in their area. Their passion has always been mobilizing and equipping more people into the far corners of the harvest field. To that end, they currently serve as the Director of Mobilization and Pipeline Coordinator for Eurasia (North Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India).
Gene and Lynn have served as Chi Alpha Campus Ministry Directors at Boston University since 2004. Prior to that, they had served 23 years as Chi Alpha national evangelists, traveling the country to share the gospel and to train students to carry out the outreach of their campus. They are a part of the Mount Hope community in Belmont.
Jason and family have served in Israel for more than a dozen years. Their current role encompasses the oversight of all AG work in Israel and Palestine as well as providing direction to a Kindergarten through High School English language school with hundreds of students.
Gregg has served multiple roles since he and his wife, Rita, arrived to Boston in 1984. Among these include: urban church planting and pastoring; Missions & Diaspora Ministry Pastor at Mount Hope; and the founding director of the Intercultural Ministries program at Boston’s Emmanuel Gospel Center which has nurtured ministry to and with diaspora peoples (refugees & immigrants) in Greater Boston. Currently Gregg is helping churches in Greater Boston to respond to the incoming wave of Afghan refugees.
We have often heard it said that when one doesn't feel close to God, ask yourself the question, "Who moved?". Even those who have been transformed by the Lord and have walked with Him for some time continue to have questions and still find themselves in the valley at times. As we continue to dive deep into the book of Luke, we understand that as believers we will walk through mountaintop experiences as well as valleys. Those mountaintop experiences are crucial to how we will handle the valley. Listen in to this week's sermon to hear about what the disciples learned from their mountaintop experience and how they handled their time in the valley. May it be an encouragement to you in your walk with Christ when you have questions or walk through difficult times.
Though the technology of GPS has certainly made our lives easier, there are still times when we are following that highlighted blue line that we need to be sure we are paying close attention. Maybe it's dark. Maybe there is a detour or the area is completely new territory to us. Whatever the reason, we need to not just follow, but to follow well. This week as we continue in our "Follow Series" through the book of Luke, we gain a deeper understanding of what it means to follow Jesus well. What does it look like? What is the everyday call to follow Him well? What can we learn from His interactions with the disciples? Listen to this week's sermon to learn more about what the call to follow Jesus can look like your life.
In our society, it is not uncommon to hear how important it is to be a leader. There are many books, articles and podcasts on this topic. It's rare that you hear the focus on being a follower. As believers, being a follower actually plays an important role in our everyday lives. So what does it mean to actually be a follower of Jesus? In the book of Luke, as Jesus teaches the disciples, we learn what it means to truly follow Him and rely on Him as we share the gospel. Listen in to our latest message to see how Jesus shows us how to be the "lead-follower."
Life can be hard. Life can be challenging. Sometimes we are confused or lonely. Other times we feel lost or we are in need of healing. It can be difficult to navigate these times in light of our faith. During our sermon series, Good Dirt, we have met many people along the way who have taught us, through their encounter with Jesus, how to walk out our faith. This week we meet two people who show us two different kinds of faith in Jesus and how Jesus works through each of them in their different circumstances. We learn that sometimes our faith is more proactive and sometimes it sits in patience. Listen in as we learn about these two faiths and how they can impact our lives each day.
We often encounter circumstances that seem absolutely impossible to handle. They seem so weird and out of the ordinary, but have a deep impact on how we live. In situations like this, how do people of faith handle it. As we continue in the Book of Luke, we come across a man who had and extraordinary problem that required an extraordinary solution. We meet the man possessed by a 1000 demons. Listen in as we explore how Jesus handles this situation.
You've heard it said that we are either just coming out of a storm, in the middle of a storm or about to head into one. It is true that storms are a part of this life. However, there are times in our storm that we might wonder where God is. We don't always hear Him clearly and we fear that He doesn't see what we are going through. The disciples knew a thing or two about storms over the sea. As we continue in our Luke Series, we see what the disciples learned from Jesus as they went through a time of a storm. This look at scripture teaches us about His presence in the storm that surrounds us and what we can learn as we walk through each storm in our life.
You've heard it said that we are either just coming out of a storm, in the middle of a storm or about to head into one. It is true that storms are a part of this life. However, there are times in our storm that we might wonder where God is. We don't always hear Him clearly and we fear that He doesn't see what we are going through. The disciples knew a thing or two about storms over the sea. As we continue in our Luke Series, we see what the disciples learned from Jesus as they went through a time of a storm. This look at scripture teaches us about His presence in the storm that surrounds us and what we can learn as we walk through each storm in our life.
As we move ahead in our Luke Series, Good Dirt, we are introduced to a few women who were with Jesus and are true examples of what it means to be present with him and to carry out His work in our daily lives. These women show us what it means to be intentional an intimate when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. As believers, we are often reminded of the daily things that need to take place in our walk with Christ. We need to spend time with Him. We need to be in His Word. We need to be about His business. But sometimes we don't know what that actually looks like.
As we move ahead in our Luke Series, Good Dirt, we are introduced to a few women who were with Jesus and are true examples of what it means to be present with him and to carry out His work in our daily lives. These women show us what it means to be intentional an intimate when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. As believers, we are often reminded of the daily things that need to take place in our walk with Christ. We need to spend time with Him. We need to be in His Word. We need to be about His business. But sometimes we don't know what that actually looks like.
It takes work to truly get to know someone. We know that it takes time, conversation and asking questions to truly understand who someone is. In the same way, it can take time and relationship to understand and see who Jesus truly is. And as we do get to see and know Him, how does that impact us? This week as we continue in our sermon series, Good Dirt, we see through the eyes of a few people in scripture how to know who Jesus is and how knowing Him can impact our lives and our days for His glory.
With the Olympics happening right now, we often hear how this athlete is the best or that athlete is the greatest. But what exactly does it mean to be the greatest? What is the criteria in order to be determined as the greatest? Truth is, these questions are going to be answered differently in the world of the Olympics than they are in the Bible. As we continue to learn and study through the book of Luke, we see what actually defines greatness, who is considered great in the eyes of Jesus, and how this definition affects us within in God's Kingdom. Listen in to this week's sermon to understand why this kind of greatness matters to God.
How do you handle life when it seems it isn't going your way? When we encounter moments and circumstances that do not line up with our expectations of my Christian life, we are often left with doubts about our journey, calling, choices, etc. It may be when a tragedy hits or when we pray for someone that we hope will be healed and they are not. We are left with questions about God's goodness and power. In such moments, what do we do with our questions?
As we continue in our series, Good Dirt, we are going to meet someone very close to Jesus who had struggled with these questions as well. He looked at his life and wondered why God was not at work. And we are going to learn something about our own and how we should respond.
There are times when we see someone's faith and it truly amazes us. Maybe that person stepped out of their comfort zone to follow the Lord's leading, moved to a far away place for a call to missions or started a ministry. Often, we stand in awe at these moments of faith and obedience in someone's life. But what kind of faith is God Himself amazed at? When does He marvel at His children's faith?
As we continue in the book of Luke with a new sermon series, Good Dirt, we take a look at a man whose faith amazed Jesus. The Word of God comes to people through many different avenues and yet, people respond differently. This week's message shows us how this man responded and what we can learn from him to grow in our faith in Christ.
We welcome our former Pastor, Dr. Robert Crosby and his wife, Pastor Pam Crosby, back to Burlington. Dr. Crosby reminds us of the value of hope especially in the face of hopelessness. Listen in as he challenges us to hold on to the Handle of Hope!
In churches all around the country and around the world, you will hear the Word of God preached. It comes to people through the words of people on the streets, through friends and family, through all sorts of media. However, with the Word all around us, why is it that only a few people respond to it? How do you and I ensure that we are responding to the Gospel in the right way? Join us as we consider the words of Jesus in the book of Luke in our new series, Good Dirt.
As we look around at what is happening around us today, it is easy to ask ourselves, "What is wrong with this world?" But maybe it isn't the world, but rather, the heart of mankind that lives in the world. The truth is, all that we see happening around us has to do what is coming from the heart. Jesus, in the book of Luke, teaches us the importance of the fruit that we are bearing in our lives. The fruit that shows in our lives is what will affect the world around us -- for better or for worse. So how do we get to the place where we are bearing the right kind of fruit in order to live an unshakable life? Dive into the book of Luke with us to see how the Lord directs us in this aspect of our Christian walk.
We often encounter people who treat us unfairly. Whether it's an unkind word, a slight in a relationship, a coworker who badmouths you in order to get ahead, or a family member who treated you in horrible way, these things have a way of shaking us. In moments like this, it is easy to treat them in kind. It is easy to be unfair and unkind to those who treat us that way. However, to live an unshakable life, Jesus calls us to a better and harder way to live. Jesus calls us to love those who hate us and to those who are unkind to us. How do we as Christ-followers live in a way that overcomes the wrongs done to us and still blesses those who did that to us? Join us as we consider what it takes to live a life that is unshakable.
A desire many of us have in common is the desire for joy. We work hard to live lives that bring us joy. However, to achieve this, we often pursue the things that make us happy. The reality is, this happiness is often short-lived and leave us wanting and working for more. We also realize that happiness is fickle. It is so often driven by our circumstances. So how do you and I live with unshakable joy despite our circumstances? Join us as we continue in our series "An Unshakable Life" in the book of Luke.
We've all experienced circumstances in life that cause us concern, make us a worry, or maybe even truly shake us. So, how do we live a life that is unshakeable when circumstances are difficult? How do we build a solid foundation so that we are able to stand firmly? This week, as we dive back into the book of Luke, we take a look at scripture where Jesus teaches us, as Christians, what it truly means to build our life on a firm foundation and how to live out an unshakeable life each and every day. Jesus is quite clear in His Word that how we build our life and on what foundation will determine how we respond in difficult circumstances.
This last year has drawn people into taking sides on virtually every issue about race, health, politics, and much more. In this chaos what role does the Church play? Do we choose sides? If so, how do we decide what side to be on or are we called to something different? In such a world, how do you and I live? Join us as we consider what God call us to and how Mount Hope may lead in this space.
We often miss things that happen around us because they happen in ways that we weren't expecting. Often when God moves, He moves in ways we do not expect. He does things in the lives of His people in ways they do not see coming. But the danger is that we as Christ followers miss God moving. How do we prevent this from happening? Join us as we continue to explore the Mission in the book of Luke
Out of necessity, we are now able to close deals, see the doctor, checkin with our families, attend concerts from home. This last year has helped us hone our remote work and remote relationship abilities. However, there are somethings that require us to show up in person. There are somethings that require a personal touch. The mission that Jesus calls us to requires us to live in relationship in-person. in this day where that seems hard to fathom, how do you and I live missional lives in-person?
When we are ill, so often the symptoms are not the real issue. There is something within us that is causing us to become sick. While we often seek healing for the symptoms, the doctor seeks to fix the underlying problem. When we come to Jesus, He always seeks to fix the root problem. What does that look like in our lives? Join us as we continue in the book of Luke.
Don't the movies of the underdog captivate us? We find ourselves engrossed in their story and pulling for each and every one that is on the team. In each story of the underdog, there is a common thread. We watch as the team of individuals becomes one team with one common goal. As we continue along in the book of Luke, this week we observe a group of people that had been following Jesus but were still individuals unaware of their mission. We see how Jesus teaches them about their call and mission and how He calls us to the same mission today in our lives.
God has done some incredible things in our lives. We all have stories of the change and the transformation we have experienced after meeting Jesus. You and I aren't meant to keep that to ourselves. But how and where do we take our story? Jesus had a story to tell. He went from city to city telling it. Join us as we look at how Jesus took His story on the road as we consider how we do the same with our own.
We often take what's ours and what's familiar for granted. It may be the latest devices that when we got it, we were so excited to have, but now it's familiar and tired. Or the relationship that we're in. When it first started, it was exciting and full of life, but now it seems like we've settled into a rut. Familiar things are often taken for granted. But there is a danger to that. Jesus was taken for granted by His own people. Listen in as we explore how He navigated that. Join in as we kick off our new Sermon Series, "The Outsiders."
Life is full of interruptions. There isn't usually a day that goes by that an interruption doesn't show itself in one way or another. Wherever we face them, at work or at home, we have particular reactions and responses to them. But what about disruptions? Do we have the same response to disruptions that we do to interruptions? Is there even a difference? This week we take a closer look at these questions as well as one other -- what do disruptions even have to do with the Bible or our walk with Christ? On this Palm Sunday, as we continue in our Luke Series, we see more clearly how Jesus disrupted the lives around Him and how the groups of people reacted to Him.
Throughout life we find ourselves in many different situations. Within those circumstances, we think we know our reaction or at least how we should respond. However, it isn't always that simple. Sometimes who we think we are doesn't match up to who we actually are. For the past couple weeks we have taken a look into the book of Luke and have learned how particular groups of people saw Jesus and what happened when they didn't truly see Him. This week, we take a look at another person who was very close to Jesus and yet had to walk a difficult road of sifting in order to see who Jesus truly was.
Throughout life we find ourselves in many different situations. Within those circumstances, we think we know our reaction or at least how we should respond. However, it isn't always that simple. Sometimes who we think we are doesn't match up to who we actually are. For the past couple weeks we have taken a look into the book of Luke and have learned how particular groups of people saw Jesus and what happened when they didn't truly see Him. This week, we take a look at another person who was very close to Jesus and yet had to walk a difficult road of sifting in order to see who Jesus truly was.
Have you ever looked back at life and wondered how you missed it? The "It" could be a relationship, or a financial decision, a career choice, or something that where you wish you had made a different choice. We all miss things that are in front of us at times. Some are inconsequential but others are life altering. In our new series, we take a look at some people who missed it and some who did not. In this sermon we look at why the religious leaders in Jesus' time completely missed out on Jesus' work.
We all know men and women who are well respected in their communities and have accomplished much. Some of them within the church world and some outside. But what happens when we hear of the failures they've had in their behavior or in their character? We are broken when we hear that they were living a double life, presenting themselves as respectable and accomplished when in reality they misused their influence and the trust placed in them. How did they get there? While most of them did not start that way, but along the way their hidden actions led them away. How do we avoid doing what they did and make the mistakes they made? Join us as we look at Jesus' final temptation.
We all know men and women who are well respected in their communities and have accomplished much. Some of them within the church world and some outside. But what happens when we hear of the failures they've had in their behavior or in their character? We are broken when we hear that they were living a double life, presenting themselves as respectable and accomplished when in reality they misused their influence and the trust placed in them. How did they get there? While most of them did not start that way, but along the way their hidden actions led them away. How do we avoid doing what they did and make the mistakes they made? Join us as we look at Jesus' final temptation.
We all enjoy some good shortcuts. Whether it's on the road, or at work, or at home, we enjoy the shortcuts that help us save time. However while shortcuts claim immediate gain in the short term, sometimes, these can be harmful and may create more work than we originally thought. In our lives as Christ followers, we are not immune from the effect of a bad shortcut. Join us as we consider how we can discern what's in front of us and how we may handle such a moment.
We jump back into the Book of Luke as we explore the Gospel and how it speaks into our culture and the challenges we face today. In this series we explore the temptations that Jesus faced. Scripture reminds us that as He faced them, He never gave in. How do you and I follow His example and stand in the face of temptations as well? Join us for our newest Sermon series.
We jump back into the Book of Luke as we explore the Gospel and how it speaks into our culture and the challenges we face today. In this first sermon of the series, we explore the theme of repentance and what it really means and how we live it out in our daily lives.
One way to solve a dilemma or when you are between a rock and a hard place is to look for the third way. There are times in our life when we have two options in front of us and neither of them looks appealing, in times like that we think there has got to be another option. When we see the contemporary issues around our day, we may sometimes feel like we have to either be compassionate or compromise our biblical values and truth. But is there a better way? Join us as we examine how we may live compassionately without compromising our values.
In this "new normal" where social distancing is the norm, we've had to redefine many of the ways we interact with each other. One of the casualties of this redefinition is our effort to have community with each other. However, the need for community has never been greater. A foundational part of our Christian walk is to be in community with each other regardless of the conditions around us. Listen in as we talk about how we may live out the Biblical command to live in community.
While events and circumstances around us may seem chaotic and disheartening, we are often left questioning how we ought to respond. Scripture reminds us that our primary response ought to be prayer. Join us as we look closely at the role of prayer in the life of a Christ-follower.
With 2020 in the rearview mirror, we look forward to what 2021 will bring us. As we start this year, we will take some time to consider the foundations of our Christian life this year. Join us this week as we examine our relationship with God's word.
The Christmas story tells us of the steps of faith that Mary had to take. It was a great unknown what her life would look like if all that God told her would come true. When God calls His people, it is into such steps of faith that He calls them. What are the steps of faith that you are called to? Join us as we consider what God is calling us to do.
What is your greatest need? As we come to the Christmas season, we often think about the things we want and need. But if we're honest with ourselves, none of these address our greatest need. God sent His Son to this earth to address a need that we all have. Join us as we explore what this need is and how God resolves it.
As we enter the Advent season, we reflect on the people of Israel as the expectantly waited on God for the arrival of the Messiah. This Advent season, follow this journey with us in the book of Luke.
We’ve all been in situations where we did something that we thought deserved more thanks from someone else. In the end, the person who didn’t show gratitude lost an opportunity for a deeper relationship. How does this look like as we examine our relationship with Jesus? Should we be motivated by the healing process or the healer? Is our cry for help louder than our shout of praise?
We’ve all been in situations where we did something that we thought deserved more thanks from someone else. In the end, the person who didn’t show gratitude lost an opportunity for a deeper relationship. How does this look like as we examine our relationship with Jesus? Should we be motivated by the healing process or the healer? Is our cry for help louder than our shout of praise?
Have you ever gone online to a website or an app to do something useful - Reserve a table, research information, or check something for work? But one link comes another and 30 minutes or an hour passes and you could not remember why you picked up your phone in the first place? Whenever this happens to us, it is a reminder that technology can either be used as a tool to experience long-term joy or it is something that uses us and replaces long-term joy with short-term pleasure. Jesus says that to follow Him, we must be willing to invest our lives in following him. If we say we want to follow Jesus and then spend our time doing things that do not draw us closer to Him, aren't we putting short-term pleasures in front of Him? How then should we change to spend our time wisely and efficiently?
While technology does a wonderful job of connecting us to those around us, it unfortunately allows us to stay disconnected from each other as well. In other words, technology helps us connect with those who have similar interests and worldviews as our own. This ability enables us to filter out ideas and views that differ from our own and as an extension, the people that have those ideas and views. As Christ followers, how does this line up with the way God calls us to live? Does this function of technology align or contradict the values of Scripture?
All of us are designed to be in relationship with each other. This is what makes us human. However, as digital technology and communication advances there is less and less need and opportunity to interact with people in person. We have the ability to hide those parts we don’t want seen by other people like never before. Therefore more people know less about us and we aren't really known to anyone. In such a world how do you and I maintain the relationships that are mandated by Scripture?
All of us are designed to be in relationship with each other. This is what makes us human. However, as digital technology and communication advances there is less and less need and opportunity to interact with people in person. We have the ability to hide those parts we don’t want seen by other people like never before. Therefore more people know less about us and we aren't really known to anyone. In such a world how do you and I maintain the relationships that are mandated by Scripture?
It's no secret that our world runs on technology. In some way, shape or form we are all involved in the digital world. Whether it be for work, school or to keep in touch with loved ones far away, we all depend on technology in our lives. This year in particular, we may feel this more than ever before!
Technology certainly has its place. But what about when it is out of place? What about when it begins to control us instead of us controlling it? Of course, you won't find the word "iphone" or "technology" in the Bible but God's Word does have principals regarding what we let have control over our lives. In the times we are living, we may be tempted to want to be in the know of the latest news which puts us interacting with technology even more. But what if we put God's principles into place and put technology in its proper place? How could our lives look different? Join in and listen as we begin a new sermon series, "Digitally Remastered."
Sometimes when we look around our community and our world, we may find it difficult to believe that we can be a part of God's work to draw others to Him. But despite how difficult it may seem, God, through His Word, calls each and every one of us to be a part of His work. This week Sarah Malcolm, one of our GO Partners, challenges us to be engage in God's mission of spreading His gospel to the world. Sarah reminds us that God's mission matters in our world. And though it may feel much bigger than us at times, with small acts and intentionality we can make a big difference for His Kingdom.
At Mount Hope, what excites us most is to see people responding to Jesus, locally and globally. This last year was an eventful year for all of us, especially our Global Outreach Partners. While everything seems to have sutdown with the spread of COVID-19, the work of our Partners kept growing stronger. Join us as we celebrate with them and hear their stories.
The longer you and I are Christ followers, we realize that more of our relationships are more Christian than not. We often surround ourselves with people who are also Christ-followers. While this is a good thing, the challenge then is that we do not have non-Christ-followers around us. If we are called to introduce other to Jesus, then we ought to have people in our lives who aren't like us. So how do you and I live lives that make space for Christians and non-Christians alike?
We love stories where people go out of their way to help someone else. Whether it is pulling over on the side of the road to help someone stranded, or an athlete who slows down in the middle of an event to help out a injured competitor, or someone who gives away all their wealth to benefit those around them. We love these stories because it is not the norm. These are stories of great people doing great things that not most people would so. So what does greatness look like for you and me? How do we live in a way that that we too can be great, doing great things, in ways that the Bible calls us to. Join in and listen as we begin our new series, Love Your Neighbor.
Have you ever received the perfect gift? Who was it that gave it to you? More often than not, the person who gave us the perfect gift was able to do so because they knew you well. For us to love our neighbors we have to know them and see them clearly. So how do you and I see those around us clearly?
We are called to give an answer to anyone who asks us about our faith. How do people know to ask those questions? We certainly don't walk around with a billboard claiming that we are Christians. So how do people who do not follow or even know Jesus know to ask those questions of us? Join us as in our Sermon Series "Love Your Neighbor" as we tackle this question.
In a culture where we enjoy our circles and cliques, we end up being divided. And when we're divided, we become distrusting and fearful of those outside of our circles. While this is a inescapable reality in our world, it shouldn't be so within the church. How do you and I deal with our differences and the "others" within our churches? Join us for our last segment of our One Another Series.
There is much hurt when we are wronged by a brother or sister who is also a Christ-follower. When we experience such pain, we are often tempted to walk away from the relationship, be vengeful, or even hurt the person back. After all, the cancel-culture within society and the church is at it peak. Within the wake of all the responses back and forth, we are left wondering if this is the right way for us to respond as Christ-followers. How do you and I appropriately respond to someone who has hurt us?
Every person who has ever been in a relationship of any sort: personal, emotional, professional, friendship and such, have experienced the inevitable sorrow of being let down in some way. As humans, it is in our nature to not always live up to the standards we have for one another. And when we experience this sort of failure or let-down, we are often hurt by it. This is even more hurtful when such things happen within the church where we expect people to treat each other with respect and grace. How do you and I respond in such moments? What should our response be to those who hurt us? Listen in as we continue in our One Another Series
Our words matter. How we speak to and of each other has an incredible impact within the church and in society. It can be hard to choose the right words especially when presented with tough situations. So how do we speak in a way that does not cut down but rather builds up one another? Join us as we continue in our "One Another" Series.
Most of us have disagreed with a loved one over issues large and small. Sometimes these disagreements balloon into large ones where the relationship is affected. In these moments, we have a choice to make. Do we stick to our points of view or do we preserve the relationship. As much as this happens in our everyday lives, it happens within the church as well. How do we handle such moments as Christ-followers? Join us as we look at how Paul addresses this issue.
In a world that has a hard time relating to each other well, as Christ-followers we are called to live with each other in harmony and love. This is easy in theory but a hard task in practice. In our latest sermon series, we will explore some of the "one-another" commands in Scripture. Our hope is that God will speak to you through His word and transform the way you see those around you.
We all have people in our lives who really should be living their lives in a certain way, but they don't. They are supposed to be productive with their time, resources, and relationships, but we see them doing the opposite. How do you deal with people who know that they are supposed to do something but they don't?
Life is rather unpredictable can be overwhelming at times. It takes unexpected turns and twists. Just when you think you’ve got everything figured out that that all your plans are coming together the unexpected happens. How do we as Christ-followers stand firm in such moments? What do we do in such moments? Join us as we consider how Paul answers this question in his letter to the Thessalonians.
As Christ followers, our call is to spread the love and gospel of Christ. We do that with our words and the way that we live. However, how we use our words and how we live can have a negative impact on our task. Listen in as we consider Paul's message to the church of Thessalonica about how they should live out their witness.
How do we live when we know something is about to happen? We do our best to be prepared for emergencies. We tidy up our houses when we have guests coming over. We prepare by studying when we have a test coming up. When we know what's coming, we adjust the way we live to prepare for that moment. Paul reminds us that Jesus is coming soon. So how do you and I live in anticipation for this moment? Join us as we find answers to this question in our series in Paul's letters to the Thessalonian church.
In our life, no matter our circumstances, there will come a time as believers that our allegiance to Christ will conflict with the values around us. How do we respond when this happens? What promises can we hold onto when we come upon this crossroad? As we continue our sermon series and study on the book of Thessalonians, we learn from Paul that even in times of persecution for our faith, God has promises for us to remember when we stay true to Jesus.
There are many voices around us, always vying for our attention. Between the media that we consume, the social media that we engage with, and the live voices of our friends and family, we can be overwhelmed at times. So how do we determine who to listen to and who to ignore? In our latest message, Paul exhorts us to carefully consider who gets to speak into our lives, especially our spiritual lives.
The world feels a bit upside down right now, doesn't it? Nothing feels "normal" and it seems things are constantly changing around us. Honestly, it's hard to decipher at times how to navigate each day or even each moment. It seems too often, that no matter our efforts, the same difficulties and sins are seen over and over again in our culture and lives.
But what if this upside down feeling is a good thing? What if we could see what's going on around us as a catalyst to turn our world upside down in a positive way? How can Jesus help us to do that? As we begin our new sermon series on the book of Thessalonians, we will see how others turned their world upside down through the gospel and how we can follow their lead in our times right now.
We continue in our series "Learning from a Pandemic" as we look at some the lessons God has been teaching us during these challenging times.
As we come to the close of our Sermon Series on life after death, you may still have many questions. Join us for this session as we consider some of the questions we have received from you.
Quite often, as a mom, you may feel like your days are mundane and ordinary. You may even feel like what you do each day doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. In your world as a mom, the seeds you sow don't often bear fruit until much further down the road and that can be hard on you day in and day out.
However, God does see you mom and your tasks that feel mundane each day. He has a purpose in your mothering. Within His Word, we find three woman that help bring clarity to to our purpose in motherhood and how we are called to carry out that role each day before Him.
As followers of Jesus, we have this strong hope that the moment we close our eyes here on earth, we open them to an eternity with Him. When we talk of life after our death, a big question we have to grapple with is this, "What will we look like?" As we think of our life in eternity, what will our bodies be like? The scriptures are not silent about this and this week we take a look to find answers to this question.
If given the chance, would you want to go to heaven right away? While some of us will jump at the chance, some of us would be reluctant. The question then for us as Christians is why would one who believes in heaven struggle with wanting to go there? For some of us, this is a real tension that we feel. Listen in as we explore why this is the case.
In times like the one we're living through currently, we are confronted with the reality of death all around us. For some of us, this fills us with immense fear and anxiety. However, for those who follow Jesus, we're filled with hope. This is not because of we're in denial of the suffering around us, but instead we're grounded in the eternal hope that is found in Christ. In this new series, we look at life beyond our time here on earth as we explore what the Bible has to say about our eternity after death. Listen in as we look closely at heaven in our series titled "the Good Place."
Many of us had a picture of what Easter was supposed to look like. We planned our day, expected to carry on our traditions and those plans probably included being with others. However, in reality, this year it looked much different than years past. As we live in this world of social distancing, our day might have been a bit lonelier, or quieter or simpler.
But despite this beautiful day of celebration looking a little different than we may have envisioned, it doesn't change who God is and what the resurrection means in our lives. Easter may have looked different but the tomb is still empty! This week we take a look at how, despite this difficult season, the Lord is still our help and our hope each and every day.
In our society, there is plenty to be said and taught about being a good leader. Books have been written, TED talks have been spoken and seminars happen daily on the topic. But what about choosing a leader? Are there many books written on that topic? Honestly, that may be harder to find.
As we have been studying the book of Judges, we have learned about many leaders. This week we take a closer look at what kinds of leaders the people are looking for and why. God's word shows us the best kind of leadership and points us to Jesus on this Palm Sunday as we head into Holy Week.
If we are truthful with ourselves, children are not the only ones afraid of the dark, are they? As adults we also don't like when things are dark around us. In this world, it is inevitable that there will be times in our lives when our circumstances feel dark. But what do we do when we find ourselves in this place?
God's Word gives us plenty of examples of dark times for people in the Bible. Often, they felt as if they couldn't see who or what was around them. But God. But God, even in those difficult circumstances reveals to us how He continued to work and move during their dark times.
Our world is living through a time of unchartered waters, much uncertainty, and unknown circumstances. Because of that, we may be feeling out of control. We cannot control what is going on around us but the good news is that God is in complete control. He is not one bit surprised by our circumstances and He is sovereign over all of it. When we feel like we lack control over what is happening, we can respond in a couple different ways. Thankfully, God's Word teaches us how to respond in situations when we feel like we have no control. And His Word reassures us that we can come to Him when we don't know how to respond.
Listen in as we respond to the rapidly changing situation with COVID-19. Join us online for our Sunday Services for the foreseeable future.
As we have been studying the book of Judges, we have learned that we, as believers, all have a purpose in His kingdom. The Lord calls us to be set apart for Him, though this is not always an easy feat. But what does being "set apart" actually look like? How does it play out in our everyday lives? What is our responsibility in being "set apart" for him and how do we stay focused with so many distractions around us? It's vital to our Christian walk to understand what it actually means to be set apart and not set aside his purposes for us.
In our walk with Christ, we are called to join His greater story. He calls His people to live lives of trust. While many of us start well, somewhere along the way, life has a way of derailing some of us from God's plan. This may happen as a product of our failures or even our successes. So how do we stay within God's plan for us? How do we continue to live in trust? In this sermon, we look at the life of a Judge, whose success derailed him from God's purpose for Him.
In our Christian journey, we all encounter situations that are too big for us to handle. How do you respond in such moments? Sometimes, we turn to things and habits that help us alleviate the pain, forget our cares, or even escape reality for a moment. Whether it's binging on our favorite show for hours, turning to alcohol or drugs, eating excessively, etc., this things may aid in leaving behind our burdens for a moment. But the reality is that the problem that caused these situations still exist. As long as the problem remains, we find that we are stuck in a pervasive cycle that leads us deeper into our crisis and farther away from resolution. What we desperately need is for a break in the cycle. So how do we break the cycle? Who or what do we turn to in moments of crisis? Join us as we look through the book of Judges as we explore our need for a savior
We know that God is with us all the time. And we know that He is a good God. However, sometimes along the way we can forget these truths. We can even forget Him. When things are going well or everything seems to be in place, it is easy to forget Him in our lives. It's easy to go about our days simply not remembering Him. So, what does it look like to forget God? And what are the consequences for not remembering Him in our lives? In this last sermon, we explore in the book of Judges, the consequences that the Israelites faced in forgetting God and how He draws them back into remembrance.
Have you ever experienced being a rut? You feel like you're doing the same thing everyday, and no matter how much you try you're just not able to break out of it? Sometimes in life we get into a cycle of wrong decisions and wrong outcomes, leading us down a dangerous downward spiral. So, how is it that we find ourselves in such a predicament? And once we're in, is there a way out? The people of Israel upon entering the Promised Land found themselves in such a cycle. Listen in as we explore their story to see how we may learn from their experience.
Our lives are often filled with events, activities, and other commitments that we say "Yes" to, allowing us to feel a sense of accomplishment. However, the more we say yes, the less we truly accomplish. Could it be that saying "no" may actually benefit us? This reality lends itself to our Christian lives as well. In this sermon we examine what it means to say "yes" to God. Join us as we kick off our new Sermon Series titled "Breaking the Cycle" where we study the book of Judges.
Finances can certainly be a tricky subject to discuss especially on a Sunday morning. However, money is part of everyday lives and we need it in order to live here on earth. Regardless of how much or how little money we possess, as Christians, we are called to have a healthy relationship with money. This may seem like an easy task but it can be more difficult than we think. In fact, sometimes we have an unhealthy relationship with money and don't even realize it. Join us for our last sermon in our 20/20 Vision Series as we learn how to have more clarity in our financial responsibilities.
Living in relationship with the people around us, requires that we live with clarity of who we are and how God sees us. When we lose this clarity, we live in conflict. We live with an improper and even inappropriate view of other people. As we look at the conflicts in society today, we realize that sin has warped our view of God and each other. As we enter this new year, our goal is to live out the sort of relationship that God calls us to. Join us as we join Guest Speaker Rev. Eddie Stewart as he reminds us of our call to live in brotherly love with each other.
Certain tasks we undertake in life seem efficient and often see immediate results. But those same tasks may not always be the most effective. While the task was accomplished, did it really make a difference? And sometimes, the opposite is also true. Some of the tasks that we undertake, may seem inefficient but are in reality, quite effective! On the Christian journey, people often see as an inefficient use of time! One may wonder if taking time to pray over a situation can really alter it. But we are called to prayer! So could it be that, prayer might actually fall into the latter category: Inefficient, but very effective? Prayer provides us with the clarity we need to live lives consistent with God's Word. So, how do we pray? We aren't left to figure out our prayer lives on our own, as God's Word teaches us about prayer and shows us how we can pray even when it might feel ineffective.
A challenge we often face as Christians is to live consistently with our beliefs. How do we live lives that clarify our faith? Our answer to this question is found in the Word of God. Our strength to live a Christian life is correlated to how we approach God's word. This year, our hope is that you are able to grow in your reading and understanding of the Word of God. Listen in as we talk about how that happens.
A new year brings new hopes and dreams. As we pursue new opportunities and ventures, it is important for us to focus on what's important. It is important to see with clarity, so that we may live consistently with our faith. This month we start a new series titled "20/20 Vision" where we are we consider how we may live with clarity in this new year.
Christmas is a wonderful reminder that Jesus came to this earth to bring peace. He came so that we would have peace with each other and with God. But as we look around, we realize that in our world there is a stark absence of peace. Jesus came, but peace did not? Well, we know that Jesus is coming again and this time He will bring the peace that He promises. So how do we live in between these two comings? This week we take that closer look at the carol "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day". The Word of God has something to say about how we are to live our lives during the "in between."
Have you ever received news that you were pretty excited about, but others around you did not respond the same way? We all respond to events and matter in different ways. While some responses are pretty tame, some of them can be life changing. When Jesus was born, some rejoiced and some we pretty upset. The news of Jesus' coming was a blessing to some but disruptive to others. So why do we respond this way? This week we look at the carol "O Come All Ye Faithful," as we explore the right way to respond to life around us.
Christmas is here! Christmas Carols are virtually all around us during this season. We hear them everywhere; on the radio, in malls, and waiting rooms, etc. While them may seem commonplace, they declare a grand message: The Messiah has come! Listen in as we take a closer look at some of these carols. Join us as we celebrate the coming and the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. This Sunday, we look at the carol "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" where we look at the role that the little town of Bethlehem played in the birth of Christ.
As much as we plan, organize and strive, life doesn't always pan out the way we wish it would. Whether it's our career goals, health, or relationships, life often takes us in various tangent away from the path we had hoped for. This is especially true in relationships. So what do we do? How do we as Christians respond when our relationships don't look the way we hoped they would? As we come to a close in our "This is Us" series, we look at the life of Job to see how we too may maintain the perspective he maintained in the midst of our chaos.
Many of us have experienced the joys and even the sorrows of finding the person we hope to spend our lives with. As dating in this modern age gets complicated and high-tech, we are often left wondering about the purpose behind it all. As Christians, how do we reflect Christ in the pursuit of the one we hope to marry? This week we talk about the challenges we face when dating and how we may stay focused on the right things in our relationships.
We all have relationships in life. Whether it's with your spouse, children, family, friends, or coworkers, these relationships are often nuanced and have tensions that need to be managed. This week we talk about the challenges we face as parents. While we strive to be the best parents we can be, we often fall short. In our latest sermon in our series, we ask the question "How can we be Christ-like Parents?" If you missed Sunday's sermon, you may listen here.
On our own and single, it is pretty simple to make our everyday decisions. We have more freedom and only our own agenda to live out. However, when we enter into a marriage relationship, it certainly becomes a bit more difficult. It seems tension and conflict are introduced once there is an "us" in marriage and not only a "me" anymore. We now have another person to consider. We have other opinions and thoughts being spoken into our lives. So how do we handle the tension and conflict? And more importantly, what does God say about how to live out this precious relationship in our lives?
Thankfully, God's Word has much to say about marriage. His Word teaches us how to walk out our marriage, how to handle tension and what steps we can take to make the changes needed in our relationship with our spouse.
We often enjoy restoring what is broken. We see a old car or an appliance that's in disrepair and we work to restore it to its original condition. We may also see circumstances that need fixing and we do what we can to repair it. However, when we don't understand the depth of the encountered problem, we can't truly restore it. Paul reminds us that in our brokenness we can't simply be restored, but instead we need to be reconciled. And as much as we may try to do this under our own power, we are unable to do so. So, how are we as Christians truly reconciled?
How do you define success? What makes you feel successful? For some of us, it is the completion of a project at work or at school. It might be hitting a financial goal like landing a great job or paying off debt. The more we pursue success, we find that it is often an elusive goal. There will always be someone more successful than us or there is always more we can do. We're often pushing ourselves towards success and never really getting there.
So, how do you define success? What does success look like for us as Christ-followers and for us as the Church? Scripture has plenty to say about success and it rarely looks like how the world defines it. Join us as we look at the words of Paul as he considers who Jesus is and defines for us what success really means.
We can learn a lot about who we are and our priorities simply by looking at our calendar. It reveals to us who or what is important in our lives. We are protective of the time we spend with people that are important to us and for or the activities and hobbies that we enjoy. So, how do we determine what takes priority in our lives? Even in our lives as Christ followers, we are called to examine who or what comes first. How do we determine what's most important in our Christian walk?
Too often we feel that God is invisible in our lives. If we can't see him, how can we know him? This question has been asked by many over time. And many more have attempted to answer it with their own opinions of who God is. If we're honest, we too have created our own opinions of who God is. But of course, it is just that -- an opinion. So how do we truly understand who God is? Who is Jesus? What role does Jesus play and can we truly know who He is? We believe that the Word of God answers these questions, moving beyond opinions, and presenting truth. When we have a better understanding of who Jesus is in our lives, we have a better understanding of serving Him with our lives. Join us as we begin our new series "Who is Jesus?," as we look closely at the word of the Apostle Paul to the Colossian Church. Here he unpacks who Jesus truly is and how these truths impact our lives.
There are times where we want or desire something from God. We pray continually for it. We are ready for it and believe it is the right time for the request to be answered. However, despite our desire and best efforts in prayer, God simply says "no". Or maybe he says "not yet" or even "you're not ready". But why? Why does God allow us to stay in this place where we feel stuck?
The Bible lets us know about a group of people who were in the same place and endured a similar experience. They wanted to move forward and yet God did not answer their prayers in the way they expected.
"Why are you here?" When asked this, our responses vary, with us looking to the philosophical, the logical, or even the the physical for answers. We may know how we have physically gotten to where we are but we may not always understand why.
However you may define the "why," Scripture reminds us that it is connected deeply with God's purpose for us. While we may not realize that our story matters in the bigger picture of God's incredible work, He is accomplishing something grander than is apparent. This week in our series, we look at an important character in whose life, this was a reality.
Join us in our series "How God Prepares People," as we look closely at the lives of some people we admire in Scripture and explore God's work that got them there.
In most of our lives, we come to moments where it feels like a phase of our life is done. You may remember when you graduated High School or College and it felt like that part of our life was over. But we know that it was not the end of our story. It was merely a transition and the start of a completely new journey. God often takes moments that seem like the end of our story to begin something new. In our message this week, we look at the life of Paul the way God began a new story in His life. Join us in our latest series "How God Prepares People," as we look closely at the lives of some people we admire in Scripture and explore God's work that got them there.
In life we often find ourselves in situations that seem unfair. You're unfairly assigned blame on a missed deadline, or a loved one finds out they have cancer, or a child rebels against the family and God. In such moments it's hard to see beyond the pain and frustration. But Scripture reminds us that God is at work doing something bigger in us and through us even in such moments. In this message, we look at the life of Joseph, whose life seemed to the perfect storm of unfairness. However, that was only a part of his story! Listen in as we continue on our Sermon Series "How God Prepares People.
Most of us admire the Underdog! We do so because we love the success story of a person who overcome all sorts or adversity to finally become successful in what they set out to do. In this Sermon, we'll look at the life one such person in Scripture: David. Join us in our latest series "How God Prepares People," as we examine closely, some people we admire in Scripture and explore God's work that got them there.
You may have heard the saying, "Show me your friends and I will show you your future." Motivational speaker Jim Rohn famously said, "We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with." This resonates with us because we know that friendship is important and that the people who we're closest to shape who we become.
The friends we keep can be the source of our greatest joys and even pain. They can build us up or tear us down. And so, it is important to be in relationships with the right people. What type of friends do we keep? What qualities do these people need to have?
Maybe you've heard the expression, "The hustle is real." Most of us can relate. We are BUSY, we have too much on our calendars. There are e-mails to send, people to meet with, laundry to get done, and it seems like the list never ends. But what does all this busyness accomplish? Is there a purpose to our work?
The Bible is not silent on this topic of work and laziness and even uses the smallest of small to teach us about how we spend our time. When we face the crossroads of work on our journey, we often have to choose how to invest our time, energy, and resource that God has given us.
In our society, there is an emphasis on the importance of material things. Possessions can be made a priority all too easily if we listen to the voices and world around us.
In our hearts we, as Christians, know that people are more important than possessions, right? We understand that relationships matter more than things. However, at times it is hard to live out this truth. How do we react when we come to the crossroad of relationships vs. resources? The book of Proverbs certainly has something to say about this crossroad in our lives and how we are to live it out on a daily basis.
There are warnings all around us daily. They may be in the form of traffic signs, or warning labels on the household items or tools we use every day. We may not understand these warnings but they are there for our safety and for our protection.
When we look to the Word of God, we encounters some warnings as well. These are words of caution given to us by the Lord. We may not always understand them or see what they have to do with our lives, but God knows the warnings we need to keep us close to Him and on His path. Some warnings have to do with our actions, our decisions, our relationships and even how we view sex in our world and in our marriages. Though it may be a more difficult subject, God has something to say about it and we need to adhere to His warnings.
There are times in all of our lives that we wish we could protect ourselves from the pain in and around us. However, in the reality we live in, pain is an indispensable part of life that no one is immune to, no matter one's wealth, connections, or station in life. As long as we live in the this world, pain will come!
The pain we endure may come as the result of our own poor choices or the actions someone else takes. But what if the pain comes because God is teaching us something? How do we respond when God uses trials and pain to reveal more of himself?
You may have heard the phrase, "Hindsight is 20/20." This refers to our ability to look back on situations we've been in or decisions we've made and make judgements on whether we handled it the right way or not.
We often learn lessons from such moments, after we have already encountered them. At times these are painful lessons learned due the consequences of decisions made in such moments. But how do we spare ourselves the heartache and pain of these consequences? How do we approach decisions and actions in our lives where we don't have to live with regret? Instead, how do we live life with satisfaction and gladness over our choices?
In today's world when we have a question, where do we go? There are many avenues to get the answers we need quickly in this digital age. Gone are the days of heading to the library to find the answer or waiting for the weekly newspaper to keep you updated. Nowadays, it's a lot easier to get the information we need.
But what about when we have deeper questions about the world around us or about how we are walk in our day to day tasks? Many Christians, thankfully, open God's Word. However, sometimes God's Word is perfectly clear on an issue or topic. Sometimes it isn't so black and white. What then?
As we come to the close of this passage in Colossians, Paul teaches us how to handle questions that aren't perfectly clear in God's Word. He lets us know what is important and how to address these times of not knowing or seeing the clear answers.
If you are a member of the Mount Hope community, you have joined with us as we gather as a church Sundays or at one of the various time during the week. You may have joined us at one of our church locations, or are a part of one of the many groups that meet throughout the Greater Boston area.
But as you gather with others in the church community, have you ever asked yourself why you do so? What is the goal behind our gatherings? Everyone has a reason of their own as to why they come to these events. It may be to listen to some great music, or to listen to a relevant talk, to spend time with friends, or simply because it's some thing that's always been done.
As we come to the close of this passage in Colossians, Paul addresses this issue and encourages us to do a couple of things every time we come together as a community. Listen in to be encouraged and challenged to live out the biblical standard of community.
As Christ followers, we are called to live in good relationship with others. Often, this is easier said than done. If we look around our society today, there is plenty of diversity. But this diversity comes at a cost. What makes us diverse can also divide us. We are divided by our worldviews, politics, wealth, preferences, and so much more. So how do we live out our call to live in unity? In the words of Paul, how do we put off what divides us and put on what unifies us?
As we continue our sermon series on the book of Colossians, join us as we learn about what God has to say through the apostle Paul about unity in Christ.
Over the past couple weeks, we've explored the need for change in our lives, especially the sort of change that only God can bring. Regardless of the type of change we experience, it should be reflected in our words. The way we speak to people now should not be the same as before our encounter with God's grace. Simply put, as Christians, our speech should be different than that of the world's. However, at times, we find ourselves falling into the old pattern of speech we had before our experience with the Gospel. We struggle with words spoken in anger and words that tear others down. How do we change our words so that they reflect God in us? How do we learn to build others up with our words? Paul, in the book of Colossians, teaches us what we need to do in order to change our old self into our new self, as reflected in our speech.
We see things around us all the time that need to be changed. Whether it is rearranging our house, or making career adjustments, or working on our relationships, there are things in all our lives that we would like to see changed. However, we often don't take the time to make these changes. This is not only true of the physical things we see but also the spiritual needs within us. We tolerate the things in and around us because we simply don't know where to begin. Fortunately, God does. Through the book of Colossians, He reminds us that change comes by ridding ourselves of certain things and focusing on others. This past Sunday, we explored what God calls us to get rid of and what He calls us to focus on.
As we continue our sermon series on the book of Colossians, join us as we learn about what God has to say through the apostle Paul about this process of pursuing change
In this life, it seems that many of us are often in pursuit of change. We oftentimes chase down what can make us better. We might make changes in our health, changes in our finances or in how we spend our time. Unfortunately, these changes we realize are not permanent as we revert back to our old lifestyle and ways of doing things. So how do live in a way that makes brings about permanent change in our lives? What does the Bible have to say about these pursuits? How is change to be sought after in light of God's Word? As we begin our new series on the book of Colossians, we see how Paul speaks to us about who we in Christ are and how this reality plays a role in the pursuit of change.
In life we sometimes experience things that we can't quite comprehend. How do you process such moments? How do you bridge the gap between experience and the explanation of the experience? At times, we are left with more questions rather than explanations in these moments. This Easter we look at some of the big questions we often ask ourselves and examine how the Bible would answer them.
What do you do when you have to keep something valuable safe? Where do you store it? When faced with a task like this, we often look for the safest, most secure place we can find. Whether it's a bank or a safe for our money, or maybe a high quality phone case with the right screen protector for the newly purchased phone. We take measures to make sure that our valuable possession is kept safe.
We believe in a God who has a treasure worth protecting.. However, how he does so is very different from how we would do it. Paul tells us that he chooses to store His treasure in "jars of clay..." something precious, in something fragile! This Easter, we explore what it means to be given this treasure.
As we come to the close of our sermon series, we explore the final instructions given to Daniel as he continues to live in exile. Join us on this last sermon through our series as we explore what it means to stand for God in a culture that opposes him.
When we are interested in a topic or want to grow in a certain area of our lives, the most productive thing we can do is to to seek out the experts. We nay do this by reading books, follow experts on social media, or even meeting with people who can help us develop in these areas. Doing this in our spiritual life, helps us as we strive to grow in our walk with Christ. In the arena of prayer, one such expert is Daniel, who shows us how to pray especially in the midst of some of the toughest times in life.
Who is Jesus? Is He really God or just a mere human that somewhere along the way go the title of God? As Christians, we affirm Jesus' divinity, the world we live in does not. We live in a culture that often questions the validity of this claim, and goes as far as devaluing or even denying it. So how can we be sure of who He is? Just like we do today, Daniel lived in a time where the people around him, denied that his God was truly God and even passed laws to prevent him from worshiping God. However, Daniel never wavered in his devotion to God. In this latest sermon, we will look at Daniel to see how we too may be faithful to God in a time when no one else is.
As Christians, we often face a daunting amount of pressure in regards to our faith. At times, we may be face with the choice of giving in to the demands of society or facing the consequences of choosing our faith. How do we handle such opposition and what will sustain us in these moments? Join us as we study the book of Daniel in our Sermon series, "Following God When No One Else Does." Here we examine Daniel's life to see how we can follow God in a culture that is opposed to Him and His people.
Life challenges each of us in unique ways. At times, it seems like all is good and so life is peaceful. Then there are the moments that wreak havoc and bring us pain. However, it matters how we respond to both extremes. At times, when life is good and prosperous, we fall to the temptation of believing that we are the architects of our prosperity instead as a blessing from God. And in times of bad, we may mistakenly respond in anger and frustration to our circumstances instead of God leading us to a deeper reliance on Him. In both situations, it can be easy to miss God callings us back to Him.
So why do we respond in such ways when God in His word calls us to live differently? In this last sermon, we explore the tale of two kings and how they responded in their times of good and bad. Join us as we study the book of Daniel in our Sermon series, "Following God When No One Else Does." Here we examine Daniel's life to see how we can follow God in a culture that is opposed to Him and His people.
In our world currently, everyone around us seems to have a position they maintain on almost every issue. In such moments, as Christians, we can find ourselves at odds with how the world thinks. Because our faith demands that we think and respond to these issues biblically, we can face a great amount of pressure from those around us to give in to the way they think and to even give up on our faith. In the face of these adversities, how do we take a stand when it seems everyone else around us is bowing to the world? How do we live out our faith in these situations?
Join us as we explore the book of Daniel in our Sermon series, "Following God When No One Else Does." Here we examine Daniel's life to see how we can follow God in a culture that is opposed to Him and His people.
We live in a culture that in many aspects, have declared themselves free of God. We see this in our politics, education, pop-culture, technology, and so on. In the midst of this, we are called as Christians, to have our identity firmly rooted in Christ and to live life with our focus on Him. However, we are also called not to merely journey through life, watching out for ourselves. Instead, we are challenged to bring the Gospel to the people around us. So, how do you share faith in God with a culture that does not believe in God or feel like they need him? Join us as we explore the book of Daniel in our Sermon series, "Following God When No One Else Does." Here we examine Daniel's life to see how we may follow God in a culture that is opposed to Him and His people. If you missed last week's sermon, you can listen here.
How do you protect what is yours? We devote a lot of our effort and invest considerable resources in protecting our possessions in many aspects of our lives. How do you protect what is spiritually yours? How do you keep the world and the enemy from capturing and destroying your God-given identity? Join us as we start a new series in the book of Daniel as we explore what it is to follow God in a culture that is opposed to Him and to His people.
What does generosity truly mean? How does the Bible instruct us to be joyful and generous givers? Where should our motive for generosity come from? These are all questions that can be important in our walk with Christ. Our generosity affects those around us and in God's Word, Paul teaches us how we can use the means we have been given by His grace to bless others.
Join us for our final week of our "Who We Are" Series.
As a culture, we are consumers who buy, experience, read, listen, and enjoy unlike any other. Sometimes, we allow this culture to make its way into church. At times, our worship services and our gatherings become more about us than it's true purpose. So, what is the purpose that we are called to? Is our faith one that merely consumes what God has for us or is there more to it. Join us as we continue in our sermon series "Who We Are" as we explore our identity as a church.
We live in a world where anxiety abounds. Whether it is regarding our future, our finances, our safety, or a myriad of other reasons, we have plenty to be anxious about. So, how do we deal with anxiety? While there are thousands of resources available to us on the web, in bookstores, and at doctors offices, these practices only lead to a temporary fix and often, we find ourselves being anxious about something else. If so, are we destined as people, especially as followers of Jesus, to be merely "anxiety-tolerant" or is there victory over anxiety? The Apostle Paul offers us another perspective and encourages us to live anxiety-free lives. Join us as we dive into our latest sermon series "Who We Are" in which we explore how we can rid our lives of anxiety and live in true freedom.
As believers, the Bible plays a strong role and has much to say about how we live our lives. However, there are times when the Bible hits us hard. It challenges us to change how we are living. How do we respond when the Bible hits us hard? Do we allow it to shape us? Or do we try to change it to fit into our lives? Within His Word, God teaches us how we are to face these times in our lives. Join us as we dive into our latest sermon series of "Who We Are" as a church and as a Christian.
How do you live with what you have? Our wealth and possessions are an expression of God’s kindness to us. However, at times we may misuse what God has blessed us with, placing more value on our riches than on the people He has placed in our lives. Our focus sometimes shifts from a reliance on God to our own abilities to accumulate and keep our wealth. We become people focused only on our present circumstances. So how do we as Christians handle wealth and the blessings God has given us? How do we live lives that follow what God's design for life? Join us as explore what James has to say about this in our latest sermon series.
Are you a planner? We may do it differently and use various methods, but in one way or another we all like to have a plan. We set reminders on our phones and mark appointments on our calendars. We have retirement plans in order and college funds funded. We are planners. But, how do we as Christians approach planning? Does God have anything to say about our plans and how we make them? How does our faith interact with our desire to plan?
We have all experienced conflict in many areas of our lives. Be it at home within the family, with your spouse, on the job, or with friends, it is a reality that we live with. All too often, we experience conflict within the church too. These conflicts do not represent Christ well. So, how do understand conflict and what hope do we have of reducing it?
Listen in as we continue in the book of James in our series, "Putting your Faith to work."
Have you ever said something that made someone's day? Or uttered some misplaced words that led to bad consequences. Our words are more powerful than we realize. Our tongues are a small part of our physical body, but has incredible control over all aspects of our lives through what we say. So how do we maintain control over our tongue before it controls us? How do we live lives where our words bring God glory and not dishonor? In the book of James, he addresses the relationship between our words and our faith. Join us as explore what he has to say, in our sermon series on the book of James.
What's more important to you? What people say or what they do? How does it play out in your own life? Do you put more emphasis on what you believe or on how you live out what you believe? Listen in as we look at the book of James, in our series Putting Your Faith to Work.
Have you noticed that you become more like those you surround yourself with? Maybe you find that you think very much like your friends, or that you finish your spouse's sentences, or you speak like the people in the town to which you moved. That's because we shape our relationships and our relationships shape us.
So if our relationships shape us, how do you know which relationships help us become more like Christ? What does Scripture have to say about who we choose to be in relationship with? Join us as we wrap up our sermon series, RelationSHAPE, in which we explored how God shapes our most important relationships.
Listen in as Kristen Anderson shares her compelling story and takes questions on the topic of suicide
What defines your relationship with your children? What gives them meaning? What does God desire out of your relationship with them? God has a purpose for this relationship shared by parents and children. In our new series, RelationSHAPE, we will explore how God shapes our most important relationships.
For those of us that are married, it is the most important relationship we have outside of the one we have with God. How did your marriage start? Was it because you fell hopelessly in love? or was it because you finally found someone who was perfectly compatable with you. Maybe you found someone who was very much like you or maybe even unlike you. While all these reasons are good, how do you keep your marriage going? Will these be enough to sustain your marriage? If not, what defines the SHAPE of your marriage? Listen in as we begin our new series, RelationSHAPE, where we look at how God defines the shape of our most important relationships.
If you have ever flown anywhere, you've probably stood in a line where the first class, business class, and about three other boarding groups boarded the aircraft before you did. While these experiences take place for a variety of reasons, they often leave the person frustrated, slighted, and disheartened that they do not belong, or that they are not in the "in-crowd."
How does we as Christians measure up against the world when it comes to playing favorites? Tune in to this week's installment of our sermon series "PUTTING YOUR FAITH TO WORK," as we listen to James' advise on the matter.
If you have ever flown anywhere, you've probably stood in a line where the first class, business class, and about three other boarding groups boarded the aircraft before you did. While these experiences take place for a variety of reasons, they often leave the person frustrated, slighted, and disheartened that they do not belong, or that they are not in the "in-crowd."
How does we as Christians measure up against the world when it comes to playing favorites? Tune in to this week's installment of our sermon series "PUTTING YOUR FAITH TO WORK," as we listen to James' advise on the matter.
As Christians, we take care to listen to the Word of God. We listen to sermons at church, podcasts, conferences, and a myriad of other ways. But what do we do with this Word? James has a caution for us in James 1. Listen in as we explore what James has to say to us today.
We have all at some point been tempted to take a shortcut in life. Whether that's on the road, in our relationships, or at work, we've been there. Where does such temptation come from and where does it lead us? James give us an answer in our series "Putting Your Faith to Work."
How do we live our best life now? Well to answer that, we ought to ask what the "best life" entails. Is the "best life" one full of happiness and good things and with the absence of hardship or trials? So often our lifes seem to consumed by tough moments. Is there a place for the rough things in life? How does God use these moments to enable us to live our best lives now. Join us as we look at the Book of James in our new series "Putting your Faith to Work."
Have you ever said, posted, texted something that was taken the wrong way? You were misunderstood, causing a conflict to arise. When we do not know the intent behind something heard, seen, read, or experienced, a misunderstanding arises. We have come to the last sermon in our series in the book of John. As we do, we ask the important question of why John wrote the book and how it applies to us.
You and I have had moments where things just do not go our way. How do you respond in such moments? Today, we'll look at Jesus' approach to this question. Join us as we continue our sermon series, Believe, on the book of John.
Have you ever started working towards a goal and somewhere along the way found yourself drifting away from it? More often than not, it happens to all of us. It happens especially in our relationship with God and our call to serve Him. Sometimes we drift away from what God has called us to do. How do we overcome such moments? Let's take a look at what Jesus has to say about this as we continue in our sermon series, "Believe."
Have you ever heard a truth about yourself that you did not like? How do you handle such a moment? Join us as we consider Jesus' final words to His disciples before his death. We're continuing in our Sermon Series on the book of John.
We have all been there. We say or do something out of character or that contradicts what we believe in. Maybe it's something small like a rash comment or a burst of anger. Or sometimes it carries a bigger impact like making a terrible business decision, or entering into a bad relationship. This may happen because there is a disconnect between our beliefs and our behavior.
How do we change that? How do we live lives consistent with our beliefs? Join us as we look at Jesus' response to this question in this week's installment of our sermon series "BELIEVE."
Have you ever faced a worry that you just could not seem to overcome? Have you ever laid in bed unable to fall asleep because of your worry? How do you deal with such moments? How do you deal with worry? Join us as we explore the words of Jesus as we continue in the book of John
In the last day before Jesus' death, he does some of His most important work. Knowing that He had just a few hours before He would be crucified, Jesus focuses on the important. What does He consider to be important and how should we view that? Join us as we continue in the book of John in our series "Believe"
They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. But so often we do. We may look at a situation, an item, or even a person, and base our expectations on an experience we've had with them. When this happens, do we miss out on who they are in the moment? Listen in as we continue in our series "Believe" on the book of John.
Who are the people you admire and respect most? Maybe it's a favorite actress, a sports icon, an author, or even a regular person. How closely do you follow them? We all follow someone to a certain degree. But in a world full of voices demanding our attention, who do we listen to? How do we know if the person we're following is worth following and beneficial to our lives? In our latest sermon in our series, we attempt to answer this question.
We live in a world that seems divided on almost every issue including the Gospel. So how do you speak about Jesus to a divided world. Let's take a look at the account of a man who encounters Jesus and decides to share of his experience in a similarly divided culture. Join us as we continue in our Believe Series on the book of John
Have you ever purchased a handbag or a pair of shoes, or any such item and found out later that it was a knock-off of the real product? Often we come across products and even people that are in some ways deceptive. Sometimes people can be so deceptive that they can delusional to who they truly are.
Has there ever been a time where you were delusional of your own self? How would you correct that?Join us as we continue in our new sermon series BELIEVE.
How do you handle confusion in your life? How do you respond in moments of chaos? What we desire most is clarity in such moments. It's as important as a drink of water when you're thirsty. But what does clarity look like and how do you find it? Listen in as we continue in an exciting and engaging message on the book of John in our series "Believe."
In a world where we are constantly looking to fix what's immediately in front of us, we often focus on the momentary and lose sight of the eternal. The people in Jesus' time dealt with the same problem. How do we escape this pattern? Join us as we look at the book of John in our series, "Believe"
How is it that we sometimes miss the most obvious thing or person in front of us? It may have happened to you if you're in the grocery store and you're looking all over, above, below the shelves for a particular item only to find out it was in front of you the entire time. So often, we are so intently looking for something that we completely miss out on what's more important. Does that happen in our Christian lives? Join us as we look at the book of John in our series, "Believe."
This Memorial Day Weekend, we take the time to remember the generations of Americans who have given that last full measure of devotion in the pursuit and protection of the freedoms we enjoy in our country. Just as we are grateful for them, we are forever grateful to our God who provides ultimate freedom. Today we are reminded of these freedoms by the men at Teen Challenge Boston, as they share their stories of finding relief from their bonds in Jesus.
Have you ever been in a place or situation where you felt like you weren't a part of the in-crowd and that you're an outsider? You may have felt like that the first time you came to church, or maybe you feel that way about church even now. How does Jesus approach this? Are there insiders and outsiders among His people? Join us as we look at the book of John for answers in our series "Believe."
Have you ever had something happen in your life that caused you to question everything you knew and trusted? How did you respond in that moment? Join us as we continue in the book of John as we look at a man who face a similar dilemma.
Have you ever looked at a product and ever wondered if you were using it in the way it was intended? Maybe you've re-purposed a the wood from a pallet to create an incredible planter. This is an improvement on the pallet's original purpose. But sometimes, we misuse things in our lives, using them in ways they were never intended. And sometimes, we do that with our lives. Join us as we look at the book of John where Jesus calls us back to our intended purpose.
When did you first become a Christian? When asked this question, do you go back to the moment you first prayed a prayer, or filled out a card, or a specific moment? For some of us, it is that moment. Yet for others, it may have taken days, or months, even years to finally put our trust in Christ? Are either one of these approaches the right one? Listen in as we look at the Gospel of John in our new series "Believe."
Who are you? You've probably heard this question asked a hundred different ways over the years. How you answer this question is tremendously important. Join us as we talk about what John has to say in our series, Believe
Have you ever put an 'or' where an 'and' should go? As a Christian, do you tend to lean more toward grace or truth? Can we be one or the other or do we have to be both? Is it even possible to maintain both? Join us as we look at the book of John in our new series "Believe"
What does God look like? Have you ever grappled with trying to figure out what He's like? Can you know for sure what He's like? Join us as we dive into the Gospel of John in our latest sermon series, "Believe."
When we come to the Scriptures, we see a God who does not tolerate evil and judges those who do evil. But we also see a God who is loving and merciful, and would stop at nothing to redeem mankind. So how do you and I make sense of a God who seems contradictory? Join u as wee look through the book of Joshua to learn more about who God is.
Identity is important to us. We take care to remember who we are and where we come from. But there are moments in life, where we can lose track of that. How do you maintain your identity in those moments? Join in as we look at the book of Joshua to see what God has to say to us today.
How do you live when life is good? What are those things you do when life is all as it should be? We all have moments of goodness when God answers a prayer, or shows us grace. How does God want you respond in such moments? Listen in as we look at the story of Joshua and the Israelites in our series "Step into the Promise"
At some point or another, we have all prayed for a miracle in life. We believe that God does the miraculous. And if He can do the miraculous, whether a miracle happens or not, depends on Him. But is that all, that takes for a miracle to happen? Do we have a role to play in it? Listen in, as we look to the book of Joshua to find the answer.
Have you ever looked at a person and wondered how God could possibly use them? Maybe you've asked that about yourself. Perhaps it's a wrong experience, attitude, or even family circumstances, that make you ask that question. Join us as we look at God's perspective on the "Wrong" person.
Before you ever buy a device, an appliance, or pretty much anything you own, you may have asked yourself the question: "How much is it going to cost me and what benefit does it bring me?" We do this with so much of our lives. How do we address this question in our Christian walk? Join us as we look at the book of Joshua to see what God has to say to you and me.
What is your biggest fear? We all have fears, but if we are to move in the direction that God has for us, He desires that we overcome them. Join us as we look closely at the book of Joshua to find the source of courage in the face of fear.
Transitions are an important part of life. However, they can be some of the toughest moments we will deal with. When life transitions into something better, we enjoy those moments. But what happens when something good comes to an end? How do you and I live in those moments? Join us in our new sermon series "Step Into The Promise" as we look at the Book of Joshua.
We close out our Fully Equipped sermon series by asking the question, "How does the Work get done?" We are called to share our faith, but how exactly do we do it? Listen in as we answer the call to take the Gospel to the world.
Have you ever wondered what kind of story your life says about you? The way we live, relate to others, spend our time, and what we do with our money, all define that story. What Story do you want your money to tell about your life? Join us as we talk about how we are to manage the role of money in our lives in our series, "Fully Equipped: All you Need to do Your Best Work This Year"
If we are called to do our best work this year, where do we start? What is the one thing you and I can do this year, that will ensure we are living to the potential that God has given us? Join us as we answer this question in this new installment of our Fully Equipped Series.
The best work we can do this year is to grow in Christian maturity. Join us as we look at the best tool at our disposal in order to do this work. We continue in our series, "Fully Equipped // All You Need to do Your Best Work This Year."
As you enter the new year, what is your greatest challenge? What do you need to do your best work this year? Join us as we answer these questions in our new series "Fully Equipped // All You Need to do Your Best Work This Year."
This morning we had a special visitor who came to speak to our Burlington Campus. Listen in as the Prophet Micah talks to us about what God had to say through him to His people.
At some point in all of our lives, we may have started to do something and never got around to completing it. Why is it that at times when we try to accomplish something good for ourselves, for others, or even for God, we lost steam along the way? Join us as we look at the book of Zechariah and look at what God has to say to His people.
We are all busy, and the ironic thing is that in spite of a seemingly endless supply of time-saving gadgets in our lives, we are busier than ever before. So what to we do and how do we keep our priorities in order in the midst of all this activity?
Have you ever heard the phrase "that's just not fair!" Chances are you have, from a child, a friend, or you yourself may have said it at some time. As a Christian, what should our posture be towards the injustice we find in the world? Join us as we look at what Amos has to say about the topic.
Life is a journey of highs and lows. Like most of us, you may rejoice in the highs. But how do you respond when life goes from bad to worse? How do you respond when things stay consistently bad? Join us as we look at the life one prophet as he responds to similar circumstances.
We have all experienced tragedies in our lives. We have experienced them in our personal lives, in our communities, in our nation, and around the world. How do you respond in those times of tragedy? What is your typical posture in these moments? Join us as we look at the book of Joel in our series "Overwhelmed."
How do you love someone that continues to hurt you? Do you give up and move on? How does God respond when we continue to live lives that are displeasing to Him? Join us as we grapple with this question.
When someone challenges you by making you aware of something about you that you may or may not have known, how do you respond?How do you and I respond when it comes to the Word of God? Join us as we tackle this question in our new series, "Overwhelmed: Major Lessons from the Minor Prophets."
What are you best known for? It may be something you've done or said. Sometimes, you may be known for something you didn't do. Join us as we take a look at the life of a person in the Bible and what he is known for.
We are called to share the good news of Christ work for us with all. Often there are borders that limit our task. What are the borders that you need to cross in order to accomplish God's call on your life? Join us as we have Guest Speaker, Greg Mundis share at our Global Outreach Celebration.
Who do you say you are? You may have many labels describing your identity, but where does that identity come from? Join us on our final sermon of the series as we challenge an assumption that we have about our identity.
Who do you say you are? You may have many labels describing your identity, but where does that identity come from? Join us on our final sermon of the series as we challenge an assumption that we have about our identity.
Have you ever done something good and felt like that made you feel good about yourself? Is this feeling based on an assumption or is it rooted in the reality of who we are? Join us as we take a closer look at our third assumption in our Sermon Series "Group Thin? Challenging our Assumptions."
Are you really free? You say you are, but it all depends on how we define free. While we value our freedoms highly, we may at times assume more about what freedom really means. Join us as we take a look at this assumption in our series, "Group Think? Challenging our Assumptions."
Is newer always better? We live in a world where the assumption is that the new IS better. In a culture that is always striving to build newer and better, how do we live out our "ancient" faith? Join us as we answer this question in the first sermon of our new series "Group Think? Challenging our Assumptions"
How do you impact a society that seems to be hostile and contrary to what you believe? Listen in as we talk about what we need to do in order to have an impact in our sermon series "Be One."
How do you impact a society that seems to be hostile and contrary to what you believe? Listen in as we talk about what we need to do in order to have an impact in our sermon series "Be One."
Have you ever looked at someone and wondered what it is about them that makes them unique? Jesus prays a prayer over you and me that would make us unique. Listen in as we talk about what defines who we are in our new sermon series "Be One"
Have you ever encountered a conversation that led nowhere? Maybe and argument or a debate of some sort? We come across these in the church. What does Paul have to say about such things? Listen in as we close out the book of Titus.
There's something inside of all of us that needs to be renewed and regenerated, the only challenge we have is that we cannot accomplish this on our own. So, who can help us?
What keeps you motivated to live the life that you aspire to live? Paul writes to Titus and includes a piece of advice that he says, "this is an profitable and excellent saying." Join us as we explore this advice that Paul gives to Titus.
This week we continue in our series on the book of Titus, "While You're Waiting." We often ask the question, "What do we do while we wait?" but Paul talks of a bigger question "What motivates you to live the right way as you wait?" Listen in as we look at Paul's answer to this question.
Paul writes to the slaves of his time, encouraging them to keep their Christian witness, even in their situations. How does this apply to us today? Listen in as we continue in our series "While You're Waiting..."
In a world where we are more than ever, segregated by age, how do we relate to those who are at a different stage of life than we are? What do we have to offer each other? Listen in as we look at Paul's words to Titus about this issue.
In a world where we are more than ever, segregated by age, how do we relate to those who are at a different stage of life than we are? What do we have to offer each other? Listen in as we look at Paul's words to Titus about this issue.
You and I have come across people that do not contribute to our Christian life. Sometimes, they even hinder us in our relationship with God. In the second week of our "While You're Waiting" Series, we ask the question, "What are the voices that you should not be listening to?"
As Christians, we live with the hope that Jesus will come back to restore all things. We will be with Him some day. But how do we live in the meantime? What guidelines do we live by before He comes back? In our latest Sermon Series, we will explore the book of Titus. In this episode, we ask the question "Who do we allow to speak into our lives?"
On this Father's Day, we conclude our Ancient Families, Modern Problems series. We look at the call we are given to take on the responsibility God has entrusted us with.
Join us on this Vision Sunday as our Pastors lay out the vision for where Mount Hope is going over the next year at both our campuses.
How do you handle pressure? We all have different ways to handle the pressure around us. In this sermon we take a look at how one young man handled pressure from the culture he was a part of. We look at his life to understand how we too can withstand the negative pressure around us.
On this Memorial Day Weekend, we remember those who have selflessly given of themselves so that we may enjoy the freedoms we have today. However, there are many who do not live in freedom because of addictions of one form or another. Will they ever be free or are they destined to this life of addiction, find themselves in prison, or be fatally overcome by their addiction? Join us in this episode as we have the men from Teen Challenge share their stories of God's restoration from addiction and broken relationships.
Relationships are complicated. While many of us in the church are married, many more are not. What does the Scripture have to say to those of us who are unmarried? What is our role to play? Join us for this episode as we look at the relationship between those who are married and those who are not within the church.
What do you do when you are overwhelmed? There are many pieces of advice out there as to what you should do when life seems too much to bear, but which piece of advice is worth applying to your life? In this sermon we discuss the best move you can make when life is overwhelming and to whom you can turn.
What is our mission in life and how do our most important relationships reflect that mission? In this sermon, we explore the purpose for which we were created and how this mission impacts a marriage.
In our second sermon of our "Ancient Families // Modern Problems" series, we take a closer look at the biblical meaning of marriage. How can you marriage be meaningful? What makes up a meaningful marriage. Listen in as we look at what the Bible tells us.
God calls his people to some amazing things at times. He may have called you to do something for Him. But has your response ever included the phrase, "I'm not good enough to do that"? We believe that we have to be good and perfect to do what God calls us to. We believe that our family has to look perfect or our backgrounds must be flawless. But is that really the case? Join us as we explore what the Scriptures say in our new Sermon Series, "Ancient Families // Modern Problems"
What provides meaning to your life? What brings hope? As Christians, we find that in the death and resurrection of Christ. But is it really worth basing our life on it? Join us as we listen to what Paul has to say on the matter.
In our pursuit of the meaning of life, what do we end up chasing? Do we often end up with plastic eggs that offer us nothing of substance? Join us as we explore where the Scriptures lead us on this Palm Sunday.
We are called to share our faith with those who do not know, especially with those close to us. However, there are times when we do not know how to do that. We are often at a loss of words to share. How do we share the good news with those we care about? Join us as we talk about this challenge.
How do you deal with problems that seem to be no or disappointing resolutions? The book of Nehemiah seems to end with disappointment. But is that really the case. Listen is as we look closely at the end of the book of Nehemiah
In the many achievements in life, how do we celebrate? To whom do we give credit? Nehemiah and the Israelites give us an example to follow. Join us as we continue in our series through the book of Nehemiah.
In the process of rebuilding, we will often come up on things that need to be fixed or corrected in our lives. How do we deal with those moments? Join in as we look at Nehemiah as he leads the Israelites in fixing the areas that needed to be fixed in their rebuild.
We all have moments in life when we are overwhelmed by our circumstances. We have times when we overcome by grief over our family, careers, friends, or life in general. How do we deal with such moments? Join as we continue in our Rebuild series through the book of Nehemiah.
Fear is a powerful motivator. It can challenge the progress of even the most impressive work. How do we deal with fear in our lives? Join us as we explore Nehemiah and how he dealt with fear in his own rebuilding project.
Fear is a powerful motivator. It can challenge the progress of even the most impressive work. How do we deal with fear in our lives? Join us as we explore Nehemiah and how he dealt with fear in his own rebuilding project.
Have you ever started doing something good to find out that it wasn't received well? Maybe you were criticised or even opposed. What was you response in the moment? How are we to respond? What does the Scripture have to say about handling opposition? Join us as we look at the story of Nehemiah and explore how he handles opposition.
Nehemiah sets out to build a wall around Jerusalem. However, there's much more to the story. Join us as we start our new series "Rebuild" covering the book of Nehemiah.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the resolutions you make just to give up on them a few days later? The same happens in our Christian life too. What is the solution to this problem? Does it lay in our own effort or is there something more? Listen in as we talk about the help we need for our daily lives.
The best thing we will do this year is to give generously. While most of us give, is there a particular way we are to give? What does Jesus have to say about the way we give? Join us as we talk about giving generously.
The best thing we will do this year is to read God's Word. This is often easier said and wished for, than done. Is there a particular way or time we are to read God's word? Join us as we talk about reading God's word.
The best thing you will do this year is pray. We all pray, but do we know why and how to pray the right way. Join us as we look deeper into Jesus' way of prayer.
We all strive to be the best that God has called us to be. However, it is easier said than done. Sometimes our public persona is very different than what happens behind closed doors. What can we do so that we are genuine in our public and private lives? What is the best thing we can do this year to remedy this? Join us as we kick of our new series for 2017 called, "The Best Thing You Will Do This Year..."
For our Christmas Service, we are joined by a special guest today. Listen in as we celebrate Christmas together.
The Christmas story is a familiar story to many of us, but sometimes, too familiar. Is the story factually true? Or is it like many of the other stories we hear around Christmas time?
Paul closes out the final chapter in the book of Romans by personally greeting his closest friends. But he does have one final warning for them. Join us to find out what Paul has to say, as we close out our "Free | The Book of Romans" series.
We often make plans for our lives. From what we should have for dinner this week to what career path we should take, we plan! Sometimes, these plans do not quite work out the way we hope they do. How do we as Christians respond in such moments? Join us as Paul tells us of his own changed plans.
Every now and then you and I come across people in the church that we may not agree with wholeheartedly. Some we may not see eye to eye at all. How do respond to such differences? How do we live out our Christian life with those we do not agree with? Listen in as we explore Paul's thoughts on the matter.
Have you ever come across people who have told you to do something or to avoid something else so that you may please God? What are the rules to live by? How do we decide what's important to our salvation and what's not? Listen in as we look at Paul's take on the topic.
We are fortunate to live in a country where we have a voice in the way our government is run. Given the leadership we have in place, what is our Christian response to those that come into power?
In life, we do well when we treat our friends honorably. But what does the Bible have to say about treating those we consider enemies or even frenemies? Listen in as we examine Paul's perspective on this issue.
We know that we all have gifts given to us by God, but to what end? What is the purpose of these gifts and how do we use them? LIsten in as we look at Paul's take on the topic in our new series "Repurposed Relationships."
Join us today as we talk about the "why, how, and who" of our missions approach at Mount Hope.
In a world of confusing messages regarding Muslims, how do we as Christians maintain a biblical perspective about Muslims. How do we reach them with the Gospel?
As we seek to live truly repurposed lives, we soon realize that it is impossible to do so without knowing God's will. How do we know God's plan for our lives? Join us today as we explore what it means to know God's will for our lives.
As we seek to live repurposed lives, how do we do that? Who or what accomplishes this transformation? Are you responsible for it or God? Listen in as we explore these questions in our RePurposed Series.
As we seek to live repurposed lives, the question then is what does that life look? Who is this life modeled after? Find out in this installment of our RePurposed Series.
Have you ever watched one of those shows where they take something that's old and beat up and repurpose it to something of value and purpose? How does that apply to our lives? What does a repurposed life look like? Join us in this series "Living a RePurposed Life" as we explore Paul's word to the church.
If salvation is really for anyone who calls on the name of the Lord, what about those people we are not so sure about? Listen in as we grapple with that question today.
Paul emphasizes that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. If that is the case, why isn't everyone we know saved and living the Christian life? How do we account for all the people who do not even know Christ? Listen in as we address this very topic in this installment of the FREE Series.
When you seek God, do you do so on your own terms or on God's? What are God's terms? Find out as we explore Paul's letter to the Romans in our FREE Series.
Is there a reason for everything that happens in life? When you encounter pain and suffering, is there a reason behind it all? Tune in as deal with this in our latest installment of the FREE | Romans series.
What happens when what you know about God's love for you does not match up with your painful experiences? How do you reconcile that. Listen in on this instalment of our FREE series.
What meaning does the pain and hardship that you experience today have? Does your suffering have any significance? Listen in as we explore Paul's take on the matter.
Paul has made it quite clear that we are unable to live the Christian life on our effort. We need help. What does this help look like? How do we lean on this help? Find out as we explore Romans 8 in our Free Series.
Have you ever intended to do good and were unable to do so? Why is it that more often than not, we do what we do not want to do? How does this line up with our Christian lives?
If we are truly free, does that mean we are free to live lives as we please? What does it mean to be freed from slavery to sin? Join us in this installment of our FREE Series.
If God's grace addresses our sins, and if it's available when we sin, is it ok to sin more so that we experience more of God's grace? Join us as we explore Paul's thoughts on the matter.
If God's grace addresses our sins, and if it's available when we sin, is it ok to sin more so that we experience more of God's grace? Join us as we explore Paul's thoughts on the matter.
What if any effect does the sin of another person have on you and me? Are we culpable if another sins? And if so, what can be done about it? Join us in this installment in our FREE | The Book of Romans Series.
While we experience the hardships of life, why is it that the Christian is able to rejoice?
On this Memorial Day, we remember those who have selflessly given of themselves so that we may enjoy the freedoms we have today. However, there are many who do not live in freedom because of addictions of one form or another. Will they ever be free or are they destined to this life of addiction, find themselves in prison, or be fatally overcome by their addiction? Teen Challenge | Boston joins us this morning as they answer this question.
What role does your actions play in gaining salvation? Can you contribute in some way? Paul explores as he looks back at some key figures in Scriptures.
Paul has hammered his point that ALL of us are sinners, in need of rescue from God's wrath. All seems hopeless and lost. We are all sinners, Paul writes, end of story. Or is it...?
As we celebrate Mother's day, have you ever asked yourself what you will pass on to the next generation?
Paul anticipates the questions his audience would have and goes on to answer some of the "Frequently Asked Questions." What questions do you have so far?
If we have the right affiliations, belong to the right church, perform the right rituals, does it mean that we have right-standing with God?
If we are good and do good, do we still need God's grace? How do we view ourselves and our works in comparison to others?
If we believe that everything the Gospel claims are true, then what is our responsibility to share it? What is Paul's advice to us? Listen from Pastor Brian as we explore what it means to be unashamed of the Gospel
We all have blind spots that we may not be aware of. How do you handle them when you're made aware of them?
What do you hold on to or look to when you face your harshest trials. Listen as we explore David's instructions to us today.
How do you respond when evil people around you seem to have everything going for them? When it seems like you endure hardship and they live a good life?
As we start off the new year, we explore the key values that are important to us at Mount Hope.
As we start off the new year, we explore the key values that are important to us at Mount Hope.
As we start off the new year, we explore the key values that are important to us at Mount Hope.
As we start off the new year, we explore the key values that are important to us at Mount Hope. Of all the resolutions you made at the beginning of the year, which one should you not have made?
We celebrate the birth of Christ. But too often our lives, much like our celebration, limits Jesus as that little child in the manger. Does the "newborn King" require much more?
How does a prophecy, uttered centuries ago, relate to us today? Is it still relevant? Does it mean anything to us today?
Are culture, politics, and the law the primary factors in determining the bounds of sexuality? How do we determine and affirm biblical sexuality in a culture that defines it differently?
Too often, the trouble we find ourselves in is in part due to small steps we took in the wrong direction. What measures do we take to guard ourselves from going down the wrong path?
We believe in and live out our pursuit of happiness. But does this happiness line up with the what God want for us? Is there more than mere happiness?
We come across boundaries everywhere. These are essential. But do we need boundaries in our sexuality? What happens when we ignore these boundaries?
There is still a large number of people around the world who have no opportunity to hear the Gospel. What is our role in addressing this problem?
While the Scriptures give us a clear mandate to take the Gospel into all the world, what does that look like for our local communities?
Having a hope for the future frees us to live differently, yet the lives of Christians look the same as the lives of others. How do we as Christians live reflecting the Hope we have?
How do we reconcile our hope when we experience disappointments, failures, and suffering, even after we have put our hope and trust in Christ?
When we get our hopes up in this world, we are too often disappointed. So, is there a hope that does not disappoint?
Why did the woman with the perfume run to Jesus and not to the Pharisees? What does this mean for us?
The church is a place to connect with God and with others. Why, then, is it difficult to connect with other people in the church? How can we connect with one another more effectively?
Church is designed to help us connect with God, so why is it that we can attend church and leave feeling like we never connected with God?
Why do so many with great beginnings, suffer bad endings? How can we avoid bad endings in our own lives?
What do you do when you find yourself being opposed by a powerful person? David found refuge and help from some unexpected places.
Do we as Christians know what we believe and why we believe it? Carl Kerby from Reasons for Hope Ministries shares why it is so important that we have strong, Biblical answers to the questions people are asking.
Carl Kerby from Reasons for Hope Ministries Shares Responses to Arguments made by Richard Dawkins
We all have a unique perspective on things, but in the end only one perspective matters.
When his disciples started scoring greatness, Jesus didn't just change the score, he changed the game.
We often find it difficult to do all the things God says we are supposed to do. Is it our job to muster up the energy and strength to do all these things or does that strength come from somewhere else?
When we give, instead of looking at our resources first, perhaps we first should look to our relationship with God.
How are we to pray?
(Please note: due to technical difficulties the sound in this recording is not as clear as other sermons. We are working to fix the issue.)
The journey to go and see Jesus is not just the Magi's story; it's our story.
A first person sermon on the Magi
There are many pressures women face these days, but God calls women to be a little strange in this world.
What does it mean to "act like men?" How do we protect from external and internal dangers?
Followers of Jesus are Citizens of Heaven, but live in this world. How does following Jesus effect our living in this world?
Through Scripture and miraculous stories Don challenges us to do the one job we have to do after coming to Jesus.
Rick shares how a follower of Jesus need not fear failure even though there is no guarantee of success.
Many people understand why Jesus had to go to the cross, but what does it mean to follow him and also carry our cross?
As Christians we often feel like B-League talent, but its through time with Jesus that we are prepared to do the things He asks us to do.
At Mount Hope we will use "all means necessary" to reach people with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Being a disciple requires a two-point turn: We must to turn from our sin and turn towards Jesus.
Following Jesus is more about what He's done, not what we do. This broadcast includes the testimony from Boston Marathoner Steve Sabra.
The Powerful Testimony of Pastor Louis Miro
We all have issues . . . what are we to do about them?
If Christ is at the center of what you are doing, we will find ultimate meaning and purpose in the day to day.
If we live life under the Son and not just under the sun than everything we do will matter.
In order to hear the voice of God in 2014 we must learn to withdraw from the noise rather than attempt to escape the noise.
We need to be entering into prayer knowing that Jesus has already done everything He needs to do for us. The rest is all grace.
If we are to be the church God has called us to be we must be in relationship with one another.
The devil would love to discredit your life in order to attempt to discredit the God that you serve in the eyes of those you encounter.