Hope Community Minerva: Recent Episodes
Hope Community
Welcome to the weekly audio podcast for Hope Community —a church in Minerva, Ohio that exists to see people discover and experience hope in Jesus. To learn more about Hope Community visit us at https://hopecommunityonline.org/
In this sermon, we continue exploring the vision for Hope Community: 5 years, 500 lives transformed. By Jesus and for Jesus. It isn’t just about church attendance, but about radical change in people’s lives through Jesus. Its going to take significant sacrifice and funding. Pastor Phil encouraged us to give not out of obligation or pressure but cheerfully, as an act of worship reflecting God's generosity towards us. The sermon also addresses the misuse of the prosperity gospel and highlights that true generosity results in spiritual blessings and the multiplication of God's kingdom, rather than personal material gain.
Join us for this powerful sermon on Hope Community's vision and the future of the church. In this sermon, Pastor Phil emphasizes the importance of being transformed by truth, being committed to mission, and fostering unity within the church. Discover how these three key elements can lead to the transformation of 500 lives in the next five years. Get inspired to pursue a deeper relationship with Jesus and cultivate a community that brings hope and healing to those around us. Don't miss this opportunity to be part of something greater and see how God can use us to make a lasting impact.
As we wrap up our series on spiritual rhythms we'll discuss the profound impact that quality relationships and community can have on our life and faith.
Ever felt that tug in you spirit, nudging you to share your faith, but something holds you back? You're not alone. Let's talk about the practice of having spiritual conversations, a journey that promises to fortify your faith like never before.
God has gifted each one of us to contribute and make a difference. Our task is to roll up our sleeves and create rhythms to use our gifts.
Rhythms are all over our lives. They shape our days, weeks, and years. They are predictable and repeatable. Do we have rhythms in our spiritual lives? Let's talk about the rhythm of spending time with God.
Placing God's presence at the center of our existence has the power to align every facet of our lives. Regardless of what the future holds, your next step is to get closer to God.
Things don't always go according to plan. Life doesn't always go according to plan. But we can trust that no matter what our plans are or how they go, God's plans for us are good.
What am I supposed to do? Who am I supposed to become? What is my purpose? These are questions that often come up when we think about our futures. Our purpose is more than what we achieve, contribute, or produce. Our purpose is to know Jesus. Everything else flows from this.
How do we navigate the tension between our present and the future? What about the frustration experienced when we aren't seeing the progress we want? Passages from Ecclesiastes and Revelation will help us navigate the tension between present challenges and future hopes while encouraging spiritual growth and transformation through trusting God's eternal plan.
In Matthew’s account of the Christmas Story there are 2 names given to the child to be born. Jesus meaning “the Lord is salvation” and Emmanuel meaning “God with us.” The simple transformative truth of Christmas is that God came to be with us to save us from our sin.
The angel Gabriel visits Mary and reveals that she has been chosen to be part of God's plan. While this must have overwhelmed her, she accepted the message with faith and obedience. Through this encounter we see God's unwavering commitment to His promises and His invitation to us to be part of his plans and purposes in the world.
Zachariah and Elizabeth prayers for a child were answered at the most unexpected time. The announcement of their son John's birth by the angel Gabriel not only changed their lives but also set the stage for the coming of the Messiah. Their story serves as a testament to the power of God's timing and His ways of fulfilling His plans.
Encouragement is an unlimited and free resource. Let's be generous with it, and bring about positive change in our homes, schools, and communities. Don't miss out on this insightful discussion on the power of encouragement and generosity!
Love God with everything and love your neighbor as yourself. This commandment, taught by Jesus Himself, encapsulates the essence of the scriptures and provides a roadmap for a life of love and generosity. When we live this out in community, we become “I got you” kind of people.
This week as we explore the concept of generosity we will draw inspiration from Paul's words to the Thessalonian and Corinthians churches. We explore how sharing our own experiences with the gospel becomes our personal act of generosity.
As followers of Jesus we should be known for our over the top generosity, not just as an act of giving but as a way of life. Generosity is not limited to monetary donations but expands to many other aspects of life. One of the things we can be generous with is our time.
We will experience suffering in this world. Yet, we can be courageous because Jesus has overcome and he hasn’t left us alone.
Seeing the whole story of scripture in context reveals who God is. There may still be passages that are still difficult, but we can know with confidence the character of God revealed in Jesus.
The Bible teaches that men and women are equal. That was God’s design in the beginning, it will be true in the end, and it is how the church is to live in the present.
The Bible does not support slavery.The Bible subverts slavery.4 things to remember when reading the Bible. -The bible is a library, not a book.-The bible is written for us, but not to us.-Never read an isolated bible verse-The entire bible points to Jesus.
4 things to remember when reading the Bible. -The bible is a library, not a book.-The bible is written for us, but not to us.-Never read an isolated bible verse-The entire bible points to Jesus.
Jesus sends us together to bring His healing into the brokenness of the world around us.
Jesus sends us on a mission. That mission includes bringing the healing of Jesus into the brokenness of the world around us.
Please excuse the audio issues including a continuous pad and a section that is cut out
Foundations : 3 things we believe about God. *At 16:03, video & audio quality change due to connectivity issue.
Am I indecisive about Jesus? Am I opposed to Jesus? Do I believe in Jesus? What is my response?
Trusting that Jesus is the Resurrection and Life heals our past and brings the hope of the future into our present
There are many paradoxes that exist within the Christian faith. The most difficult is the reality that Jesus loves you AND sometimes life is full of pain and suffering.
Mother's Day 2023. Made in the image of God, filled with the Spirit of God, called to mission of God.
Jesus comes into Jerusalem hailed as King, but is preparing to be slaughtered as the lambs for Passover.
Jesus makes some bold claims about himself that, if are true, should shape everything about our lives. Does the reality of who Jesus is inform how we live?
In John 10 Jesus says "I am the good shepherd." What does he mean by that? Why is that such good news for us?
We want the good life. We want a fulfilled life. We want abundant life. How do we get it? Jesus has something to say about that.
When we approach Jesus/Faith/The Bible are we looking for truth or are we looking for confirmation of what we already believe? Let's talk about that.
Why is there suffering in the world? What's the problem and who's to blame? Maybe a better question is what's the solution and who has it.
Wrinkle free days don't create great faith, because we don't know what we believe until it is tested. A faith that has been tested is a faith that can be trusted.
Discipline. Nobody likes it, but everyone needs it. Discipline is facilitates progress in all areas of life, including our faith.
When it comes to growing our faith and experiencing God’s faithfulness, proximity to others matters. We draw near to God, we hold onto our hope in Jesus, and we do it together.
Nothing grows faith quite like stepping out of your comfort zone and serving. It positions us to experience God's power in our weakness.
Believing things is fine, but believing doesn't make a difference. Doing is what makes a difference. When it comes to faith Jesus wants us to be "doers" of his word, not just "hearers."
"I have faith" is a common sentiment. Humans are spiritual, we are people of faith, but the question is: faith in what? Faith always has an object. Jesus invites us to make him the object of our faith. In other words, he wants us to trust him.
We are wrapping up our Christmas series by looking at the "Christmas Spirit." It seems like everything about Christmas tells us to be happy, cheerful, and excited. But, what if that's not our reality? What then?
Our apologies for the bad audioChristmas can be a little gross or make us feel a little gross. Its easy to get caught up in the overindulgence, in the consumerism, materialism, and tribalism. This all stands opposed to the way of Jesus. So what do we do? How do we recapture the true heart of Christmas? Embrace the Servant King.
It's Christmas time and with that come lots of things, including jam packed, stressed out schedules. But, does it have to be that way?
The world needs healthy, growing churches. Right now Hope Community is exactly that. How do we make sure it stays that way? How do we experience all that God has for us as people and as a church?
Humanity has a problem: sin, evil, and death. For all of our efforts we've never been able to it. Jesus' claim is that he's the one who can.
What does it mean to be free? Is it all about individual autonomy or is there something more?
The world is a dark place, there's no escaping that reality. While we may find ourselves surrounded by darkness we don't have to walk in it.
Are the New Testament documents reliable? Can we trust that what was written then is what we have now? Let's find out together
There are a lot of different opinions about Jesus today. There were also a lot of different opinions about Jesus in his day. That never seemed to phase him. He just consistently and urgently declared who he was and what he came to do. What he came to do for them and us was to satisfy the thirst of our souls.
Ever hear someone say "don't judge me" or "you shouldn't judge?" Its a popular sentiment in our culture, but the reality is from big things to small we make judgement calls everyday. The issue isn't if or what we judge, but rather how we judge. Jesus actually invites us to judge him, but to do so with the right way with the right information.
There is a way of handling our money, that while counterintuitive and uncomfortable is the key to stressing less and thriving more in the area of finances. Flip the script.
When it comes to our stuff we aren't owners, we are managers. As managers we are accountable and responsible for what we do with what we've been given.
Money is a means to an end, it is not the end in and of itself. Its just a tool and it can be used to add meaning to you life when it is used a means to an end that goes beyond you
The church is responsible for an incredible amount of evil in the world and throughout world history. But is that statement true? How do we navigate the tension between the bad things the church has done and what Jesus commands us to do?
The church didn't stop after the first disciples of Jesus died. In fact, the church grew at an incredible rate. This week we look at how the church grew and the different forms the church has taken over the centuries.
Everything has a beginning. Hope Community had a beginning, but our story doesn't start with us, it started 2,000 years ago when Jesus launched his gathering, his church. This message explores how the church started and Jesus's promise to build his church.
It seems like we are an increasingly offended culture and we've bought into the lie that being offended and living the "good life" are mutually exclusive. Well it turns out they're not. In fact the thing that offends us often is the very thing that leads us into the life we so deeply desire.
Just like we all have physical hunger, we also all have spiritual hunger, desires/needs that go beyond the physical. We want meaning, purpose, value, identity. We want to know am I loved, do I belong, am I part of something greater than myself? What can satisfy our spiritual hunger?"
John 6 opens with one of the most famous and most important miracles of Jesus' ministry, the feeding of the 5000. Thru it we see the incredible reality that we are invited to be a part of what Jesus is doing in the world. The question is will we meet that invitation with "how" or "wow?"
Throughout John 5 Jesus makes some pretty bold claims about who he is and what he has come to do. Now he calls 4 witnesses to the stand to backup his claims
Is Jesus God? Did he claim to be? Did the early church believe that He was? Why does it matter
Religious conservatism often leads to legalism. Religious progressivism often leads to license. Jesus confronts both and offers the path that leads to life.
Jesus wants to heal us of our greatest problem: sin. He has resurrection life for us. The question is will we live like it. Will we pick up our mats and walk?
One of the biggest barriers to us loving our neighbors is often the way we see them. We see someone we fear, we see someone we judge, we see someone who is just different than us. If we want to love our neighbors well we need to see them differently. Sometimes it takes a party for that to happen.
One of the biggest barriers to us loving our neighbors is time. Our schedules are full, our lives are busy, how can we possibly squeeze anything or anyone else in? We must choose. We can live lives of love or hurry, but we can't do both
When asked what the greatest command was Jesus answered with love God and love your neighbor. Sometimes we forget that includes our actual neighbors too! How do we love well those who live next door?
We all take people at their word. From our mechanic to Amazon reviews, we're constantly taking people at their word. But when it comes to our faith we are sometimes hesitant to take Jesus at his word. Instead, we'd rather bargain with Jesus instead of doing what Jesus said. But what would happen if we simply took Jesus at his word?
Stories are powerful. They can shape our lives and the lives of those around us. But so often when it comes to our faith, we don't know how to share our story. And sometimes we even take the wrong approach. In this message we explore how the woman at the well shared her story and the impact it had on her town. As Christians we need to learn to do this because Jesus wants us to, the harvest is plentiful.
We often look to things or substances to bring us satisfaction. But we know that they don't truly satisfy because we have to keep buying or using more. Jesus offers us a better way to find satisfaction. The way he offers leads to l
It can be easy to see someone else self-destruct and think to ourselves, I would never do that. But truth be told, we’re all capable of ending up where we don’t want to be. One of the best things we can do to prevent this from happening is develop the habit of listening to the voices of wisdom around us
We all have the potential to be our own worst enemy. We do things that undermine our own well-being, success, and happiness. It often begins when we ignore the tug of our consciences and sell ourselves on a bad idea. In the Old Testament, we read an account of David finding himself in such a position, and his example can help us navigate our own dilemmas.
There are over 2.3 billion Christians today, that's roughly one-third of the world's population. One-third of the people on the planet believe in and worship a Galilean day laborer who lived 2000 yrs ago. How? Why? Because of what happened. He rose from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus changed everything.
God loves you. It's a simple yet powerful idea. It's an idea that has the potential to change everything about your life. God's love is not based on a feeling or wishful thinking. It's anchored to an event in history, Jesus death on the cross.
"Born again" is a popular phrase in Christianity, but what does it mean? And, why do so many people who claim to be "born again Christians" not look any different than the rest of the world? To be "born again" is to be born of the Spirit. And, if we have been, there should be evidence in our lives.
Often times we have a picture of Jesus in our minds that is safe and comfortable. Jesus is anything but those things. He rocks the boat. He challenges the status quo. He confronts things in us and in the world that need to be confronted.
Jesus' miracles were more than just cool things he did. They were signs pointing to who he was and what he was doing. His turning water into wine announced that he was doing something new in the world. Religion was giving way to relationship.
What is a Christian? Did you know the earliest believers didn't use that term for themselves? They thought of themselves as disciples. So what is a disciple? Let's find out.
What's wrong with the world? What's wrong with me? What can be done about it? John proclaims that Jesus is the one who comes to solve the most core problem of humanity. He is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
How do we live a life of significance? A life that really matters? John the Baptist provides a great example of a life well lived.
God became human and dwelt among us. It's an idea that rocked the first century world and rocks ours today. It changes everything.
John opens his gospel with a prologue. In it he introduces us to some key ideas that will appear throughout his gospel. In the first few verses we discover that what has happened in Jesus is new creation and that a light is shining in the darkness.
Vision is a preferred future. Its a picture of what could and should be. The right kind of vision will propel our life and faith forward. For Jesus followers that vision is found at the intersection of our lives and God's Kingdom
The people we surround ourselves with have a huge impact on our life and faith. In fact God uses people, maybe more than anything else, to grow us. So, who are we doing life with? Who do we need to surround ourselves with?
A focus on turning to God in prayer can change everything in our lives. What exactly is the purpose of prayer? Not what we often think.
If we want to change the way we live, we must change the way we think. If we want to change the way we think we need to change our inputs. Meditate on scripture.
The New Year provides an opportunity for a new beginning, a fresh start, a chance to hit the reset button on our life or areas in our life that aren’t going the way we want. More than making some external changes we need some internal changes. That starts with a new heart.
Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. These seem like some strange gifts to bring a baby. Why these gifts? What do they mean? Let's talk about Gold and Jesus the King.
Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. These seem like some strange gifts to bring a baby. Why these gifts? What do they mean? Let's talk about Myrrh and Jesus the Suffering Servant.
Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. These seem like some strange gifts to bring a baby. Why these gifts? What do they mean? Let's talk about Frankincense and Jesus as our high priest..
Our culture has a story it tells about where we find our identities. Some parts of that story can be helpful, others not so much. Identity found in Christ is the only identity that is received not achieved.
People need Jesus more than ever. God wants to use our church to unleash the hope of Jesus on our community. We want to see Hope Unhindered for Minerva and beyond. Are you in?
The victory over sin, evil and death has been won by Jesus. There are, however, still battles to be fought and we have a part to play.
The world is broken because of human sin and spiritual powers of darkness. Jesus is the solution to both.
What's wrong with the world? Why is there evil and destruction? Is it because people are sinful and broken? Or is it evil outside of ourselves, you know "the devil made me do it" kind of thing? Or maybe its both.
Human beings are fascinated with the supernatural. There is something in us that knows there is more to this world than what meets the eye. But what is it? How does the supernatural world intersect with Christian faith? What kind of world does the bible depict?
Sometimes the best things in life don't happen fast, they take time. But in our society obsessed with speed, we usually reject anything that takes time. But what if slowing down was how we learned to walk in the way of Jesus? A way that leads to love, peace, and joy? This week we are exploring the idea of slowing.
God designed rest to be part of the natural rhythm of creation. In fact, he "blessed it and made it holy." That is, it was supposed to be different from all other days of creation. Our life consists of rhythms, just as the year is made up of different seasons that govern how we spend our time. Our lives as followers of Jesus should also reflect the rhythms of our Creator.
We are surrounded by distractions, by noise. These things work to keep us from being present with ourselves and with God. So what can we learn from the life of Jesus to break through the noise and reconnect with God and ourselves?
Life is busy. Ask anyone how they are doing and they usually respond, 'Good, but busy.' But what if we were meant for more than a busy life? Jesus invites those who apprentice under him to take up his easy yoke. But what does that look like?
Its been a crazy few years. As a result many of us are asking, what now? Where do we go from here? What's next for my life, my family, my faith, etc? We won't get to what's next by trying to go back to what was. God is doing a new thing, are we ready?
If you're struggling with does it center around "I don't believe" or "I don't want to believe?"
Thanks to North Point Community Church for the use of this message series. Learn more about their ministry at https://northpoint.org
Does injustice in the world disprove God? How do we reconcile a good God with evil in the world? Evil and injustice are not evidence against God. They are actually evidence for God and a reminder that we need Him.
Thanks to North Point Community Church for the use of this message series. Learn more about their ministry at https://northpoint.org/
We've heard a lot about God from a lot of different sources, from friends, family, culture, church. But, how can we know what God is really like? We need look no further than Jesus.
Thanks to North Point Community Church for the use of this message series. Learn more about their ministry at https://northpoint.org/
Christianity does not exist because of the Bible. The Bible exists because of Christianity. For the first 300 years the Christian faith centered on an event, not a book. The question was not “is the bible true,” but rather “did Jesus rise from the dead?” That's still the question today.
Thanks to North Point Community Church for the use of this message series.
Everyone has religious doubts. Certain things about God are unsettling. Our circumstances can make God seem distant or vengeful. Science can make God seem unnecessary. Those doubts can cause us to abandon faith. But maybe our perspectives are wrong. Maybe the gods we abandon never existed to begin with.
Thanks to North Point Community Church for the use of this message series.
More Americans than ever before are backing away from religion and God. Not because atheism is attractive, but because religion is unattractive. Religion is seen as the problem. It's thought of as the source of conflict and violence. So, it's worth asking the question: Who needs God?
Thanks to North Point Community Church for the use of this message series.
In some circles faith and science are seen as mutually exclusive, more than that they are seen as enemies. Is this actually true or can the two coexist? Can you be a person of faith AND trust science?
Is faith blind? Do you "just have to believe?" Nope and we should stop telling people that. Faith in Jesus is much better.
Part of being a Jesus follower is going and making more Jesus followers, making disciples. We proclaim the Good News of Jesus to the people around us in word and deed. Loving where we live requires the Great Commandment PLUS the Great Commission
Love your neighbor. Sounds good, but what exactly does that mean? What does neighbor love look like and who exactly is my neighbor? Jesus tells a story that that shifts the conversation on neighbor love from who is my neighbor to how do I neighbor.
It can be easy to think that we are good at loving our neighbors, until we realize that Jesus command to "love our neighbor" includes "that" neighbor too. Loving where we live means loving those who aren't like us, those who disagree with us, even those who are our enemies. Love your neighbor as yourself and love your enemy as your neighbor.
If you are a follower of Jesus, what should be top priority in your life? Someone once asked Jesus a similar question: "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" His answer? Love God and Love people. Nothing is more important.
How should Jesus followers view self defense? Is it ok? Is it not? Where do we draw the line?
We love the work Compassion International does and are excited to partner with them in releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name.
While Christianity draws many roots from the Old Testament, the early days of the New Testament church were marketed by radical decisions that would set it on a new trajectory. These decisions continue to shape and challenge the church today.
Thanks to North Point Community Church for the use of this message series.
Jesus was irresistible. People from all different backgrounds were drawn to him. But as the early church was forming, there was a tendency to go back to their familiar old religious traditions rather than live by Jesus’ new covenant. Sometimes we do the same.
Thanks to North Point Community Church for the use of this message series.
Religious freedom is a privilege we have in the U.S. but it is not necessary to follow Jesus.
For the earliest followers of Jesus the foundation of their faith, their hope, their courage was not a book it was an event: the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The message they proclaimed was simple: You killed Him, God raised Him, and we've seen Him, now turn to Him. Its the stand-alone version, the original version, of the Christian faith and its the version we are invited to embrace.
Thanks to North Point Community Church for the use of this message series.
Easter invites us to see the resurrected King Jesus. When we do, it changes everything.
Its Holy Week. As we focus our attention on Jesus, His death, and resurrection let us follow in His way of radical enemy love.
"Come and See." Its the simple invitation to discover who Jesus is for ourselves. When Jesus encounters a Samaritan woman at a well He shatters all the cultural and religious barriers in order to offer her living water.
Jesus earliest followers were invited to "Come and See." When they see Him they follow Him and invite others to do the same.
We are talking about a wide range of topics in this episode. Butter, Beth Moore, Fruit of the Spirit, and Christian negativity towards the LGBT community.
Creation vs Evolution. Science vs Faith. Christians vs Scientists. Can't we all just get along?
We respond to a listener question today: What would be a Christian view of capital punishment?
In this weeks episode we talk about the new COVID-19 Vaccine and the recent "Jericho March."
In this episode we recap our Thanksgiving and start dissecting a message forwarded to us by a listener. Thanks for tuning in!
Paul's back! We chat about our week and have some encouraging conversation about the state of the global church.
Is God pulling the strings of everything? Do humans have free will? Some candid conversation.
The 2020 presidential election is behind us. We talk about that, both political parties trying to create their version of utopia, and some crazy preachers take on the election too.
Thanks for tuning in to the HC Conversations podcast. In this month's episode we catch up on recent events and discuss the tribalism that's tearing us apart.
The idea of Hell can be a major issue that people have with Christianity. Is it possible that maybe we've gotten it wrong in our popular understanding?
Christians are hypocrites. Does that mean Jesus isn't legit? How do we address this tension?
One of the issues people have with the Christianity is the Bible. Its caused many to walk away from faith altogether and others to still "believe" but not engage scripture. Is the issue the Bible itself or our understanding of it?
From ongoing discussions of racial injustice to Supreme Court rulings it was a busy news week. We break it down in this episode.
Christians have to be political conservatives right? Its always been that way right? Not so fast.
Racism. Hate. Injustice. These things are all too common. Join us as we process this and discuss how Jesus followers should respond.
Conspiracy theories are common, but especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. In our first episode we explore conspiracy theories and how followers of Jesus should respond.