INTRO //

We are in a moment where popular culture seems to be struggling with church. There are some valid reasons around this struggle that are connected to the downfall of certain well known pastors and personal experiences of pain in church for many. Yet, God chose the church to be His vehicle to show what love and community look like. More than that, He chose the church to be the primary vehicle for sharing the message of Jesus and making disciples, a primary vehicle for revival.

CONTEMPLATE //

Can you relate with people who have a hard time with accepting church as a good thing?

Why would God give a Church full of broken people such a large role in His plan for healing the world and pointing people to Himself?

Someone said, “we over estimate what we can do in a year, and underestimate what can be accomplished in 10 years.” What do you imagine God can do through a church like The Hope Community? Imagine the impact of your church in 10 years, 20 years, or 30 years.

READ //

Matthew 16:15-19

15 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”

The Bible paints serval portraits of a healthy church. This passage in Matthew paints one of the earliest of these - a church built on broken people who recognize Jesus for who he is. It’s a picture of a powerful church standing up against the attacks of the devil and holding keys to unlock supernatural realities!

The Church across the globe and throughout history has had ups and downs. There are some definite low points where the church hardly reflected the nature of Christ or the good news that should be foundational. There have been moments where the church was attacked and thrived anyways. Other times where the church had atrophied and then experienced revival that would sweep across nations.

In all these cases, it was a broken church built on a rock solid truth. Because of the foundation, the church continues to thrive throughout the globe and God is using churches globally to impact cities and transform communities. This is the heart of our church. We believe that God will use and is using The Hope Community (that is you and me!) to not only transform lives, but eventually to bring healing and transformation to our city. Your prayers, growth in God, commitment to community, witness to others, and willingness to serve all play a major role in God using our imperfect church to powerfully carry God’s perfect message of Hope in Christ.

PRAYER POINTS //

• God, move increase our awareness of your presence and power both in our church gatherings and when we are out and about being the church in our communities.
• God, help me to believe that your power will do things through prayer that could not happen without it. Give me courage to pray for miracles like healing and provision.
• God, do powerful things in my life and in the lives of others at The Hope Community when we gather on Sundays. Give us hearts of anticipation for the presence and power of God that does miracles and changes lives.
• God, bring increase in the impact and effectiveness of our church. Help us to reach more and more of those who feel far from you and to disciple them into knowing you, following you, and experiencing your transforming power in their lives.