Hope Christian Fellowship

The holiday season is a special time of reflection for Christians. Leading up to Thanksgiving we set aside time to meditate on the things we are grateful for and give thanks to God, and then as Christmas rolls around we contemplate the greatest gift God has ever given in the birth of Jesus. Yet every one of us has experienced dark times when it feels difficult to see what good things God has for us, and felt far away from God as a result. As we head into a new year, and we consider what changes we can make to do the next one better than the last, it is important for us to consider how to continue to love God even when those dark times come.

We use titles today regularly without knowing where they came from or what they mean. For example, we often use the title “Mister” or “Mr.” in front of a man’s name without knowing that it originated as a title for men of higher social status. While it is frequently used, the meaning of the word has shifted to a simple use as a formal title for any man. Titles were also used in Biblical times. For example, the title “Lord” in the Bible is used over 100 times in the Gospels alone to refer to Jesus. But what does this title mean and what difference does it make as we celebrate the Christmas season?  Let’s look at Paul’s words on the importance of this title and the impact it should have on those who follow Jesus as Lord.

Waiting for someone to keep their promise can be a frustrating experience. Depending on how well you know the person, you may have trouble waiting for a long time without doubting whether or not they are going to stay true to their word.  God made a promise to humanity back in the Garden of Eden – pretty much right after mankind rebelled and broke everything. That promise waited thousands of years before it came true. What was that promise and why does it matter to us today?  That’s what we’ll look into this Sunday morning!

Parents generally take naming their baby very seriously. While there are different reasons for everyone, most people put a lot of weight on ‘liking’ the name. Some options are eliminated because a person with ‘that name’ has a painful or bad history with one or both of the parents. Other options are eliminated because of personal taste (i.e. not liking how the name sounds or fits with the family name). Back in the world into which Jesus was born, names carried significance because of their meaning. We’re starting our Christmas series by looking at the personal name of our Savior, “Jesus.” What does it mean and why does it matter? Let’s dig into a few things that the Bible has to tell us about this name.

In our culture, it is understandable to say whatever you need to in order to get the results you want. Sometimes it means leaving out certain information to make sure that someone sees your point of view. Other times, it means actually being less than honest to protect yourself. From this mindset, the truth is less important than the results you desire.  Christians can find themselves following along in this pattern without realizing how contrary it is to following Jesus. Being in the world but not of the world means that we have a different relationship with integrity than others. We’re going to take a look at a few passages from Paul, Jesus, and James to see how important it is that we are trustworthy with what we say and how we live.

In a world that loves attention, we should know who is worth ours. We have a limited amount of time, attention, and energy to give. Are we making choices about where to spend these precious resources like the world does? Those without Jesus tend to turn towards those with fame or money or personality. Christians – even in churches – can often do the same. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our hearts. Part of embracing this command is to recognize that we can’t give our attention carelessly or go with the flow of our culture on whose opinion matters. Basically, the entire book of Proverbs deals with who should have our ear, so let’s start there and recognize how we should be different from our world.

When we’re kids, we think it will be great when we grow up and can be ‘the one in charge.’ Of course, when we arrive as adults, we find out that we’re not nearly as free to do what we want as we thought we’d be. It is normal to think that the person who has the power to decide is the one to be envied. Jealousies in jobs or churches or families often come from this mindset surrounding leadership and power. But God’s people use power differently than those in the world. Let’s see what Jesus had to say about this and what His life shows us.

If you ever played a never-ending game of Monopoly as a kid, you know the emptiness of playing a game without a winner. It’s fun for a little while, but the norm is to play a game for competition. We all take that instinct with us into life. We want to keep score. Winners are those with the most. These ideas find traction in how people deal with money. The more you have, the more you’re a winner. You have more security and power if you have more money. But Christians give money away. They don’t measure their lives by their bank balance. Why are we so out of step with normal human thinking? We take to heart the words of Jesus and Paul on this topic. Today, we’ll see that money for a believer is a God-given resource to invest in His Kingdom rather than an opportunity to enjoy ourselves. If you’ve found yourself wound up about money, these passages will help any Christ-follower to find freedom and life regardless of their financial situation.

Do you have any reason to worry? Of course you do! Human beings are not able to control the world around us, nor are we able to direct everything in our own lives. There are dangers aplenty – many of which we do not see. So we have no choice but to worry and fear, right? Wrong! As believers, we live with a different view of security and life itself. There are many passages in Scripture that teach us not to fear (“fear not” is found 365 times in the Bible). So how can a Christian live life free of worry and fear? We live in this world, but we are not of it. Let’s learn how that applies to the scary and dangerous parts of our lives.