INSIGHT

Why Applying Scripture Is So Tough

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:56:29 +1030

“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.” (Ephesians 3:16 NLT)

Applying Scripture to our lives isn’t easy. If it were easy, more people would be doing it. Most people who read the Bible don’t really apply what they read to their lives. Why?

It’s hard work! But what makes applying God’s Word so hard? Here are three reasons it’s hard for you and me to apply Scripture to our lives.

Application requires serious thought. It takes long periods of concentrated prayer and thought before you can apply the Scripture you’re learning. You won’t always understand the application immediately. You have to think about what you’ve read. You have to meditate on it. That takes time most people often don’t want to give.
Satan fights application. He fights it viciously. The devil’s strongest attacks are going to come in your quiet time when you’re trying to apply what you’ve studied. Satan knows that as long as you’re content with merely hearing the Word or reading the Word, you are not much of a threat to his plans. But as soon as you get serious about making changes in your life, he’s going to fight you tooth and nail because he hates doers of the Word.
We naturally resist change. It’s human nature; no one likes to change. But that’s God’s main purpose with his Word. He wants it to change our lives. He wants to make us more like Jesus. The key to making us more like Jesus is applying God’s Word. That’s why most churches focus on interpreting Scripture and learning about the Bible’s background. Most people are happy to do that. You can learn all about the people of the Bible, the background of the Bible, and the doctrines of the Bible, and still live carnally. We’re happy to apply God’s Word to other people, but we don’t like doing it to ourselves.

We grow spiritually and become mature Christians by applying God’s Word to our lives. You and I need to ask the Holy Spirit to give us the strength, because we don’t have the strength on our own to obey. The Bible calls us to ask God to empower us through his Spirit: “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit” (Ephesians 3:16 NLT). These obstacles will get in our way every time in our own power. But God has “unlimited resources” to help us apply his Word to our lives. We just have to ask him.

Talk About It

What are the distractions today that are keeping you from deeper meditation on God’s Word?

When you pray for strength, God may use people in your life to provide the support you need. Do you have people in your life with whom you share your struggles and who will hold you accountable to grow spiritually?

Three Questions to Ask of Any Bible Passage

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:56:00 +1030

“Does the LORD really want sacrifices and offerings? No! He doesn’t want your sacrifices. He wants you to obey him.” (1 Samuel 15:22b CEV)

If you aren’t experienced in applying God’s Word to your life, you might be frustrated. How do you do it? Today I want to give you three questions you can ask of any passage that will help you apply the Bible to your life. Here are the three questions:

What did this Scripture mean when it was written?
What is the timeless truth behind what God is saying?
How does it apply now to me?

We call this the application bridge. We’re building a bridge between the world of the Bible and our world. Let’s try to build this bridge when applying what Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 8 about eating the food sacrificed to idols. Read 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, and then ask yourself the questions above.

1. What did this Scripture mean when it was written? There were people in the church of Corinth who knew that idols meant nothing and the food offered to them had no magic power. It was just hamburger or a good steak. There was no harm in eating it because the idols to which they were sacrificed weren’t real. So this group would eat freely but with no regard to what other people might think. Yet there were also new believers who were offended by that practice. They didn’t think that believers should eat food sacrificed to gods of other religions. Paul tells the mature believers not to allow their freedom in Christ to offend their brothers.

2. What is the timeless truth behind what God is saying? Don’t use your freedom in Christ to offend others. Freedom must be used in love.

3. How does it apply to me now? It’s not very common to come into contact with food being offered to idols where I live in Southern California. I’m guessing it doesn’t happen in your area either. So does that mean it’s irrelevant for us? Of course not! If the timeless truth is: “Don’t use your freedom to offend others. Freedom must be used in love,” I need to be sensitive to people around me, because that’s how you demonstrate love. Ask yourself, “Lord, is there anything I’m doing out of selfishness, arrogance, or deliberate insensitivity to other people that could be causing a fellow brother or sister to stumble? Am I being puffed up by my own knowledge of freedom, or am I building up others in love?”

Talk About It

Think of a Bible story with which you have been familiar for a while. When you re-read the passage and use the three questions above, what new truths or applications do you discover about the story?

Do you believe that God intended for you to use the Bible as a guide for life? Do you believe that its truths are timeless, that the messages and applications are still relevant today?

Bible Study Is Dangerous Work

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:55:15 +1030

“Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24 NIV)

Did you know studying the Bible can be dangerous? In fact, the results of Bible study could be disastrous.

Sounds strange, I know. But God intended for us to apply the Bible to our lives, not just read it.

The Bible is about transformation, not just information. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24, NIV).

Applying God’s Word is vitally important.

So why is it important that we apply God’s Word to our lives?

Knowledge produces pride if we don’t apply truth to our lives. 1 Corinthians 8:1 says, “Knowledge puffs up but love builds up” (NIV). We’ve all seen people who know the Bible backward and forward, but they’ve never let it seep into their lives. They use the Bible has a hammer to pound on other people. We can be the most cantankerous, evil, mean-spirited, cranky, critical, judgmental people we’ll ever meet — if we never take the extra step and apply the Bible to our lives. Knowledge without application produces pride. It’ll “puff” you up without a love-based application. It’ll cause harm, not help.
Knowledge requires action. James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (NIV). What a person knows should find expression in what he or she does. We’re deceiving ourselves if we think we’re growing simply by taking notes on a Bible study. God’s commands are not optional.
Knowledge increases responsibility. James 4:17 says,” Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it” (NLT). With a deeper knowledge of Scripture comes a stronger judgment if we fail to apply what God shows us. When we start studying the Bible, God begins to show us areas of our lives that need to be changed, and he calls us to greater and greater responsibility as he does that.

Talk About It

What do you do with your sermon notes once you leave church or with your Bible study notes once your quiet time is finished?

Think about your words and actions of the last hour. Do they reflect what God has been teaching you lately from his Word?

The Picture-It Method of Bible Meditation

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:42:05 +1030

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us …” (John 1:14a NIV)

A few days ago I shared a method of Bible meditation that requires very few tools, the pronounce-it method of Bible meditation. You can do it with just a pencil or pen and a Bible.

Today’s method is equally simple. You only need a Bible, pencil, and some creativity.

The picture-it method of Bible meditation is useful because the Bible is full of stories. In this method, you put yourself into the scene of a biblical story as if you’re an active participant. Then you ask yourself, “How would I feel if I were involved in this situation? What would I say? What would I do?”

When you do this, God’s Word becomes “flesh” in your life, and it’ll change your life.

Let’s try one example: the story in Mark 2 about the four guys who help their paralyzed friend get to Jesus. The man can’t get to Jesus on his own. The four friends put the man on a mat, each of them take a corner, and they carry the man to Jesus. When the men get to the house where Jesus is, it’s too crowded. They can’t get in, but they’re pretty resourceful.

They climb up on the roof of the house, tear the tiles off, and lower their paralyzed friend down through the roof. Then, Jesus heals their friend.

This is a passage you could easily picture in your time of Scripture meditation. Picture yourself as the man on the mat. Imagine yourself looking up at the crowded room after your friends have led you down through the roof. Dust is still coming down. Imagine yourself looking at the four faces of the friends who’ve been helping you. What expressions do you see on their faces? Ponder that a bit.

Then imagine looking into Jesus’ eyes as you’ve just interrupted him. But instead of him being angry, he’s looking lovingly at you. He already knew you were going to show up because he’s God. What are you thinking as he looks at you? What’s the crowd thinking? What are you thinking as Jesus says, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home” (Mark 2:11).

Now apply the Scripture to your life. That’s the whole point of picturing the passage. Are you paralyzed by something — like fear, doubt, or stress — and you can’t get to Jesus on your own? You’ve put yourself in the shoes of the paralyzed man in the story. Maybe you need to realize that Jesus wants to heal you, too. He wants you to get up and walk again. Maybe you, too, need to ask some friends to carry you to Jesus.

That’s a truth you can apply today — all because you stepped into the words of Scripture and let it become “flesh” in your life. You can do this with any character in the story or any story in the Bible.

It’ll change how you read your Bible.

Talk About It

Do you see Scripture as “stories” or just “text”?

Consider your favorite childhood Bible stories. Were they more real to you because your imagination created memorable images of the story? How do you apply the truth of those stories to your life today?

You Need a Plan

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:41:31 +1030

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5 ESV)

Having a quiet time is like many other activities you might do in life — in at least one respect. To be successful, it helps to have a plan. The Bible says, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5, ESV).

If you’ve never had a quiet time before, you may not have a good, simple plan for doing one. Simplicity is important with any plan you develop. If you make it complicated, you’re more likely to get off track. All you really need for an effective quiet time is a Bible, notebook, and maybe a hymn or songbook.

So what does a daily quiet time look like?

First, be quiet before the Lord. The Bible calls it waiting on God. You start by simply sitting down and shutting up. As you do this, you’ll find yourself revving your engine down and calming yourself.

Second, pray briefly. Start off with a short opening prayer. Ask God to open your mind and guide you. Ask him to cleanse your mind.

Read a portion of Scripture slowly. This is where your conversation with God begins. He starts speaking to you through his Word, and then you speak back to him through prayer. Read the Bible slowly. Don’t try to read too quickly or too much. The more slowly you read Scripture, the more you’re forced to think about what you’re reading.

Meditate on the Word. Spend some time chewing on what God is saying. Chew on the Word like cows chew on cud. Ponder and wrestle with it in your mind. There are lots of great methods for meditating on the Word. You can find specific ideas on how to meditate on the Bible in my book Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods.

Write down what you discover. When God speaks to you through his Word, care enough about what he is saying to write it down. Writing enables us to remember what God has said to us and record our discoveries.

Pray again. Be quiet. Ask God to show you his Word. Talk to God about what he has said to you. Tell him what you’re thinking about what he is saying. Talk to him about anything else that’s on your mind.

There’s not just one way to have a quiet time, but following a plan similar to this can get you started on a rewarding devotional journey.

Talk About It

Have you ever thought about your quiet time as an intimate conversation with God?

What distractions do you need to eliminate in order to “be quiet”?

The Right Attitude for Your Quiet Time

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:40:58 +1030

“The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b NIV)

You can have a quiet time anywhere, but it all starts with a great attitude. God wants to know that your heart is in the right place. The Bible says in 1 Samuel 16:7, “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7, NIV).

What is the right attitude to have during your quiet time?

1. Come with expectancy. Be eager to come before God’s presence. You’re meeting with God — the creator of the universe! You should expect to have a good time of fellowship with him and receive a blessing.

2. Come with reverence. You’re going to meet God, so don’t rush into his presence. Prepare your heart by being still before him. If you were going to meet with the president of the United States or the queen of England, you’d get there early. You’d look your best. How much more reverence should we have when we come into the presence of the creator of the universe?

3. Come with alertness. Get yourself wide-awake before you meet with God. Again, you’re meeting the creator of the universe. Don’t have your quiet time in bed. You’ll probably fall asleep. In fact, the best time to prepare for your quiet time is the night before. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier if you need to. Be in good shape when you meet with God. He deserves your full attention.

4. Come with the willingness to obey. Don’t start your quiet time with the idea that you’ll hear from God and then decide whether or not to obey. Instead, tell the Lord you’ve already decided you’re going to say “yes.”

Have a good attitude before you start your quiet time, and you can expect a good result from your quiet time. Come before the Lord with the wrong attitude, and it’ll be just the opposite.

Talk About It

What specific ways will you change the way you do your quiet time once you consider your attitude toward your time with God?

How do you think your attitude would change if you had a sense of expectation about what God is going to do in your heart during your quiet time and not if he will work in you?

Finding the Right Time and Place for a Quiet Time

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:40:20 +1030

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35 NIV)

Over the past few days we’ve been talking about your quiet times. The time you spend with God is the most important part of your day. That’s why when and where you meet him is so crucial. Consistency matters in both cases.

Meet God at the same time every day. Mark 1:35 says that “very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (NIV). Just because Jesus got up early to pray doesn’t mean you have to. The key is this: Give God the best part of your day. Give God whatever time of day you’re the freshest. For some of you, that’s the morning. You jump out of bed and hit the ground running. Others of you don’t believe in God until 11 a.m.! But you’re still rolling at midnight.

Most importantly, give God the best part of your day and schedule your quiet time into your day like you would any appointment.

Start slowly. If you’ve never had a quiet time before, start with five minutes. Start small and let it grow gradually. If you start out trying to have an hour-long quiet time each day, you won’t do it consistently. Eventually, shoot for no less than 15 minutes each day. Who doesn’t have 15 minutes?

Find a special place to meet with God. Jesus had a special place to meet with the Father. Luke 22:39 says, “Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him” (NIV). It was Jesus’ usual habit to go to the Mount of Olives. He had a regular place where he went and prayed. What kind of place should you look for as your “regular place”? It should be:

Secluded: Look for a kind of place where you can be alone, where it’s quiet, and where you won’t be interrupted. It should be a place where you can pray aloud.
Consistent: Make it the same place every day.

Talk About It

Take time now to identify your “when” and “where” for your quiet time. You can even share it with a close friend who will hold you accountable.

What are the parts of your day to which you give great attention, are never late, and look forward the most? Put your quiet time at the top of that list.

The Privilege of Your Quiet Time - Rick Warren

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:39:33 +1030

“You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Psalm 16:11 NLT)

I mentioned yesterday that it’s quite a privilege to have a quiet time. We get to have an audience with the king of the universe, the creator of everything.

What makes our quiet times such a privilege that we wouldn’t want to consider missing it? Here are four miraculous things that happen when we spend time with God.

1. You get to give God your devotion. “Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you” (Revelation 3:20, MSG). He’s your creator, redeemer, provider, sustainer, counselor, and comforter. God deserves our worship. We’d have nothing without God. Better yet, God wants your devotion, too! He wants to spend time with you.

2. God gives you direction. “Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long” (Psalm 25:4-5 NIV). You and I need direction on a daily basis. God wants to give that direction to you, but to get the direction you must spend time with him. Your quiet time gives you an opportunity to get a daily mid-course correction in your life.

3. You gain delight in God. “You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:11 NLT). Spending time with God will actually make you happier. Your quiet time is when you enjoy God. Knowing God is the secret to joy.

4. You grow to be more like God. The more time you spend with God, the godlier you become. Spend time watching television, and your character will be shaped by the people you’re watching. Spend time studying God’s Word and with him in prayer, and your character will be shaped by the character of Christ.

Are you spending time with God every day? Do it, and it will be the best decision you’ve ever made.

Talk About It

In what area will you ask God for direction today?

Have you noticed that your day goes differently if you start it in the Word and in a quiet time with God?

A Simple Way To Unlock The Bible - Rick Warren

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:38:32 +1030

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you.” (Colossians 3:16a NLT)

Studying the Bible in a way that changes your life doesn’t take a bunch of expensive tools. You don’t need commentaries or Bible study software. In fact, if you were stuck on a desert island with just a Bible, you could simply use the method you’ll learn about in this devotional.

Yesterday, I told you how important it was for you to meditate on God’s Word. God says that if we meditate on his Word, we’ll be successful. Here’s a method you can use to meditate on God’s Word in a way that’ll please God.

The “pronounce it” method of biblical meditation is an easy method for meditating on Scripture — and getting every ounce of spiritual nutrition you can out of it.

You start with a verse and read it over and over again. Each time you read the verse, you emphasize a different word. It’s the simplest way to start unlocking Scripture. You can do it even if it’s the first time you’ve ever opened up a Bible. It’s simple but amazingly powerful. Each time you emphasize a different word, you get a different perspective.

Take the first part of Colossians 3:16 for example. The verse says, “Letthe word of Christ richly dwell within you” (NLT).

The first time you read the verse, emphasize the word “let.” “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you.” What does it mean to let? It means “give permission.” I open the door; it’s my choice. We have to choose to let the Word of God dwell in us richly.

Then, read the verse again and emphasize “word.” “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” That means I need to get God’s Word in my mind.

Then, emphasize the third word of the verse, “Christ.” You’re not dwelling on what some philosopher, guru, or talk show host has to say. You’re dwelling on the words ofChrist! I don’t want to let the word of the world dwell in me, but I do when I spend my time watching TV instead of reading God’s Word.

Then you focus on the word “dwell.” “Let the Word of Christ dwell within you.” The word “dwell” means “to hang there for a long time.” It’s not rushing through God’s Word so you can get on with the rest of your day. To let the Word of Christ dwell in you is to let it live within you.

Then you stop and emphasize the word “in.” It’s good to have the word of Christ around you. You can put the Word of God on a plaque or a bumper, but it won’t change your life until you let it in your life.

Then focus on the word “you.” The Bible isn’t just God’s Word for your pastor, a seminary professor, or your Sunday School teacher; it’s God word for you! The Bible is instruction for every single believer.

Finally, emphasize the word “richly.” What does that mean? It means the opposite of poorly. In other words, richly means lusciously, extravagantly, and profoundly. God doesn’t want his Word to be a poor substitute in your life. He wants it to create beauty in your life.

See all the great jewels you discovered in this passage just by focusing on one word at a time? You didn’t need a seminary degree or a great library of reference tools. You can do this!

Talk About It

How will you dwell on God’s Word throughout your day?

Does your life reflect the richness of God’s Word and his grace? How would it look different to other people if you allowed God’s Word to make a difference in your life?

National Day of Prayer and Fasting

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:34:27 +1030

National Day of Prayer this Sunday 19th….check this link for more info…get involved if you can.

http://www.nationaldayofprayer.com.au/

Take a Chill Pill!

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:57:46 +1030

It can be so easy to get wound up over things and let them consume our thinking. The bible has a bit to say about this. In Matthew 6:34 we read:

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it’s own”.

So much of what we allow to consume our thoughts is out of our control and is often exaggerated beyond reality. When you get caught up in this pattern it is crucial to be able to identify what is happening and to get some perspective ASAP.

It’s really about keeping it SIMPLE. Another word for simple is uncluttered. To keep it simple means to live a life that is uncluttered and not allowing the day to day of life to distract you from what really matters. “Each day has enough trouble of it’s own”. If we could only realise that life will have moments and in these moments we have a choice to make. We either allow these moments to clutter up our lives, to complicate our lives and ultimately distract us or we can let these things go and keep the main thing the main thing.

In Luke 10 we read about Mary and Martha and how they dealt with a moment when Jesus visited their home. Martha’s response was to get busy doing “stuff” whereas Mary was able to keep Jesus central to her focus and thinking. Jesus speaks to Martha and says that she is troubled and anxious about many things, but only one thing is needed and Mary has found this one thing. This one thing was a relationship with Jesus. An uncluttered, simple focus on Jesus.

There is so much in these 2 passages for us. With all that life looks like - with all that life dishes up - with all the things that we engage with and experience - once all is said and done there is just ONE thing that matters. Our relationship with Jesus.

Jesus spoke to Martha and told her to take a chill pill! Not bad advice. Perhaps right now you need to take a chill pill. Perhaps you need to stop looking at all the reasons why things are not working, stop blaming your family, stop blaming your friends, stop blaming your church and begin to take full responsibility! I am where I am today because of the choices I have made in the past - the choices I make into the future will determine my future.

Sometimes we need to hear it straight - as difficult as this may be! My experiences tell me that when we blame others or point the finger it is often done so to justify where we are at and to avoid getting honest with ourselves. It is so easy to fall into this trap but I want to encourage you today to begin to de-clutter, remove the distractions, remove the excuses and remember that just one thing is needed!

As I write this I write it to myself and take on board the challenge. It’s a challenge that will bring maturity and bring about growth in every area of my life.

Josh Brett

Hope Community

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:42:00 +1030

check out the new community page on our website -www.hopechurch.net.au

Hope Church & Compassion Partnership News

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:39:01 +1030

If you have not yet sponsored but you want to we will have more sponsorship opportunities soon! Stay tuned.

Hope Church & Compassion Partnership

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:38:21 +1030

Last week we launched our partnership with Compassion in Northern Thailand. Already every child that we were given at the launch has been sponsored - thats 48 children! Thank you Hope for your generous hearts!

God Wants Us To Chew On His Word - Rick Warren

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:26:41 +1030

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Joshua 1:8 NIV)

I can remember hearing great sermons or in-depth Bible teaching and wondering how the teacher found all those great nuggets of truth in God’s Word. That’s why I wrote my first book 35 years ago: to help people like me. Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods shares 12 methods of Bible study, such as the chapter summary method, the topical method, and the verse-by-verse method.

One of my favorites is the devotional Bible study method. If you were to summarize the devotional method in one word, it would probably be “meditate.” For many, the word “meditate” is a bad word. They associate it with Eastern or New Age religions. Some Christians, when they think of meditation, picture people folding their bodies into pretzels and contemplating the lint on their navel.

That may be Eastern or Buddhist meditation, but it’s not Christian meditation. The Bible uses the word “meditate” 29 times in the New International Version to describe a believer’s devotional life. God wants us to meditate.

He promises us that if we meditate on Scripture, he’ll bless us. Joshua 1:8 says, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (NIV).

So, according to God, you have to meditate on his Word if you want to be successful.

So how do you do it? Grab a dictionary and look up a synonym for “meditation,” and you’ll probably find the word “rumination.” You probably don’t know that word unless you happen to be a farmer. Rumination is what a cow does when she chews her cud. She rolls her cud over and over in her mouth.

That’s similar to how you meditate on Scripture. Cows eat the grass, chew it up, and send it to their stomachs pretty quickly. There it lies in the stomach, soaking up all of those acids and chemicals. Then, after a while, the cow burps it back up with a new and renewed flavor, chews on that grass and some other grass, and does the whole process over again. Cows repeat this several times. They get every ounce of nutrition out of the grass.

Biblical meditation is kind of like that; it’s thought digestion. God wants us to get every ounce of spiritual nutrition out of his Word. He wants us to chew on it, digest it, and then chew on it some more.

Talk About It

Do you have a place, time, or process for how you spend time with God? How can meditation enhance your quiet time with God?

What does it mean to you to be “prosperous” or “successful”? What do you think God equates with success?

"But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling..."

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:13:29 +1030

““But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.””

- James 1:22 NLT

Hope Community Launch - Week One

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:53:14 +1030

Yesterday we launched the first phase of Hope Community which is our overseas partnership with Compassion.

We had such a great morning with the auditorium packed to the rear doors! It was so exciting to see Hope Church come out and be a part of where we are heading as a church. Right from the start there was just a sense of togetherness and anticipation. Our time of worship was significant and it felt like something shifted up a gear!

We announced our partnership with Compassion with our initial region of engagement being the Chang Mai region in Northern Thailand. Scott Hawkins from Compassion joined us for the day and so powerfully articulated the need across the globe to eliminate poverty. Hope Church responded in the best possible way with a stack of children being sponsored in the Chang Mai region. The exciting part of this was that every child that had been categorised as a ‘priority’ was sponsored.

Over the weeks and months ahead we will continue to encourage more children to be sponsored as well as working on some dates for our first field trip to this region. As a church we cannot wait to head over and get involved with this community that we are partnering with. Watch this space for details.

Next Sunday we will launch the second phase of Hope Community which will involve various areas of local mission. Exciting times in the life of Hope Church!

Photo

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:50:59 +1030

God Gave Us the Bible to Transform Us

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:14:18 +1030

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

I was once asked what the best translation of the Bible was. My answer: When you translate it into your life. That’s what Bible study is all about. If you’re not translating God’s Word into your life, you’re not studying the Bible the way God intended.

God gave us the Bible to transform us, not simply inform us. It should give us a bigger heart, not a bigger head. In the Book of James, we’re told, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22, NIV)

In other words, God wants our beliefs turned into behavior.

God makes his purpose for the Bible even more explicit in 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” (NLT)

The purpose of Bible is more than just showing us what is wrong in our lives or how we should live; God gave us His Word to radically transform our lives.

The Bible describes itself in different ways. For example, it calls itself a hammer, a sword, and a scalpel. All of those are tools designed to make radical changes. God intends for the Bible to dramatically change our lives.

The Bible also describes God’s truth as milk, water, bread, and meat. What do all those things have in common? If you don’t eat or drink them regularly, you’ll die. We were never meant to live without the Bible.

The Bible is essential to our lives because it gives us life. In fact, the Bible also talks about Jesus as the Word of God. John 1:14 says, “So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.” (NLT) God gave you the Living Word — Jesus — to be the author and finisher of your faith, and He gave you the Written Word to prepare you to live out your faith.

Talk about it –

The Bible is more than a mere wisdom dispenser or repository of information. How do you see God using the Bible to transform your life?
Jesus is the Word of God. Talk about how intimacy with the Bible is connected to intimacy with Jesus.

Use Your Memory Muscle

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:12:48 +1030

“Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.” (Colossians 3:16 NLT)

The fourth way to abide in God’s Word is by remembering it. Your capacity to remember is a God-given gift. You may think you have a poor memory, but the truth is, you have millions of ideas, truths, facts, and figures memorised. You remember what is important to you. If God’s Word is important, you will take the time to remember it.

There are enormous benefits to memorising Bible verses. It will help you resist temptation, make wise decisions, reduce stress, build confidence, offer good advice, and share your faith with others.

Your memory is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it will become, and memorising Scripture will become easier. You might begin by selecting a few Bible verses that have touched you and writing them down on a small card you can carry with you. Then review them aloud throughout your day.

You can memorise Scripture anywhere: while working, exercising, driving, waiting, or at bedtime. The three keys to memorising Scripture are review, review, and review!

“Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.” (Colossians 3:16 NLT)

Talk About It

How would your life change if you spent some of your “extra” time on a Bible application as well as a Facebook or “Words with Friends” app?

Ask a friend to be an accountability partner in memorising Scripture. Then, share with each other what you’re learning from God’s Word.