Get to Know Hope Community Church

[tabs slidertype=”left tabs” fx=”fade”] [tabcontainer] [tabtext]Mission[/tabtext] [tabtext]Vision[/tabtext] [tabtext]Christ-Centered Teaching[/tabtext] [tabtext]Life Worship[/tabtext] [tabtext]Community Service[/tabtext] [tabtext]Authentic Relationships[/tabtext] [tabtext]Ceasless Prayer[/tabtext] [tabtext]Excellence for the Glory of God[/tabtext] [/tabcontainer] [tabcontent] [tab]The ministry of Hope Community Church is solidified by the mission of the gospel.

Matthew 28:19-20 – “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (ESV)

It is from this call on the church from the Lord Jesus that our mission here at Hope Community exists:

“Declaring the Living Hope, Jesus Christ, to make disciples.”

First and foremost, our desire at Hope Community is to make disciples. We believe that making disciples takes two forms: evangelizing to non-believers with the hope that Christ will save them from their sin and equipping believers in Christ.[/tab] [tab]

“Hope exists to be a passionate church, making a transforming impact in our community, the city, and the world.”

We have three aspects in our vision. First, Hope Community Church thrives to be passionate about the ministry God has given us – passionate about making disciples and about declaring Christ as our living hope. This passion is ignited in the ways that we serve and love others, both inside and outside the church.

Second, we long to see a gospel-driven, transforming impact in people’s lives. Many people around us in our community are on the brink of disaster because they have no hope, or they have placed their hope in something or someone other than Jesus. We realize that it is only through the message of the gospel that lives will be changed. Although changing lives is through the Holy Spirit, we are His messengers – agents of the impact the gospel can have in someone’s life.

Third, we long to see this impact in our community (our church family), the city (our neighbors and neighborhoods around us), and the world (globally). God’s desire is that all would repent and give their lives to Him. For this to happen, the gospel must be proclaimed. We have the voice, and we have the message. We dare not keep that message to ourselves.[/tab]
[tab]At the core of the Christian life is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is God’s Story, the Good News! Therefore, we value teaching the Word of God in all its truth. At Hope Community Church, we believe the Bible, both Old and New Testament scriptures, to be the inerrant word of God, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men, and the supreme, final, and infallible authority in Christian faith and life. [/tab] [tab]This fact is simple. All of us, in one way, shape, or form, is a worshiper. The big question is, who or what are we worshiping?

Worship has become a “churchy” term, especially if you go to church. We have the “worship service”, and worship does exist in that place, but worship is so much more than just coming to church, singing songs to God, and listening to a pastor teach. In its full detail, worship contains all of life. The way we live our lives (our words, our actions, our abilities) point to whatever or whomever we worship. We dedicate how we live our life to the object of our worship.

Many worship their spouse, or their children or grandchildren. Some worship their careers. Many worship the money they have or don’t have. For the Christian, Jesus Christ is the One we worship. [/tab] [tab]There are five “heart attitudes” that go along with belonging to the church. Each are vital to the health of the church and can exist only through the work of the Holy Spirit in one’s life.

1. Heart Attitude #1 – New life was meant to be lived in fellowship.
2. Heart Attitude #2 – Spiritual Unity through Christ is a cherished part of my life.
3. Heart Attitude #3 – The church cannot run on autopilot
4. Heart Attitude #4 – Partners are partners for EVERY day of the week.
5. Heart Attitude #5 – Lifestyle matters because life matters.

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[tab]Hope Community Church has a very informal culture. You see it in the set-up of our Sunday environments, in the format of our worship, in our dress, and in a variety of other ways. In our disciple-making mission, our desire is to guide people beyond formal displays of religion into a robust, fulfilling, relationship with Jesus Christ.

We all need relationship and the need to be known authentically and accepted for who we are. That need reflects the spiritual nature of our being; the fact that we are not just flesh and blood but spirit as well. Our relationships directly impact the quality of our lives. This is especially true for our relationship with God.

It is one thing to observe an ordinance, attend a service, recite some scripture or put money in a offering plate. It is quite another to really know Him, in a personal and intimate way, seeking Him daily, talking to Him about the specific details of your life, having a passion for worshiping Him, serving Him, honoring Him well in your heart, and discovering the desire for more.

That is the way it is when we walk with Him in authentic relationship. As imperfect as we may be, we affirm that knowing God is the single most important thing in life. Desiring, seeking, finding, encountering, knowing, experiencing, and enjoying God in all of His Trinitarian beauty, wisdom, splendor, majesty, love, power and glory should be the desire of every person.[/tab] [tab]1 Thessalonians 5:17 – “…pray without ceasing…”

With salvation, God enters into a believer’s life, establishing the relationship between God and man. God created us to be in relationship, with both himself and with one another. Through His Spirit He has given us the desire to spend time, or to “commune” with him.

This is how we define prayer. Prayer is “constant communion with God.” Notice it isn’t constant communication with God, but constant communion. Prayer is so much more than us giving our list of prayer requests to the Lord, although this is part of the prayer life.

Much of prayer is spending time with the Lord, to know Him and His ways. A believer’s desire should be for our prayer “agenda” to actually be “God’s agenda.” God has the unique way, through the Holy Spirit, to convey to us what we need to pray for.

As well, prayer isn’t just words. Times of silence and meditation, listening, and reading His Word, are wonderful communion times with God.

Our value of ceaseless prayer is not a picture of praying 24/7, but is a picture of the desire to commune with the Lord ceaselessly and relentlessly.[/tab] [tab]Philippians 1:9-11 – “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

For the Christian life, excellence means wisdom, and more specifically, “Godly wisdom”. Paul’s encouragement to the Philippians is that as Godly love grows more and more in their hearts, so would knowledge and discernment in order that their love would be expressed through wise actions that would serve others, and ultimately glorify God.

There is but one way to know what is excellent, and that is to know Jesus. Jesus’ life is the model of excellence, whether in His unfathomable grace, His joyful obedience to the Father, His humble and sacrificial attitude, or His perfect love.

Every aspect of the Christian life is for one thing: the praise of His glory.
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