By Jeff Carlisle

What do we believe?

That a local church is free to cooperate with like-minded churches and associations in order to fulfill its mission to the world.

Why do we believe this?

Ephesians 2:19-21 – So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

Why does it matter?

“Oh, I can do it by myself.” Those are some of my famous last words before getting hurt. This usually happens when I am trying to move something heavy. Isn’t it odd that I choose to do something alone and risk injury instead of getting help and doing a job more efficiently? Living Hope should be reaching out to our community, nation, and world for Christ. Nevertheless, it is going to take more than our church to change the world. Today’s passage refers to believers joining together. It is exciting to know that God uses other churches to reach the world. There are over 150,000 people in Warren County. Living Hope has about 2,000 worshippers on a weekend. If it were up to us to evangelize the county, it would take a while. But, there are 50 other Southern Baptist Churches in our county to share the load. There are 46,000 Southern Baptist Churches in our nation. It is vital that the local church collaborates with other like-minded churches to reach the world for Christ.

By Jeff Carlisle

What do we believe?

That the local church is to gather for worship, teaching, fellowship, and is entrusted with the mission of taking the Gospel to all the nations.

 Why do we believe this?

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. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

 Why does it matter?

Everything in life has a purpose. A car’s purpose is to transport people from one place to another. Water’s purpose is keep us hydrated. Funnel cakes … well, it is there for pleasure. This passage of Scripture gives a believer a few of our purposes in life. There are two important action verbs here. Believers are to “go.” Our faith should be active, not still. When a body of water does not move or become refreshed, it can become stagnant. Our faith has that same danger if we do not “go.” A believer should also “make” disciples. This is not an option for a believer; it is a command. We need to have a purposeful plan to share our faith and help people understand God more. We see aspects of the discipleship process throughout the end of this passage. We see we are to baptize believers and teach them to be observant of God’s Word. Some people believe that baptism is a process. Others do not feel it is necessary. Those believers need to be encouraged to follow their conversion in believers’ baptism. When we live for our purpose, lives are changed. Our lives are energized because we are doing what we are designed to do, and others’ lives are changed for the good of the kingdom.

Monday by Mark Gilliam

What do we believe?

We believe that a New Testament church is an expression of God’s people gathered in a community of baptized believers who have entered into covenant with one another.

Why do we believe this?

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 – For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body— Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

We’ve heard Pastor Jason say it so many times from the pulpit at the beginning of our worship times, “Thank you for bringing the church into this room. The church is not a building; it’s people”. That group of baptized believers creates a community and as a community it is vitally important that we covenant together in the mission that Christ has for us as a church in fulfilling the Great Commission both locally and globally. When we covenant together, our mission is clarified as well as our expectations of each other. Within that covenant is real freedom as we worship together, prayer for one another and serve each other and others all for the glory of God and the salvation of those who would believe.

Many times when I go to make a visit to a hospital or a funeral home to minister to someone in our church, I hear stories of how a deacon or someone in their small group or their ABF has already been by to see them, pray for them or met some other type of  need. What a pleasure it is to see Christ’s bride, the church, function in the way that it is supposed to and what a witness to a lost world of the greatness and love of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Please pray for these requests from our prayer cards:

Kelly has pancreatic cancer.  Please pray for him as he goes through his chemo treatment.

Al has just been diagnosed with cancer.

Eddie has lung cancer…pray for his healing.

Harold was diagnosed with bone cancer.  He has just developed an infection.

Salvation for Michael, Steve, Barry, Gary, Bob, Steve, Ron, Rich, Tyler, Joe, Meadow, BJ, Matt, Dennis, Frank, Lenny, Jack, and Michelle

Strength and wellness of baby Julia

Thankful that Melissa was able to share her faith with a family member

Terry has brain cancer.  He has had surgery and is going through chemo

Stephanie is going through chemo and radiation for cervical cancer

Tommy grieving the loss of his father

Abbe coping with stress in school

Pray that Paul and Sarah will find peace, comfort, and trust with the Lord

Be in prayer for Pastor Jason today as he continues in the “Renew Your Belief” series.  Pray for strength and for the Holy Spirit to move as he speaks.

By Jason Pettus

What do we believe?

We believe that there is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ.

Why do we believe this?

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Why does it matter?

The exclusive claim of Christianity that it is through faith in Jesus alone that people can be saved from an empty meaningless life and an eternal torment in hell, is disturbing for some.  There are two perspectives that it is wise to look at this fact from.

One, everyone has exclusive claims. For someone to say that Jesus is not the only means of salvation is an exclusive claim. It is a claim that calls Jesus Christ a liar or a lunatic because Jesus Himself claimed to be the only means of salvation (John 14:6).  So either He was not telling the truth of He was crazy. What can come across as an ecumenical compromising position is in reality an affront to any person that takes their faith system seriously.  For there to be truth, only one claim can be right.

Two, Jesus provides the only practical and plausible means of salvation. All other religious systems demand that a person earn the right to be saved. The problem is that the cost of sin is death. Unless a person can knowingly and willingly die and then by their own power be raised again, they cannot save themselves. There is no person and no religious system that provides that except Christianity. Jesus willingly took our place and died our death and was raised in victory. We receive the benefits of His divine intervention through faith and are saved.

This is from Leslee Bandy, a Hoper serving with Sojourn Church in Fargo.

Hey guys!
Just thought that I would give you all an update on the ongoings of Fargo! The past 3 weeks or so have been busy and super rewarding! School has been going great and I have been able to start a couple of good relationships with some of the people in my classes! Some specific ones to pray for there would be Myrantha, Luke, and Sara!
Work has had its ups and downs, but overall it has been great as well! One girl that I met there on my first day has been very open to talking to me and I am getting closer and closer to sharing the full gospel with her! Some specific people to pray for here would be Tasha, Ronnie, Sami, Austin, and Penny!
Well, thats what I have so far! and now I’m off to make some posters for Moorheads Fall Festival that Sojourn is doing! Hope all is well in BG!!

By Bill Starr (Elder)

What do we believe?

Glorification is the culmination of the salvation process at the time of Christ’s return that results in the believer experiencing communion with God throughout all eternity.

Sanctification is the lifelong process whereby the believer is transformed into the image of Christ through progressive growth in holiness, both in attitude and action.

Why do we believe this?

Romans 6:22 – But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

Why does it matter?

There is a progressive nature to salvation. Romans 5 teaches that we are justified by faith; we have a legal righteous standing with God because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ; our sins are forgiven; we are declared righteous; we are adopted into God’s family as His children; we have peace with God and we are declared free from the penalty of sin. Once we are justified, the process of sanctification begins and we become more like Jesus; we have victory over the power of sin. Sanctification is the public evidence that our faith is real. Finally, when we enter into the presence of God we are glorified, having been set free from the presence of sin as we await our resurrected bodies to be given when Christ returns to earth to reclaim His rightful place as King and ruler.

The big purpose of Romans 6 is to show why justification by faith always brings sanctification with it. Or as the old-time teachers used to say: this chapter teaches why the faith that alone justifies, is never alone, but always brings a holiness of life with it. It dethrones sin, enthrones God, and makes war on sin in our own hearts and bodies.

God alone is the one who is our decisive deliverer from slavery to sin, and our part – which is real and crucial – is dependent on His. We do not free ourselves – we have been freed! We don’t make ourselves slaves of God as we have been enslaved by God.

This is why all of Christian ministry is so serious. What we do at Living Hope on Sunday mornings in worship and in Sunday School, and what you do in your small groups and what you do in your family devotions and times of teaching your children, and what you do in your personal times of prayer and meditation over the Word – all these things are utterly serious matters because they are the means that God appoints for the triumph of faith over sin. If a person begins to fall away from these precious means of grace, nobody should take it lightly.

Are you becoming more like Jesus? Is He your greatest treasure? Is knowing Him and being like Him and spending eternity with Him your greatest desire? Is Jesus the object of your affections?

By Matt Haste

What do we believe?

Justification is the act whereby God declares a person innocent and righteous by counting the righteousness of Christ to his/her credit through faith in the completed work of Christ.

 Why do we believe this?

Romans 5:1-5- Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Why does it matter?

Apart from Christ, we are guilty before God. In Christ, we are counted innocent and righteous. How is this change brought about? The biblical answer is, “We have been justified by faith.”

You have probably seen a criminal trial before. The entire process leads up to the climactic decision at the end. The evidence is weighed. The attorneys make their case. And then, the judge renders a verdict. The Scriptures teach that each one of us will someday face judgment before God after we die (Hebrews 9:27). The remarkable truth of the doctrine of justification is that Christians can actually look forward to this day because our verdict has already been rendered. We have been justified by faith.

Being justified means that you are declared to be both innocent and righteous. You are innocent because the guilt of your sin is no longer counted against you. It has been applied to Jesus instead when he died on the cross. You are righteous because the goodness of Christ has been credited to your account. This means that you are holy in the sight of God.

The result is phenomenal, “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Take a few minutes today to praise God for the blessing of justification. Read through Romans 5:1-5 and consider the fruit that justification produces in your life.

This is a praise from one of our prayer cards.

Wanted to let you know God has provided a job for me!! Last Thursday I was offered a teller job at US Bank 🙂 It is more than I ever prayed for!! Praising God for blessing me with a job that has the insurance benefits I needed! Thanks to all for the prayers!

from CW