Introduction

Aliston McGraph, in his book Evangelicalism and the Future of Christianity, identifies the beliefs of evangelicals.  Evangelicals is not a denomination, but rather it identifies Christians who hold core beliefs or convictions:

The supreme authority of Scripture as a source of knowledge of God and a guide to Christian living.

The majesty of Jesus Christ, both as incarnate God and Lord and as the Saviour of sinful humanity.

The Lordship of the Holy Spirit.

The need for personal conversion.

The priority of evangelism for both individual Christians and the church as a whole.

The importance of the Christian community for spiritual nourishment, fellowship, and growth.

It is important to remember that these core beliefs are foundational for us as individuals and as a church. 

Introduction

Today, the word “Spirituality” correlates with some kind of inner reflection and meditation, dabbling in crystals and new age practices, living a certain lifestyle or principle, or simply being open to explore different religious experiences. In the Christian context, true spirituality (as it pertains to our vision statement) is relational aspect of our existence as sons and daughters of the Living God. True spirituality is about our relationship with God and with the people of God. Spiritual disciplines like prayer, daily devotional meditation and reflection on Scripture are all for the purpose of building intimacy with God as we grow in Christlikeness.

One of troubling concerns for churches all over the world is that many people are drifting away from the life of the church. It’s not simply about church attendance but the drifting of spiritual companionship, which is the drifting away from the nature of having relationships that keep us bonded to God and one another as a family in Christ. Not all respond enthusiastically to the idea of a family of God. Family can be a source of pain, trauma, and conflict for some. However, we cannot understand Scripture unless we recognize the truth that we are the family of God.

Introduction

What is a church and what is the identity and the mission of the church? How we answer this question will determine the purpose and direction of all that we do as a church. Contrary to what many Christians may think, the church is not an event, a location, a product, or an experience. Yes, we have events; we gather at a location; we offer religious and spiritual products such as Bible studies, workshops, Life Groups, and so forth; we have experiences. However, the church is not these things. Then, what is the church?

The Bible speaks of the Church as: the family of God (Rom. 8:14-17); the body of Christ (Eph. 4:15-16); the citizens of God’s Kingdom (Eph. 2:19); the flock of God (Acts 20:28); a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9). These metaphors offer us different perspectives on the identity and mission of the church. What unites the diverse aspects of the church is what Jesus said about the church, and his words powerfully echo in our individual lives, our congregation, and the church.

Introduction

For 2024, New Hope Fellowship is returning to our roots of being gospel-centered as we discover the best life we can live. There have been many highs in the past year, as we have seen magnificent growth across the three campuses with strengthened leadership teams, ministries being built up with new leaders and members, to welcoming individuals into our community who have accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour. 

Despite the many good things happening all around us, if we were to evaluate where we are and where we are heading, are we certain that our lives are Jesus-driven? As a church, we seek to learn from Jesus' posture over this year as we return to Jesus Christ's original vision as followers of Christ.

Introduction

When was the last time you spent at least 30 minutes reflecting on your life? When was the last time you reflected on your actions and reactions, on the stories you believed, the shame you carry, on the time to listen closely to God’s word and how it intersects with seasons of your life, and discernment of God’s will for your life? It is wise to take time to reflect to make adjustments for our future, but many of us have difficulty doing so, especially when it comes to God’s will and His word. We live in a fast-paced society, so reflection is not a common practice when we are caught up in the frenzy and busyness of life. Reflection causes us to slow ourselves down, but many of us believe that slowing down leads to trouble and chaos in our lives. The irony is that we try to save ourselves by keeping up the pace, but this is what actually causes havoc in and around our lives. The deeper truth is that it is not a fast pace that we keep up but a violent pace. This violent pace causes violence against ourselves, others, and our relationship with God.

God invites us to a life of examination, a life of reflection to look inwards and look around us to see where we stand before the Lord. Nouwen once said, "We would do well to spend 50% of our lives reflecting on the other 50% that's lived." This quote points out that we do not take enough time to reflect on our lives. Through the book of Lamentations, God offers us a life that is more reflective and contemplative.

Introduction

Paul reminds us of a profound truth that lies at the heart of Christmas. He says, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared… (Titus 3:4).” The heart of Christmas, the reason why we celebrate this day is because God has manifested His goodness and loving kindness to us , in the person of Jesus. Jesus, who is the Word of God, became flesh and dwelt among us. In that moment, the world witnessed the embodiment of divine love. Christmas is not merely the celebration of a historical event that took place in ancient Israel 2000 years ago, but it is the recognition that God's divine goodness and loving kindness has drawn near to us. In a lowly stable in Bethlehem, God’s goodness and loving kindness came in the form of a newborn baby, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. The is the good news that we celebrate and rejoice in this season.

Introduction

Philippians is called the letter of joy because it is the most upbeat and joyful of all his letters to the churches. We see Paul’s affection for this church that has demonstrated such love and generosity towards him in various ways such as financial support, especially when he was in prison. Ancient Roman prisons did not feed their prisoners and the care of the prisoner was the responsibility of family and friends. Paul expresses his gratitude in his letter and at the same time, he wants them to know something about his life in Christ and what it means for them.

“Bigger is better and having more is a must.” This is the belief that most people in the world live by. People live in pursuit of a bigger house, more luxuries, bigger paycheck, more power and status, and a bigger portion of everything. In the pursuit of something bigger and better, we become endlessly fixated on what we don’t have rather than what we do have. This endless pursuit exhausts our souls and compromises our joy. The truth is that we all have this temptation to be discontent, but the Lord shows us in today’s passage that the level of our joy is determined by how we nurture our contentment. Contentment is NOT about complacency, laziness, refusing to try new things. Contentment is about resisting the lie that something more will make you happy and having more of something makes you something more. Discontentment is a never-ending search of something bigger and better, but contentment is being free of this cycle.

Three simple but powerful questions can help us determine whether our lives are marked by discontentment: (1) How much time do you spend complaining about what you have? (2) How much time do you spend coveting what others have? (3) How much time do you spend comparing your life to others?

Introduction

The accounts recorded in Act 16 gives us some of the background of how the Philippians church was founded. Paul’s encounter with Lydia the purple cloth vendor (Acts. 16:12-15). It was here that Paul and Silas were imprisoned for setting a slave girl free from demonic possession, taking away her ability to tell fortunes and her owners from making a profit off her plight. Paul and Silas did not grumble or complain but offered up praises and the Lord responded to them with a mighty earthquake that shook the foundations of the prison, and all the doors flew open and all chain came loose miraculously( Acts 16:26). The life of their jailer was spared, and the jailer and his household experienced the joy of salvation (Acts 16:32-34). We witness Paul’s boldness to proclaim the gospel at every turn and corner regardless of his circumstances. We know full well that this boldness has been a difficult and dangerous journey that has placed him in mortal danger many times (2 Cor. 11:23-29). He has never allowed his circumstances be an excuse to stop proclaiming the gospel, be it prison, illness, or threat of death. Even though Paul has experienced all this, more than most people, he says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4) How many of us in, Paul’s shoes, would be able to say the same?

Introduction (Today’s passage is an apt precursor to Philippians chapter 4)

Imagine 2000 years ago, hearing about this man from Galilee, unlike the Jewish leaders, is uneducated, the son of a carpenter. Yet, he speaks a message filled with truth, power, inspiration, and hope for all from the greatest to the smallest. He calls out in an authoritative, firm, and yet gentle tone that those poor in spirit today will be blessed, those who are meek will inherit the earth, and those who are pure in heart will see God. His words are not only filled with hope but accompanied by caring, compassionate, and responsive miracles for the poor, sick, and dead are raised back to life. He is gentle to the weak, the outcast, the sinner, but he holds contempt to the so-called spiritual leaders of the day, the self-righteous, the self-glorifying, who have barred the way to salvation. He has no fear of these people and he does not fear overturning their practices and understanding. In fact, it may be them who are in fear of him. Who is this man called Jesus?

You have his message and seen all that he has done. You are convinced that this man Jesus is the Messiah who was foretold to come and you choose to follow him. You begin to trust him and give him honour and worship as the Son of God because this is what you have come to believe. Your faith in God, your compassion towards others, increases and surges, you sense a transformation in your life and you know are now someone new. Then you hear him say that he is going away to prepare a place for you, but in the meantime, he has given us a gift, the Holy Spirit, to be with us until the day he comes back.

Jesus says: Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (John 14:12-13)

And we find ourselves asking these questions: What does this mean? I can ask for anything in His name and He will do it? How can this happen?

Introduction

We often find ourselves drifting away from our original goals as we are distracted by many things – money, ideas, opportunities, and whatnot – although we began with a clear purpose and focus. The well-known marriage vows reflect that clear purpose of commitment to each other, but it may not be so clear in daily life. The same can be said with professions where you began with passion and aspirations of making a difference, but now you may be questioning why you’re even there. For the church, a lack of purpose and focus can have devastating consequences to its mission and the teachings of the church. We are to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ by making disciples of Jesus Christ, but we drift from passion to apathy, from sacrifice to comfort, from service to selfishness. And so, Paul warns us against losing clarity of what it means to be a true Christian whose righteousness comes only through faith in Christ.

Introduction

Our understanding of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has been in transformation. Despite the different understanding of the gospel held by different branches of Christianity (Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant), it is becoming more holistic where it’s not just about saving people and getting them to heaven. How we understand the gospel may not be such a narrow view, but much deeper than we realize.

The gospel coalition defines the gospel as the good news of what God, in love, has done in Jesus Christ, especially in his cross and resurrection to deal with our sins and reconcile us with Himself. This understanding of the gospel is not incorrect, but this gospel is not complete. It’s too individualistic, too human centered, and it’s centered on how I solve my problem. Matters outside of yourself tend to feel otherworldly. We have trouble relating to things that are happening right now. For example, what does the gospel say about racial justice, the pandemic, the environment, the climate change, and other for matters outside of ourselves?

Introduction

Paul says, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing (v.14),” or, “Do everything without complaining or arguing (NLT).” Complaining can damage/destroy your relationship with God, others, and yourself. We are prone to complain, such that we don’t realize how much. It is a challenge for us, but simultaneously, God commands us clearly to do all things without complaining. There is power in our words, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue... (Prov. 18:21)”, and we can speak life or speak death. Complaining is death speech that suffocates the life out of both the speaker and the hearer(s). Complaining is Satan’s language that opens the door and invites Satan to run amok. But praise and thanksgiving is God’s language that opens the door for God’s blessings to pour in. Often, the things we complain about are not worth complaining about. Unpleasant situations, which we can do nothing about, can arise any time, but we do have control over how we respond. And how we respond demonstrates the attitude of our heart. Complaining reveals an entitled, ungrateful, and prideful heart.

Introduction – The Importance of Unity among Believers

Paul highlights Jesus’ power and glory brought forth from his humility (v.6-11) to address an issue of disunity within the members of the Philippian church. Despite being a healthy church with no major problems, Paul is concerned about division and disunity taking root. This is apparent in vv.1-2 where Paul uses words of unity 6 times: being United with Christ (v.1), common sharing in the Spirit (v.1), being like-minded (v.2), having the same love (v.2), being one in spirit(v.2), being one in mind (v.2).

Paul warns us today to be vigilant because division and disunity disarms the power of the church to be an effective channel of God’s goodness to the world and we lose the power to be effective representatives of Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven. No matter the good works we do, how holy our worship may appear, how sincere our prayers and praises may sound, a church that is divided cannot stand and function and respond to God’s calling. Unity is not about uniformity (same opinion, same views, agreement with everything), nor was this the way of the early Church in Paul’s days. Our unity comes from one thing, that our eyes and hearts are set on Jesus Christ! Our unity comes from a desire for Christ to shape us, so that we may ‘have the mind of Christ (v.5; cf. 1 Cor. 2:16)’ which is a mind that is set on humility.

Introduction

The late Pastor Tim Keller once said, “Because the gospel is endlessly rich, it can handle the burden of being the one ‘main thing’ of a church.”  This is exactly what we find in Paul’s letter to the Philippian church. Every aspect of Paul’s life is for the gospel, of the gospel, in the gospel, and due to the gospel. The endlessly rich gospel is to be the center of everything in the church.

Staking our life on Jesus is not easy. We are busy, distracted, faced with opposition, persecution, and suffering. A gospel-centered church needs gospel-centered courage and Paul teaches us how in three ways by being a church that: (1) Stands Together as Citizens of Heaven; (2) Strives Together for the Faith of the Gospel; (3) Suffers Together for the Sake of Christ.

Introduction

Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, now turns to his own situation in prison. Though under house arrest, he rejoices triumphantly in the Lord. The church in Philippi were worried because they had heard reports how their beloved Paul had been arrested and sent to Rome, how he suffered shipwreck along the way, was now confined in prison, and they feared for his life. Paul writes that the reports of his situation and his chains are true, but something else is true – that all these things have worked to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ! Despite suffering defeats, persecution by Jews and Gentiles, beaten, tortured, facing injustice, and chained to imperial guards 24/7, Paul rejoices because of the spread of the Gospel. The gospel advances most in times of adversity, not prosperity. The Gospel is invincible, unstoppable, and indomitable.

There are three points to highlight in how God uses Paul’s obstacles to advance the gospel from our text today: (1) Paul’s confidence, (2) Paul’s confinement, and (3) Paul’s challenge.

Introduction

We were made for deep relationships characterized by the deepest kind of love. In the beginning, before sin tainted the world, God singled out one thing that was not good in His creation – Adam was alone without a companion. We cannot live without stable and healthy relationships. Children cannot thrive without stable parents; a marriage cannot survive when two people drift apart; it can feel like death and can leave to death sometimes. This is how God created us; we grow, mature, and flourish as healthy Christians and a healthy Church in relationship.

Paul’s letter to the Philippians reflects a deep kind of friendship and relationship between Paul and the Philippian church, such that scholars believe Paul had a closer relationship with the Philippian church than the other churches. In today’s text, Paul reconnects and rejoices over what he heard about them.

When we look at Paul’s letter to the Philippians, it is quite evident that this letter reflects a very deep, deep kind of friendship between Paul and the Philippians. Scholars say that Paul and the Philippians were closer in relationship than any other church had with Paul. Paul’s greeting reveals more than a simple greeting that a surface reading may suggest. Paul teaches us how to have the deep and genuine relationship that God intended for us by focusing on two things: (1) Paul’s greeting to understand his relationship with the Philippian church and (2) Their Partnership in the Gospel.

Introduction

Giving thanks is a prominent theme in the Psalms, but Psalm 100 is the only psalm that is specifically titled as a psalm of giving thanks. The psalmist speaks of an invitation to all of creation to exhort, to praise, and to bless the Lord. He shows us what God is like and who God is as our Creator and our Father. Afterall, how can we be thankful if we don’t know who God is and what God is like in His nature.

There are THREE intrinsic reasons to thank and praise God:

Guest speaker Pastor John Park speaks about Compassion (Canada) and about God’s heart for children around the world, especially those living in poverty.

Introduction – Part 1 and 2 recap:

            The Lord’s Prayer is a framework of Christian life that is consistent with the Kingdom of Heaven. We must internalize this prayer deep in our hearts by understanding what Jesus is teaching us through all the parts of this prayer: (1) “Our father in heaven” is about intimacy with God who is a loving and compassionate Father; (2) “hallowed be your name” is about the tension/balance we hold towards God as an intimate and loving father but also a most holy God; (3) “your kingdom come your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven” is about manifesting the things of Heaven on the Earth below as part of God’s justice; (4) “Give us this day our daily bread” is about trusting and relying on the efficiency and sufficiency of God as our daily source and provider; (5) “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors (alt: “… trespasses as we have forgiven those who have trespassed against us”) reflects God’s grace and the need to be forgiven and to forgive others. Our love for God cannot be disconnected from our love for others.

Introduction

The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Colossae who received the Gospel well, but Paul is concerned about news of the church being distracted and deceived by outside factors such as philosophy, ascetism, and self/made religion (religious practices). Likewise, we too are distracted from Christ by many things in the world that are attractive to us every day. This is especially true for us who live in a world that promotes the idea of “be a better version of yourself.” The world offers many things promising that you will be a better person, but the Apostle Paul says, “but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” (Col. 2:23b)