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Hey, Beloved… Will you join us in prayer? Tonight from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., the Elders are gathering at the church to seek the face of God once again about the future of Mt. Hope, and in particular, the big decision our congregation will be making on Sunday. We would love for you to join us for any (or all) of our time together tonight. Come pray with us (come and go as you like) as we seek God for wisdom, provision, guidance, resource, and most importantly, His anointing. But why do we need to pray? Don’t we already know what God is doing? Do we really need to ask Him for something He already has in the works? Great questions. Let’s talk in Deeper Thoughts below… BUT first… the reminder details…
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OK… that’s it for today for you email skimmers and those who hate long emails… BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts Why do we need to pray about everything going on? Hasn’t God already directed our course? Don’t we already have a collective impression of what He wants us to do? Isn’t the momentum among our people obvious? Don’t we already have a solid plan that we are convinced God is leading us to? This is exactly why we need to pray. “To a man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue” (Proverbs 16:1). “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end is leads to death” (Proverbs 16:25). You might have read these passages earlier this week if you were with us on The Daily Six. (If not, click here to jump in and hear the impression God has been giving me over the last many weeks.) You see, prayer is not simply asking God to do what we want God to do. In fact, that’s really not godly prayer at all. Oh, we’ve mastered the art of telling God what we want. We know how to make a list, and “please, Mr. God, would you do it this way?” I think God might recoil a bit when we pray like this. Last Saturday at the Guys Growing Godlier men’s conference a few of us attended, my good friend John Ackerman so wisely put it this way: “Prayer is not about getting God to provide me as much comfort in my life as divinely possible. God does not work at my beck and call. Prayer is not about getting better and better at getting God to do what I want Him to do… what I think He should do because I already know what needs to be done.” Oh… and this is important: “Prayer is neither magical incantation nor mere ritual; it is relational conversation grounded in faith.” Prayer is not asking God to do things. It is seeking God for His direction, wisdom, provision, and guidance for the plans He has for us (see Jeremiah 29:11-13). It is searching for His voice—that SO quiet internal impression that the Holy Spirit is speaking. Prayer is a conversation where we listen more than we talk, where we surrender more than we press for something, where we bask in God’s love more than we hunger for a particular outcome. So yes… we are gathering tonight to pray. Not to ask, but to seek (see Matthew 6:33). Not to get God to do anything, but to hear God’s heart. Would you join us? Tonight, anytime from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Or Sunday at 9:15 a.m. Or pray on your own at home (click here for recommended prayer points). Let’s seek the Lord together in bold surrender, calling on Him to be near to us. “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” (Proverbs 16:3). Not because we got the incantation right, but because we got our hearts right before the Lord. I can’t wait to be in God’s Word with you on Sunday as we begin a new mini-series exploration of “Finding the Heart of God,” Sunday, 10:00 a.m. sharp… Don’t be late… bring your Bible and a pen!! Much love to you all… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend [email protected]
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Hey friends…
...But He is speaking. Jesus said that “my sheep know my voice” (John 10:4, 14-26). If we are “in Christ,” the inner places of our spirit are indeed subtly tuned to know and hear the impulses of the Holy Spirit as His Spirit interfaces and witnesses to our spirit (see Romans 8:16). But for most of us, this voice is foreign. We may not think we have ever experienced it. And if we have, we may not recognize that we have heard Him… partly because He is SO quiet. More on this in Deeper Thoughts below… BUT first… A call to prayer and decision…
Other important stuff to know:
OK… that’s it for today for you email skimmers and you who don’t want to hear God speak… BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts There might a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out) when you hear people say “God told me this…” or “God said…” If you’ve never known for certain that you have heard His voice speaking to you, you can easily spin off into “what’s wrong with me? I must not be as spiritual as they are.” OR… “God must not want to talk to me because I am too sinful,” etc… Some of our problem with hearing the voice of God is that we have misunderstood what this means. We likely have unrealistic impressions of what someone else has experienced when they say God spoke to them. When God speaks to me, it is not audible. It is not bold. It does not come with ANY emotions. I do not feel more spiritual. I am often not in some uniquely holy space. When God speaks to me, it is so stinking silent… so quiet… merely a subtle impression deep inside me somewhere. What is different for me is this: I have learned to recognize the voice of God by learning to differentiate between the impulses in my spirit and the normal instincts of my flesh. This takes a lot of cultivation and even some experimentation. It is a very subtle difference that took me years to distinguish between a silly idea that was emerging from my own desires that I hoped was God’s voice and an actual word from the Lord. Learning to recognize my own selfish motivations and choosing to surrender them to God is an important first step. But the other problem we have with hearing the voice of God is that He is indeed so stinking quiet. God could be his own Seinfeld episode about the “quiet talker.” Have you ever met one of these people? I know a few. They speak so softly that I really cannot hear what they are saying. I often ask them politely if they could speak up. They repeat themselves, but no volume increase has occurred. Do you know who I’m talking about? God is one of those people. Ugh. May I introduce you to Elijah? He was one of those really anointed, really powerful men of God who lived a life of extreme devotion. He loved God so much that he was willing to put it all on the line to force his entire society to face the Living God. He staged a contest between the Lord and all the prophets of a wicked false religion that had captivated all of Israel. The event was stunning. God moved in power. Elijah was a spiritual champion. Could you read all about it before Sunday? 1 Kings 18. But then the discouragement set in. He got seriously depressed. And he struggled to hear from God. THIS we will press into on Sunday. We will discover some really important truths and a practical “pro-tip” about God’s super quiet voice. I can’t wait to be in God’s Word with you on Sunday as we wrap up our exploration of “Hearing the Voice of God.” We’ll see you this Sunday, 10:00 a.m. sharp… Don’t be late… bring your Bible and a pen!! Much love to you all… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend [email protected] Oh, friends… don’t miss this Sunday if at all possible! Way more than “Super Bowl” Sunday at night, this Sunday morning is our super-important Annual Celebration meeting! God has put a strong word on my heart that will tie together where we have been in our Old Testament study with where God is leading us in the weeks and months ahead. Read Acts 20 and Colossians 2 beforehand and let’s talk! More on this in Deeper Thoughts below.
But first… Here’s what we’ll be doing right after church: · We will receive 14 new Covenant Partners into partnership. · ALL Covenant Partners will renew their commitment to partnership. · We will consider the appointment of two new Elders to the church, as well as a couple of new members to our Board of Administration. · We will unveil the “final” design of our facility expansion plans (to include 3-D walk-around videos), share the final budget estimate, and prepare you for the next super-important decision to be made… which is a “go/no-go” decision in front of us. Please… everyone attend! Our Sunday morning service at 10:00 a.m. will tackle the Word of God for us; our Annual Celebration meeting after church 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. will tackle the various appointments and the building discussions. We will livestream both events for those who are out of town or sick… but if you’re here… please join us in-person!! Other important stuff to know: · Teens: FIRE Youth Worship Night TOMORROW… Saturday, February 7th, 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. – pizza, music, devotional, discussion, and sharing… a perfect opportunity for teens to build a deeper connection with God and each other! We’ll be INSIDE (‘cuz it’s super cold outside!). o And… no youth group Sunday morning, but plan to join us at the Annual Celebration meeting and learn all about where the church is going! · Ladies: Join us Saturday, February 21, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. as we make prayer and gratitude journals to deepen our relationship with God. Click here for more info and to RSVP! o Men: While your ladies are out, join with us for an all-day men’s conference with Christian Fellowship Church and Reston Bible Church on Saturday, February 21, from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The focus is “Guys Growing Godlier.” Click here for more info and to RSVP! · Parents: We are putting the same challenge forward to kids to bring their Bibles every Sunday for Kids Connect. If you have questions or would like help with an age-appropriate Bible for your kids, contact Chris Bowen at [email protected]. · A memorial service for my stepdad and Mt. Hope member, Larry Motz, will be held on NEXT Saturday, February 14, at 11:00 a.m. All are welcome. · Young Adults: Come hang out with Chris and Sherri (and each other!) at their home, Friday night, February 27, 6:30 p.m. – whenever. Yummy food and great fellowship included. Text or call Sherri at 571-437-3127 for details and to RSVP! OK… that’s it today for you email skimmers and those who don’t want to hear any cool vision. BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… I’ve told you a few times lately that God has gripped my heart. Hard. There’s a problem in our national context that He wants to solve… and indeed can solve. But far more importantly, God wants to solve a serious situation in your heart and mine. Oh… and in fact, if the latter gets done (my heart, your heart), it’s a small but mighty step towards solving the other, larger national problem. “There you go again, Chris. Way overselling.” Perhaps. But maybe not? Colossians 2:9 tells us that “all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form….” In other words, everything that makes God who God is was entirely embodied in Jesus Christ. OK, you got that, right? We’ve been taught that our entire Christian lives… Jesus is God in the flesh. Copy. But how does this solve anything here in America or here in my messy heart? That’s found in the very next phrase: “… and you have been given fullness in Christ” (Colossians 2:10). Whoa. Hold the phone. Slow down. Pause. Re-read. Did you catch it? Everything that makes God who God is has been embodied in Jesus, and in Jesus, all that fullness has been poured into… wait for it… you. Friends, this is not just symbolic hyperbole. This is not just warm fuzzy religious encouragement. This is the Word of the Living God. This is a profound promise of the Bible: that everything God wants to be and to do in your life and in our world is found in Jesus Christ, and when you and I choose to be in Jesus, all that “everything” God wants to do is right there available to us. We’ve been seeing hints of this throughout our Old Testament teaching series called “Knowing God.” Character after character over these last 40 weeks, we have seen men and women who encountered God in such profound and supernatural ways. Perhaps we are envious of their experiences. Perhaps we feel so much less than them as we look at our own journey and don’t see such life-altering encounters. OR… perhaps we just haven’t discovered yet how to “hear the voice of God,” and what the prerequisites are to experiencing this fullness. There’s a clue in the phrase “in Christ.” I’ll explain on Sunday. But first, would you slowly and carefully contemplate Colossians 2:1-12? See if the Lord can show you something in His own words well before you hear any of my words. I’m 1,000% certain that anything He speaks into your spirit will be WAY more transformative than anything I have to say. But like the Apostle Paul, my long-winded words (see Acts 20:7-9) come from a deep, deep burden for “declaring to you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27, ESV). It’s burning in my heart. When we see it… when we step into it… when we live from it… everything changes. In me, in you, in our church, in our people… and maybe if enough of us truly live in Christ, even in our nation. Hmmm… I can’t wait to be in God’s Word with you. We’ll see you this Sunday, 10:00 a.m. sharp… Don’t be late… bring your Bible and a pen!! Stay warm… Much love to you all… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend [email protected] |
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Jesus said, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, & with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” - Matt. 22:37-39
42507 Mt. Hope Road
Ashburn, VA 20148
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703-729-2707