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Pastor Chris's Blog

Did you even know this was happening?

10/27/2023

1 Comment

 
Hi All…

 
It may explain a tremendous amount about why we tend to cycle through our repeated challenges over and over again. Have you noticed it? Those impulses and reactions we have; those internal messages of self-doubt, fear, or self-hatred; those troubles, difficulties, and sufferings we go through in life—they all seem to keep popping up time and time again. There may be a specific source to it all. And there is certainly a solution to it all. This is going to be a “don’t miss” Sunday as we discover it! I’ll tell you more in Deeper Thoughts below…
 
But first…a few quick updates…
 
·      This Sunday, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper (Communion). Come with hearts prepared to worship with great thankfulness. And you online live-stream folks: get your crackers and juice ready and worship with us!!
 
·      This Sunday night, 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. – Trunk or Treat!! Join us--and bring all your neighborhood kids—for an uplifting, joyous celebration of fall with candy, games, costumes, prizes, hayrides, popcorn, and more… to include Chris Nicholson’s world-famous funnel cakes!! All are welcome—with or without kids. Come hang with our neighbors and have some fun!!
 
·      Mark your calendars for a super-big Saturday, November 11:
 
·      9:00 – 11:30 a.m. – Church facility and campus workday: Help us spruce up the church for the holiday season and make some new friends!
 
·      1:00 – 3:00 p.m. – Ladies…join us as we make lotions and such for holiday gifts. More info to come!
 
·      6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Old Ox Brewery – “Stories from the Street”:  Join Pastor Will Cravens and others as they share stories and testimonies of ministering to the homeless. Click here for more info and to get tickets!
 
·      Be sure to click here check out this week’s video testimony about prayer and the power of God from our very own Grace Robinson!
 
OK, that’s it today for you email skimmers and you who’d rather just keep getting pummeled without knowing why. BUT…
 
 
Some Deeper Thoughts…
 
I’ve been scouring the scriptures for a revelation from God about this. I have discovered something I hadn’t fully comprehended before, though I suppose it should have been super-plain to see.
 
I’m curious if you have missed it, too.
 
By now I am certain you’ve caught the teaching of Ephesians 6:12. I hammer on this fairly regularly in our Sunday teachings. It tells us that the things we battle with are not as they seem; that we are not really battling against our natural “flesh and blood,” but rather we are in the fight of our lives against “rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
 
Besides the obviously spooky imagery this conjures up, do you know the real backstory to all this? I’m not sure that I did.
 
The Old Testament has a number of fairly vague references to these spiritual forces, most of which are a tad confusing and don’t seem to shed much light on the subject at all.
 
But then Jesus bursts onto the scene, and things change dramatically. Almost from the get-go, Jesus starts addressing these spiritual forces with stunning authority. And he addressed a lot of them. Scores of them in the Gospels, in fact.
 
The Greek and Roman culture of his day had long believed in dark spiritual forces. It was not hard for them to envision troubled people having some sort of demonic influence in their lives. In fact, the Greek word for “demon” was interchangeably used by the Greeks for all manner of spiritual realities—often translated in classical Greek as “god” or “gods”, with the idea that most divine activity in our lives is purely negative. (Gee, that’s uplifting, eh?)
 
So, when Jesus started calling out evil spirits in the troubled people around his town, the crowds were not at all startled by his identification of a spiritual source to their difficulties. It matched what they had always thought—that all those weird folks were suffering the unfortunate plight of being on the bad side of the always-negative “gods” who were looking for a few pitiful souls to pick on.
 
The crowds were stunned, however, that demonic spirits instantly submitted to his commands.
 
Right about now, I imagine you’re wishing you’d decided to be an email skimmer today. I know these concepts are way outside of our comfort zone. In our day, we’ve backed off any awareness or acknowledgment of the existence of evil spiritual power. Perhaps partly due to how spooky it can be; perhaps because we are so scientifically advanced that we can answer most people’s problems with far more natural explanations; perhaps because some religious groups have way overdone the whole demons and evil spirits thing. Whatever the cause, most Americans--and most American churches—simply ignore (or even reject) the idea that there might be certain spiritual forces influencing any of the things that are going wrong in life. We are 100% squarely ensconced in the idea that everything wrong has an entirely natural reason—be it physical, psychological, social, or political.
 
But does the life of Jesus reveal something different?
 
As we continue our fall teaching series, “Effective Faith,” we need to turn our attention to another “what’s next?” in the life and letters of the Apostle Peter. We are searching out God’s Word to reveal to us all the things that He has provided for us: “everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).
 
One of the things Peter reveals to us is quite victorious. He tells us that we have an “enemy, the devil,” who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8).
 
“Um…Chris… Not encouraging. Spooky, bro. Spooky.”
 
Hold on. Keep reading.
 
The next verses: “Resist him, standing firm in the faith…and the God of all grace who called you…will make you strong, firm, and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:9-10).
 
If your image of the evil spiritual forces arrayed against us leads you in the direction of Hollywood’s imagery of devils and demons (think “The Exorcist”), then you’re not envisioning what the Bible describes at all. This is—in part—what I have been discovering this week in the Word of God. It’s way more encouraging, way more empowering, way more uplifting and freeing than I had imagined this topic would be.
 
So…if I haven’t scared you off just yet, and you’d like to get a firm handle on how, why, and what the spiritual realities around us are all about, then jump in with us this Sunday. I’ll make it very navigable and easy to comprehend, no matter what your background is.
 
If you’d like to do a little advance reading before Sunday, check out a few stories from Jesus and Peter: Matthew 4:23-25; Matthew 9:27-10:1; Luke 4:31-37; Luke 10:17-21; Acts 5:12-16.
 
This will be good. I promise. God is SO good to us…
 
Much love,
 
Chris Eads
Mt. Hope Pastor
Friend
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I’m not going to say this right…

10/20/2023

0 Comments

 

Hey All…
Ever watch someone stick their foot in their mouth so deep you wonder how they’re going to pull themselves out of it? Wanna watch me do that very thing on Sunday? Sometimes there are topics of conversation where it might just be impossible to avoid flossing your teeth with your shoelaces. When the Word of God comes up against one of our most dearly held belief systems, no matter how we slice it, it’s going to come across all wrong. Curious yet? I’ll tell you more in Deeper Thoughts below.
 
But first…a couple of real important, real quick thoughts…
 
·      A tomorrow night DON’T MISS event: Fall Fellowship Dinner and “Stone Soup Dinner Theatre” – 5:00 – ‘til whenever. As the name implies, it’s a scrumptious dinner (but, sorry…no rocks will be in your soup) followed by a variety show you’ll be talking about for weeks to come! The Hospitality Team will provide world-renowned roast beef, mashed potatoes, and gravy. But we’re depending on you for the sides and desserts! If you haven’t signed up already, please click here to see where we need you the most.
 
·      Trunk or Treat – Sunday, October 29, 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. – Come be a part of reaching children and families in Ashburn with this festive night of candy, games, prizes, and hayrides. We still need a couple of decorated “car trunks” to hand out candy; we need help with set-up, parking, and clean-up; and we need folks to just mingle and chat with our newcomers and neighbors! Please email Chris Bowen to get involved!
 
·      This week’s Spiritual Power video testimony is from our dear brother, Tom Michaelian. Click here to learn how to hear and respond to the Holy Spirit’s nudge to pray.
 
Ok…that’s it today for you email skimmers and you who don’t care to watch the preacher electrocute himself. BUT…
 
 
Some Deeper Thoughts…
 
I imagine you’ve noticed this thing about our American culture. It’s everywhere. In private conversations, just about everyone I know bemoans its negative impact on our society. Yet in public, no one dare speak a word about it lest they be misunderstood--or worse, labeled something really ugly.
 
The New Testament scriptures call it out, intensely leaning into the subject from multiple practical angles. It is so core to our fallen human nature that it has been a struggle for Christians to conceptualize for 2,000-some-odd years.
 
But the New Testament writers saw the unique power of living from a new state of mind on the subject, so they made it a core tenant of just about every letter they wrote. The early church became known in their society as profoundly counter-cultural on this point, and it was unquestionably one of the most attractive elements of the early Christian church to some, and perhaps one of the scariest elements to others.
 
Today, our culture is so steeped in the humanistic side of this issue that it has become a cardinal doctrine of American society. To think or say anything different than the cultural norm is to be cast as someone horrible—bigoted, insensitive, oppressive, or worse.
 
So, many of my fellow Christian preachers do some quick math on the subject. The scriptures teach something wildly opposite of American culture. But to speak or say anything to the contrary of culture gets you branded among the despicable. It’s not hard to envision the outcome going down the rabbit-hole of this topic, so it’s honestly easier to just avoid the subject altogether. We don’t need to teach anything unbiblical, of course. We just need to steer clear of those parts of the New Testament. I mean, there’s plenty of other topics in the Bible to cover, right?
 
Do I have your curiosity aroused just yet?
 
I hesitate to even tell you what we are talking about. One side of me just wants to get you so curious that you’ll grab your bag of popcorn and show up to church to see me electrocute myself grabbing the proverbial “third rail” we find in scripture.
 
But another side of me wants to get you digging into the Word of God ahead of time so you’ll already be in the process of being transformed by Jesus.
 
(Oh… and there’s also another part of me that wants to hide it so you won’t decide to skip church and dodge the obvious stretch that the scriptures are going to call you to.)
 
In our fall teaching series called “Effective Faith,” we are studying the life and letters of the Apostle Peter, searching intently for “everything we need for life and godliness” that is promised to us by God (2 Peter 1:3). Peter tells us that if we will grab ahold of what God has provided for us, it will keep us from being ineffective and unproductive in our relationship with Jesus.
 
He did not promise it would go over well with our society.
 
What are we talking about? Can I get you to do a little advance reading before Sunday? Set the stage for what you’re about to read by looking at 1 Peter 1:13-16. Then, take your Bible and wade carefully through 1 Peter 2:13 – 3:16.
 
Gulp.
 
“Chris, are you serious? Why would you even go here? Don’t you know we have more important matters going on in our lives and in our world? Are you really suggesting we go back to the dark ages in all this?”
 
Can I make a promise to you? Two promises, actually.
 
First, I promise that there is no way that I will say this all smoothly. In 35 years of teaching, I have never taught these verses in depth, precisely for all the reasons I have shared with you above. There just isn’t a clean way for an American preacher to expound the Word on these subjects without crossing the sensitivities of our way of life. So… give me grace and bring your popcorn.
 
But secondly, and far more importantly, I want to challenge you to trust the Word of God to reveal something you absolutely do not expect. First read through these passages, I imagine like me, you feel the squirminess of wondering if we are going back in time to an outdated, archaic way of thinking when religion was used to bludgeon people into submitting to their oppressors. At best, we may read these texts as irrelevant to our current cultural circumstances; at worst, they may be insulting to our sensibilities and might even be outright offensive. But you may be surprised that what the Word is actually revealing is not at all the dire, oppressive, archaic patriarchy you fear it is suggesting.
 
Here's my promise: God has something to reveal to us that is obviously important to Him. And while it clearly crosses against our natural instincts, the truth is that it has been crossing every human in every culture throughout all of time. It is why it garners so much attention in the New Testament. In fact, its crossing of our sensibilities is precisely its power. God wants to transform how we see and experience our circumstances. He wants to empower us to live from a renewed nature. And when we do, we will be radically set free from all the oppressive and unjust circumstances we may encounter.
 
Curious? Let’s jump in. The Word of God is living, active, present, and relevant. God is going to reshape us this Sunday. Can’t wait!!
 
Much love to you all…
 
Chris Eads
Mt. Hope Pastor
Friend
[email protected]
703-999-4845 (c)


​

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We need to talk about the news

10/13/2023

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We need to talk about the news
​Hello dear friends…

 
I am sure you are, like me, reading and watching the terrible events in Israel and Gaza over this past week with great sadness. While it is not a comfortable topic, nor what any of us would prefer to be considering right now, there are profound biblical implications to what we are seeing in the news. Prophecies and teachings in the scriptures abound as it relates to coming events in Israel. As believers, we are called to pray God’s “Kingdom come, [God’s] will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). We have a responsibility to understand these events, know what God’s Kingdom-will is, and then engage our prayer response accordingly. I’ll share more about this in “Deeper Thoughts” below…
 
But first, may I turn our attention to some more enjoyable matters before we go heavy??
 
·      NEW Video Series! We have an exciting online video series that we will be releasing every Thursday night for the next many weeks. To reinforce what we are learning in our Spiritual Power Bootcamp, we will share a weekly video testimony on how individuals in our congregation approach prayer, spiritual power, and victory. Click here to check out this week’s video for a story of standing upon a promise from God!
 
·      Spiritual Power Bootcamp, Thursday nights, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. We had 40 folks with us last night for a powerful time in the Word and discovery of spiritual victory. If you missed it but would still like to attend, click here to let me know. I can get you caught up and we can slip you into next week’s session. We have five more to go!
 
·      Due to weather and other complications, tomorrow night’s Ladies Line-Dancing event has been cancelled.
 
·      Fall Fellowship Dinner and “Stone Soup Dinner Theater”--Saturday, October 21, 5:00 – whenever! Join us for an amazing evening of fun, food, fellowship, and laughter as we come together as the family of Mt. Hope. Plan on sharing something from your life—a talent, artwork, hobby, or interest. AND…we need your help with potluck yummies to add to Chris Nicholson’s world-famous roast beef! Click here to sign up for what to bring… we especially need desserts and side dishes.
 
o   An important note: Don’t be intimidated by the “talent show” dinner theater idea. Sure, if somebody wants to sing an opera aria, that's great. But really, we're just out to have a good time. Past acts in this great Mt. Hope tradition have included fun music, magic, juggling, poetry slamming, comedy, clogging, dramatic interpretation, and even a pair of three-year-old twins squeezing orange juice. Click here to email Kristie Zoller to talk about what you could share!
 
·      Trunk or Treat--Sunday night, October 29, 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.—Another great night out with the Mt. Hope family to share love, sugar, and entertainment with kids and local families. We still need some volunteers to help with decorating trunks to give out candy, run games, or help with set-up/clean-up. Click here to email Chris Bowen to get involved.
 
OK…that’s it today for you email skimmers and you who need to avert your eyes from such difficult news to our east. BUT…
 
 
Some Deeper Thoughts…
 
This is hard to talk about and even harder to watch.
 
There are a wide range of voices either decrying or defending various tactics and agendas on all sides of the conflict in Israel and Gaza. Much of the rhetoric we hear from our government, our media, and the global conversation is not new. Debate about the human welfare of both Palestinian and Israeli civilians; about the sovereign rights of the territories involved; about the freedoms and oppression of both Jews and Arabs; about the legitimacy and proportionality of combat or terror tactics used by either side; about the legitimacy of governments… none of this is new and has frankly been going on for decades--perhaps even centuries—as we understand the global history of the region.
 
As Christians, I believe there are three different divisions of thought that we must engage and educate ourselves to form a biblical worldview and a biblical, God-honoring response to these events.
 
First, we need to understand the global and historical nature of this conflict. It extends for centuries through the complex narrative of both the Jewish and Arab people. The history of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all feed into this story. Anti-Semitism, oppression, persecution, wars, crusades, and atrocities have attended--and been wrought by—all three of these religions through the last 4,000+ years. Secular governments and humanistic prejudices have also played harshly into these stories.

Secondly, we need to understand the contemporary humanitarian and political landscape of the crisis. The factors creating the conflict are complex and complicated. There are, of course, specific realities inside these events that have no nuance whatsoever—for example, the beheading of infants has no moral equivalency or justification, certainly not from any biblical or moral worldview. Some matters are purely evil and flow from demonic sources. But other matters that feed the conflict are more nuanced in the heartaches of individual people, families, and communities involved.
 
For these first two segments of thought, I’ll leave that to others to explore in depth. But I would encourage you to do your homework. I’ll throw some links below my signature line that might be worth reading.
 
But the third area of thought--and I would argue the most important for us—is to consider the biblical and prophetic context of conflict in Israel. 


Ultimately, this entire problem goes back to one dysfunctional family, a wrestling with God, sexual immorality, and the mistreatment of a young woman. Genesis 12 – 16 tells the story of Abraham, his wife Sarah, his illegitimate mistress Hagar who was later abused, and their children—Isaac and Ishmael. The Jews (and Jesus) descended from Isaac, the Arabs (and Mohammed) from Ishmael. And the wild dysfunction of this family has echoed ever since in the global, historic, and cataclysmic conflict between these peoples.
 
The prophecies of scripture unmistakably point to a global conflict in Israel as the climax of the human experience. Building towards the end of humanity is the devil’s hatred of God’s chosen people (the people of Israel: descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—see Genesis 12 – 32).
 
The oppression of the Jewish people began in Egypt in the 1400’s B.C. (see Exodus 1 – 12). They were engaged in much warfare as they later took possession of the Promised Land, often called Palestine in later centuries (see Joshua, Judges). They wavered in their faith, sinned, abandoned God, fell under judgement, and were ultimately carried into exile (see Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, and the prophetic books). They were restored to a tentative nation-status by the Persians, later the Greeks, and then Rome (see Nehemiah, Ezra).
 
Jesus was born from within God’s people to be their Messiah (see the Gospels and Hebrews). A Jewish Rabbi himself, Jesus railed against the corruption that had evolved in Judaism and he was ultimately crucified for it. Yet God still holds a tender place in His heart for the Jewish people (see Romans 11). And the devil holds an unending hatred. Armageddon will be the culmination of that demonic hatred, as the land of Israel and Palestine will be embroiled in an ultimate battle in which Jesus will return, bring the earth to an end, and create a new heaven and new earth for all eternity (see Revelation 19 – 22).
 
So, what do we do with all this? I’m going to devote our teaching time this Sunday to exploring the biblical narrative of Israel, God’s people, and how this all plays into the End Times. What is our part in this narrative? What should we be praying for? Watching for? Hoping for?
 
There is hope, and there also is a call for our godly response. Let’s go there on Sunday. If you’d like to do some advance reading, dig around 2 Peter 3, Romans 11, and 1 Thessalonians 4.
 
Let’s be the family of God this Sunday and pray for God’s Kingdom to come, His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven!
 
Much love to you all…
 
Chris Eads
Mt. Hope Pastor
Friend
[email protected]
703-999-4845 (c)
 
 
PS… a few links you might want to explore on the subject… not a suggestion to adopt any viewpoints presented in these articles, but they offer a somewhat broad understanding of the contemporary forces at play:
 
History of antisemitism from the American Defamation League
20th Century antisemitism’s cause and effects from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Outline of Israel / Palestine conflict and U.S. policy from the Council on Foreign Relations
History of Palestine from Wikipedia
Timeline of Palestine and Palestinian people from Wikipedia
Some current American political responses to this crisis from Politico
 


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What is the goal here anyway?

10/6/2023

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​Hey All…

 
I absolutely hate inefficiency. I imagine some of you do, too. Unproductive, mismanaged, and inefficient activity towards a certain goal drives me up the wall. You too?
 
How about when the mismanaged efforts are in our spiritual lives? Do we even notice? What is the goal we are trying to achieve anyway? I’ll speak more to this in Deeper Thoughts below…
 
But first… a few big events coming our way at Mt. Hope:
 
·      LAST CHANCE to sign up for “Spiritual Power Bootcamp”--starting next week: six Thursday nights, October 12 – November 16, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the church. Join us for a powerful “deep dive” into the fullness of our inheritance in Christ and how we can practically live in spiritual victory. Registration is required, and we are asking a couple of key things from you as you participate. Click here for more info and to RSVP!
 
·      Ladies: Put on your cowboy boots and hat and come line dancing with us on Saturday, October 14 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Lisa Zimmerli’s barn in Vienna! Bring an appetizer or dessert to share, your dancing feet, and a friend. Click here for more details and to RSVP.
 
·      Fall Fellowship Dinner: “Stone Soup Dinner Theater” – Saturday, October 21, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. In an old European folk story called "Stone Soup," a village learns the power of building community through sharing.  Because we are a family here at Mt. Hope, we want every person (including children!) to know that what matters to them matters to all of us—oftentimes shown through our talents, hobbies, and interests.  So, whatever brings you joy, whatever motivates you and expresses who you are, we want to see it, hear it, or taste it!  Share some food, display artwork, or hop up on stage to present a talent! Click here to email Kristie Zoller to share something visually or on stage, and click here to sign up to bring some yummy food!
 
·      Sunday, October 29, 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.: “Trunk or Treat Extravaganza” – be a part of reaching families in Ashburn with a festival of candy, games, prizes, and more! We are looking for many Mt. Hope’rs to volunteer to help run games, to show off decorated car trunks, to greet newcomers, etc. Click here to email Chris Bowen to help build this great event!
 
OK…that’s it today for you email-skimmers and you who think everything in life already runs perfectly seamless. BUT…
 


Some Deeper Thoughts…
 
Confession moment: I’m that guy behind you losing his brain while you drive 10 m.p.h. below the speed limit (put the phone down, folks!). I’m that irritable fellow in a large staff meeting getting twitchy as I see five more efficient ways to do what’s being discussed. I’m that cranky old codger (picture Clint Eastwood) grumpily complaining about all these new-fangled procedures that just don’t make sense. I’m the one throwing a temper tantrum when the product packaging won’t open properly, when the grocery self-check-out doesn’t read the barcode, or when the registration process for something is way too complicated.
 
Is any one of you like me?  
 
For me, it’s all about efficiency, effectiveness, and common sense. What are we trying to do here, and what’s the best way to get it done?
 
Never mind the obvious touch of arrogance still lingering in my slowly sanctifying soul that thinks my way of getting it done is THE way to get it done. But the passion, the goal, the drive is simple: get done what we need to get done and get it done right.  
 
I think this is why I have often struggled with religion.
 
There are a lot of procedures and processes in religion. We don’t call them that, of course. We think of them as morals, disciplines, traditions, or liturgies. But they are, in fact, exactly that: procedures and processes by which we are trying to accomplish the lofty goals of the spiritual life presented by Jesus.
 
Jesus tells us to love God and love our neighbors. Jesus tells us to serve the needy around us. Jesus tells us to have faith in God, to pray boldly, to heal the sick, to raise the dead. Jesus tells us to make disciples of all the nations, to go forth in his name, and to take authority over all the power of the evil one.
 
These are all incredibly lofty goals. Many of them seem wildly unattainable—or at best super-hard to attain. So, the structured religious side of Christianity has built all manner of disciplines and traditions to make us think we are taking steps towards those goals. But a quick review of the results demonstrates that they’re not really producing the outcomes described by Jesus.
 
Am I right, or am I drifting into my grumpy Clint Eastwood self?
 
We’re doing this fall teaching series at Mt. Hope called “Effective Faith.” It’s based on the life and letters of the Apostle Peter—especially where Peter tells us that God “has given us everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).
 
If this revelation of scripture is true, then we already have everything we need to achieve these lofty dreams Jesus has for us. So why don’t we see this more readily? Why is it so hard to live up to the ideals Jesus taught us? Why aren’t we actually accomplishing the goal?
 
Is it perhaps because we have the wrong procedures in mind?
 
The scriptures reveal that it is “God’s power” that has given us everything we need (2 Peter 1:3). It is not given to us through our procedures and processes that we have wrapped up all pretty-like in religious traditions. The scriptures reveal that it is God’s “great mercy” that has “given us new birth into a living hope” (1 Peter 1:3).
 
This transformation into the ideal life Jesus described does not come from a set of procedural behaviors. It does not come from doing spiritual things better, or more efficiently, or more effectively. This transformation comes from the power of God birthing something entirely new within us.
 
Perhaps we also misunderstand the goal.
 
In his first letter, Peter told believers that as they grow in faith, they will be “receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:9). Did you notice the goal is not the accomplishment of some set of ideals? Rather, it is the transformation of something internal: the salvation of our souls.
 
Some of you may be quick to “check the box” that your eternal soul is indeed already saved—you have trusted Christ for salvation and know that your eternity is secure. Others of you may be a little vague on what this really means, so you lean back on your tentative knowledge of religious tradition and hope that you’re OK (“I was baptized [or confirmed] once, so I’m good, right?”).
 
This Sunday, I want us to slow down and really understand what the scriptures are revealing here. Let’s unpack together the text of 1 Peter 1:1-9 and see what God is trying to show us. Do some advance reading if you can—nose around the first chapters of both 1 Peter and 2 Peter.
 
Slow down and consider: is God revealing something more than just a ticket to eternal life?
 
I’m super-stoked to be with you all this Sunday. Sherri and I missed you greatly this last week—good Lord willing, our travels are done for the year! Let’s jump into the Word of God together!
 
Much love…
 
Chris Eads
Mt. Hope Pastor
Friend
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    Chris Eads

    Mt Hope Pastor
    Friend

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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
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​​42507 Mt. Hope Road
Ashburn, VA 20148


[email protected]
​703-729-2707


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