Hey Friends…
We are almost done with our summer teaching series on “God’s Game Plan” and how everything in the universe will wrap up. That’s good news for you who’ve heard all you want to hear about the end times and biblical prophecy. But I have even better news!! The devil is almost done for, too. This is actually quite glorious, is it not? All temptation, all defeat, all disease, all disorder, all deception… it’s all going to end, and we will stand triumphant with the God who has planned our victory all along. But there are a few details we need to know so we can help speed this along and do our part. I’ll tell you more in Deeper Thoughts below… But first… three new things and three reminders… · REMINDER: Are you interested in becoming a “Covenant Partner” of Mt. Hope? Traditionally thought of as “church membership,” those who make a covenant of partnership with the mission, values, and ministry of Mt. Hope are those who own the direction of our church. Join us for a no-commitment orientation on Sunday, August 11, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., lunch included! Click here to let me know you’re interested. For those who are traveling that weekend and can’t make that date, click here anyway and we’ll line up an alternate time to get you oriented! · NEW: Men… our next-up Men’s Challenge breakfast is NEXT Saturday, August 11, 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. · REMINDER: Join us for a super-important all-church information, vision, and business session right after church on Sunday, August 18, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. We will present and discuss next steps with the potential expansion of our facility. We will share, process, and pray about next steps in our ministry. Our Covenant Partners will vote regarding our new fiscal year budget, vote regarding contracts with architects and civil engineers, and elect new members to our administrative board. All are welcome, and we always have fun with these meetings! · NEW: Ladies, you are invited to join us for "Pool and Prayer" on Saturday, August 24, 2024, 1:30 – 4:00 p.m. A friend of Sharon Brown's recently had a beautiful inground pool and hot tub installed in her backyard and she would like to bless other women with the opportunity to use it. So, please join us for swimming, food, a devotional, and prayer! Click here for more info and to RSVP! · REMINDER: Kids & Parents—mark your calendar for an important after-church parent’s luncheon on Sunday, August 25, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. We will explore your ideas and family needs for long-range planning of our kids and family life ministries. We’ll share what’s upcoming this fall, and have you help co-create our direction for the future. This is a don’t miss event… yummy lunch provided! · NEW: Some of you may remember missionary Dr. Michael Brown who visited us this last winter. He is leading humanitarian and Gospel mission to the front lines of battle in Ukraine. He recently prepared a video update specifically for Mt. Hope to tell us of a need and opportunity to help resource a Christian school near the battle lines. Click here to watch! OK…that’s it today for you email skimmers and those who don’t want to hear about our victory. BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… We started this summer teaching series at Mt. Hope by calling it a “summer of hope.” We’re doing a study in biblical prophecy: “God’s Game Plan: Beginning, Middle, End.” God has set the whole course of where our world and where all things spiritual are headed. It is all good, all hope, all joy as we will ultimately be face-to-face with God forever. But to get from here to there, we have to bump along through a few rough patches on the road. Those rough spots are all about the work of the devil—called in scripture “the accuser of our brothers” (Revelation 12:10)—who has made it his mission to wage war against God’s beloved (see Ephesians 6:12 and Revelation 12:17). You’ve felt this battle every day, haven’t you? We call this study a “summer of hope” precisely because that’s how the New Testament writers present the storyline of where everything is headed. In the end, Jesus wins. The devil is defeated. We overcome. Oh…this is good news… you can read all about it in Revelation 12:11! As we turn the corner into our last three weeks of this careful study of God’s precious revelation to us, we are going to look at a few details about how the devil gets defeated. If you are aware of typical “end times” topics from the Bible, some of these subjects might stir a bit of fear. Maybe you’ve heard of scary topics like “the mark of the beast,” or “666,” or “the tribulation period,” or the “bowls of God’s judgement,” or the final “battle of Armageddon.” Especially if you saw the scary movies that some folks have produced about the end times, you’re likely just holding your breath, hoping for “the rapture” to catch you away from all this before any of it comes to be! But, oh… beloved… this is not our position. Speaking specifically of these end times events, the Apostle Paul declares: “But you, brothers [sisters], are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons [daughters] of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5). Did you notice the word “all”? We are *all* sons and daughters of the light. We walk in the light of God’s revelation to us. In that light, we have absolutely nothing to fear. This Sunday, I will speed-walk us through a handful of these important details so we can know what to expect, see where God is with us, trust God’s protection over us, and discover how we will ultimately be victorious. We’ll move fast; we’ll cover a ton of ground quickly. And most importantly, we will see the joy that awaits us as we stand in victory over that pathetic little devil whose time is indeed short. They say, “the devil’s in the details.” I say he’s in them alright… spiraling down to his defeat as the details of God's game plan pulls him under! Let’s jump in together and see how it all shakes out. If you want to do some advance study, you can roam around Revelation chapters 4 – 16. That’s a lot, I know… but see what questions and fears arise for you. We’ll do our best to knock them all down and bring everything we fear into the light of God’s hope and joy. It’ll be good… I promise!! See ya Sunday… 10:00 a.m. in-person (always best!!) or online live-stream (for you who are traveling… or just being lazy [“boo!” to the lazy part…]) Much love to all… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend
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