What do I need to know and why?

Hey Friends…

 I hate fire drills. They startle me. But I suppose it’s a good idea to visualize how to evacuate a building quickly. I always sleep during safety briefings on airline flights. But it is worthwhile to know how the oxygen masks work. (Anyone see that Southwest flight that lost cabin pressure a while back? Everyone wore the masks over their mouth, but not their nose. Dumb.) As a 55-year-old male, there are a couple of super-uncomfortable medical checks I’m supposed to get every so often. But it’s helpful to catch some things early on. I wonder: How many Christians view biblical prophecy like an annoying fire drill or an uncomfortable annual physical? We really should know what we need to know, but nothing in us wants to go there. I think this might be a uniquely American problem. I’ll tell you more in Deeper Thoughts below…
 
But first….
 
·      Ladies: Join us for a prayer walk and fellowship time at Morven Park in Leesburg, TOMORROW, Saturday, July 20, 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. Click here for more details!
 
·      A memorial service for our beloved Mike Anderson who unexpectedly passed away last month will be TOMORROW, Saturday, July 20, 2:00 p.m. at the church. All are welcome!
 
·      Youth & Parents--we need your feedback! The power of being a small church—and therefore a small youth group—is that we are a family, not a program. This enables us to custom tailor the experience for exactly who is present. Chris Bowen wants to keep a pulse on who’s around each week as the summer months have less-predictable rhythms to ensure our Sunday programs are spot-on for your teen. Please be sure to stay in touch with him—240-422-6287 (c).
 
·      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!
 
OK…that’s it today for you email skimmers and those who prefer to be unprepared.  BUT…
 
 
Some Deeper Thoughts…
 
We Americans have a special problem.
 
You might say we have quite a few special problems, many in full view these days. But that’s not what I’m talking about here.
 
The problem that I’m speaking to is more systemic, more long-term. It’s been taking root in our society for at least 100 years or more as we began to crest into position as the most prosperous, powerful, technologically advanced nation in global history. All that prosperity has been good for us in one sense—life here in the western world has been pretty easy compared to most other points in humanity. But it has also darkened our understanding of authentic spirituality and robbed us of our true hope in Jesus Christ.
 
Here’s our problem: We’ve become so accustomed to peace and prosperity that we cringe and duck the moment something uncomfortable needs to be discussed. The result? We often miss important data we ought to know that might just save our spiritual lives.
 
To save my natural life, I need to know how to exit a building, how to wear an oxygen mask, and how to spot an illness early.

To save my spiritual life, I need to know God’s plan for what is coming my way, how to protect myself from deception, and how to place my hope in Jesus when trouble rears its ugly head.
 
Our summer teaching series is all about hope. The scriptural content might feel a tad uncomfortable. But the New Testament proclaims these difficult matters with great joy and hope, anxious for Jesus’ deliverance, and speeding towards what is to come. “God’s Game Plan: Beginning, Middle, End—a study in biblical prophecy” we are calling this series.
 
We want--and need—to know how God sees our near-term future. We need to know how to evacuate the enemy’s deception in our lives. And perhaps most importantly, we need to know how to don our spiritual oxygen masks—the life-giving hope of Jesus Christ that belongs to us in times of darkness, turmoil, and despair.
 
For the final five Sundays in our summer teaching series, we will look at a few specific details we might want to know about. We will learn how to escape the enemy’s trap and how to find Jesus’ rescue:
 
·      THIS Sunday, July 21: Let’s start with this creepy fellow called “The Antichrist.” He’s a deceptive little bugger, and if he can, he’ll trick us to unwittingly join his team. Jesus will defeat him, and we will overcome him. But we need to know how. This is your airline safety briefing. “There are two over-wing exits on this aircraft…”
 
·      NEXT Sunday, July 28: “Overcoming Babylon” – let’s discover the root behind ungodly global and political systems, how Jesus will overthrow them all, and how we can be marked as Jesus’ very own. (Perhaps you’ve heard rumors about this nasty “mark of the beast?” We have a much better tattoo that buys us total victory and freedom. I bet you want that mark and not the other!) “Please be sure you’ve boarded the correct flight… we are headed to Heaven today, not Rochester…”
 
·      August 4: “How It All Goes Down” – The New Testament book of Revelation provides details of the final wrap up—a tribulation period, God’s judgment on the earth, the final battle of Armageddon, and a 1,000-year reign of Jesus. What’s it all about, and what do I need to know? “This is your captain speaking… we’ve got a bit of turbulence ahead, but there is nothing to worry about…”  
 
·      August 11: “Will There Be a Rapture?” – Most Evangelical Christians have been taught that before it gets real ugly, we are going to be snatched away by Jesus and escape the coming tribulation. I really like this idea. But is it in the Bible? Where did this teaching come from, and is it useful to me? “Please review the safety card in the seat back in front of you. It contains useful information in the unlikely event of an emergency…”
 
·      August 18: “Rolling Into Heaven” – How does it work? What will I experience? How do I know I will get in? What about everybody else? Is that Saint Peter scanning tickets at the boarding gate? “Please arrive two hours before your scheduled flight to allow time to get through security screening…”
 
You in?
 
Oh… wait… I almost forgot. We have one more talk in our series on “God’s Game Plan”:
 
On August 24, 1835, nine men and women gathered in a little schoolhouse not far from our church and made a covenant to become “Mount Hope Baptist Church” pledging themselves “to God and one another, to live together as a Church of Christ, pledging ourselves to strive together for the faith of the gospel, by all the methods laid down for our observance in the Word of God.” A lot has happened since then. We unmistakably see God’s plan for this little fellowship thriving 189 years later. How about we celebrate this history—and look towards God’s plan for our future—on Sunday, August 25, 2024?
 
Here we go… God is SO good!
 
Chris Eads
Mt. Hope Pastor
Friend