The Heidelberg Catechism - The Foundations Of Our Faith

Belonging at Hope                What Makes Hope Tick? First of all, we are Christians. Second, we are Evangelicals. Third, we follow the Protestant, Reformed view of God and Salvation. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Jesus gives Pardon       "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." Jesus gives Peace   "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them."  John 3:36 I am the Door John 10 So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep…. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and f

The Perils Of Pornography Matthew 5 Proverbs 5 Psalm 119 The Bible:   Ruin, Redemption 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Ruin, Redemption & Restoration 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Matt 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Matthew 6: 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5:27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with h

 Don't Lose Heart, Be Of Good Heart   Get a Great Heart.    4:16 ἐγκακοῦμεν, So we do not lose heart. 5:6, 8 We are of good courage  (θαρρουμεν). The Past Tells Us Troubles cause a loss of heart.  We could lose heart.  A Tenting Life   Οἴδαμεν γὰρ ὅτι ἐὰν ἡ ἐπίγειος ἡμῶν οἰκία τοῦ σκήνους καταλυθῇ, For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed,  A. A Tenting Life Is Testing. We Are in Perishing Condition    Though our outer self is wasting away, Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, "I have no pleasure in them";2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain,3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed,4 and the doors on the street are shut---w

TRELLIS AND THE VINE    Chapter 12. Making a start We began, some time ago it now seems, with a vine, a trellis, and the Great Commission. And we made a promise at the start that we would offer no new special technique, no magic bullet, and no guaranteed path to ministry success and stardom. We did this because Christian ministry is really not very complicated. It is simply the making and nurturing of genuine followers of the Lord Jesus Christ through prayerful, Spirit-backed proclamation of the word of God. It's disciple-making. This is not hard to understand, nor even hard to do—unless, of course, you happen to be a sinful person living in a sinful world. The deceptively simple task of disciple-making is made demanding, frustrating and difficult in our world, not because it is so hard to grasp but because it is so hard to persevere in. This is why we are such suckers for the latest ministry expert, who has always grown a church of at least 5000 from sc