New Hope Church: Weekend Messages

It is so hard to watch someone who has every opportunity to succeed in life throw it all away. We often stand by powerless watching the train wreck happen. In today’s story we watch a young, self-centered king spiral down this path. It is too late to save him, but hopefully we can learn from his mistakes! May his poor example be a “Wake Up Call” for you and me!

Pride, seeking our own glory and pleasure, is the root of all other sins. Nothing separates from God faster and further than our own pride. How far will God go to break our pride and bring us back into relationship with Him?

God often delays the fulfillment of his promises to form our soul and position us to truly enjoy their fulfillment. As we wait, we must believe his promises, embrace the circumstances, and sustain our faith.

God is calling us to a Dangerous Faith. This kind of faith is very different than the comfortable faith found in many churches today. Our God is not only the God of the green pastures, He is also the God of the fiery furnace!

Last week we watched Daniel trust God and remain faithful through a very tough situation. This week it gets worse. In chapter 2 Daniel faces an impossible situation! Why does God ask us to face not only difficult situations, but literally “Impossible” situations in life? Let’s read together how Daniel walks right through his impossible problem with grace and faith!

We begin a new series this weekend through the book of Daniel. Like Daniel centuries ago, we too live in a culture that is “Hell-bent” on molding us into its own image. How do we remain faithful and even make a difference in a culture that is openly antagonistic to our faith in Jesus Christ?

By looking at the bigger picture we can see God constantly pursuing a greater connection that brings new life to our world.

We are all moved when God moves. What do YOU do when Jesus draws near?

Everyone wants God to bless them, but not everyone gets blessed in the same way. Sure, we could say "that's just God's plan," but what if there was another piece to the puzzle? What if God's blessing was BOTH more mysterious AND more accessible than we think?

Cloud mean different things to different people. For some it's the threat of a forced change of plans. For other it's the promise of much needed rain. But what about "clouds" in our lives? What do we do when the sky ahead looks different than we wish it was, and how do we find God in the middle of it all?

Jesus love and activity in our life should overflow into the lives of others.

Embodied within the Great Commission are three sets of fours. There's the four great "all's", the four great imperatives and the four great challenges. Join Dr. Jeff Singletary as we discover how the Great Commission is the Great Open Door to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We finally get settled into a relationship, a career, a new house, an empty nest, a good church, and yet the inner question persists… “Now what?” What’s next? We accomplish what we set out to do, we arrive at our desired destination and yet, we can’t shake that feeling that there must be more to life than this. There is! Today we follow Abraham’s story as he followed God to discover “What’s next”!

The Psalmist describes the journey of life as passing through. He affirms that in the midst of the journey that God is with us. As you are passing through be assured of the power and presence of the Lord for your life.

There are many people we interact with daily that are different. They have different characteristics, personalities and emotions. Most are pleasant to be around, but there is one that isn’t; and that is being around someone who is prideful. In the church and in our culture we want to be people that reflect humility not pridefulness. Today in 2 John, we will be learning how HUMILITY WILL ALWAYS TRIUMPH.

In life everyone learns to walk. Most, probably don't remember what that is like but remember what it is like to learn something new. In II John, the Apostle John is writing to a house church and through that teaches a lot about how to love as the church, with false teachers and what our response is in today's culture. We are going to walk through what it means "to walk". To walk in truth, walk in love and walk with discernment.

What do you see when you look ahead to 2024? This week we have a special message from Pastor Jeff Singletary, reminding us that God is the one who opens doors ...

The buffer week between 2023 and 2024 is coming to a close. Are you ready for what’s next?! Each of us will face hard battles and good opportunities in the new year. What if we allowed God to change our perspective? What if we could see even our challenges as opportunities? What if the giants we are about to face are sent to make us stronger and better able to face the giants of 2025 and beyond?!

Love is the theme of this week’s Advent celebration. We may have saved the best for last, but what is love? How do we define it? How do we describe it? If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a living, breathing role model must be worth many more! This week we look at Mary, the mother of Jesus to understand what godly, unconditional love looks like.

Find Joy! … that may be easier said than done! Is Joy something that can be lost and then found again? If it can be “found,” then where do we begin looking? Joy came to earth with the birth of Jesus Christ and can be found all throughout the New Testament. Join us this week on a journey to find Joy!

Advent is finally here! That means Christmas in only a few weeks away, and I can’t wait!!! Why is Christmas such a big deal? Why do we need Christmas anyways? To find the answer, we will look back to the Old Testament prophecies about Christmas. The prophet Micah teaches us why Christmas is such a big deal!

We do not naturally gravitate towards gratitude. We weren’t born being thankful. We had to learn to say, “Thank you.” And yet, most psychologists agree that Gratitude is the healthiest human emotion. How can we cultivate a Thankful Heart? What would change in our lives if we did…?

Does God create “Great Churches” or does God choose “Great Churches” when He wants to move powerfully? Today we are doing a deep dive into the church at Antioch to learn what a Great Church looks like! As we finish up our series in the Book of Acts, it’s going to get personal...

As Floridians, we have seen firsthand the destructive power of a strong storm. Nothing is left in its place after the storm has passed. What if some storms aren’t meant to destroy, but rather put things back into place. Even set people back on course? This week we are reading a story of how God used a storm to perfectly position Paul for ministry. 

The situation looked grim. Herod had just killed James and Peter was in chains just hours away from the same fate. But God… sent an Angel to break him out of jail! This Breakout story ignited the early church to move out and expand faster than ever! God is still sending Angels and desires to break our chains today. When He does, we will see a Breakthrough today like we saw in the days of Peter!

It’s been said, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time!” As followers of Jesus Christ, we believe God has a beautiful plan for our lives. This plan folds perfectly into His mission to redeem a lost world back to its Creator. In Acts 20, Paul is nearing the end of his ministry and life. He reminds us what it looks like to follow God’s Plan for our lives when he shares the Marks of a life well led.

Joppa was a major port city in Israel where a countless number of ships, passengers and cargo passed through towards their final destination. At crossroads like Joppa, a decision has to be made. Will you trust God to lead you on to new things and points “unknown”, or will you stick with what you already know and go back “home” where you feel safe?

Nobody like interruptions! We get into a groove at work or at home and suddenly something or someone breaks into our day and everything changes. But what if some interruptions aren’t interruptions at all? What if some interruptions don’t happen by accident? What if some interruptions are actually “Divine Appointments”?

How do you feel about change? We normally welcome the changes we initiate and avoid, complain about and fight against any change that is thrust upon us from the outside. What if God is the Initiator of change? How can we accept, even embrace, the change that God brings into our lives?

As we jump into the Book of Acts, we are introduced to the star of the show: The Holy Spirit. He is not new to God’s story. He has been working mostly behind the scenes since time began. In chapter 2 we see Him burst into the limelight and into the hearts of the new believers and the early church. From this point on, He will play a very personal and public role in the life of every believer.

Do you know that little button that pops up on the screen when you are streaming your favorite TV show? It is asking if you want to “Skip Recap.” It allows you to save a few seconds of viewing time and jump right into the action. It’s tempting to do hit that button with chapter 1 of the Book of Acts and jump right into the “Action” beginning in chapter 2, but if we did that, we would miss the powerful lessons that lay the foundation for understanding the next 27 chapters! 

WORSHIP. It's a big topic, a powerful idea, and a concept that can be easily misunderstood. We often use the word "worship" to talk about music in church, but what if God's idea of worship is about MORE than having people sing him songs? What if worship is God's plan not to get more FROM us, but to give more TO us?

Much of Florida was in a drought (in the middle of our “wet season”!?) until Hurricane Idalia took care of that problem! What about you? Are you feeling spiritually dry, even though everything and everyone around you seems to be flourishing? Just as God provides pools of life-giving water to a dry valley in the desert, He also brings refreshing to your dry and weary soul if you are willing to “dig where He tells you."

August is a busy month! Families are getting adjusted to a new school schedule, college students are heading back to campus, and parents are realizing there's not many more vacation days left in the year. August is an exciting season of change and transitions. Moses had some great advice for the Israelites before they transitioned into the Promised Land: "Get Back to the Basics!"

What happens when you die? That is one of the most searched topics on Google. Believers and not-yet-believers alike all want to know the answer to this question. God’s Word gives us a great deal of detail right in the Book of 1 Thessalonians. These details are meant to strengthen our faith and give us encouragement in the face of great grief.

We all want to please our boss or those close to us by doing what they have asked us to do. The appreciation and gratitude that we receive after a job well done is what fuels the fire to keep striving. How do we know if we have “Pleased God?” What does it look like when we have met or even exceeded God’s expectations? 

Each year nearly 5000 protestant churches close their doors. This trend continues to grow each year due, in large part, to the ever increasing pressures from our modern culture. The church Paul planted in Thessalonica experienced those same pressures (maybe worse??) and yet they did not quit. Today we look at our own faith and ask ourselves 5 questions that the Apostle Paul asked a church family that remained strong in the face of affliction.

It’s what’s on the inside that counts! Paul, the outwardly-focused Missionary Evangelist spends an entire chapter of the Book of 1 Thessalonians looking inwards at the characteristics of a healthy church. If we don’t get it right on the inside, we will never be effective reaching out to others. If we care well for our church family, we will be prepared and empowered to care well for those outside of our church family. This week we look at the biblical characteristics of a healthy church!

The church in Thessalonica was just one of the churches planted by Paul and his team on their second missionary journey. However, the results were different here than elsewhere. In spite of great persecution from the religious and city leaders, the young church flourished right from the start. What made this early church grow so rapidly and what can we learn from their resilience? 

We are kicking off a new series that walks us through the book of 1 Thessalonians. The theme of standing firm in the face of trouble and persecution is just as applicable to us today as it was 2000 years ago. This week is the Prequel story. Before we jump into chapter 1, we are going to study the story of the founding of the Thessalonian church in the Book of Acts.

Our culture longs for Leaders who seek to serve.  Jesus shows us what Servant Leadership looks like and invites us to follow Him in doing it.

True Freedom is very rare in our world. The freedoms that we enjoy in our country were won and are now defended by incredible sacrifice and determination. That is also true in our lives as believers. True Freedom comes at a cost. It cost Jesus His life, but the battle for our spiritual freedom rages on in our own hearts and minds. This week we will learn to walk God’s Path to Freedom.

Why does the church gather? To Heal? To Recharge? To Sit and Soak? Yes, that all happens in fellowship with God and His people, but there is a much greater purpose: The Demonstration of God’s Power in you! God’s Spirit carefully chose and placed a powerful gift in each and every believer "for such a time and such a place as this.” Don’t miss this awesome opportunity!

What do you buy a Dad who already has everything? Most Dads don’t need more in their lives, they need less. This week we are reading a story about a dad who almost lost everything because he thought he needed more. What he really needed was a lot less sin in his life. The gift of a “Clear Conscience" turned his life around!

What in the world is a “Spiritual Gift”?! Does the name imply that because it is “spiritual," it is not physical? We can’t really touch it or hold it? And if it is a “gift," does that mean it is ours to have and to hold and keep for ourselves? Join us this weekend as we discover how to unpack our Spiritual Gifts and use them as God intended!

Many Christians know the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost. But what if there was MORE to the story than just a dramatic arrival? What if God's gift of the Holy Spirit wasn't the end of Jesus' work, but just the beginning?

It is the age old theological debate: Are we saved by our faith alone OR do we have to “earn” our salvation by works and good deeds? What if we have been aiming our lives at the wrong target? What would a life look like that is aimed at a Faith that Works?!

We set lofty goals, we shoot for the stars and we aim for greatness, but what if God wants us to aim lower? No, I’m not suggesting that God wants us to lower our expectations or think less of our own abilities. What if greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven is not based on power or position but rather on humble service? What are you aiming at?

What if the target you have been aiming at becomes a “Moving Target”? By God’s grace you have adjusted your life to aim at the target He has set before you when suddenly that target (relationship, job, ministry, retirement plan) vanishes! What do we do? What should our focus be?