New Hope Christian Chapel Podcast

What do we do when the things we have faith will happen don't happen? Is our faith in positive outcomes, or Jesus Christ? Would our faith still be strong if we never see the results we are hoping and praying for? What sort of faith can stand strong no matter what our circumstances or trials?

Most of us have ideas about who God is that are not based in biblical truth. We might think of Him like an angry father, or as a distant God who isn't really listening to our prayers. But we can know who God is by looking at the life and person of Jesus, because just as Jesus said in John 14, "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me." Just as God promised through the prophets (Joel 2:28), He still speaks in dreams and visions to His people today! Take a few minutes to listen to the beautiful vision and message that God gave to Rachel Caetano, and ask Him to continue to reveal Himself to you!

Who do you think you are? Do you have purpose in your life? Do you envy others who seem to be doing more, getting more, receiving more? Do you know why God has made you...how God has made you? Who does God think you are? How can discovering the identity God has designed specifically for you be an incredible source of freedom, power, and meaning in your life?!!

Hearing the story of someone's miraculous encounter with God sometimes can sometimes feel unrelateable. Hearing Moses' story probably feels utterly impossible to match! But what if God is looking to invite us all into just as intimate and powerful a relationship as He had with Moses? What if God's progressive revelation in our own lives parallels that in Moses' experience, and the experience of anyone who has ever listened for the voice of God and passionately pursued His presence? What if the Holy Spirit is still a "burning bush", a pillar of smoke and fire, a voice from heaven, and the mouthpiece of God? What if God is calling you...even you...into your purpose, renaming, worship and identity? Perhaps you and Moses are not all that different after all?

Who names you? Who tells you who you are? What do you think God calls you? The Bible uses some incredibly beautiful words to name God's people! Oaks of righteousness, rebuilders, repairers of ruined cities, God's delight, holy people, redeemed people, sought out ones, repairers of the breach, restorers of streets to dwell in...and more! Do you see yourself the way God does? Who will name you?!

It's not possible to add more things to our lives if our lives are already full. It's not possible to move on if we're bound to the past. It's not possible to do anything new if we just keep doing what we've been doing. What would it look like if we practiced the biblical, spiritual discipline of "releasing" in order to free ourselves up for whatever God has in store for us?! What if our sorrows didn't linger and blind us to new joys? What if our successes didn't make us apathetic and miss immanent miracles? What if our lifestyles weren't permanent, rigid masters of our time? What could it look like to be free to be and to do all that God dreams for us?!

How would you define sympathy, empathy and compassion? Which of them are a divine attribute of God? Which of them implement aid and care in the world? What are the similarities and differences between them? The Bible offers the world a unique and inspiring look into a deeper meaning, source and impact of compassion! Take a few minutes with Pastor Dave to see how compassion is at the very heart of God's nature, Jesus' incarnation, and the heartbeat of every Christian!

In ancient Greek culture there were very wealthy individuals who were called upon to act as patrons of the arts, specifically funding choirs, plays, and famous Greek tragedies. These patrons were known as choregos, and they were millionaires and billionaires of their day that were hand-picked by the State. They spared no expense out of their own wealth to hire the best singers, furnish the best costumes and sets, and put on the most lavish productions they could, all for the glory of the Greek empire. Think about the awesome parallel that provides for Christians who have been chosen by God to receive the limitless wealth of His Holy Spirit so that they may spend their lives generously sharing God's spectacular power and love with a world so hungry for it! In the Bible in 2 Peter 1:5, Peter makes this exact parallel and instructs the earliest Christians to be "suppliers", "patrons", just like the choregos! Let's live lives of beauty and impact as we manifest and pour out the presence of God's Holy Spirit to the world around us!