Hope Alliance Bethlehem

God's story will conclude just as it began - God dwelling with his people in his perfection creation. God will fulfill his promise to make all things new. This is both a great hope to believers living in a broken world today and a call to live new creation lives now rather than thinking escapist thoughts. Maranatha!

The resurrection of Jesus was a world-altering event. It gave rise to a new gathering of the people of God called the church and unleashed the kingdom of God into the world. As followers of Jesus, the church then and now is called to experience the kingdom (already and not yet), embody the kingdom in the way they live and extend the kingdom by making disciples.

Jesus shows up to an Israel still very much defined by exile. And in Jesus we see God make good on his covenant by rescuing humanity. As a new Adam, Jesus demonstrates his trust in God. As a new Moses, he announces a new exodus in his baptism. As a new David, he unleashes his kingdom ministry against the greater enemy of sin. And as a new Abraham, Jesus calls a people around himself through his death and resurrection. In response to this good news, we are called to change our life's orientation away from autonomy and towards God.

How will God deal with the ever growing pervasiveness of evil outside the garden? He moves to bring the world back to himself through a man and ultimately a nation. He promises to bless them and calls them to be a blessing to the world and draw them to God. Humanity's continued pull toward autonomy disables their ability to live into this covenant relationship. And yet, we continue to see the love of God for our broken world in his willingness to remain faithful to the covenant even when humanity does not.

How could an apple bring about the interruption of a perfection creation? The truth is that the problem lies much deeper. Humanity's prideful pursuit of autonomy has traumatized all of our relationships within creation. And yet, in response to our rebellion, we again see a God who is defined by love.

The story of God starts off in a compelling way by sharing the story of creation. While people tend to be consumed with the "how" question of creation. The storyteller is far more concerned with the "who" and the "why" questions. In this first part of the story we see a big God who comes close to his creation because of his love for it.

In Hebrews 12, the author is reaching the conclusion and purpose of the letter: to encourage the readers to endure the suffering they are going through.Today, nearly 2000 years later the call to endure still stands, as does the reality of suffering in all of our lives. Though God is a mystery and His ways are not our ways, we find hope to endure suffering by looking to what God has done in the past, who He is currently, and what the future holds for those who follow Jesus.

Jesus, and all he has accomplished on our behalf, calls us to be a family on mission. We are not alone, neither in isolation nor in our responsibility to one another. We are, instead, called to encourage one another, to spend time together, and to worship God as part of a long line of faithful followers of God.

The Old Testament system of worship called for sacrifices to cover the sin of the people. But now through Jesus work on the cross, God himself has provided a perfect and final sacrifice. When we place our faith in this perfect sacrifice we find the security we long for in this life.

The Old Testament system of worship called for sacrifices to cover the sin of the people. But now through Jesus work on the cross, God himself has provided a perfect and final sacrifice. When we place our faith in this perfect sacrifice we find the security we long for in this life.