Hope Community Church

Worship is simply a statement of the things you assign value to. It’s more than a song. It’s more than one day a week. Worship is a lifestyle. In this message, Guest Speaker Jim Burgen, teaches us the true meaning of worship. 

•     Worship can be better understood through the history of the Old Testament.

1 Samuel 4:22 (NIV)

Psalm 132:2-5 (NIV)

2 Samuel 6:1-23 (NIV)

Psalm 47:1-2 (NIV)

Psalm 149:1-3 (NIV)

Psalm 134:1-2 (NIV)

1 Timothy 2:8 (NIV)

Psalm 150:1-6 (NIV)

2 Chronicles 29:25 (NIV)

Amos 9:11-15 (NIV)

The first sermon you will ever preach is your public confession and baptism.

The second sermon is your daily worship of Jesus.

Whether it's on social media or around the water cooler, it's becoming harder than ever to love people we disagree with. In this message, Duane Calvin talks about how we can use grace and truth as guiding principles to do it best. 

Message Notes:
“How do I love people I disagree with? How do I respond with love to people that don’t like me or who deeply conflict with my Christian beliefs?”

It’s easy to love the people who are easy to love, but what about the people who are not that easy to love?

The best guiding principles on how to deal with confrontational or uncomfortable situations are found in God’s Word.

• Grace: 
  • God’s undeserved favor
  • Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
• Truth: 
  • Anything that is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory and Word of God.
  • Having complete reliability, reliability linked to the dependable, unchanging character of Jesus
  • John 8:32 (NIV)

Jesus was and is the ultimate example of Grace and Truth, and they are linked to the very character of Jesus.

• John 1:14 (ESV)
• John 1:17 (ESV)

John 8:1-11 (NIV) This is an example of Jesus demonstrating Grace and Truth.

Practical examples of how we can love people who disagree with us:

• 1st - Recognize that Jesus has enough Grace and Truth for everyone, even them. 
  • John 1:14 (ESV)
  • The word “full” in Greek is plḗrēs, which means “filled up, thoroughly complete; lacking nothing.”
• 2nd - Lean into what we lack.
  • Truth apart from Grace often produces a sense of legalism where we value rules and punishment and fairness more than we value forgiveness and relationship and people.
  • Grace-oriented Christians at times can struggle with Christian truths like obedience because it feels too restrictive and because they don’t want to be seen as being judgmental.
• 3rd -  Live in the tension of Grace and Truth because the Tension is where love of Christ is shared.
  • If we offend everyone, we are emphasizing Truth at the expense of Grace; but if we offend no one, we are probably watering down Truth in the name of Grace.

What will really make a difference in exercising these three truths in our lives is for us to put down the rocks.

• James 5:16 (NIV) “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

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For more information about our Hope Where You Are campaign, visit https://gethope.net/hwya/

For a deeper dive into any of the questions addressed in the Asking for a Friend series, check out some of the resources that guided our teaching team as they prepared for these messages: https://gethope.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Asking-for-a-Friend-Resources-1.pdf

Watch our Hope Music original, Asking for a Friend music video here: https://youtu.be/zuJ9HNmUXx4

If you’re new to Hope or looking to get connected, click here: https://gethope.net/next/

If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond here: https://bit.ly/3aWvIZN

To support this ministry financially to help us continue to love people where they are and encourage them to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, click here: https://gethope.net/give/

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Website: https://gethope.net/

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We’ve all wondered what will happen when we die, but many of us don’t really know. In this message, Chase Gardner uses scripture to give us a better idea of what to expect. He goes on to reveal that knowing what happens when you die will dramatically change the way you live your life until that time comes.

Message Notes:
Whether we’re new to Christianity or we’ve been Christians for years, there are questions we think about and sometimes argue about with others. Over the next five weeks, we’ll take a look at the top five questions our community has.

What happens when we die?

The answer offers us a hope the world desperately needs to know about.

• God tells us clearly in hundreds of passages what we can expect to experience when we die.
• These truths about eternity should change the way we live until the moment of death.

In order to understand the end, we have to understand where we began and where we are now.

• There are three main periods or acts in the history of the world.
  • Act one: The past (Genesis 1 and 2)
  • Act two: The present (Genesis 3 through Revelation 19)
  • Act three: The future (Revelation 20-22)

Act One

• God creates the entire universe, and it was good.
• Genesis 1:28
• God had a clear purpose for Adam and Eve: fill the whole earth and rule it for God’s glory
• Act one is similar to the present (same goal), but there was no sin or death.

Act Two

• The beginning of act two: Adam and Eve eat the fruit, sin enters the world, and death is the consequence.
• God creates a different place to hold the souls of people who die in act two
  • “Sheol” (Old Testament) / “Hades” (New Testament)
  • Three areas of Sheol
    • Paradise (present heaven)
    • Gehenna (present hell)
    • Tartarus (holding place for future judgment)
  • What we learn from Luke 16:19-31
    • If you die before Jesus comes, your spirit goes to Sheol
    • We will still be us, conscious, and aware of what is going on on earth
    • Present heaven—we’re happy and fulfilled; waiting for act three
    • Present hell—we’re alone, we don’t know what’s going on on earth, we are suffering
  • 1 Peter 3:18-19
  • The Bible emphasizes the importance of faith in Christ.
  • The Bible emphasizes that children have a special place in God’s heart.

Act Three

• Jesus returns to earth
• Souls come back from present heaven and present hell and receive their eternal bodies
• Revelation 20:11-15
• Revelation 21:1-5
• We will still be us, but sinless
• Everything will exist as it was intended at Creation
• We will have the same command: to fill the earth and live for the glory of God
• Jesus is the pinnacle
• Romans 10:13-15

What does this mean for how we live our lives?

• Every person you meet is an eternal being who will spend eternity in one of two places.
• Our purpose is to share the Gospel so that every person we meet has the option to choose to accept salvation or not.
• The truth of heaven means that for almost everything in my life, I can wait so that more can know.
• Make your decision today, because there might not be a tomorrow.

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For more information about our Hope Where You Are campaign, visit https://gethope.net/hwya/

If you’re new to Hope or looking to get connected, click here: https://gethope.net/next/

If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond here: https://bit.ly/3aWvIZN

To support this ministry financially to help us continue to love people where they are and encourage them to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, click here: https://gethope.net/give/

Subscribe to receive our latest messages: https://bit.ly/2XBbBxq

Stay Connected with Hope:

Website: https://gethope.net/

Hope Community Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gethopecommunitychurch

Hope Community Church Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/get_hope/ 

Hope Community Church Twitter: https://twitter.com/get_hope

Hope Community Church YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/HopeCommunityChurch

In times of suffering, we often turn to God for understanding. In this message, Teaching Pastor Chase Gardner offers a powerful perspective on suffering in the world.

Whether we’re new to Christianity or we’ve been Christians for years, there are questions we think about and sometimes argue about with others. Over the next five weeks, we’ll take a look at the top five questions our community has.

• If God is all powerful, why does He allow so much suffering in the world?

Habakkuk 1:2-4 (ESV) The prophet cried out to God questioning why he and his loved ones were suffering.

The Moral Argument Against God:

         If God is all-powerful, all-knowing and all-loving and suffering exists, then God is either none of those things or He doesn’t exist.

         The real argument is this: An all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving God wouldn’t permit suffering to exist without a good reason. And because I cannot think of a good enough reason, there isn’t one. Therefore, God doesn’t exist.

When we see evil and suffering, something inside of us screams that this isn’t right, and we question why doesn’t God fix this?

         We opened the door to what sin brings into the world through our free will.

God leads Habakkuk on a journey to better understand suffering.

         - God lifts Habakkuk’s eyes upwards to Himself.

                   Habakkuk 1:5-6 (ESV)

                   Isaiah 45:6b-7 (ESV)

                   Exodus 4:11 (ESV)

                   Psalm 135:5-6 (ESV)

                   Isaiah 45:9 (ESV) 

“In seventy years we can develop a host of ideas about how indifferent God appears to be about suffering. But is it reasonable to judge God and his plan for the universe by the swatch of time we spend on earth? Have we missed the perspective of the timelessness of the universe?… Who would complain if God allowed one hour of suffering in an entire lifetime of comfort? Yet we bitterly complain about a lifetime that includes suffering when that lifetime is a mere hour of eternity. Next time you want to cry out to God in anguished despair, blaming him for a miserable world, remember: less than one-millionth of the evidence has been presented…” — Philip Yancey

         - Habakkuk looks back to the history of God’s faithfulness in the Old Testament. 

         We have to look back to the cross.

                   All doubts about the Father are silenced in the Son.

“For whatever reason God chose to make man as he is - limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and death - He had the honesty and courage to take his own medicine. Whatever game he is playing with his creation, he has kept his own rules and played fair.” – Dorothy Sayers

         - God points Habakkuk’s attention forwards.

                   Habakkuk 2:3 (NLT)

                   Evil people will not go unpunished, and there is a real place called Hell.

                   We will understand suffering as a whole and on an individual level at the final judgement.

                   Heaven will be a compensation for all the pain and suffering.

                   Romans 8:18 (ESV)

                   Heaven will be a justification for our suffering.

                   2 Corinthians 4:16-17 (NIV)

Habakkuk 2:4 (KJV) “The just shall live by faith.”

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For more information about our Hope Where You Are campaign, visit https://gethope.net/hwya/

If you’re new to Hope or looking to get connected, click here: https://gethope.net/next/

If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond here: https://bit.ly/3aWvIZN

To support this ministry financially to help us continue to love people where they are and encourage them to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, click here: https://gethope.net/give/

Subscribe to receive our latest messages: https://bit.ly/2XBbBxq

Stay Connected with Hope:

Website: https://gethope.net/

Hope Community Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gethopecommunitychurch

Hope Community Church Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/get_hope/ 

Hope Community Church Twitter: https://twitter.com/get_hope

Hope Community Church YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/HopeCommunityChurch

Sometimes it can seem like science is at odds with religion, making it hard to believe in the God of the Bible. In this message, Chase Gardner teaches that science doesn’t contradict Christianity at all. In fact, he argues that science points to God as the ultimate creator, meaning that it can be a source to increase our faith, not decrease it.

Message Notes:

Whether we’re new to Christianity or we’ve been Christians for years, there are questions we think about and sometimes argue about with others. Over the next five weeks, we’ll take a look at the top five questions our community has.

Does science contradict religion?

• The beliefs we have strongly influence the beliefs we form.
• 3 things involved in this question
  1. Scientific data
  2. The conclusion that religion is a story that fits with the scientific data we have.
  3. OR The conclusion that all that exists is what we can see, touch, and study—hence, no God.
• 3 questions we need to ask
  1. Does the Bible or Christian belief fit with scientific data? (evolution, age of the earth, dinosaurs, etc.)
     • Genesis—There is a continuum of beliefs about creation.
     • In all these different views, there is no direct conflict with the scientific data we have
  2. Does science cause us to doubt religion?
     • Data that we have should cause people to doubt the purely naturalistic view.
     • Anthony Flu is an atheistic scientist who came to believe in God through his research based on the complexity of DNA arrangements required to create life that must have involved an intelligent Creator
     • Big Bang looks a lot like “Let there be light.”
  3. What about beauty, emotions, and morality?
     • Science can’t account for things like beauty or the emotions we feel when we look at art or listen to music. It can’t account for morality, which is a deep part of who we are.

The beliefs we have strongly influence the beliefs we form.

• What we find is different people with different experiences and different beliefs looking at the same data and believing by faith that their conclusion is right.

Ask yourself:

• When I look at everything that I experience as a human, all of my desires and fears and hopes and dreams, my inner sense of right and wrong—which one of these stories is the most likely?
  • Humans as a bunch of cells and meat with no purpose OR
  • Humans created by a personal God with hopes, dreams, morals, and purpose

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For more information about our Hope Where You Are campaign, visit https://gethope.net/hwya/

If you’re new to Hope or looking to get connected, click here: https://gethope.net/next/

If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond here: https://bit.ly/3aWvIZN

To support this ministry financially to help us continue to love people where they are and encourage them to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, click here: https://gethope.net/give/

Subscribe to receive our latest messages: https://bit.ly/2XBbBxq

Stay Connected with Hope:

Website: https://gethope.net/

Hope Community Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gethopecommunitychurch

Hope Community Church Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/get_hope/ 

Hope Community Church Twitter: https://twitter.com/get_hope

Hope Community Church YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/HopeCommunityChurch

Many people have wondered how a book written thousands of years ago and translated hundreds of times could be reliable. In this message, Chase Gardner tackles this question, offering context on Bible variants and what all of it should mean for you and your faith.

Message Notes:

Whether we’re new to Christianity or we’ve been Christians for years, there are questions we think about and sometimes argue about with others. Over the next five weeks, we’ll take a look at the top five questions our community has.

• Is the Bible Reliable?

In the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, one character states, “The Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book…”

Bart Ehrman in his book, Misquoting Jesus, he states, “Not only do we not have the originals, but we don’t even have the first copies of the originals, or the copies of the copies, or the copies of the copies of the copies or the originals.”

New Testament:

Three questions we should answer to know whether we can trust the Bible:

         1. How many discrepancies do we have in the New Testament? (variants)

         2. What is the quality of the variants?

         3. Do these affect our theology?

In fact, 70% of the variants we have are spelling differences. Not errors…just differences.

If we add up spelling differences and non-translatable differences, how many of those 400,000 variants are those?  99%

1/4 of 1% of the variants are viable and meaningful.

         One example is Mark 9:29 and whether the Scripture says “prayer” or “prayer and fasting.”

         These things are not critical to the foundations of the Gospel.

Even Bart Ehrman in the back of his book states, “Essential Christian belief is not affected by textual variant in the manuscript tradition of the new testament.”

Old Testament:

For many years, we based our Old Testament on three collections of the entire Old Testament from about 900 AD. 

In the 1940’s, scrolls of all the books in the Old Testament except Esther were found from at least 100 BC. Only minor differences (not affecting the meaning) occurred in that one-thousand-year gap.

Isaiah 53:1-6 (ESV) 

There is no other book in human history like the Bible with the amount of copies, in all the languages, reaching as far back into history and agreeing as much as it does.

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For more information about our Hope Where You Are campaign, visit https://gethope.net/hwya/

If you’re new to Hope or looking to get connected, click here: https://gethope.net/next/

If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond here: https://bit.ly/3aWvIZN

To support this ministry financially to help us continue to love people where they are and encourage them to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, click here: https://gethope.net/give/

Subscribe to receive our latest messages: https://bit.ly/2XBbBxq

Stay Connected with Hope:

Website: https://gethope.net/

Hope Community Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gethopecommunitychurch

Hope Community Church Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/get_hope/ 

Hope Community Church Twitter: https://twitter.com/get_hope

Hope Community Church YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/HopeCommunityChurch

We believe that we're all called to chase after more – but what does that look like for a church? In this message, Jason Gore shares a vision for Hope that we believe God is calling us into. Listen to find out more!

Message Notes:

As we grow in our faith, we learn that we are made for more in this life than a substandard existence. God has called us to more.

• When we face big moments in life, we have the choice to follow God’s leading or not.

We have to decide—do we stay the same or do we chase after that opportunity?

“You were made to live life with a group of people that believe they could change the world and give your entire life to it…”

Jesus gave us direction before He ascended to heaven.

            Matthew 28:19-20 (NLT)

At Hope Community Church:

            Our Vision - Reach the Triangle and Change the World.

            Our Mission - Love people where they are and encourage them to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.

Over the next five years, we believe God has given Hope Community Church a picture of 100,000 men, women, and children thinking and living biblically in the

Triangle.

Our MUST DO’s:

            WE MUST strengthen the core of families by investing heavily in marriage, parenting and youth.

            WE MUST equip and empower our church to be missionaries in our current reality.

            WE MUST meet the needs of our community before they come to us.

            WE MUST mobilize the church through leveraging online platforms.

Generosity:

            1 Timothy 6:18-19 (NLT)

            Proverbs 3:9-10 (NLT)

Three steps to build towards something great:

1. Pray
2. Be Salt and Light
3. Take your next step financially

John 21:25 (NLT) Jesus did even more than what was written, and He is our guide to do even more than what we ever imagined.

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For more information about our Hope Where You Are campaign, visit https://gethope.net/hwya/

For info on taking communion at home, visit https://gethope.net/communionathome

We encourage you to join us in 21 Days of Prayer. Download our guide at https://gethope.net/prayer

If you’re new to Hope or looking to get connected, click here: https://gethope.net/next/

If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond here: https://bit.ly/3aWvIZN

To support this ministry financially to help us continue to love people where they are and encourage them to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, click here: https://gethope.net/give/

Subscribe to receive our latest messages: https://bit.ly/2XBbBxq

Stay Connected with Hope:

Website: https://gethope.net/

Hope Community Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gethopecommunitychurch

Hope Community Church Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/get_hope/ 

Hope Community Church Twitter: https://twitter.com/get_hope

Hope Community Church YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/HopeCommunityChurch

It’s easy to walk around so stuck in the mundane that we actually forget how to live. It’s like we’ve been lulled to sleep...but we were made for more. We were made to be salt and light to the world. In this message, Jason Gore breaks down what that means and what it might look like in your life. Listen to learn more!

Message Notes:

As we grow in our faith, we learn that we are made for more in this life than a substandard existence. God has called us to more.

• Even when we don’t understand our purpose, we can know that God made us for more than what we expect.

So many of us are walking around so caught up in the mundane that we’ve actually forgotten how to live.

Jesus explains that we were made for more.

            John 10:10 (ESV)

            John 10:10 (NLT)

            John 14:12 (NLT)

We were made to be the salt and the light of the world.

            Matthew 5:13-16 (NASB)

How can we apply being salt and light to the world?

1. Read - Read Matthew 5:13-16 twice a day for one week.
2. Pray - Ask God for one place where He would have you focus on being salt and light.
3. Act - Do it.

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If you’re new to Hope or looking to get connected, click here: https://gethope.net/nextsteps/

If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond here: https://bit.ly/3aWvIZN

To support this ministry financially to help us continue to love people where they are and encourage them to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, click here: https://gethope.net/give/

Stay Connected with Hope:
Website: https://gethope.net/
Hope Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gethopecommunitychurch
Hope Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/get_hope/
Hope Twitter: https://twitter.com/get_hope
Hope YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/HopeCommunityChurch

Celebrate Easter with Hope! Listen in for a message of grace, love, and hope as we retell the Easter story through the eyes of Peter and Jesus’ other disciples.  

Message Notes:

Many times in life, we find ourselves in situations we don’t expect or don’t know how to escape, but that is when we have a lifeline to the One who can save us, Jesus.

• Like many of us, Peter found himself in a boat he didn’t want to be in, and he didn’t know what to do.

Luke 5:1-11 (NLT) This was the beginning of Peter’s calling when he left the boat and his entire way of life to become a follower of Jesus. 

Mark 14:27-31 (NLT) When Jesus told His disciples about how He would be deserted, Peter protested that he would never deny Jesus even to the point of death. 

John 18:15-18, 25-27 (NLT) Peter denied knowing Jesus three times.

Mark 14:71 (NLT) Peter swore and cursed that he didn’t know Jesus. 

Luke 22:61-62 (NLT) Jesus looked at Peter, and Peter remembered what Jesus had said about denying Him. Peter was ashamed and wept bitterly. 

John 21:3 (NLT) Peter left to escape to his old life.

John 21:3-13 (NLT) Jesus replicated the very first meeting with His followers. 

John 21:15-17, 19b (NLT) Jesus redeemed Peter by replacing his shame of denying Jesus three times with a new question asked three times. Instead of the memory of his failure, he gained forgiveness and a renewed mission.

• When we need to get out of the boat we are in, Jesus is the hand offering rescue.

Because of Easter…

            New life is possible. 

            Change is possible. 

            Your marriage can be restored. 

            You can have victory over your addiction. 

            You can live a life of joy and hope and purpose.

Because of the resurrection of Jesus, you can have a…

            Fresh Start

            New Beginning

            Clean Slate

            You can say goodnight to your shame & good morning to joy.

Easter teaches us the truth that Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good but to make dead people live.

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If you’re new to Hope or looking to get connected, click here: https://gethope.net/nextsteps/

If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond here: https://bit.ly/3aWvIZN

To support this ministry financially to help us continue to love people where they are and encourage them to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, click here: https://gethope.net/give/

Stay Connected with Hope:
Website: https://gethope.net/
Hope Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gethopecommunitychurch
Hope Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/get_hope/
Hope Twitter: https://twitter.com/get_hope
Hope YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/HopeCommunityChurch

Christians are called to love each other deeply, but this is easier said than done.  In this message, Ayren Nelson shares 3 characteristics of Christian love that can not only help you live up to this calling but also better understand God’s love for you. Watch this message to find out what they are!

Message Notes:

As Americans, we have seen our world shift in the last few years. Christ followers used to make up the majority of the U.S. population, but now we find ourselves in the minority. What do we do? How do we live in a hostile world? This series will deal with how to counter the culture.

• Countercultural love loves unconditionally, in proximity, and sacrificially.

1 Peter 1:22 (NLT) Peter tells us that once we are cleansed of our sins and believe the truth of Jesus, we must sincerely and deeply love each other.

John 13:35 (NLT) “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Christ followers are called to love in these three countercultural ways:

1. Unconditionally

                        1 Peter 4:8 (NLT)

                        Psalm 103:1-14 (NLT)

1. In Proximity

                        Acts 10:24-28 (NLT)

                        1 Peter 3:8 (NLT)

1. Sacrificially

                        Matthew 5:46-47 (NLT)

                        Matthew 5:48 (NLT)

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Save your seat at one of our upcoming Easter services at https://gethope.net/easter/

If you’re new to Hope or looking to get connected, click here: https://gethope.net/nextsteps/

If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond here: https://bit.ly/3aWvIZN

To support this ministry financially to help us continue to love people where they are and encourage them to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, click here: https://gethope.net/give/

Stay Connected with Hope:
Website: https://gethope.net/
Hope Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gethopecommunitychurch
Hope Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/get_hope/
Hope Twitter: https://twitter.com/get_hope
Hope YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/HopeCommunityChurch