Pastor Ken Invites You To Hear "The Rest of the Message"

Here's our text for Sunday, February 17, 2008:

Make My Joy Complete

These two verses may be the defining texts in all of Holy Scripture for a couple seeking a truly romantically healthy lifetime together. We will explore them as you might peel an onion...pulling back the layers of skin to get to the heart of God's message for each of us. Unlike the center of an onion, however, which brings forth tears, our exercise in Bible Study will instead bring smiles.

Paul is concerned for the members of his first house church in the Roman Colony of Philipi in Macedonia. The people are living their lives too much like a church club instead of a church community. Favoritism, cliquishness, even some deceit is growing among these, Paul's first European converts. Paul is writing to get them to see that the love they have for Christ can't exist without being shared among themselves.

Consider, over these next several weeks, how you show and live out real love for your fellow Hope Church attenders, significant others, and especially your fiance or spouse. Do you love at some surface level, or as Christ Himself loves you; with encouragement, comfort, fellowship, tenderness and compassion.

Speaking with Paul's words I can also say, "make my joy complete by being like-minded..." not cut from the same cloth, but sharing our diversity and differences in and through the Love of Jesus Christ.

In Him we are truly able, if we decide to be, in love.

Hope to see you Sunday!

Pastor Ken

NOTE: Unless otherwise stated, all Bible verses quoted in this website are from the New International Version (NIV). Any words from those verses that are in "red" are words spoken by Jesus.

Pastor Ken sends a Weekly Newsletter that includes his devotional message for the week and an update of the current happenings at Hope Church. If you would like to receive his newsletter, just click below and he'll add your email address to his list of subscribers.