The Hope Community - Plant City

12/12/2024

I get it. I really do. The church is the people, not the building. Attending a service doesn't make you saved. What should be an authentic lifestyle with Jesus can easily become ceremonial religion. Christians can get stuck in their buildings.

Yes. All true. I agree.
But...

Church attendance matters. It's important. It's necessary for the life of every believer. And any narrative that says it's not, in my humble opinion, is dangerously wrong.

You need to go to church. You need to sit under the teaching and authority of a pastor. You need to serve others. You need to give toward the mission of reaching the lost. You need accountability. You need community.

Your family needs church, too. Your children need to be taught early in life the truths of Scripture. They need to fall in love with Jesus before this world pollutes their minds with lies. Your teenager needs the support and life of a youth group. Your wife needs the love of the women's ministry. Your husband needs the camaraderie of the men's ministry.

Is all this possible outside of the church organization? Yes. I've seen it done in other styles of gatherings. But rarely. Most often, people who say church attendance isn't a big deal slowly slide away from their faith. They prioritize many, many things over Jesus and eventually live lives that look nothing like Him.

When you examine the life of Jesus, He had such a beautiful balance of a genuine life honoring the Father every moment of every day and prioritizing time in the temple. He did both. The disciples did both. But for some reason, the narrative in our culture is that time in church really isn't that significant. It was important to Jesus but shouldn't be important to us?

The direction our world is going isn't a good one. The trajectory has been downhill for many years and is exponentially picking up speed. Do you know what else is trending downward and picking up speed? A lack of church attendance. I believe there's a correlation here. A generation who has not prioritized God and His House has drifted away from Him.

This discussion could continue for many more paragraphs. There's so much to say. Going to church isn't the magic solution. But it should be a big part of your life in Christ.

12/11/2024

12/10/2024

No matter how many times I read this, I just cannot do it without getting chills all over me! 😲 I bet you didn’t know the following about the manger that Jesus was laid in. Of course mangers are animal feeding troughs but in ancient Israel they were made of stone - not what you would see in a modern day nativity scene. Not comfortable, but great for protection. That’s why those who were experts in this matter, the priests, would put their newborn lambs in them for protection. But not just any lamb, the unblemished perfect lambs that were used in the sacrifice for sins. And Bethlehem, where Jesus was born was FAMOUS for their UNBLEMISHED LAMBS used for the sacrifice. These lambs had to be perfect so they would wrap them tightly in cloth and lie them in the manger to keep them safe. This is exactly why the only time mangers are mentioned in Jesus’ birth story it is being told to shepherds. In Luke 2 it says “This will be a sign for you, you will find a baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger.” The shepherds would have understood this powerful parallel! THEY KNEW what the cloth and the manger meant! This baby would be THE PERFECT LAMB OF GOD! The Messiah who would sacrifice His life for the sins of the whole world. He wasn’t just a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger, He was GOD: perfect, sinless and Holy, humbling Himself to become the perfect sacrifice to reconcile us back to Himself!! THAT my friend, that Perfect Lamb, is WHY we celebrate Christmas!! ❤️ ✝️

12/07/2024

We love this time of year. YOU ARE INVITED! Christmas Cantata and Special AM service. December 22nd at 10:30am

12/06/2024

For those of you interested, here's how you can help us! You can donate to our mission and vision right here.

https://thehopecommunity.org/give

12/05/2024

SPEAKING LOUD!!!

An elephant and a dog became pregnant simultaneously. Three months later, the dog gave birth to six puppies. Six months after that, she was pregnant again and gave birth to another dozen puppies nine months later. This cycle continued for some time. Eighteen months later, the dog approached the elephant, inquiring, "Are you certain you're pregnant? We conceived on the same day. I've given birth to dozens of puppies, yet you're still expecting. What's taking so long?" The elephant responded calmly, "It's essential to understand that I'm carrying an elephant, not a puppy. I give birth every two years, but when my baby arrives, the world will take notice. When it walks down the street, people will stop and marvel. What I carry is extraordinary." She continued, "Don't lose faith. When others achieve their goals quickly, don't feel envious if yours hasn't arrived yet. Instead, remind yourself, 'My time is coming, and when it does, it will be remarkable.'" MORAL: God's timing is impeccable. Everything unfolds as it should – never too early, never too late, but always at the perfect moment.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV) says, "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens."

12/04/2024

Pastor Bob is back! Tonight at 6pm

12/03/2024

12/02/2024

A little gospel, a lot of soul. We are so thankful for Theresa's heart to worship Jesus!

12/01/2024

It's December. Hold on, we are in for a great Christmas season! Here's a quick look: Dec 15 - Christmas Friends and Family Lunch w/ silent auction, Dec 21 - Christmas of HOPE, Dec 22 - Christmas Cantata, Dec 24th - Special Christmas Eve concert Service

11/29/2024

As Thanksgiving comes to a close. Theresa shares one of her favorite songs about giving thanks.