Hope Alliance Bethlehem Podcasty

The Bible is clear that it is God who causes us to thrive. This is not a false health and wealth, name it and claim it proposition. Instead, true thriving looks like reconnecting to what it means to be truly human. When we lean into God's way, he causes our spiritual life and our mission to thrive - no matter the season or circumstances of life.…

It is the way of God that leads to thriving. How do we live God's way? At the core, we have to desire God himself. When we are deeply aware of what God has done and is doing, our affection for him grows. That's why the psalmist tells us to meditate on it day and night. God has brought us out of sin and slavery and into a new family and blessing. Je…

Jesus tells us that eternal life is the full experience of knowing God - being in an intimate, life giving relationship with him. This is the blessed life. The path toward this blessing starts with an awareness of the seriousness of sin. In all its forms, sin creates separation between God and us. It is only through Jesus that this gap is closed. A…

Self-control implies a power exerted over yourself. Its not so much self effort as it is self-submission to the Spirit. It submits our personal desires to the Spirit of God. Self-control is exhibited in an internal tending to our soul, not simply an external act of behavior modification. It is nowhere more beautifully seen than on the cross where J…

Gentleness is not weakness or timidity. Rather it passion and volition in submission to a greater reality. Biblical gentleness, then, is passion fully submitted to God and the forward move of his kingdom. It is our arrogance in the view or ourselves and our desired path forward that keeps us from being gentle. Jesus is the epitome of gentleness. As…

Faithfulness is the restful of active trust in God. It is consistency and persistence in faith to the benefit of those around us. God shows us what faithfulness is like through his commitment to keep his promises and his ongoing compassion. In the same way, we should avoid the tendency to disengage with God or his church and instead lean into his m…

Goodness is the internal integrity of a gospel transformed person that results in the blessing of others. Hypocritical livings keeps us from being people of genuine goodness. However, when we cooperate with the Spirit, we find goodness manifesting itself in acts of generosity and encouragement.Autor: Pastor Adam

Biblical kindness is goodness made useful to others. It moves toward people to meet their needs. Kindness looks like acts of mercy, even to those we might consider enemies. And it sounds like using our words to build others up. This is exactly what God has done for us. When we fully embrace the kindness of God, we see the fruit of kindness grow in …

Patience is a choice to take the long view. In our patience, we trust God as judge and we join him in taking a posture of redemption and restoration in our world. Waiting, humility and forgiveness are all examples of patience in action.Autor: Pastor Adam

Peace is not a feeling. It is a fruit. It is the offering of new creation only found through Jesus to the broken world around us. Where the fruit of peace is growing, injustice is decreasing, harmony within creation is rising and unity in the church is championed. This kind of peacemaking is only possible when we have truly embraced the peace that …

Joy, as a fruit of the Spirit, cannot be produced but can be promoted through our beliefs and the leading of the Spirit. When we focus on God's faithfulness we find joy. And when we focus our purposes and hope on Jesus and his mission, we find joy. Doing this as individual persons leads us to be a church and people of joy.…

Love is the singular fruit of the Spirit, but it comes in all kinds of varieties and manifestations. There is not peace, patience, kindness, or any others without love. Moreover, biblical love is self-giving, volitional and often unreciprocated. But pride keeps us from seeing love blossom in our lives. We are called to join the Spirit in his work t…

Exodus closes with the building of the tabernacle. Its a wonderful picture of generosity in sacrifice and service for the kingdom of God. It is also a tremendous act of faith and expectancy. Massive sacrifice and effort precedes God's fulfillment of his promise to dwell amongst them. And then the book closes with the glory of God in the midst of th…

After the massive failure of the golden calf, Moses enters into a lengthy negotiation with God about the future of Israel. Rather than father a new nation, Moses offers himself as a substitute sacrifice and leverages his relationship with God for the forgiveness and good of the people. This is exactly what Jesus has done for us in light of our rebe…

The golden calf incident is a story of massive failure. More than simply making an idol, Israel was compromising the grandeur and totality of God with their local surroundings and embracing a pluralistic mindset. We tend to do the same things quite often. Like them, it typically comes from an impatience with God. Rather than embracing God for all o…

When it came time to actually build the tabernacle and its contents, God pointed Moses to a man named Bezalel. God had gifted him with the right talent and abilities and filled him with his Spirit. In many ways, Bezalel, like all of humanity, is acting as a mini-creator in the shadow of the Creator. We too have been gifted by God to join him in his…

If God is going to live amongst a broken people, then the role of the high priest is critical. He will represent God to man and he will represent man to God, cultivating the necessary balance. But standing in this gap is a dangerous job, especially for a human wearing diving splendor. Ultimately, God would take on human flesh and provide our ultima…

Among the first instructions God gives Moses, are those to build the tabernacle. This will be the place that God resides and from which he leads the people. This stunning revelation of God's intent to dwell with his people despite their failures should never cease to amaze us. What's more he invites the people themselves to build this mobile dwelli…

After giving the law, God enacts a covenant with his people. He will lead them and defeat their enemies, but they must listen and obey his voice, staying true to him. A sacrifice is made and the blood marks not only the altar, but the people as well. Then God descends to the mountain. Though the Israelites would fail to keep this covenant, the prop…

The Covenant Code of Exodus is a series of laws and societal expectations that flow out of the Ten Commandments into the context of Israel forming as a nation. Through them we can see God's intent that his people live their lives on the basis of their identity as his rescued people, reconnected to their original purpose of worship and bearing his i…

To walk with Jesus is necessarily to walk in community. The Bible portrays community as a state of togetherness - regular proximity - and intentionally meeting each others needs. The blessing of community only happens when we individually commit ourselves to the centrality of the gospel, partnering in God's mission, breaking bread, and prayer.…

To walk in the light means to walk in purity and truth. Not only does sin separate us from God, but so too does deceit. When we deceive ourselves about our brokenness and faithfulness, we distance ourselves from God. Confession is a gracious gift that allows us to be reentered in the gospel and reconnected to God. Obedience allows us to walk and li…

Everyone is looking for the full life. Jesus said it is only found in knowing God. And that the only way to God is through him. For all those who are weary and burdened from trying to find a full life on their own, Jesus calls us to be yoked to him and experience life the way it was meant to be lived - in connection with God. Then you will find tru…

Easter is at its core an announcement of new creation in and through Jesus. It is also an invitation for us to join him and embrace our true identity. The old (past) is gone, the new is here!Autor: Pastor Adam

To truly understand the Ten Commandments, we have to see them in the context of covenant and creation. In fact, at their core, they are an invitation by God for his people to reassume their identity they were created for - worshippers and image bearers to the world. This is why Jesus would later summarize the law in two big ideas: love God and love…

As Israel finally makes it to Mt. Sinai, God reasserts the covenant to them. They will be his special possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. Accepting this covenant, the people are consecrated and cleansed and come to the foot of the mountain to be joined to God - a wedding betrothal. However, the need for cleansing can only be fully …

Almost to Sinai, Israel is attacked by the Amalekites. While Joshua leads the battle on the field, Moses lifts his staff on the hill. The battle is fought in the valley, but won on the hill. So too in our lives as we battle sin and evil, we are called to get dirty and fight, even while the victory is ultimately won by Jesus on the ultimate hill. We…

Jethro comes to an overwhelmed Moses with some practical and important advice. Raise up and equip leaders who can carry the ministry with you. But that alone is simply an organizational strategy. Leaders can't simply trust in their talents or their capacity. They need the power of the Spirit to help guide the people of God to embrace his covenant a…

Right on the heels of their miraculous crossing of the sea, the Israelites are grumbling. Why? They don't trust God because they don't know God. Yet God responds in grace, teaching them the posture of dependence. He is leading them to full life. Ultimately, full life is found in Jesus, the bread of heaven who brings life to the world.…

As Pharoah's army approached the people have an identity crisis. But God fights in their silence and reminds them who they truly are. and the follow him into the Red Sea - a place of simultaneous judgment and salvation. The ultimate place of deliverance and judgment is the cross of Christ where God makes an unexpected way to new creation and new id…

The final plague that God brings on Egypt is stunning. The death of the firstborn throughout the land. A better understanding of Sin, family, and judgment can help us situate this plague contextually. And God provides another option for all who listen - a substitutionary sacrificial meal could mark the family instead. This would be the very meal th…

The story of the plagues God brings on Egypt is well known. But why do they come? Exodus gives us two reasons. First the reality of the hardness of heart. Second, so that the power of God might be on display. Temporary chaos brings creation order out of the ongoing chaos of the world. The people of god belong to him, not to Pharaoh.…

The difference between God and Pharaoh is deep and consequential. To put it simply, it is the difference between work and worship. Which one is our identity? Pharaoh and all the proverbial pharaohs since enslave us, while God offers a freedom that restores us to our original created identity.Autor: Pastor Adam

Moses has lots of reasons why he shouldn't embrace God's call. But his real issue was that his focus was on himself and the task, not on God and his call. This would not be accomplished by the power of Moses, but by the power of God. And even in his frustration, God shows his persistent graciousness toward Moses (and us) as he wrestles with the cal…

In the famous story of the burning bush, we see a God willing to come down from his mountain in order to initiative a dramatic rescue of his people. If we look a little closer, we also see the imagery of God working to reverse the curses of the Fall. This would lead to the great Exodus and allow the people to once again dwell with God. Of course, t…

In the midst of pain and oppression, God begins his rescue with a new kind of ark. This vessel not only preserves Moses, but allows the patient goodness of God to be injected into the very court of Pharaoh and we see the plans of Pharaoh undone. This though is only a microcosm of what is to come. By the middle of the chapter, Moses chooses into his…

In Exodus 1, we find the people of God enslaved and in trouble. But the author wants us as readers to know that despite their troubling circumstances, God cannot be stopped from fulfilling His promise to multiply and grow them. And, He will not be stopped from liberating them to worship Him in their own land.…

Joseph was not just the earthly father of Jesus. He was an incredible example of humility. His care for Mary, obedience to God, and embrace of Jesus show us what love looks like. Jesus, though, is the ultimate embodiment of humility and love in his journey to the cross for our protection. And he is the rightful king that neither Joseph, nor any of …

Zerubbabel was the leader of the first group of Israelites to return from exile. He led the people to rebuild the temple in the midst of persecution and enemies. But this temple, and Zerubbabel himself were actually signs pointing forward toward something greater. Jesus would lead the ultimate return from exile and rebuild the temple in his death a…

Solomon was the son of David who presided as king over a time of great peace and prosperity in Israel. Though he was famous for his wisdom and discernment, pride and power got the best of him and led to total corruption. What about God's promise for a son of David to sit on the throne forever? His ultimate answer is Jesus, the better Solomon. His k…

Though an unexpected choice, David was empowered by the Spirit and killed the giant. God promised him an eternal throne and reign of peace and prosperity. David's story is not just triumph though, its equal parts prideful tragedy. For their to be an eternal reign of peace, Israel would need a new David. Jesus is the ultimate David who killed the ul…

The story of Ruth and Boaz is a story of unexpected kindness. Kindness that lays down one's life for another to protect and preserve them. In all, this kindness finds its source in God himself who is providentially meeting his people. And Jesus is the ultimate Boaz who not only lays down his life for us, but marries us into the family of God.…

As two spies blow their cover, they are surprisingly protected by a Canaanite woman named Rahab. Why? Because she had experienced a transformation and her faith was now in the God of Israel. As a result, her house would be marked by God and she wold be preserved. Rahab appears in the genealogy of Jesus because he is the ultimate fulfillment of this…

Why include such a horrible story in the genealogy of Jesus? Matthew does so to remind us of the destructive power of sin and the redemptive power of grace. Grace is greater than sin. And he shows that Jesus came right into the mess of this world in order to rescue it.Autor: Pastor Adam

Autor: Tony Steck

Isaac arrived as an unexpected joy to his parents and the world. But at the climax of his story, in faith he willingly laid down his life. God supernaturally intervened to provide a sacrifice. Isaac story foretells the story of Jesus - an unexpected to joy to his parents and the world who willingly laid down his life and was supernaturally raised f…

God gave Abraham an outrageous call. He was to leave home for a foreign land where he would become a great nation to bless the world. Abraham's faithful response is amazing, but it is also faulty. But ultimately Jesus would fulfill this great call and covenant to launch a family that blesses the world. And we get to be part of it!…

God’s gifts are meant to be shared. With this in mind, our aim at Hope is to see people come to embrace Jesus and grow, while investing themselves to make this happen in others as well. In the same way, we want to see our ministries and even our church reproduced. We have a multiplication mindset.Autor: Pastor Adam

Too much in life is artificial! At Hope, our desire is to see people make a real connection to God and real connections to each other. We also want to help people connect to their unique, God-given calling so they can pursue it.Autor: Pastor Adam

At Hope we believe it should not be hard to meet Jesus, but it is hard to stay with him. So, we are guided by a key priority we call casual depth. That means we want to create environments were everyone is welcome without expectation. But when we gather, we also intend to to go deep in the gospel and in relationships to find the true life that Jesu…