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Hope Community Church of Agawam
United States
Registrace 19. 01. 2017
Join us live Sunday mornings! The mission of Hope Community Church is to glorify God through worshiping Him, loving our neighbors, sharing the Gospel, and growing in Christ-likeness. We want to share with you happenings at Hope, upcoming worship playlists to help you engage better in worship, and resources to help you grow closer in Christ-likeness. See more at www.hopchurchagawam.org/
To be more specific... audio was missing
It breaks my heart... I know of the love and community of Hope and when I went to view the service online via youtube it was pretty awful. Periods of silence. Whenever I looked for a church, I would always go online to come to know the church before I ever stepped into it. My experience, just trying to watch a youtube sermon I missed, was awful. I can't help thinking of the number of people, looking for a community just like Hope, gets 5-6 minutes into the youtube video that just decides.... moving on. I believe Hope Community Church is a wonderful place for believers to come together into community. This is an awesome group of believers.
My volume is up full on my computer and I can barely hear Pastor Brad's sermon.
I am not a Saint. The meek will inherit the Earth. I am a sinner, and i am grateful for God’s grace and Mercy. This does not depress me
Good word ! Thank you for weaving Scripture throughout it! God bless your church. I pray the Holy Spirit fills you, strengthens you and enlarges your territory! Kimmie Church of the Living God Manchester, CT * I met Missy and she shared about her church. I enjoyed your sermon.
Thank you for visiting us, Kimmie! God bless you!
Happy Easter! 🐣
God is good❤
I'm sad that the audio cut on on this early on. Would like to have heard what was said.
Thank you from Vermont. I heard of your church and Pastor Brad through Jackie Swinicki. It has been many years since I have been to church. However, the past 2 weeks I have gone through a tremendously hard time and felt the need for church. I lost my husband sixteen days ago, and have never felt so much sadness. I would like to think I was Jesus with flesh ten years ago when I took my sixteen year old grandson into my home to live with us. He was a drug addict heading down a terrible road. He is now doing excellent, has a great job, a beautiful family and is so grateful for what his grandfather and I did for him. Once again, THANKYOU.
Who is preaching this message?
Awesome service as always but I had to have my computer volume at 100% to listen. Not sure if it's me or You Tube. Anyway the sermon message was great. Studying the Bible verses ahead of time makes hearing the message sooo much more exciting and informative. I challenge everyone to read, study and meditate ahead of time for next Sunday and every Sundays message. Guarantee, God will bless you.
amen
It is so nice to be able to watch services when I'm unable to make it live...thank you to the entire team for making this possible.
I am so sad by this sermon. Please please please don't take this as a personal attack, I appreciate the time and effort you put into giving us a message. The last month-plus, I tried to remove myself from this political scene and all the noise I was getting sucked into bc it was literally taking over my life and I feel like God opened my eyes WIDE to what all this really is. ALL politics and all these politically charged issues are false gods, meant to take our eyes off of God and put them onto man. 1Samuel 8 "but when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods..." This was obviously towards Israel, but we have followed suit. I would say politics in general (and all these political hot topics that split this country in two) is the biggest false god we are worshipping in this country- politics is everything in this country and it is meant to distract us 24/7. 24/7 nonstop informational battle of good guys vs the bad guys and regular updates on who is winning/losing; who is good and bad is subjective and depends on channel/person you are listening to/what side you are on. Trump will save our country. NO, scratch that, Biden will save our country. Harris will save our country. NO actually, we can save our country! If only we acknowledge we have always always been racist and work to do better. By our own hands, we can fix things, it is our responsibility to do better and make a better world. Yet the Bible says the works of our hands are filthy rags to God and all things WILL get worse and worse until the antichrist comes-he will promise a way to solve all the world's problems and finally bring peace and harmony and all of it will be a false light. SO many will be fooled, even the elect. I will probably not focus on teaching my children about white privilege/that they have a better life bc of the color of their skin. I am teaching my children that all of us are unworthy before God, we are pitiful and sinful and like Paul said, we want to do right, but instead we do wrong, that we are broken, we all fall short, we all deserve nothing from God, our works are filthy rags and there is nothing WE can do to earn a path and way to God. Absolutely nothing by our hands. WE try and we fail. We commit to a path surely and confidently and we stumble and fall flat on our faces. Again and again and again. And that God , in HIS mercy, saw our utter unworthiness and made a way with Jesus' completed work on the cross, by His perfect sinless life, His blood and His death. Never our works. All God's. Never our worthiness. Only His worth. Our country is elevating the sin of racism at the moment (and when the world agrees with you and is walking lockstep with you, what does that mean?) It is demanded it be our only focus and this message we need to fix it, NOW, by our hands and our own actions, when reality is that racism is one sin of seemingly infinite list, one sin of so many of today. But our biggest sin, the one we should spend week after week in the church acknowledging, the one that leads to the end of times, is idolatry and making God jealous. We say we are God's people but we are nothing more than a harlot. Idolatry of ourselves, making ourselves the daily focus. But also idolatry of politics, putting our hopes for our future onto a man or a woman or a political ideology or politically charged action, it is all we hear, you can't turn on tv or computer without a reminder and this is the god of our world and where the god of this world wants our focus and will lead us right into the antichrist (our hope in man to fix things). The last month I have felt an alarm within me that the end of times is closer than any of us could ever think. Will we focus on man and how to fix the problems of man by our own hands? Or do we humble ourselves to God, fall flat on our faces, and cry out how unworthy we are and thank Him for making a way for us where no way could or should exist. We need to wake up from the slumber/stupor that we have been living. We have been fooled. Politics is not good vs evil. They are two sides of the same coin MEANT to stir our emotions and fuel us towards putting action and hope in man over God. Both sides LOSE when it comes to God. The topic of racism is meant to be divisive, while also stirring up our emotions and fueling us towards putting our action and hope in our own abilities to fix it and make a brighter future. There is no brighter future promised in the Bible. It is false effort towards a false goal. Like running on a hamster wheel towards nowhere. Racism is disgusting, as are all sins of devaluing a life created by God-all are disgusting. Notice racism is the focus of our country but not and never abortion. It is all meaningless. All of this. Meant to take our eyes off of God and it is working, even among God's elect. Where is Jesus in this message of racism in the church and how WE NEED to acknowledge and fix it by our own efforts? Our hopes are in the election or our present president or future president or present law or future law or present and future movements or masks-those are now our hope for the future, then a vaccine, that is the only way towards a future. All of it, harlotry, idolatry, looking to the world and our efforts and man for our hope and our future, instead of acknowledging God as the author of tomorrow, whatever may come and putting our trust fully in Him and HIM only. We are being perfectly set up to transition our hope from our own hands & our political leaders right into the hope of the antichrist and yet we don't notice. The antichrist won't be an evil villain that we can easily pick out of a crowd, he will appear as a "fix", he will appear to be the answer to our prayers (a false light), he will be a smooth-talker, and say exactly what our sinful self-focused selves want to hear-that everything can and will be made better in this world and great times are soon ahead. Even the elect will be fooled. The time is near, I pray that God unveils to you all the true darkness of our world/our country and how the god of our world has fooled us into seeing a good vs bad battle, where it is actually a bad vs bad battle, both vying for our souls. Politics and all associated with it (including all hot topic conservative and liberal ideologies/focus) is nothing more than a false religion meant to take up our days and minds/waste our days and minds/and keep us distracted/busy, but most importantly, slowly and surely make this battle/hope for our future here on earth our everything. We are fighting against each other to make the world "right". We think we are in the fight for our life here in our country, we think we are fighting for godly principles, but yet all of it is meant to take our eyes off of God, both sides, all sides. We don't see a world of lost sheep, we see friends or foes, depending on what flag they are flying or what they are posting or what they are marching for. It has made a mockery of our mission here on earth, we have all been fooled, fighting for what we thought was the "good fight". Satan is the great deceiver. We are soon going to transition from darkness to false light and we need to wake up from this. Our only bright hope and true LIGHT for our future (our future not of this world but the next) lies in Jesus ALONE. People need to see their sins clearly, yes, but not so they can fix them, but instead so they can see how hopeless they are in sin and how much they need Jesus and His finished work. Only He can make a way for us, a way to God and a way out of this dark and disturbing world and into the next. Jesus is the only answer and should be our ONLY FOCUS in these last days.
Amen, we need Jesus. Idolatry is certainly an issue. I don't think anyone should place their whole life and identity in a political party. There's only one identity we have and that is in Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. However, we still have a duty to be the salt and light in this world. We must work to preserve the core values and truths we were taught. We must act in obedience to God. I don't believe the message was geared to make politics or racism a focus or god in our lives. It's certainly not good to carve idols or figurines with melted metals and offer sacrifices to them or worship them and to commit our time to them and find worth or value or guidance or wisdom from them. After all, they have no worth. I don't think politics is it. I can see an argument where political banter, when misplaced, can cause unnecessary division, and that is absolutely not what we should be doing. I don't think this is what Chris is trying to say in his message either. We gotta be cognizant of how we use social media and how we approach others. I wish that we, the church, could approach each other more often, one-on-one, personally, and just have a conversation, pray about it, re-evaluate our actions and beliefs, align with God's will, and make peace. Confession and conviction. It's uncomfortable, it takes humility, but we gotta start with each other. And that said, even with everything said here, y'all have my phone number, we're no strangers to each other, I'd love to have a discussion, because as iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another. But I believe this message came from a genuine place of "I'm figuring this out alongside you guys and I might not have all the answers but I think this is the time to talk about these things in the midst of the increasing racial tensions in our society". Certainly controversial, certainly uncomfortable for many. But imagine us, the church of Christ, stepping up during this time to bridge that divide between two very politically charged groups. Because yes, there IS a divide between the "black" church and the "white" church. This isn't even a political issue at this point. Even more fundamentally, why have we made a division where there should be none?? Jesus commanded us to make peace with each other in the church. Peace is a fruit of the Holy Spirit! Are we now fruitless?? We certainly don't live in a bubble, however much we isolate and insulate ourselves from the outside world. Let us not miss out on these opportunities to be fishers of men! Not all points in the message I agree with, not all things I would've phrased or said the same, and that's ok. A community's responsibility for someone else's sin is a topic in and of itself I believe needs further discussion. And I agree there probably could've been more emphasis on the peace and unity that only Jesus Christ can bring. He is the Prince of Peace after all! But I think this was merely a start to a longer discussion and conversation. And if this is what gets everyone thinking and re-evaluating how they approach topics like racism and how we can reduce division in the church, then let us do so with joy and anticipation. Putting aside politics for a moment, we need Jesus in each and every one of our lives. We need to stand united, lest we fall. I hope and pray this very church, Hope Community Church of Agawam MA, is able to be a spark in this bigger movement. Not a movement for Republicans or Democrats or even Black Lives Matter. We walk in step with Jehovah Shalom. Rejoicing in peace and good and righteousness and mourning division and hatred and evil doing. Let our battle be against evil, against division. Let us be unified through Christ, not allowing the shortcomings of man to hinder us.
I appreciate your thoughts and the time you put into them. Here are a few more of mine, and I will try to keep is short(er). I feel if we are to start reflecting on all the sins of our descendants and apologizing for all they did and try to make it better, it would take over our lives and our focus. My dad has created an easy god to follow, one who honors that he was baptized as a baby and eats fish on fridays during lent and that he hasn't killed anyone or been too bad, one that will reward him with heaven for this. According to this teaching, I am responsible for this one sin (and no doubt thousands upon thousands of others coming down the line), should be feeling immense sorrow over it and try to find ways to fix it by my own works, like racism. I find this absolutely overwhelming and impossible; I have my own discouraging load of sin that I have to live with, apologize over and feel sorrow over, and attempt to hand over to God and I can't take on the world's sins on top of my own. I don't say racism doesn't exist...I say racism is a sin and this world is plagued by sin after sin after sin and we aren't going to ever fix any of these by our own hands. To try to do so, to put our action towards this, is like putting a bandaid over the amputation of a leg. This world is dying bc of sin, the darkness growing exponentially. Jesus is the only hope for a cure. The more darkness we are seeing, the more darkness everyone is seeing, the more people are looking for a cure. We are not the cure. Our effort and works are not the cure. Jesus is the cure. Racism is the devaluation of people who were hand-created perfectly as is by God and it is disgusting. But people are being devalued to this day, everywhere, but especially epidemic here in the US, for instance, put to death for their lack of value-bc in the womb, you are NOTHING. You are cells, you are potential, you are a "product of conception"; you aren't a baby/person/soul unless you are wanted by another. This is disgusting too. These days, we hear that racism is the biggest and most pressing issue of this time, this is a lie. Not even abortion is the biggest and most pressing issue of this time. SIN is the biggest and most pressing issue of the time. All sin-disgusting to God. I am very discouraged. When the world and church look so alike and starting sounding so alike, what is the point? I have tried works-based theology for years I worked myself into exhaustion trying to be the fix for the world around me and got nowhere but feeling like I had failed God forever, bc no matter how good and worthy my goal, the end was the same. I let God down. Nothing changed, except my own state of exhaustion and my state of mind. I literally came to Hope as my last hope. I can't accept this teaching that our work here is to try to apologize for our descendants' sins, to feel great sorrow for their sins and to try to make it better by our own hands? This is the world and church combined into one, working towards one goal together-to make a better future world. It sounds great, this common goal with the world, fighting and ending racism forever, except are we unknowingly building our own tower of Babel, hand and hand with the world? Where are we set apart in this mission? Where is the great commission? Where is Jesus in this goal? This is exactly the environment the antichrist welcomes. Us and the world as one, working towards a goal of a better tomorrow, by the works of our own hands, our efforts, while we keep God in the far distance, watching us from above. But God never told us to fix this world and make it a better place, we are told that this world will get worse and worse and will ultimately pass away. That we will feel like strangers/foreigners to this world, that the world will hate us bc it hated Christ first. I will always try to do better but I have absolutely no hope anymore that I can fix any of this by my own hands and I feel I was never meant to. My hope is in Jesus and His completed work and that He has been preparing a place for us that is not here. My hope is in God's righteous right hand, that He has made a way where no way existed, bc of His worth, not ours, and that He will one day fix us forever-we who want to do right and try to do right but still manages to do so much wrong day after day. My work is not to fix anything, but to point to Jesus. The more I strive to learn, the less I know these days. That is my truth, the 40 years of knowledge I have gained along the way. Without Jesus, it is all hopeless, meaningless and pointless, our efforts for tomorrow are like clouds without rain. But you know what, this is just my perspective and I don't know anything anymore, maybe I am wrong. No doubt I am certainly very alone in my way of thinking these days. We all come from different places and this is where I am. And maybe I am wrong and everyone else is right. The more I know the less I know.
Thank you Chris for an awesome eye opening message. God's Word with history along with practical application is a great combination. We cannot ignore human history and "just" study the Bible. We need a Christian Worldview not just a Western Worldview. God put us here on earth to get involved. What is God telling me and you? Help me Lord to love and accept everyone. Remind me that you died for "all" of us.
Praise God
Sitting in a pew or watching from a distance, somehow your interpretive message speaks directly to me. 🙏
Thanks to everyone who has been working hard to keep us together! Looking forward to seeing everyone next week.
Another awesome job Team! Looking forward to seeing everyone on the lawn next Sunday!!
Thanks for joining us this morning! If you liked what you heard or found this sermon helpful, please take a moment to click on the like button or share it with others to bless them, too.
Thank you Pastor Brad for sharing your scriptural insights and wisdom into the Book of Judges. Your previous e-mail to all of us at Hope Community Church was very, very helpful to help me/us prepare for your sermon. Bible Project You Tube videos were awesome and informative. I learned a whole lot that I didn't know about Judges. It encouraged me to watch other video's available on You Tube about Judges. It also encouraged me to read the scriptures in my Bible along with the four commentary sets that I owned. Therefore a lot of the information in your sermon I just finished reading about and made me able to follow your message with so much more excitement. You have always said to practice 2 Timothy 2:15 which allows the Holy Spirit to help me to rightly divide the Word of truth. Looking forward to next weeks sermon. I'm excited.
Thank you to all who made it possible to hear God's message!
Thanks y'all! It's always great to worship with you in song and to hear the Truth spoken in love. Blessings! David and Tura
Getting good at this. Thank you.
Thank you again Pastor Brad, Lou and Laura, and all those behind the scenes. We appreciate you! Though separated, we are not alone! Trusting Jesus, David and Tura
We miss worshipping together with you, and we are so thankful to you Lou, Laura, Pastor Brad and all those involved in bringing "church" into our home. We love you! Happy Resurrection Day!!!! Oh what a Savior!!!! David and Tura
❤🙏
Thank you so much, Lou, for ushering us into the presence of God, and thank you Pastor Brad for sharing the Truth in love. We appreciate you both and we miss you! David and Tura
I cannot thank Pastor Brad, Lou, the worship team and everyone who helps keeping us together...PLEASE stay safe!
This is awesome. Thank you!