Word of Hope Christian Church Podcast

Today's Scripture is Acts 28:1-10. As you read those verses you can see there were a number of situations that could have gone horribly wrong and the devil could have triumphed. But God, in His presence and power, not only saved all 276 people from that shipwreck but in every challenge they faced on the island He showed up and showed out. It's within these verses we find 10 important lessons that we want to share with you today. Let's find out what they are. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

The Jewish leaders, unable to refute Jesus's teachings, label Him as demon-possessed and a Samaritan. Jesus responds by stating that He keeps His Word and will never see death, highlighting the importance of believing in Him and His teachings. He then declares that He existed before Abraham, which is a direct claim to divine identity, leading the Jewish leaders to seek to stone Him. There's a lot more to discover today so let's get to it. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

The hope set before us as an anchor of our soul is that Jesus Christ has already gone before us into the holy of holies where God dwells in glory. God's Word promises that we will be with Him there one day. That future reality is already secured by the finished work of Jesus, our High Priest. He is also our Great Shepherd who “through the blood of the eternal covenant” equips us “with everything good for doing His will” while we are on earth. (Heb 13:20–21; see also Eph 2:8–10) This hope as an anchor holds us steady in this life and secure in the future because it is firmly attached to the eternal throne of God. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Jesus makes one of His most famous statements from the Gospel of John in today's passage. He said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set free.” Our modern world wants to interact with the idea of relative truth, absolute truth, post truth and alternative facts and we can pull out this statement as a “proof.” What Jesus pointed to though was more than just about relative vs absolute truth, He pointed to how all of reality centered on abiding with Him. He was and is the truth from God and the Jews who heard Him teach were offended that He'd suggest they were enslaved to sin because they were wrapped up in the Father of Lies. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

A central theme in this sermon series is that we are called to be witnesses to the world—we are called to testify to the world about what we know about Jesus! So with that in mind in chapter, in Acts 26 we're going to learn how the Apostle Paul witnessed to King Agrippa. Within this chapter Paul lays out 10 transferrable principles about witnessing for Jesus Christ. Let's talk about them. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Today is Mother's Day. From all of us at Word of Hope to all the mom's—thank you for your faithfulness in serving your children and families. But today can be challenging for some. Maybe your mother is no longer here and you really miss her. If maybe you're relationship with your mom is on the rocks or cut-off. Regardless of what kinds of feelings get stirred up on Mother's Day please keep stay with this message because we're going to discover truths which will apply to each of us individually. And we'll find motivation to mentor others, whether or not they are our own children. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

This passage is a narrative and narratives by nature contain characters. So we approached this passage through the perspective of the individuals we came across. We decided to give them nicknames to help you remember and relate to them. They are:   1) Governor Festus – the people pleaser (Vss 1-9) 2) The Religious Leaders – status-keepers (Vss 7, 24) 3) Paul – the Gospel preacher (Vss 8, 10-11) 4) King Agrippa & Bernice – the pleasure seekers (Vss 13, 23) 5) Jesus – The Life Changer (Vss 19-21, 26)   The question at the end will be: Which one most represents you? Thanks for watching. God bless you! Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Today's passage is often referred to as “the woman caught in adultery,” and it depicts Jesus forgiving a woman accused of adultery, highlighting His mercy and grace. But it also points out the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders as the whole point of bringing this woman before Jesus was to trap Him in His response. NOTE: This passage's authenticity as part of John's original Gospel has been debated by scholars. Yet when all is said and done, even the textual critics who doubt that it belongs in John's Gospel all seem to agree that it is an authentic account of a true encounter between Jesus and a woman caught in adultery. And the church as a whole has seen in it the true spirit of our Lord. That said, let's get to studying. Thanks for watching. Blessings and love in Christ!

Today, we turn to Acts 24 where we see Paul had been labeled as a revolutionary seditionist. After Paul providentially survived the plot against him because his unnamed nephew spoke up, he was taken to Caesarea where he was held as a prisoner in Herod's palace to face the results of an investigation before Felix the Governor. We can learn a lot from Paul's tone of tenderness and attitude of respect when responding to the charges against him. And here's the takeaway: When your faith is challenged, make a cheerful defense. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

On today's journey we'll talk about the growing conflict between Jesus and the Jewish leaders during the Festival of Shelters. There was a lot of confusion as people were debating whether Jesus was the Messiah. And as the Jewish leaders' continued to look for ways to arrest Jesus the people began to question the intent of their own leaders. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

When you consider this world-altering, life-changing event it's clear that the crowds didn't comprehend what Jesus had come to do. The chief priests and teachers of the Law didn't understand. And even Jesus' disciples didn't have a clue. But one man got it. There was one man there that day who saw Jesus on the cross and he KNEW what was happening. There was one man who understood what Jesus was all about and it changed who he was. Do you know who that one man was? Stay with us let's find out. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Throughout this chapter, John highlights the various opinions the Jews had about Jesus. Before Jesus appeared at the festival, opinions about Him were swirling through the visiting crowd. Some of these Jews may have seen Jesus' miracles or heard Him teach while others may have only hear of what He had done both in Jerusalem and in Galilee. That particular year, Jesus was the hot topic of conversation during the Festival of Shelters. Meanwhile, Jesus was leaving Galilee for the last time. Events were moving rapidly toward “His time,” and He would not have any more opportunity to travel back to the place of childhood. This visit marked the third appearance of Jesus in Jerusalem during His ministry.Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

It's amazing that when things go our way, when God does what we want, when He rises to our cause, it's easy to cheer. But what happens when God doesn't do those things? What happens when you face oppression? What happens when you experience troubles? Too often, the cheering comes to a stop. And that's happened on Palm Sunday. In the text we find 3 reasons why the cheering stopped that day. Let's talk about it. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

From this chapter forward John will show Jesus as the suffering Messiah—suffering the unbelief of His own family, the divided opinion of the crowd and the persecution of the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem. By portraying Jesus' rejection, John provided his first readers and us with a realistic picture of the costs of being a disciple. Those who followed did so knowingly and willingly. John encourages us to believe, to stand firm and to resist being like those who opposed and doubted Jesus while He lived on earth. Ready to find out more? Let's go. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Our text in Acts 23:12-35 is interesting because we see no commands or exhortations. The names of God the Father, Jesus or the Holy Spirit are not mentioned at all. We see no supernatural miracles, no message from the Lord, no believers praying, no explanation of salvation and no exposition of Biblical doctrine. What we do see is an amazing illustration of the doctrine of God's providence. Let's talk about 4 ways to help you increase your trust in God's providence. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Those who had been listening to Jesus there in the synagogue in Capernaum were experiencing a crisis in their determination to follow Him. Thus far many of Jesus' actions had been attractive though sometimes curious. But all this talk of consuming His body and blood was difficult to stomach. Jesus' claims forced His followers to examine their real motives and the depth of their commitment. Would they stay or would they go? Let's find out more. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

In today's text, Acts 23:1-11, we're going to be talking about taking courage in our testimony. We're going to follow Paul through what happened to him before the Jewish high council and we'll learn 4-keys to taking courage in our testimony. Ultimately, this message will highlight the importance of remaining steadfast in faith even amidst persecution and that we should continue God's work, even in difficult circumstances. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

In the previous study we found that Jesus was indeed the true Bread from Heaven. Now many of the Jews in Capernaum that day could not believe their ears. They knew this man's family, yet He claimed to be the Son of God?! To them, Jesus was delusional. In their minds, Jesus was a local product with interesting power and unusual authority but was audacious when it came to speaking about Himself. Jesus responded with uncompromising directness. Then He required, as He does now, an unconditional acceptance of His Lordship. And any attempt to soften His claim amounts to rejection of His central message. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Welcome to today's sermon titled The Power of Your Testimony from Acts 22:1-29. Today we're going to share with you a tried-and-true method to help you share your testimony. In fact it's been around for thousands of years and it can be summed up in three words. Let's find out what they are. Thanks for watching. God bless you! Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

After feeding the 5,000, Jesus and His disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee and Jesus walked on the water through a storm to meet them, a miracle that initially frightened the disciples. Then after arriving in Capernaum Jesus emphasized that true spiritual nourishment came from Him, stating “I am the bread of life,” and that eternal life is granted to those who believe in Him. There are a lot of great points to be talk about and truths that we all can implement in our lives so...come on, let's go! Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

When we think about persecution, we usually think of believers struggling in foreign countries that are closed to the Gospel or what happens to foreign missionaries—but not today. For many weeks throughout this sermon series we've seen how the early church grew through persecution. Now it's time to go deeper. Through the study of Acts 21:27-40 we're going to discover at least 3-ways to handle persecution. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

The feeding of the five thousand is just one of those passages that stick with you. You never really forget about it. Even if you didn't grow up in church you've probably heard this story at some point. This story is prominent in part because it's recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. In fact, this is the only event outside of the crucifixion that is recorded in all four of the Gospels. But have you ever stopped to ask: Is Jesus simply a charity worker that wants to fill people's bellies or is there more to the story? Let's find the answer to that and much more. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Accomplishing God's will in our lives is really important and it's not a one and done event. It's a life-long journey of commitment to the Lord—a commitment that involves: 1) Doing what God wants you to do, even if it's hard, 2) Staying steady, even when others don't understand, 3) Remembering what God has done and giving Him the glory for it and 4) Facing the challenges and trusting God. To God be the glory! Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

As we learned last time Jesus claimed to be equal with God (5:18), to give eternal life (5:24), to be the source of life (5:26) and to judge sin (5:27). These statements made it clear that Jesus was claiming to be divine—an almost unbelievable claim, but one that was supported by another witness. Let's find out who it was. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

As we come to the second half of Acts 20 in our Journey Through Acts series, we encounter an emotional goodbye from the Apostle Paul. And as he prepared to leave the Ephesian elders, he gave them an exhortation to keep going—to finish. His goodbye was full of encouragement and charge. In essence he told them to finish well. And he even told them how to do it. Let's find out how. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Today's passage is a response to religious leaders who were angry that Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath. And Jesus' claims to divinity and power over life and death were supported by evidence, including miracles, human testimony and Scripture. Ultimately this passage is a call to believe in Jesus as Savior and to honor Him. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

God gives freely through Jesus Christ. But to receive salvation, a person must believe. The lame man by the Pool at Bethesda had to want to be healed. Then Jesus approached him later to explain to him that he needed to believe and receive spiritual healing as well. God makes the offer and God performs the miracle, but we must respond to His offer and accept it. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Lots of people have a romantic notion about following Jesus, like seeing that classic convertible on the side of the road and dreaming about how neat it would be to drive with the top down. But when they call the number on the sign and find out how much it costs they decide it's just too much. The same can be said of following Jesus. People love the idea of eternal life, escaping hell and having Jesus at their beck and call. But they are not willing to leave the life they now live. Today's text, Acts 19:21-41 describes the importance of counting the cost of following Jesus. And we're going to learn that it's costly to follow Jesus but it's worth it. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Last time we talking a lot about what happened when Jesus met the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. And we found that during their exchange Jesus revealed Himself to her as the Messiah. But when Jesus' disciples showed up the conversation was interrupted. What the woman might have said to Jesus at that point we don't know but what she did is clear. She went and told everyone in her village about what had happened and what happened next...well...let's read and see. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Today we're going to look more into Paul's third missionary journey. The purpose of this journey was to revisit and strengthen churches that he established on previous trips, to encourage believers and to correct any misunderstanding or false Biblical teachings. And we decided to title today's sermon – Biblical Doctrine Matters. Now there are some who, when they hear that word “doctrine” want to turn and head for the door just tune it out altogether. Perhaps they think it'll be a boring or uninspiring message. We hope that's not y'all because this is really important—we can't stress just how important proper Biblical doctrine is. So hang in there with us let's find out more. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Every Christian is to be active in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others. That's not hard to do when you're at church or in a group of interested people. But what about when you're meeting people out in the world for the first time? That can be a lot harder. But we have a responsibility to try and bring to these people to knowledge of the truth regardless of their background or what sins they have committed. This study today highlights a first-hand account of Jesus doing just that. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Today in Acts 18 we'll find that this chapter underscores the power of connections, teaching and divine guidance in the expansion of the Gospel. The mutual support between Paul and the Corinthians, the nurturing of Apollos by Aquila and Priscilla and God's encouraging vision to Paul, all intertwine to unfold God's work. The chapter will inspire us to value our Christian community, to continually deepen our understanding of the Gospel and to rely on God's assurance amidst adversity. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

What is your motivation in serving the Lord? Do you desire to be the star of God's plan, receiving all the attention? Are you jealous when someone else receives more attention than you? Or can you be satisfied with becoming less, fading more into the background while someone else is recognized more—while Jesus becomes more? It's easy to forget what we're all about and how we fit into God's plan. And if we're not careful then pride can begin to take over and sin will take root. Is it possible to guard against that? The answer is yes and today's study will tell us how so let's begin. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Imagine you are a missionary arriving in the capital city of a country you have never been to before. You find yourself alone in a place filled with highly educated and intelligent people. You are the first Christian to ever visit this city. There are no churches, no Christian schools and no Christian Media. As you walk around you're nauseated by the number of statues to pagan gods and you weep because no one has even heard of Jesus. What will you do? How will you find an opening to share the Gospel? Where will you begin? How will you find someone to talk to? And who will even listen to your message? Let's talk about it. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

God specializes in finding and changing people we consider out of reach. As we'll see in today's study it took a while for Nicodemus to come out of the dark, but God was patient with this undercover believer and in the end we'll find that if we are available, God can use us too. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Last week, in Acts 16, we celebrated how God used 3 different people to get His message out. We focused on how God reached a religious woman, a rejected teenager and a regular guy. Today, we're in the first part of Acts 17, where we will be challenged with this truth: If we want to turn the world upside down with the Gospel then the Word of God has to turn us inside out first. There are two main things we have to accomplish if we ever hope to turn the world upside down with the Gospel. Let's find out what they are. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

One of the deficiencies and fickleness of the human character is our propensity of being shallow. We like a charismatic speaker over being told the truth, a flashy dresser over something practical and a celebrity over an intellectual or even a friend. We want a religion that does not convict or teach because we want to indulge ourselves with what we want and to feel good. We want our ears tickled and our problems solved. We want to feel good but we do not want to grow in faith or learn from adversity. We want comfort and not have to bother with the time and work that true spiritual formation takes. Jesus walked away from and condescended to these people who were flocking to Him. The question we must ask, is how shallow am I? Where do I need conviction; in what areas do I need to grow? Let's find out the answers to these questions and more. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Last week we ended with Paul having a vision of a man from Macedonia and he was pleading with Paul to come and help. Paul and Silas left Troas immediately and headed west. Through a combination of smooth sailing and fast land travel they arrived in Philippi, making great time. They looked for the man in Paul's vision but couldn't find him. What they did find though were three people, as different as night and day, but who were all in need of a Savior—they needed Jesus. How did God use Paul and his team to share the Gospel with them? Let's find out. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Happy New Year friends! Today we're going to look at John 2:1-12 and The Wedding at Cana. This is a special time because it's the first display of Jesus' glory. This event also marks the beginning of Jesus' public ministry and reveals important truths about his identity and purpose. So let's begin and find out more. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

A very happy and blessed New Year! Last week we learned how the Jerusalem church handled doctrinal division by identifying the problem, discussing and praying over it and then delivering the decision. After that Paul was eager to get back on mission. It had been approximately 3 years since his last journey. Paul then said to Barnabas in Acts 15:36, “Let's go back and visit each city where we previously preached the Word of the Lord.” Notice this wasn't a divine call or a church commissioning service. So exactly how did God lead Paul? An even bigger question is: How does God lead His people? Let's find out. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

It's hard to believe this is the last Sunday of 2024—where did this year go?!?!?! We are so grateful to the Lord for all He's lead us to and through and we're even more excited about what He has in store for us in 2025. So what better way to launch us into 2025 than to resume our journey through the book of Acts. So far we've covered the first 14 chapters of this foundational book. Today our journey takes us to Acts 15:1-35 where we'll talk about: The Simplicity of Salvation. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Welcome to Christmas Eve and the last sermon in our series The Cast of Christmas. What an amazing journey we've been on the past 4-weeks. If any of you have missed those sermons you can always catch up right here on this media platform. During this journey we've heard from the cast that included the Prophets, the Angels, the Shepherds and the Magi. There's only one group of people left. Who is it you ask? The last group we're going to talk about in our journey is US and what our response should be to all we've been talking about the past 4-weeks. Are you ready? Here we go... Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

What an amazing journey we've been on the past 3-weeks. We've listened to the Prophets, we've heard from the Angels and we were inspired by the Shepherds. Enter now the 4th group of cast members...the Magi. Their message was simple: May our Christmas be filled with the same worship as they experienced as they encountered the King of all kings. This journey is getting underway so let's join in. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

In today's passage this is where Jesus begins His ministry by calling His first followers or disciples. He invites them to come and see where He abides. This passage will show Jesus' invitation to the curious and the doubter and the different experiences of those first disciples who encounter Jesus. Beloved...let us come and see! Thanks for watching. Blessings and love in Christ! Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Welcome to part 3 of our sermon series The Cast of Christmas. So far we've met 2 groups from the cast, the Prophets and the Angels and we've talked about their role in this amazing journey. As you can probably guess the third group of cast members is the Shepherds. They're going to take us on a journey to help us understand about lasting hope and joy that comes from receiving the truth about Christ. Everyone's ready to go so, the curtain's coming up... Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Today we're going to continue talking about John the Baptist. This passage (vss 19-34) emphasizes John's humility and selflessness in prioritizing Jesus' role as the Savior above his own. Also in John's message are his words that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and the King who brings the Kingdom of God—and His ministry will be marked by both kingly authority and suffering as an atonement for our sin. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org. Answers to the Opening Questions: 1. John the Baptist was a fiery prophet who called people to repentance and prepared the way for the Messiah? True 2. John the Baptist's parents were Zebedee and Elizabeth? False. His parents were Zechariah and Elizabeth. 3. John lived a comfortable life, wearing linen and eating fish and fruits? False. John lived an austere life in the wilderness, wearing camel's hair and eating locusts and wild honey. 4. John the Baptist's life was characterized by? E. All of the above. 5. Which of the following statements about John the Baptist are true? C. He was brave and willing to speak truth, even if it meant his own death.

Today we're going to meet the second group of cast members on our journey. We're pretty sure you know who they are—They're the angels. Now these angels made a proclamation of peace and it's important for us to know what that was and what it means for us today. The cast is ready and our pathway is clear so let's go. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Today we begin with John 1:1-18 which is commonly referred to as the prologue. A prologue is an introductory section that appears at the beginning of a literary piece and provides background information or context for the story. And that's what is going to happen here. So get those Bibles and/or Bible Apps open to John 1 and let's begin. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.   The Gospel of John Introductory Question and Answers: Who wrote the book of John? John the Baptist or John the Apostle? Answer: John the Apostle. Who were John's parents? Answer: Zebedee and Salome. (True or False) John had an older brother named James? True. What was the name these two brothers were often referred to as? Answer: The sons of thunder. (True or False) John was the only one of the 12 Apostles at the cross when Jesus was crucified? True. Which of the following events are recorded ONLY in the Gospel of John? Answer: All of the above. Which of the following themes are included in the Gospel of John? Answer: All of the above. How many miracles are mentioned in the Gospel of John? Answer: 8 (7 miracles plus the Resurrection) (True or False) Belief in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God is the central theme of the Gospel of John? True. (True or False) The fact that Jesus rose from the dead is the foundation of the Christian faith? Answer: True. (True or False) The same power that raised Christ to life can give us the ability to follow Him each day? True.

We're so excited to share our Advent sermon series titled The Cast of Christmas. During this journey we'll experience the anticipation of the prophets, the joyful proclamation of the angels, the journey of the shepherds and wise men to honor Jesus and we'll talk about how this fits in with how we prepare and celebrate for Christmas today. Today we meet our first cast members—the prophets and we'll focus on their expectation and preparation as it related to the birth of Christ. The cast is ready and the journey is calling. There's only one thing left to do... Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Acts 14 continues the narrative and focuses on Paul and Barnabas' preaching in the regions of Iconium and Lystra (modern-day Turkey). There they would face significant opposition from Jews but also experience remarkable conversions and a miracle healing that would lead to the local people nearly worshiping them as gods. This chapter also highlights the challenges and triumphs of spreading the Gospel in new areas, including instances of persecution and the apostles' unwavering commitment to their message despite opposition. So let this journey continue... Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

One of the greatest needs right now is the need to restore full confidence in God's Word to accomplish God's work. One passage of Scripture that demonstrates this is Acts 13:13-52. This passage contains Paul's first and longest sermon that is recorded in the book of Acts. There was no prior publicity about the sermon to come and yet it produced tremendous results. So how did it happen? Stay with us and let's find out. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.