Today, I want to talk to you about hope! Followers of Jesus are the most hopeful people in the world…at least we should be! Why are we hopeful? Because we know that this life…is NOT all there is! We have an eternal hope! Hebrews 6:19 tells us that our hope is anchored in Jesus…and that the hope we have…is the anchor of our soul. This hope that we have…comes with a responsibility doesn’t it? What is our responsibility? Simple, share our hope in Christ with others! Our hope…affects how we live this life! It keeps us from being overwhelmed with the problems and pitfalls of life! I want to share with you 3 different types of hope…that we have! We have 3 types of hope to share with our neighbors, coworkers, friends and family…and anyone who is lost, who doesn’t know Christ. We have hope” (1) for a better future, (2) to escape the tribulation, and (3) the hope of heaven!

The church, this church has to prioritize its mission, its people, and its resources! We must not let the enemy get the upper hand! We must not let the enemy gain ground against the Kingdom of God in Alpen… the surrounding communities…and the world! This month we are focusing on our mission…reaching the lost! We have talked about the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin! Today I want to talk to you about the Parable of the Lost Son.

This morning I want to talk to you about the Parable of the Lost Sheep. This parable is powerful and inspiring in 4 ways. (1) it powerful and inspiring because Jesus is the Good Shepherd and HE is looking for those who do not know HIM! (2) because the Good Shepherd is looking for those who wandered away from HIM…those who have backslidden (3) it is powerful and inspiring...because as a church…we know that we were lost…and HE came looking for us! (4) it is powerful and inspiring...because we know that it is our responsibility to find the lost sheep…wherever they may be!

Did you know that First Assembly of God church has a tag line…the tag line reflects the heart of this church. Do you know what it is? If you read the bulletin, if you read our sign on the corner…then you know…that our heart is to be A CHURCH WITH THE COMMUNITY AT HEART! Do you know what our mission statement is? It is to WIN, BUILD, SERVE. WIN people to Christ, BUILD mature disciples, and SERVE the Lord, by serving the community and the world! Did you know that? Guess what...Planting a church in Ossineke…is the fulfillment of both of those things. We are showing that we have THE COMMUNITY AT HEART! To accomplish that vision means that we have been...winning people to Christ, building mature disciples…and releasing them to serve!

Do you get tired of just existing? Has your walk with God lost some of its shine…its luster? Are you just going through the motions? Do you have everything figured out? Maybe your faith walk…your walk with God…is what I call faithful and faithless. What is faithful and faithless? It is when a person is faithful…in that he or she is consistent in attending church, having some sort of prayer life, maybe even devotional time…that is faithful…and yet he or she is faithless…in that his or her life does not require faith. He or she just goes through the motions! They no longer have a deep abiding faith. This faithful, faithless life becomes more evident when challenges come their way and they struggle with their faith! There is little joy and excitement in their lives. Do you know why there is no joy and excitement? Because they are not looking forward to the future! They have not planted anything, so they are not expecting a harvest!