Praise and thanksgiving to God for Hope B-P Church’s 38^th Anniversary today! Our heartfelt prayer of thanks to our loving Father in Heaven is: “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Psalm 103:1,2. To God be the glory and honour!

So many years have flown by, but the Lord our God has been the same, ever faithful and loving towards us as our Good Shepherd who cares for His flock. He has provided for all our needs and showered countless blessings upon us. We are indeed grateful as we remember all that He has done for us these past 38 years. These years have been years of prosperity and peace. He has given us “richly all things to enjoy”. 1 Timothy 6:17. God has brought His sheep into His church. Since 1998, He has blessed us with Pastor Ki, faithful elders and deacons, and Sunday school teachers to care for the congregation.

We thank God for the past and we look forward to His guidance in the future. We pray for many more years of peace so that we can continue to worship the LORD in spirit and in truth, to hear His Word preached so that souls can be saved and the believers grow in faith, and grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

There is a need to also mention that perilous times are on the horizon. 2 Timothy 3:1 informs us: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” The world is changing rapidly and we must be alert to the signs of the times we are living in today.

In Matthew 24:3, the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ asked Him these questions: “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”

“And Jesus answered and said unto them, ‘Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ: and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of war: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24:4-8.

The above signs are the signs preceding the Second Coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The Bible has predicted many evils and fears that shall come upon mankind before the Lord Jesus returns to earth. Luke 21:36 instructs us: “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Indeed, it is our prayer that you will be well prepared for the Lord’s return and be absolutely safe always.

No one knows when the Lord will return to this earth. The Lord Jesus himself tells us in Matthew 24:36– “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come….Therefore, be ye also ready….” Matthew 24:42,44.

On this blessed day of Hope Church’s 38^th Anniversary, we want to offer words of Hope and eternal life for the present and the future. Let us consider the wonderful word HOPE. This word is found 133 times in the Bible and it is used almost daily by all of us.

We shall remember the words of Hope and eternal life by means of this acrostic:– H - O - P - E.

H stands for Hope.

Jeremiah 17:7– “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.” God is our hope for today and our hope in the day of evil”.

Colossians 1:27– “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” This is Hope Church’s motto.

Romans 15:13– “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

Hope is a gift of God. Romans 15:4– “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” Hebrews 6:19– “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast.” 1 Peter 1:13– “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

1 John 3:3– “… every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” Let us live holy lives pleasing to the Lord as we await the Lord’s return.

O stands for Occupy.

Luke 19:13– “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.”

The Lord Jesus gave a parable about the servants of the master who were told to “occupy till he comes”. This applies to us Christians. Let us thank God for the privilege of serving Him. Let us share the Gospel with others so that they can know the sacrificial death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary and His resurrection from the dead, and receive His love, forgiveness of sins, peace and joy, hope and eternal life.

P stands for Pray.

Prayer is a gift of God. Matthew 21:22– “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

1 John 5:14– “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.”

Philippians 4:6– “Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

Let us pray for one another, our family, loved ones, friends, church, missionaries, our country; and especially for the salvation of the unsaved and the growth of the believers.

E stands for Encourage.

Hebrews 10:24,25– “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Titus 2:11,13– “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men … Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Let us encourage one another to keep close to God as we await the Lord’s return. The Lord Jesus Christ himself encouraged us in Matthew 28:20– “…lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

On this 38^th Anniversary, let us look forward to a great future, as Philippians 1:6 assures us: “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ.” May the Lord bless you all at Hope B-P Church with His goodness and mercy in the coming year! Amen.

More Lively Hope

© Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church
14 Bedford Square, Colonel Light Gardens, South Australia 5041