Living Hope Church.
Incredible. Amazing. Awesome. Humbling. Emotional. Grateful. Expectant. I think about this weekend and those are a few of the words that come to my mind. In summary, you know those two words....... ONLY GOD. Seeing hundreds of people's prayers on the big center screen and watching people pray together, for each other was simply something we won't forget and something that moves the heart of God.
The verse that I hope for and pray for and believe for is found in the book of Colossians.
"Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Colossians 4:2
There it is..... Devote yourselves. Devotion that is together, that is focused on prayer, that is watchful and alert. I LOVE THAT. Pray and have a heart that is filled with gratefulness and thankfulness. A heart devoted to God and to others.
I am convinced that prayerlessness is truly carelessness. It is spiritual treason. Funny thing is we hear people say I am just too busy to pray, but I think that is really a bogus answer to one of the most serious spiritual things in our lives. Prayer is not just something we ought to do it is something we "get" to do. Think about it! We can approach the throne of God's unspeakable grace with confidence as his sons and daughters. So amazing.
I think prayerlessness isn't about busyness. We simply overestimate our strength and underestimate God's power.
Believing God for new days! Where prayer isn't our last resort but our first response. SO EXCITED!!!!!
Great weekend. Please make prayer a habit. Pray continually! Pray and expect God to answer.
Let's pray with our kids more, our families more and our wives more. Let's pray for each other and intercede on behalf of people we love who matter to God.
Rest my friends.
They devoted themselves to prayer. That is what we will hear as people speak about Living Hope!
See ya soon.
john and michelle
We’re in a series called Living Hope at the Movies, in a mini 3-part series about the Lord of the Rings. Last week we talked about knowing your enemy. Many evangelical Christians would say Satan doesn’t exist; He would love for you to think that. On the other side, some people make everything satanic, which is equally difficult; you’re looking for him everywhere.
What he wants to do is steal, kill and destroy.
1 John says "greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world". We know God has a plan. When you come to Christ you’re a new person.
We stay in Ephesians 6 where Paul is writing to a church in Ephesus. He spent 2-3 years teaching there; he was close to them. He wrote this book to them around AD 53, 20 years after Christ.
What happens is you go from this fresh, exciting thing to drift. The church at Ephesus was struggling with some unity issues. He talks on unity in chapter 4, then relationships in chapter 5 - marriage, families, parents and kids. Then the context is how we stay firm and how we resist the devil.
This is one of those passages that will bring freedom to your soul. We can be attacked by Satan and not know it. Our marriages can be in bad places and we don’t even know it. I think we can have relational tension in friendships and not really know what’s going on. Spiritual warfare is real! The enemy is real! God is greater, but from this day until our last he will not quit! We know we win, but we have to learn how to walk out our faith.
Paul says: A final word: "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil."
Ephesians 6:10, 11
he says in verse 12 - "For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places."
He’s talking about ranking order in the satanic realm. It’s incredible to know that’s how strategic Satan is. He has a strategic, personalized plan for you.
I want to talk about the Armor of God, but first let's take a look at the 5 times we will find ourselves under spiritual attack. Here’s what they are:
1. Spiritual Growth: When a person comes to Christ and decides not to have mediocrity, and to be fully devoted to Jesus Christ. When you make that commitment you can expect to be attacked.
2. If you’re involved in evangelism you can expect to be attacked. His number one thing is to keep people spending eternity in hell. Some people will say "I'm not an evangelist.” Everyone is not an evangelist, but everyone is evangelistic.
3. When you expose or teach about Satan, you’ll be attacked.
4. When you break with the world. We forget we’re in a spiritual battle for souls. If you have a stronghold of some sort and there’s a sense of breaking free, you’ll be attacked.
5. Attack before God does an amazing work on someone’s life. Before there’s a great season of change, you notice this rhythm throughout the Bible. Every time Paul went on a missionary journey or started a new church, there was attack rising up against him.
Blessings can be used by God to grow your faith. To make an impact on this world will far outweigh the harassments of the enemy. I think Satan is a giant drama queen. He likes to stir stuff up and most of it is stupid stuff. When we understand that, that is the blessing. It’s not standing firm in how good or strong you are, it’s standing firm against Satan in the mighty power. The word for power here is Dunamis, the same word we get dynamite from - in that power we resist him.
The Roman army dominated the world, the first known country to do so, and they maintained world dominance for 1100 years. They didn’t do it because they tried hard; they were highly strategic and effective, and they were trained for war. You could not leave the army. If you ever retreated, you would be killed. On the battlefield it was a fight for life and death…That’s what our spiritual life is. The stakes are so high for eternity. God wants to do an amazing thing through our lives, to the extent I can understand that this is an invisible unseen world. The battle manifests itself in the flesh, it’s not about flesh.
Satan is trying to make God look stupid, to make us look apathetic or hyper-religious, to minimize the influence and effectiveness of God.
Paul uses a roman soldier as an example. There’s a fight! You will fight for what matters to you. He says, "Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere." Ephesians 6:13-18
He wants us to stand firm. I’ve walked with Jesus almost 21 years. I see people walk away from him. How does that happen? We’re excited about faith and eternal life, heaven, mission; but because of what Satan does it causes us to be derailed. As Christians, and as warriors, we need an understanding of the Armor of God. The defense system we have for the attack of the enemy.
The first piece of clothing would be the belt of truth. The belt was made of sturdy leather. When you look at the belt, it was the most important piece of clothing because it held everything else together. In your life, you’re going to spend some time praying. Offensively that cuts Satan’s head off. You take away his ability to defeat you when you pray.
The belt of truth was worn over the top of the tunic. It would have decorative marks and you could hang different things from it. Truth is the most important thing that holds your faith together. In the simplest understanding of this word Paul uses for truth, it would be total devotion or commitment.
This was preparing for battle, knowing that the battle is real. How many of us are listening to lies from Satan? We’re not building our lives on truth, but on lies. If you’re building on truth you’ll have a readiness for war or battle, but you have to make a commitment on the front end. In our faith and life, truth holds everything together.
Paul says to the church at Rome – “you’re a living sacrifice.” That’s the commitment. It’s easy to be a dead sacrifice. But to be a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God is a big thing. How are we doing? Is truth holding things together for you?
The first three pieces Paul talks about are permanent in nature; these are three things you would always have.
The secondpiece of clothing is called (in the NLT) the body armor of righteousness; most translations would say breast plate; it’s not bad, but not quite as accurate. It would be body armor; it would protect the vital organs; it was heavy to wear. They would wear a breast plate and a back plate as well.
Check it out - When you come to Christ, there’s a positional righteousness that you inherit because of your faith in Jesus Christ. Before Jesus, you’re trying to earn your salvation. The gospel is simply this: Jesus died, rose from the grave in 3 days, and those who confess the works of Christ are saved. It’s called imputed righteousness. When God sees you, he sees Jesus in you. Once you understand the position you’re in, there’s nothing you can ever do. All the sins you’ve done - today, last week, next week - it’s all forgiven. That’s how God sees you.
God’s not talking about positional righteousness here. He’s talking about practical righteousness. In other words, our goal when we come to Christ is to reflect Jesus to a watching world.
Paul says to this church just before putting on the armor – "Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy" Ephesians 4:24
Now specifically, how do I do that?
"So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil". Ephesians 4:25-27
Pause – some of you have given a foothold to the devil by being angry, and your anger is turning to poison; and you wouldn’t have signed up for it - you’re judging someone, criticizing someone. You get mad and the anger turns to bitterness, and hate, then you’re not the person you want to be. It’s poison; it will destroy you, because Satan’s goal is not anger in itself. When you peel anger back, there’s going to be hurt, fear, and frustration.
He says be angry and don’t sin. In other words, you’re going to have anger, but deal with it rightly, and you can because you have a new nature; you’re a child of God now.
What do you breathe in most? Our lungs would be protected by this body armor. If you breathe in hate, you’ll exhale hate; envy, envy; greed, greed. When we talk about the new nature, we have to ask "How is my heart?" In Proverbs 4:23 – Solomon, the wisest person except Jesus on the earth, said guard your heart above every other thing. How are we doing? How’s the breathing?
The third thing he talks about is the shoes of peace. The peace that comes from the good news. 
The shoes would have spikes on the bottom, and they give confidence to stand firm. It’s confidence in God’s love for you.
Peace will give you foundation, courage, firm ability to face Satan in a way, confidence that nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ. If God is for me who can be against me? When you get that confidence that’s tempered with humility - you didn’t do anything to earn it anyway - you’ll stand.
The next three pieces are put on, you do it one time.
The first one is shield of faith. In ancient Roman times there were two different kinds of shields. Keeping in mind Paul uses the metaphor of the army that stood as world dominators for 1100 years. This is from the Greek word they’d use for door. This is the word Paul uses for shield of faith. A soldier could lean on it and they would lock to the other soldiers’ shields. It’s unity – what a concept! We’re not fighting against flesh and blood, but against the enemy that’s out to rip us apart. Together we’ll be strong.
When you take up the shield there’s a sense that this is a defensive thing. As he would go into battle he would hold the shield; and the interesting thing is it’s simply about trust.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says "Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take; acknowledge him in all your ways and he will make your path straight."
When translated in Hebrew, it’s really cool; "paths straight" is better translated "he will bless your life."
Where are you not trusting God? How you’ll know where you are trusting God is you have a sense of confidence in God’s ability to provide for you.
If you’re not taking up the shield of faith, you’re exposing yourself and telling God “I don’t trust you.” The Bible says there are three degrees of faith: little, great, and perfect.
Little says God CAN do this.
Great faith says God WILL do this.
Perfect faith says It is as good as done.
The greatest test we see in our generation is finances. Financial bondage – finances is our God. Follow your heart, find out what’s truth, peel back the layer and see what’s really going on.
Next, you can take the next thing which is the helmet of salvation. 
I think Satan’s greatest tools are two things: he discourages us and he causes us to doubt; and when you think about that, it’s really protecting the mind. The battle starts in the mind, is fought in the mind, and ends in the mind.
Romans 12:2 - "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect".
The helmet of salvation is really important. The test of a person’s character is what it takes to stop him or her. How much will it take? Every one of us has to answer that question. I love what it says in Galations 6:9 "So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up"
The last thing he talks about is the sword of the spirit. In warfare there would be two kinds of swords. Paul uses a word – it’s not just God’s word, it’s the Greek word reima that Jesus also used. It means a specific word for a specific situation.
So something happens and God wants us to memorize the word of God. How would you fight a war without a sword against an enemy out to kill, steal and destroy? The battle is an unseen battle, but it’s real. This is the only part of the armor that’s both offensive and defensive. It can deflect and stab.
The Bible says in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength"
When you have a specific problem, God will bring His word to our mind. Don’t just think it, speak it out to Satan. He will Back off!
It you’re not making God’s word a priority, don’t put your head in the sand and think you're all right. Yes, you know God and you'll go to heaven, but how will you fight?
You want to build a life that’s successful for God. God tells Joshua “you want to have a successful life? Then meditate on the word of God day and night.” Going into battle? Meditate on the word of God.
I want you to make a commitment today to read the word of God every day for the next 30 days. Make the commitment. Tell someone you want to do it. I want you to have accountability to make God’s word a priority in your home. Read it as a couple to your kids. Three things that will last forever: God, people, and the word of God. That’s it. Make it a priority; you’ll never regret it.
John
This weekend we continued in the movie series by taking a look at "Lord of the Rings". I just returned from visiting our campus in New Zealand, and had the opportunity to tour and film at Hobbiton, where the movie trilogy was filmed. It was definitely a highlight of the trip, and gave me so much to think about as we approached this topic of spiritual warfare.
I think it will take us two or three weeks to unpack this subject, but the place we start is by asking the question, “Do you know your enemy?”
There are two extremes we live in. Some people do not believe there is a devil in this world, who has a plan for evil. If that were true… How would you explain the holocaust? Or child pornography? The truth is - There is an enemy and his name is Satan. He hates your guts. He has a plan for your marriage. He is real, and we have to learn what it means to fight.
The other extreme is when we demonize everything. We lose our keys and blame it on The "keyloss" demon.
Or we run out of gas and think a demon is responsible instead of simply owning that we stupidly forgot to put gas in the car. Let's not live in the world where everything is about a demon.
The fact is that Satan is real, and he is strategic in his plan. He hates you.
God wants to set us free. Our joy is gone because we are so focused on stuff we don’t have. That’s what Satan does – he deceives us. He is about 2 things - our desires, and deception. He wants us to fight with each other. He wants us to be divided. He divides your marriages, and isolates us.
Paul writes in Ephesians about the unseen war that is raging for us: 10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
The battle is real – it never ends till eternity.
In John 10:10 it says that the Enemy came to this world to steal, kill, and destroy. So often we have heard those words, but what does he steal?
I believe primarily, He steals your joy, which kills your identity, and eventually destroys your witness. His game is to make you take your eyes off of God. We are foolish if we refuse to acknowledge the war we are in.
Satan wants to make God look stupid and minimize the reality of Him in our lives. He wants to cause us to gossip. He is a liar; the Bible says he is "the father of lies". He will take something truthful and twist it a tiny bit wrong, and before we know it we are believing the lies.
Friends, the truth is Christianity is a battleground not a playground.
As followers of Christ, we need to know Satan is out to get us. When we respond to the lies he puts in our mind, we are engaging in relationship with the devil.
Satan is a created being. His name was Lucifer "son of the morning star". He was an angel subject to God – a leader, but he wanted to BE God. He became prideful and was cast out of heaven. When you peel back all the layers of the sin in our life you will always find pride.
Satan doesn’t know the future, he only knows the past and current reality. He just lies to you. He wants you to not worship God
1 Peter 5:8 says, Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
A lion will go after an animal that is most vulnerable, which are animals mostly sick, young, weak or alone as a victim. Satan is after those who are young, sick, weak or alone. He will attack till you get tired enough and vulnerable. When you are alone you are vulnerable. He will subtly speak to you to isolate. He gets you where he wants you.
Jesus is in for the long haul with us. God wants you to be a victor, to stand firm in your faith.
Satan has NO DEFENSE. He can only attack. We have the word of God as a sword. When we quote scripture to Satan, he has to flee. It is our offense to which he has no defense.
I think prayer is sometimes our last resort instead of the first offensive strike. It is our most effective weapon. Satan has no defense against it. When we pray for hope and life in our marriages, he has to let go.
We are so independent in our culture. We think we don’t need anyone and can take care of it ourselves. Prayerlessness is one of the single greatest enemies of your soul.
Prayer should be our first offensive posture, not our last defensive measure.
In every culture there are different things we do. In the first century when revival really happened, their faith was REAL. They believed the demonic activity was real. They believed that prayer mattered.
Check it out: Prayerlessness makes us distracted. When we get distracted, we get heavy burdens and feel the weight of the world. We get weary from burdens we were never expected to bear. When we get weary we are unable to fight, and get vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy.
When we fight in the power of the Spirit of God, we rest in God's power.
Satan has some power – but God has all the power.
Satan might be somewhere but God is everywhere.
Satan might know some things – but God knows everything.
We have got to exchange anxiety for worship, exchange addiction for freedom.
Friends, the best news is greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world! God is for you not against you. Rest in that!
This weekend, we will continue to talk about what it means to put on the whole armor of God. I hope to see you!
Six services to choose from at our Brush Prairie campus and lots of other services at campuses around Vancouver, Woodland and Longview.
SATURDAY
5:00 and 7:00 PM Pizza served for donations and there are some tables set up for you and your family.
SUNDAY
8:30 and 10:00 AM Two services that are close to an hour long each (close to :) )
11:30 AM and 1:30 PM Two services with extended worship.
Please pray. Satan specifically attacks when we are learning about his plans. When the day is over, he is the biggest drama queen in the world. He doesn't win and the more we learn about our God, the more we can see him for who he is.
See ya.
John
I am excited about the new book "Multisite Roadtrip" that was released just days ago. Living Hope is one of 12 churches featured in this book and it is a great resource that highlights the experiences of churches as they venture into multisite. My friends, Geoff Surratt,Greg Ligon and Warren Bird wrote the book and I want to thank them for their contribution to the multisite story. Who would have thought just 20 years ago? Leveraging technology for the sake of eternity. I am so glad to be a church that will risk to reach people. Campuses are not just part of our story, they are very much a big part of our DNA.
If you don't know, Living Hope has been a multisite church for over 3 years. We have learned so much and I am excited that our story can touch the lives of churches and pastors around the world through this new book. Truly ONLY GOD. We have learned a lot the hard way and in fact just today have been talking yet again about our challenges as a multisite church. There is no one or right way. We have learned through trial and error. Most churches never discover new things, because they are too afraid to risk. I am so glad to be part of a church where risking is just so much who we are. Because of it, we have 9 local campuses and at least 7 or 8 global Living Hope campuses. As a movement, we have multiple churches in multiple locations. Our closest campus is Orchards, which is just a mile down the road and our furthest campus is almost 8000 miles away in Tauranga, New Zealand. All Living Hope campuses utilize our videos most of the time (40 or 45 weeks out of the year).
I am excited to announce the vision that we will have 100 new Living Hope campuses in the next 5 years. I guess you could say we are "all in"
I got to read an advance copy of multi-site road trip a few weeks ago, and my friend Greg Ligon asked me last week some follow-up questions as they begin the launch and promotion of the book...
If you haven't read the book, and are interested in multi site, you should.
Thanks Greg, Geoff and Warren.
HERE ARE THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
What was the best thing that happened each of the times that you launched more than two campuses at once?
The best thing that happened by far was a unified mission that had sustainable momentum for the better part of a year. The second thing we see is that in a large church people can have a tendency to get comfortable, and in getting comfortable they stop serving. When we launch campuses, we can ask people to step out of their chair, and out of the comfort of this place to go serve. The third thing is that it has been an evangelistic invitational machine each and every time.
What was the biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge was, has been, and still is, to have adequate systems In place to support campuses, to encourage campus pastors, to stay unified as “one church” in multiple locations.
Is there something unique about the DNA of Living Hope that made it work?
Living hope is a highly invitational church. I really believe we are a dangerous church. We have multiple stories of people who come to Living Hope and instinctively invite their friends. That’s what makes Living Hope the place that it is. I very rarely have to ask people to invite their friends – they naturally do it every week.
What is new in your multi-site ministry since we last talked?
Having done multi site for over 3 years I just know it works.
BIG VISION - I’m making a goal to see 100 new campuses start globally in the next 5 years. In a climate where people shrink back I believe is the time to step up the most, so that’s what we are doing. Also, since we talked, I have had opportunity for the first time to visit our New Zealand campus. To travel almost 9000 miles to spend time with leaders, volunteers and to speak to the church was so valuable. To our knowledge it is the only campus in the country that is not just called Living Hope but uses videos 80 -90% of the time. Not only does multi site work, it’s working for us in a different culture, in a different country. As I flew home, I just kept thinking to myself ‘ONLY GOD could make this happen.’
"BIGGER VISION" As one church that meets in multiple locations and countries, I trusted God that there would be a point where collectively there would be something bigger than any one campus to unify us in mission and in purpose. We are excited to be doing our first global crusade, November 2009 in India. We are anticipating 30-50,000 people per day, and the exciting thing is campus pastors from each country will join me on this crusade.
They would love to have us help spread the word about Multi-site Church Road Trip, so please check out their website here: www.multisitechurchroadtrip.com.
Michelle and I consider it such a privilege to be part of a church with a story to be told. Thank you Living Hope for being whole heartedly about reaching the lost, and for being wiling to risk everything to make it happen.
I am excited to be speaking about 'The armor of God' this weekend as we continue with the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Awesome response from last weekend. If you have a story of how God touched your heart, I would love to hear about it.
See you this weekend!
JOHN
Hey Living Hope Church.
THIS WEEKEND. I am excited to hear all of the great reports about the weekend with Ron Heagy. Thanks Ron!! Your story is an inspiration to so many people. I was glad to talk with you on the phone! Looking forward to spending time with you in the future.
SKYPE. I was so excited to talk to 4 of the 6 services at Brush Prairie campus this weekend. I got to talk to Michelle, who thoroughly made me blush at a few different "fun" comments. The only weird part was being up at 4:00 AM to talk to our 9:00 AM service. Peter and Karen even got to be part of the 1:30 PM service on Sunday. Yeah God for technology WHEN used to glorify God and further His kingdom.
NEW ZEALAND. We had a good time in New Zealand. Peter and Karen Taylor are amazing campus pastors. Over and over I kept hearing how people love them here and how they feel so loved and cared for. The campus is 18 months old and this is the first time I have been able to be there in person. Simply ONLY GOD is all I can say. They have moved four times in that time, they have seen many come to Christ. They have served this community and are just loved. To partner with the church in NZ is a great privilege and blessing. This Sunday was the second highest attendance and there were lots of people who came to Christ. They do a lunch "family" thing each week, which is great! If you can, email Peter and tell him thanks: pandktaylor@kinect.co.nz Thanks Peter and Karen for ALL that you are doing, for how you are risking and in Heaven we will rejoice together! See ya next time. Peter is planning to meet us in India for our first crusade. So excited.
ONLY GOD CAN, India. The cans are out and coming back. Blessings to every person who is donating and praying. This will be our first (and definitely NOT last) crusade for Living Hope global. Together we will partner and then celebrate thousands who will find their way back to God. IF you haven't, please grab an ONLY GOD can. 33 cents is what it takes for one person in India to get bus fare to the crusade. We are anticipating between 30 and 50 thousand people each of three nights. Please pray! Only 2% of India is Christian. A country that has the highest level of poverty and the highest level of AIDS in the world. God has opened so many doors for us. November is the crusade! The team is being developed. Lots of details, but when the day is over, we are going. For God so loved the world......
TODAY. It is all you have friends. Getting on planes always reminds me of how short life can be and there is always a sense of urgency for me the day I leave somewhere. Urgency. The hours count down, the time to depart doesn't (normally) change. Packing, cleaning, preparing and eventually leaving. That is the way it is traveling. It is also the way it is in life. So much of this life is just about packing, cleaning, preparing and eventually leaving this world and instantly being in a different world. For me, I can't wait to get home. To my home, to my wife, to my kids and to where I ultimately belong. It is the same with all of us. We are made for eternity and it says in the Bible that God has planted eternity in our hearts. Friends, do what you need to do today. Life is short, it will end and one day we won't have the option to do what we need or in some cases want to do. I love Living Hope sooooo much. My first and primary calling is to this church. I know that when I travel, I represent what God has and is doing in your lives. You are truly my friends and heroes. Can't wait to see you all this weekend.
See you soon Michelle!!!
Peace out.
John
