Pastor Rob continues the 40-Day Campaign talking about Purpose #5.

The concept of evangelism makes a lot of people nervous.  I have heard from a number of introverts about how this is especially difficult for them, but I don’t know many extroverts who feel overly comfortable striking up conversations with complete strangers for the purposes of closing a Jesus sale.  Could it be that our approach has been a little off?  Could there be a better way to accomplish this important task that everyone can and will want to participate in?  Let's investigate our orders for the mission, which Jesus has for all of us here on planet earth!

Pastor Rob continues the 40-Day Campaign talking about Purpose #4.

Similar to discipleship, the term ministry has gotten quite fuzzy in our world today, even though the New Testament is crystal clear.  We mainly perceive it as the work of pastor and missionary types, while the Bible speaks instead to the priesthood of all believers.  In fact, it might frighten some of us to learn that ministry is not even the function of pastors, but the rest of us.  If you want to live your best and most impactful life with and for Jesus, this is something we need to bring into focus.

Pastor Rob continues the 40-Day Campaign talking about Purpose #3.

Discipleship is a term that has been used in the church world for a very long time. So it should be understood and implemented by most people who have been church regulars for a while, right? Interestingly, here at New Hope, our leaders have been talking about discipleship intensively for over a year. A group of pastors I am part of recently spent an entire day wrestling with this same thing. So what makes this idea so tough?

Pastor Rob continues the 40-Day Campaign talking about Purpose #2.

I remember reading, and then watching, the first installment of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, entitled "The Fellowship of the Ring."  It was a strange grouping of people, some whose people had feuded for generations, but their shared mission was reason enough to set everything else aside, and unite around this common cause.  In the early days of New Hope an often used saying was, “we don’t have to see eye to eye in order to walk hand in hand!”  Your purpose connects you to an incredible family that's bigger than you realize!

Pastor Rob continues the 40-Day Campaign talking about Purpose #1.

Worship is a term with a wide range of meaning that most people don’t fully understand.  As a matter of fact, the longer someone goes to church, sometimes their understanding of it even gets more foggy.  Much of the time we pick our favorite activity that happens when we "attend church" and deem that as the epitome of worship.  While those activities are certainly part of the broader category, worship is exponentially more significant, and when we get it right, worship solves a number of very real problems.

Pastor Rob continues the 40-Day Campaign talking about our importance to God.

Have you ever been in close proximity to someone famous?  I remember sitting in a restaurant once and noticing that one of the most famous NBA stars was at the table immediately beside me.  Everyone in the entire place was trying to play it cool, but we all knew who he was.  But the opposite was not true.  Other than the person he was dining with, he had no clue who the rest of us were.  While most of us have very little fame, the truth is we are all known and loved by the greatest being ever!