Faith Community Church Of Hopkinton

Week 5 of the series "Everybody's Watching" from Faith Community Church. Society has become fascinated with anti-heroes: people who do the wrong thing for “right” reasons. Breaking Bad transforms a chemistry teacher into a Crystal Meth drug dealer in order to provide for his family. Dexter is a troubled man trapped by the desire to live out a double life as a police officer and a serial killer who strives for justice. In both stories, the main character learns that our choices catch up with us. Bad choices hurt people we love in ways we can never anticipate. The Bible warns us that doing the wrong thing for the right reason still has destructive impact. God has established universal morality for a reason. We need to learn how to live according to His will even when it hurts. Living outside His will/morality only produces greater suffering.

Week 4 of the series "Everybody's Watching" from Faith Community Church. The People's Chocie Awards picked "Iron Man 3" and "Gravity" as two award winning movies. Both movies explore the way suffering shapes us and how we can overcome it to be reborn anew. Tony Stark is trapped by debilitating fear from violence and Ryan Stone is trapped by the tragic loss of her daughter. They have to find the means to escape their prisons. In Gravity, the director purposely put in images of rebirth to walk his character through suffering to become a new woman in the end. In Iron Man, the character had to come to grips with fear in order to find life. The Bible has a lot to say about how God can use suffering to shape us, transform us and change us into people who are stronger, more mature and deeply spiritual.

Week 3 of the series "Everybody's Watching" from Faith Community Church. The 2014 Kid's Choice Awards picked Frozen as the animated movie of year. The movie explores the dimensions of true love between two sisters and how it can save the people we love. Another Disney movie, Saving Mr. Banks, based on the real life story behind the scenes of making the original Mary Poppins film, also explores the pain of family members whose choices leave a lasting impact on their children. Both stories share the helpless feeling when family members unintentionally cause pain in the lives of those they love. Loving family members whose actions produce pain is one of the most difficult relationships to manage. There is a burning desire to save them. But in the end, we need to realize that we can't 'save' these family members. We can learn to love and forgive them. Only the sacrificial love of Christ can save them. In this message, we'll explore how to do this in a way that is both healthy and biblical.

Week 2 of the series "Everybody's Watching" from Faith Community Church. In 2014, the People's Choice Awards picked The Voice as the best reality competition television series. Along with American Idol and The X-Factor, these shows give vocalists/musicians the opportunity to perform in front of celebrity judges with the possibility of receiving a record contract and other lucrative deals/prizes. The compelling forces of these shows are based on the desire to see a "rags to riches" story. We long to see the one-in-a-million success story of a person rising against all odds to achieve their dreams of being the next superstar. While we as humans dream of attaining various goals, what does God himself desire and dream for us? Looking at the writings of the Apostle Peter (1 Peter 3:9), we see that Gods desire for us is to embrace our inheritance and endure life’s trials.

Week 1 of the series "Everybody's Watching" from Faith Community Church. The series starts with the question, "How do I find that hope?" In 2014, movies and TV shows about hope - the loss of it - gained prominent attention. In The Walking Dead, humans are constantly pursuing hope (healing, safety, community) only to have it ripped away from them. In The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, champions are placed in an arena where they must fight to the death until one victor remains. Friendships can't be trusted and the environment is a trap meant to destroy them. If the world is treacherous and people can't be trusted, where do I find hope? The Bible presents hope as the inspiration we find from the promises of God backed by the power of God to fulfill them. Of His many promises, the most relevant here is the hope that God is completely trustworthy, nothing can seperate us from Him and the future He has promised is beautiful.

Week 3 of the series "Don't Just Give" from Faith Community Church. God established a system of giving to empower ministry. When the people gave faithfully to the work of the Temple, ministry flourished. When they didn't, ministry was hindered. When ministry flourishes, God is glorified (people praise God for the help they receive from the church), ministry is empowered (we are able to subsidize the work of the church that helps people). Generous giving supports the work of people who travel around the world, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with people of all nations, races and ethnicities - e.g. Dennis Ryan & the Jesus Film. Generous giving also ensures that the church will be passed on to the next generation and the next and the next, until Christ returns. It brings help and healing to those who are struggling in life. It enables us to guide people in their spiritual growth. It adds beauty to our worship. Giving is a privilege because we see God's work thrive throughout our church, impact our communi

Week 2 of the series "Don't Just Give" from Faith Community Church. Giving is a great way to grow spiritually. When we give, we have to evaluate our priorities, ambitions, values and desires. We give from a fixed sum so the distribution of money in one direction takes it from another. The exercise of determining how much we give and to what direction forces us to examine our hearts. In addition, it is an exercise of trust (or faith as the Bible states it). When we give, we are trusting God to meet our needs. It is the belief that even though I am giving my income away, God will provide for my needs. Giving also provides an opportunity to examine our attitude towards God. In the parable of the talents, the real difference between the first two servants (who multiply the master's investment) and the third servant (who buries the investment) is the way the third servant views the master. The first two servants see an opportunity to please their master and expand His work so they are driven to increase His holdin

Week 1 of the series "Don't Just Give" from Faith Community Church. In the OT, God taught the people to bring their first and best as an offering to God when they came to worship. These offerings were generally used in two ways: for sin and celebration. In regards to sin, it was a foreshadow that someday God would send His firstborn son as a sin offering for the people, the best He had to offer. We don't need to give an offering for sin because Christ was the final offering for all sin. However, the offering we bring is a symbol of our obedience/surrender to Christ work of redemption on the cross. We give our lives to God as an offering. In regards to celebration, the offerings the people brought at harvest were a celebration of God's love and faithfulness to provide for their needs. They rejoiced that they were able to give because God gave so abundantly to them. Each Sunday, we give everyone the opportunity to rejoice that God's gift of Christ is the final offering for our sin. We also give everyone the opp

A standalone message from Faith Community Church. Pastor Mike speaks about the Global Leadership Summit.

Week 3 of the series "Why Worry?" from Faith Community Church. Paul is another person who lived in difficult circumstances that would cause most people worry and concern. We're looking at a letter he wrote while under house arrest. Christ changed the direction of his life, moving him from a career path of financial, social and mental security. In doing so, Paul became an itinerant preacher, church planter in foreign countries and significant influence into the formation of our Christian beliefs.  Throughout his life, he was challenged, disrespected, defamed and abused. He was self employed and had to overcome strong prejudices within himself and between people of different ethnic backgrounds. Its in one of his prison letters that gain insight into the source of his peace. He shows us how to adjust our expectations, focus our mindset, release anxiety through prayer and find the blessings around us.

Week 2 of the series "Why Worry?" from Faith Community Church. Jesus was another person who had a lot to be concerned over. He did not have a steady income. He was constantly challenged and defamed in public by respectable leaders. His closest followers were unreliable. He lived under a foreign power that could be ruthless in maintaining control. Anyone of these conditions could be worth our worry. Yet, Jesus clearly says we should not worry. How could He say that? He challenges us to consider the core seat of trust in our lives. For many that is financial security. For others that could be relationships, career or personal capability. Jesus teaches us that when we fully trust God and align ourselves with His way of life, we can have peace.

Week 1 of the series "Why Worry?" from Faith Community Church. We're going to study the lives of three people who had a lot to be worried about. We'll look at the troubles they faced and how they responded in order to learn how we can turn our worries over to God and find peace. The first example is Elijah. He was a prophet of God who had to face off against two of the most debase, immature and unpredictable leaders in the Bible - King Ahab and his Queen, Jezebel. God met Elijah in one of his darkest moments and clarified Elijah's perspective of reality. Because Elijah was feeling desperate, he had a skewed perspective, believing he was alone and powerless. God reminded Elijah that was not true. When we are feeling overwhelmed by worry, we need to remember that God is powerful to meet our needs and He provides help.

Week 6 of the series "Portraits of Christ" from Faith Community Church. Luke tells an interesting story of an encounter between two followers of Christ and a stranger. Through the story, people who have lost hope and are struggling to find their way in life meet someone who listens, guides and instructs them. Suddenly, in an intimate and surprising way, Christ reveals Himself as the Risen Savior. This story can inspire all who are genuinely pursuing truth. If Christ truly is a living, personal being, then He should be able to communicate to us in a manner that we can't miss. This message is an encouragement to everyone who is willing to explore truth. They can find direction and hope through Jesus Christ if they take the time to read the Bible, enter into conversation with people, and remain open to the idea that God can be found in Christ. Christ comes to us in a way we can't miss if we are willing to seek Him.

Week 5 of the series "Portraits of Christ" from Faith Community Church. Jesus possessed the power of life over death while He walked among us, preparing for the cross. He could raise the dead with the command of His voice. His words were life because He is life. Moved by compassion, Christ raised children from the dead. In a scene from John's Gospel, Christ waited for a friend to die in order to demonstrate His power. Lazarus' resurrection is a "production week rehersal' for Easter. It is marked by John as one of the great miracles. As we look at this scene, we will see the compassion, power, and wisdom of God contained in Christ's ministry. We'll also see that God sometimes calls His followers to suffer, even die, in order to demonstrate His power and glory.

Week 4 of the series "Portraits of Christ" from Faith Community Church. Jesus commanded authority over evil. Demonic forces trembled in His presence. Jesus released tortured souls from influence. We will look at a story Mark tells about a man so plagued by demonic forces that he dwelled in a cemetary, cutoff from people who were terrified of him. Christ delivered the man from their control and transformed him. The man found freedom, purpose, and a relationship with the living God from Christ's intervention. Its ironic that demons can see Christ's identity where so many people can not. We'll look at the power of Christ to conquor evil. Christ gives us a mission to carry on His work that others may discover the freedom, peace and security that Christ provides.

Week 3 of the series "Portraits of Christ" from Faith Community Church. Jesus possessed power over Creation. He could calm storms, multiply food stores, and walk on water. We'll focus on the storm at sea an example of Christ as Master of Creation. This one incident demonstrates Christ's trust in God for His safety, the ability He had to control nature, and challenge to us to trust in His power. John, who was in the boat, recognized that only the Creator could control creation like Jesus did. This means Christ had a power greater than any human being who had ever existed. All other people were intermediaries who petitioned God for miracles. Christ generated the miracles from the power within Him. This power can give us great reassurance for Christ still intercedes for us in times of trouble to answer our pleas in powerful amazing ways.

Week 2 of the series "Portraits of Christ" from Faith Community Church. This week, we'll look at Christ's own claims about himself. Jesus made some remarkable statements about His identity, mission and relationship with God. We'll examine the "liar, lunatic, Lord" matrix as a means of grappling with the serious insight Christ had into His life. In examining this, we'll look at a string of statements Christ makes about Himself. When seen as a whole, they are remarkable. If His words are true, then the only appropriate response is awe, submission and obedience. We will leave our 'nets' to worship this amazing God.

Week 1 of the series "Portraits of Christ" from Faith Community Church. As we move into this series where we will examine portraits demonstrating Christ's nature, we need to make sure that the documents we are using are trustworthy. This Sunday, we're looking at evidence for the reliability of Gospels. We'll look at material that supports the reliability of our present day Gospels, support for the integrity of the authors, support for the validity of the Gospel accounts as well as the impact of these materials on the people who have researched them. In the end, we want to come to the conclusion that they are reliable accounts of what Jesus did and said while He was here on earth.

Week 3 of the series "Listen & Learn". When it comes to hearing from God, the challenge is not getting God to speak as much as it is getting in a position to listen. We want answers, God is looking for submission. In the Gospels, Jesus would sometimes say, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear." This was Jesus way of saying we need to be receptive, willing to obey His teaching. Living in a state of rebellion means we won't hear God speaking because we are choosing to not listen. This explains why people often turn to God during times of crisis - feeling the pain of their choices, they are finally willing to listen. God wants us to surrender because surrendered hearts are listening hearts.

Week 2 of the series "Listen & Learn". There are principles to healthy living that are obvious if we are listening. We know that wearning a seatbelt increases our chances of surviving an accident. Spending time with your fiance's family helps you prepare for marriage. Reading a contract before signing it helps avoid a bad financial decision. Having said that, we still struggle to listen to the voice of reason and so made bad decisions. Wisdom is not difficult to find if we are listening for it. Some of the greatest obstacles to finding wisdom are passion (we get fixated or obsessed and ignore reason) and misguided compassion (we try to help people avoid the consequences of their actions). Wisdom means we need to stop, evaluate our motivation, consider the implications and make difficult decisions in light of long term benefits - not short term gain.