Finding Hope in God's Truth

The Mission & Values of Mt Olive Commerce Find Hope. Find Community. Find Purpose.

We're starting and important new sermon series at Mt. Olive Commerce that's about learning who we are as a church and understanding the mission God has placed on our hearts for this community. Over the past several months, our ministry leaders and I have been prayerfully crafting a mission statement and set of values that capture who we are and what we're called to be. These aren't belief statements. As Southern Baptists, our beliefs are anchored in the Baptist Faith and Message. Rather, this is our mission and these are our values. They are a reflection of who we already are and what's important to us as a church. They're meant to be the measuring stick for everything we do, keeping us focused and accountable to what God has called us to accomplish together.

MISSION STATEMENT

We exist to help people find hope in Jesus, find community in faith and life, and find their purpose through God's calling.

We abbreviate this into three simple things that can exist as a sound bite alongside our logo.

Find Hope. Find Community. Find Purpose.

From these three pillars flow six value statements, and over the next several weeks, we'll unpack each one. Today, we're diving into the first.

VALUE 1

We Find Hope in God's Truth.

We worship, pray, and study the Bible together and individually, seeking God's presence and truth as the foundation of our hope.

Truth That Anchors Hope

Why start here? Because everything else we do as followers of Jesus depends on this foundation. Without truth, hope becomes wishful thinking. Without God's truth, we're left with competing voices pulling us in every direction. Truth is no longer a fixed point in our culture. It's become something nebulous that changes from person to person.

But the world is craving truth. It's the foundation of hope. And people desperately need a truth that doesn't change, a truth we're confident in, and a truth we understand and can communicate well. Because when everything else feels unstable or unreliable, God's Word remains fixed and trustworthy.

Three Pathways to Truth

So how do we build our hope on God's truth? Through three interconnected practices.

Commit to the Word

Romans 15:4 tells us, "For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures." The Word of God is our constant anchor. It is the most scrutinized, studied, and transmitted document in human history. Despite repeated attempts to eradicate it, it endures. And though most of it is 2,000 years old or more, the truths God teaches through it still apply today.

Too many of us treat the Bible like that one Christmas movie I've never fully watched. We know seen bits and pieces, we know some facts about it, but we've never really sat down to understand the whole story. Most of what we believe comes from what other people have told us, not from studying it ourselves.

A commitment to the truth of the Word requires more than daily Bible reading. It means learning how to study scripture, asking the right questions, digging into context. It means understanding your beliefs, why you hold them, and being able to communicate them when people ask. It means showing up for classes and training. Opening your Bible during sermons. No longer taking anyone's word for it and doing the work to truly understand your own beliefs.

The world needs hope, and they find it through the Gospel. The only way they access the Gospel is through the Word of God, communicated by God's people and directly to them through the text itself.

Commit to Prayer

What sets Christianity apart from other religions is that our God isn't distant or unknowable. Through Jesus, He's restored our broken relationship and invited us into intimacy with Him. And prayer is how we accept that invitation.

Philippians 4:6-7 reminds us: "Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Prayer shifts us from self-reliance to partnership with God in our everyday lives. It takes the truth we learn from scripture and makes it a living reality. You can read about God and learn about Him, but you can't truly know God until you communicate with Him.

Prayer doesn't have to be formal monologues. It's meant to be conversational. It's an open dialogue where we dwell in God's presence, even in the silent moments. Learn to pray "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done." Be selfless. Be persistent. Prayer is not about us. It's about partnering with God to help others and further His kingdom.

Commit to Worship

Biblical worship is the natural response to who God is and what He's done for us. It's a posture of respect, thankfulness, and humility. And while we often think of worship as the music we sing, it's so much more. Anytime you respond to God out of what He's done for you, not out of what He's commanded, you're expressing worship.

You can worship through singing, prayer, generosity, your talents, your humility, your study. When hope becomes true in our hearts, we can't help but worship the God who gives us hope. And when our hearts are tuned to worship, we can't help but express the truth of Jesus to those around us. We're meant to worship in spirit and in TRUTH.

In authentic worship there's no room for ego. A healthy church is one where ego doesn't have much room to survive. Where there is humility, there is a true response to the greatness of God. And where there is response, there is blessing.

Your Challenge: Live Like It's True

What is the foundation of your hope? If your faith is true and you believe it to be true, do you live like it is true?

The world needs truth so it can find hope. With so many competing voices, the church needs to be a voice of truth that cuts through the noise. We study truth, we live truth, we engage with truth, and we share truth.

Here's my challenge for you this week:

• Commit to the Word. Dig in. Learn. Show up for Bible studies. Stop making excuses. Let the truth of the Word become important to you, then share it with others.

• Commit to Prayer. Be selfless. Be consistent. Build an open dialogue with God. Make prayer a priority, then pray for others.

• Commit to Worship. Be authentic. Be humble. Learn to worship inside and outside the church. Let your life be a living act of true worship, and let others see Christ in your lifestyle.

  
  

Because we find hope in God's truth. And when we find hope in God's truth, we can help others find hope in Jesus.

Learn more with the Pastor Keven's sermon: We Find Hope in God's Love.