Suffering for Jesus?

Dr. Bill Daniel has served as an elder for over seven years at Living Hope. He and his wife Annie are faithful members of the church and participate in small group together. Bill is a teacher, a leader, and regularly serves on foreign soil as a medical missionary.

What am I willing to die for?

What am I willing to suffer pain for?

What am I willing to be imprisoned for ?

These are the deep questions that are answered by the martyrs.


" some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated--- of whom the world was not worthy--- wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth." Hebrews 11:35b-38


Those are safe questions for me to ponder because in the thirty-five years I have been a Christian I have never had to face such situations. More appropriate for me is...

Am I willing to be socially uncomfortable?

Am I willing to be rejected?

Am I willing to be made fun of?

These are the questions I find most uncomfortable.

Am I willing to risk my shallow and uneasy associations I have with my non-Christian friends for the joy of seeing their salvation?

As Brandon Porter shared with us on Sunday morning in worship, persecution is accompanied by pleasure as we see God at work through us. Or as Jason shared last week - how much do I have to hate some one not to share God's salvation with them.

Giving Them What They Need…

My name is Caroline Millette. My husband Eric and I have been members of Living Hope for 2 ½ years. We are blessed to be involved with several ministries at Living Hope, including small group, mentoring, volunteering with our Burmese/Karen families and Children’s Ministry.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I took the elevator to our Sunday School class. Our hands were full and one of our “senior saints” kindly held the door for us. After greeting each other, my husband asked the lady, “What floor, please?” The lady answered, “Why I just don’t know? There are so many choices!” He pressed the 3rd floor button as she smiled and laughed. Imagine her surprise when the doors opened! She quickly turned to us and said, “We have a 3rd floor? How long have we had a 3rd floor? And what goes on up here?!”

I thought about her puzzled look and curious questions that week. I kept wondering how many other people don’t know we have a 3rd floor or what goes on “up here?”
“Yes, Virginia, there is a 3rd floor!”

The Children’s Ministry is a vital part of Sunday mornings at Living Hope. On 3 floors, we have hundreds of children who come to learn and grow in Christ. There are many volunteers who serve those children as well, teaching them that God is faithful and holy, a God of mercy and grace.

The 3rd floor is where our 4th and 5th grade children meet. This year they are studying “To Be Like Jesus.” Each week, the kids take home a handout to give to their parents. It lets them know what we have studied for the day and how to focus on the lesson at home during the next week.

Here is a quote from a recent handout: “The world has an agenda for our children and it is well written. Do we have an agenda for our children?”

What are we teaching each Sunday morning, on 3 floors, to hundreds of children? The Word of God!

Do we have an agenda for them? Absolutely…to love and obey God and to become like Jesus as we walk with Him daily.

Jason stated this morning that Stephen didn’t give (the people) what they wanted; he gave them what they needed. (Ref. Acts 7)

The same is true of Sunday mornings on the 3rd floor. We are giving the children the only thing they will ever need…a foundation in Christ Jesus, solidly built on the Word of God. The hope is that they may not only know the Word, but the Word Giver.

I invite you to take a ride or stroll up to the 3rd floor. Come and watch. Listen to the children recite scripture, pray for their lost friends, and sing praise songs to Jesus!

Yes, there is a 3rd floor Living Hope. And we will not be silent! We have an agenda and are ready to share with the world!

Sacrificial Service

My name is Jason Graham. My wife Dwan and I have 3 children Isabel (8), Mattie (4) and Noah (3). Dwan and I have been members of Living Hope for 9 years. We currently serve as small group leaders, work in the children’s ministry and are active in missions. I also currently serve as a deacon. Serving at Living Hope has given me the opportunity to use the gifts God has given me and it is through service that he has shaped much of my life.

The title of today’s message was The Church is Built Through Sacrificial Service. The title is as true of the church in the 21st century as it was in the 1st Century. Ultimately God builds the church, but he does so through the blood, sweat, and tears of followers of Christ. This morning I heard the message at the 8 AM service. Afterwards, I was able to walk through the halls of Living Hope and see that message being lived out in the lives of men and women who have chosen to make service in the name of Christ a part of their Sunday morning.

The great challenge of any sermon is not in listening to the sermon, it is not even in preaching the sermon. The great challenge is in how we actually live the sermon. It is here that we must stop and ask ourselves, are we really allowing the gospel to penetrate us to the very core? Are we living a life of sacrificial service? Are we being poured out as an offering to the Lord? This morning the special song was entitled Alabaster Jar, the interesting thing about an alabaster jar is often in order to get access to the contents of the jar – it had to be broken. 2 Corinthians 4:7 describes the followers of Christ as “earthen vessels” – fragile pots. The verse goes on to say that we are fragile so that the strength and greatness of God may be made known.

We at Living Hope have a wide variety of opportunities to serve both our church body and the surrounding community. We must continually be available to share the gospel with unbelievers. These individuals need their names lifted up before the Lord in prayer. Also, unbelievers need to see the body of Christ in action—loving one another and living sacrificial lives of service. Within Living Hope there are numerous opportunities to serve. The Bible commands us to love one another, encourage one another, build up one another, and comfort one another. Actually that list could be lengthened. In fact the words “one another” occur together approximately 93 times in the New Testament. That means that we are unable to obey a good part of the New Testament if we are not in community with other Christians.

I leave you with these words from Aristides as he describes the early Christians to the Roman emperor Hadrian:

Falsehood is not found among them; and they love one another, and from widows they do not turn away their esteem; and they deliver the orphan from him who treats him harshly. And he, who has, gives to him who has not, without boasting. And when they see a stranger, they take him in to their homes and rejoice over him as a very brother; for they do not call them brethren after the flesh, but brethren after the spirit and in God. And whenever one of their poor passes from the world, each one of them according to his ability gives heed to him and carefully sees to his burial. And if they hear that one of their number is imprisoned or afflicted on account of the name of their Messiah, all of them anxiously minister to his necessity, and if it is possible to redeem him they set him free. And if there is among them any that is poor and needy, and if they have no spare food, they fast two or three days in order to supply to the needy their lack of food.

May Christ be so manifested in the life of our church today! Glory be to God!

Authentic Pursuits

Charles Fortney has been a follower of Christ for more than 40 years, first responding to the call of the Holy Spirit to accept Christ after viewing a Billy Graham film at a local theater in his hometown. Charles and his wife, Connie, have been members of Living Hope for 19 years and they both currently teach Middle School students. They have two sons, Stephen and Casey, who both attend Greenwood High School. Living Hope ordained Charles as a deacon in 1992 and for the past 10 ½ years he has been an elder. He will rotate off the elder body next month. Charles co-owns an occupational health business based in Bowling Green.



One of the joys of my life is teaching students and I currently co-teach Middle School students with Ross Wellman. Today, as we studied 1 John 3: 18 – 24, we emphasized that being a Christian and having Christ in you is evident by what you pursue. 18th century theologian Jonathon Edwards, a key figure in the Great Awakening, wrote A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections to make that very point. Edwards says it is not an isolated experience in our lives that defines us as Christians, but rather the continual pursuits, or affections, that the Holy Spirit places in us. One of Jason’s points in Sunday’s service was how Barnabas sold a piece of land and gave all of the proceeds to the church. When Ananias and Sapphira sold some land and only gave a portion of the proceeds to the church, they were struck dead. The basic concept of giving to God out of what he has blessed us with is a sound one. But this couple gave the illusion of making a greater sacrifice than what was really true. It was deception and a lack of authenticity that did them in.

All of us are prone to making bad judgments, but what drives those decisions? It was clear from Peter’s declaration that Ananias and Sapphira allowed Satan to guide their decision. Are we as Christians driven by God’ Holy Spirit to pursue Him in all our decisions? If so, this is a mark and an assurance that our faith is real.

I also saw another “real” example of Christian service on Sunday. It came during Terry McDaniel’s report on the status of the Building Expansion project. There are many questions unanswered. What will the bids for construction come in at? We have very real shortfalls in our general fund giving and the More Hope for More People Capital Campaign has come in at about 53% of the original amount pledged to date. Based on that information, how much can we build? What long term affect does our current economic situation play in our building and funding other ministries? Terry chairs the Building Design Team and he and many others have been working on this project for several years now. They and our other leaders face the challenge of making difficult decisions. But what struck me was the commitment that Terry and his family made to this project. Even though they completed their pledge today, he said they would continue to give to the More Hope fund, over and above their regular tithing. Their commitment has already been fulfilled, but a need still exists. And they believe in the cause of expanding facilities here to help reach and disciple people for Christ.

Authentic Holy pursuits please God. He gives us many opportunities to follow Him each day. I want to do this in all areas of my life – financial, spiritual, social, work and family. We have an opportunity as a local body of believers to express our pursuits through missions, volunteering in ministries at Living Hope and outreach areas like Hope House. None of these is authentic without the leading of our hearts, following the Holy Spirit, guiding and driving us each step of the way. Take a look at your heart and pursuits today. How authentic are they?