The Courage To Hope
In the past few days, our nation has been fractured by tragic events. We have felt shock, anger, betrayal, fear, outrage, grief, and loss.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said,
"We have learned to fly the air like birds; we have learned to swim the seas like fish, and yet we have not learned to walk the earth as brothers and sisters."
We are hurting, but even in this tragedy, we are not lost.
In 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Paul said, "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed."
This past weekend at Hillsong Phoenix we discussed these 3 truths that we know to be true:
1. The enemy is not people. The real enemy is Satan who wants to create havoc and division among the people of our nation.
2. When we strip away the surplus words and remove the façade of social issues, our problem is fear. Fear is irrational and must be recognized and replaced with the hope and grace of God.
3. We need prayer - for our nation and for our neighbors. Prayer will drive out hate. Pray for peace, understanding, justice, humility, repentance, forgiveness, protection and that love would prevail. Pray that we will truly be "one nation, under God."
It is the Church's time to stand up and be the hope of the world that we declare we are because we have the hope for humanity...JESUS!
Click here or play below to hear a short clip from this weekend's message, or you can click here or play on the video below to watch the message in it's entirety.
LISTEN TO THE AUDIO
