HOPE For Our World by Bishop Whitter
*Article Excerpt*
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One megachurch Pastor is quoted as saying, "the local church is the hope of the world." While we could dissect and parse his words or try to figure out the exact intent of this phrase, our time will be better spent examining the need for hope in this world and God's plan to provide it.
"Hope" can be briefly described as the belief that a desired outcome is possible. It can be said that we have hope when we are able to see past our current limitations or hindrances and believe for a preferred reality. The gift of hope is vital to a well-balanced individual and society. But while hope is an important element of a healthy existence, it is a rare commodity in too many cases.
Hope is under attack! The enemy of our mind and soul knows that, if he can eliminate hope in our lives, he has won the battle. So, he bombards us with disappointment, repeated failure, and seemingly insurmountable problems. Disillusionment can follow. Unaddressed, this perception that nothing good will come often leads to despair or hopelessness. And hopelessness is one of the greatest distinguishing characteristics of hurting people.
Into this environment, God send the Church!
To set aside any confusion, let's restate the opening quote. "Jesus Christ is the Hope of the world!" He alone has the power to offer hope to a hopeless world. His love for humankind, His redemptive acts and His perfect wisdom provides all we need to hold on to optimism for a desired outcome. Regardless of our circumstances, Jesus is hope! In seemingly hopeless times, recall the wisdom of King Solomon when he wrote, "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:21-23) Because God is always faithful, we always have hope!
Christians are called to be agents of hope!
The Church is not a building; it's not merely an earthly institution. The Church is comprised of Christ followers disbursed around the world for the purpose of sharing the Gospel of Jesus. Technically, Jesus is the Hope of the world, but He chooses to display and share that hope through the Church, through individual Christians. So, in a manner of speaking……
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Check out this article, HOPE For Our World by Bishop Rick Whitter in its entirety by clicking here. It is one of the articles that can be found in The Virginian’s FALL issue.