YOU ARE FOLLOWING SOMEONE “Follow me” —Luke 5:27 Everyone will follow someone… There are those who listen to certain news media and will follow whatever they say. There are those who follow sports teams, Hollywood personalities, gamers and other groups. People follow cults and cultures. Yes, people will follow somebody… even if it is themselves! Jesus told Matthew and others to follow Him. Matthew, like so many others, immediately left what he was doing and started following Jesus. Now Jesus is either fully trustworthy to be followed or He is not worthy to be trusted to follow at all. Well, He is fully trustworthy and He is the only One…

BE OBEDIENT IN FISHING When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away…

SHINE! For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel. —Luke 2:30-32 Light dispels darkness. Darkness cannot be in the presence of light nor can it overcome the light. Darkness can only exist when light is absent. Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12). Without Jesus the world and individual lives are darkness. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come…

NAMED BEFORE CONCEPTION On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. —Luke 2:21 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=picInhsTXng Jesus’ birth was supernatural, a miraculous birth by God’s design (Luke 1:26-38). He was named Jesus even before His conception. Jesus “was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:1-3). Jesus, “being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his…

PROCLAIM! …to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace. —Luke 1:77-79 As John the Baptist was to bring the “knowledge of salvation through forgiveness of sins” to “those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, so we are also to do the same. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on…

You are invited… New Hope Church, 34 Raymond Road (Route 156), Nottingham. On Wednesday (21st) at 6:30pm we invite all men for a Movie look at the life of actor icon Steve McQueen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSkAwTLBjK4 Mitch Forman will be with us Friday (23rd) at 6pm to lead us in a Seder presentation. All are welcome to join us for this Jewish Cultural learning experience. Please rsvp to 285-3533 and leave a message. https://chosenpeople.com/site/mitch-kina-forman/

MAGNIFY THE LORD And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” —Luke 1:46-47 Then Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD, My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation. “There is no one holy like the LORD, Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.” —I Samuel 2:1-2 What is the biggest focus in your life right now? Is it some problem you are dealing with— health, job, relationship or something else that just seems enormous and time consuming? Are…

TRUST AND OBEY FOR WHAT WE KNOW TODAY The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. —Deuteronomy 29:29 Avowed atheist Stephen Hawking recently died at age 76. He was called “science’s brightest star, renowned scientist, famed physicist, one of the brightest minds…” He has said, “I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail,” he told the Guardian. “There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.” http://time.com/5199149/stephen-hawking-death-god-atheist/ Hopefully…

IT IS FINISHED! With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. —Mark 15:37-38 For us He cried Jesus Christ died The veil torn wide He is alive Seen with our eyes At Father’s side In Him abide Blameless His bride Heaven to reside “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body” (Hebrews 10:19-20). Jesus wept over Jerusalem on Palm Sunday… they would reject Him. He, the Creator of all, would…

THE GUILTY SET FREE! Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of…