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Becoming a Follower of Jesus

What does it mean to become a follower of Jesus Christ? Simply put: It's a heart thing. That is, you have to desire in your heart to follow Christ. You must see your need for a savior for the sin (or the things that we do that are not pleasing to God) in your life, and then confess Christ Jesus as that savior. Take a look at the road to following Jesus and accepting Him as Savior below:

Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ...

Pretty much this verse says that all of us are in the same boat. You. Me. Everybody. We have all sinned and we are all in need of a savior from that sin.

Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This verse tells us what we receive for the sin we've all committed at some point in our life – DEATH! Not just physical death, but a spiritual death after our physical bodies are long gone. It's the place better known as Hell. This means we are separated from God for eternity and there is no hope for reconciliation.

Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Now this is the most exciting thing you could possibly ever hear. Even while we were still in our sin, Jesus Christ chose to go to the cross for you and for me. Suffice it to say it's the most "love saturated" act that anyone has ever done in the history of the world. Many people have died for a person that they love, but few have ever gone that path for an enemy. It says in this particular verse that "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." This death on the cross was for everyone. Jesus took the place of our sin and the penalty of that sin (which is death), and He nailed it to the cross, in Himself. His sacrifice gives us the opportunity to have a restored, personal relationship with the creator of this World, our Heavenly Father... which leads us to our part.

Romans 10:9-13 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Confess and Believe ... and you will be saved! We then pray that you will get in a Bible based church like Hope and start maturing in your faith. If you are close in the area, please join us for a service. If you have just given your life to Jesus Christ congratulations and please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it - we’d love to hear from you!

For additional information about life’s greatest decision to follow Christ please click here.

Children

One of Hope’s core values is to provide for the spiritual and tangible needs of children with integrity, security and vitality. At Hope your children will experience God in a safe, energetic, fun, and personal way whether in the Nursery (0-2), Kingdom Kids (3-5) or CrossQuest Kid’s Church (Kinder-6th)! We love ministering to children on their level in a variety of exciting and interactive formats, and offer family-friendly events, trips and activities throughout the year.

Please complete one Registration Form per family at the Registration Desk located in the Children’s area upon your first visit to Hope so that we may have all necessary information to best minister and care for your children. Once registered, each subsequent visit will only require that you sign your children in at the Registration Desk.

For the health of all of our children please keep your child with you if he/she has had a fever within the last 24 hours, is contagious or is experiencing other symptoms such as persistent cough/runny nose that may lead to the spreading of germs.

Thank you for the opportunity to minister to and care for your children here at Hope! For more information please contact Pastor Stephanie Sweat.

Youth

Students today face a very real and persistent battle against their faith. But at Hope we inspire and equip students to successfully live a life devoted to Christ, and it is our desire to come alongside each parent and encourage them as they support their students in achieving this.

At ReVolve, 6th-12th grade students will find many opportunities to hang out with teens their age while learning more about God and growing in their faith. In addition to the weekly gatherings, ReVolve students get together for spiritually powerful and life-changing annual youth conventions and summer camps, and other exciting special events like theme park trips, concerts, and more.

Thank you for entrusting your students to the transforming ministry at ReVolve here at Hope. For more information please contact Pastor Andres Morales.

Adult

After you visit Hope and decide to make it your church home, we look forward to helping you connect and grow with the rest of your Hope family. A great place to start is by attending 101 Discovering Membership*, offered in January, May and September each year. This seminar gives you a brief overview of who we are, what the vision of the church is and what we believe. It is here that you can decide if you would like to become a member of Hope.

For a more in-depth look at what some of our core beliefs are at Hope, you are invited to attend Next Steps*, an eight-week seminar held throughout the year. Whether you are new to following Jesus or you have been a Christian for some time, this seminar is a valuable resource for you.

Additionally, we offer quarterly seminars on spiritual development and disciplines (201 Discovering Maturity), using our gifts and abilities by serving at Hope (301 Discovering Ministry) and sharing the Good News about Jesus with others through personal evangelism and participating in missions (401 Discovering My Mission).

Finally, there are many other special events, social get-togethers, family activities, and small groups that take place throughout the year. For more information regarding all of the events at Hope, please visit our online Calendar.

* 101, 201, 301, 401 and Next Steps are available at the Hope La Vernia Campus, with plans to make these seminars available at the Hope New Braunfels Campus after the first quarter of 2011.

Music

At Hope all that we do is done with a spirit of excellence — especially when it comes to bringing our worship to God in music. Our Music Team is gifted in all areas necessary to help set the tone Sunday mornings for all in attendance to experience God’s presence and express their love for Him in song.

Our talented Music Team consists of vocalists, musicians and those who serve in the technical areas such as sound, lights, onscreen media and video. And as an extension of the Hope Music Team, we strive to mentor and develop students in their musical and technical abilities with our Teen Worship Training (TWT) ministry.

If you are interested in becoming a part of the Music Team or would like additional information please contact Pastors David Sanchez or Aimee Sanchez.

Music Team: To access our Worship Planner website please log in to 1christian.net/WorshipPlanner.