Individual Studies

Thoughts on stewardship.

Peter Marshall has described 20th century Christians in the following words. "They are like deep sea divers, encased in suits for many fathoms deep, marching bravely forth to pull plugs out of bathtubs."

Howard Hendricks translates that by saying, "when we read the pages of the New Testament and try to relate what we hear to the contemporary church, we are compelled to conclude that the relationship is sometimes more one of contrast, rather than of comparison." In other words, today's church is not living up to its potential.

Part of a series in Matthew 8 & 9

Let's look at Matthew 7:28 together:

"When Jesus had finished saying these things the crowds were amazed at His teaching because He taught as one who had authority not as the teachers of the law."

How can our lives become more fruitful?

Bob Stone's First Sermon at Hillcrest Chapel, September 1977
Reprised for 25th anniversary, September 1, 2002

Our mission statement captures in two sentences Hillcrest's long-held values and philosophy of ministry. "Hillcrest Chapel is to be a dynamic force of people (body of believers) filled with God's Spirit, meeting people's needs in Jesus' name. This will be accomplished by enjoying God's presence through a lifestyle of worship; by being equipped for service; by encouraging healing fellowship through love, acceptance, forgiveness, and belonging; and by being enlisted and sent out as salt and light to the Bellingham area and to the world."

The following is an acrostic which helps to summarize our strategy and calling. Fourteen things make Hillcrest different/unique. Presenting our Hillcrest Force Acrostic:

by Pastor Jim Murphy
November 4, 2001

As Hillcrest Chapel "does all things to win some, and to leave a legacy for the next generation," some who we hope to win live on the other side of the world. This includes the Uygur ("we-gur") people group of Northwest China and Central Asia, in which we have had a special interest since 1990. This sermon is written in the form of a first person narrative, and is a fictional account of how a Uygur man became a follower of Jesus Christ. For security purposes, the names in the sermon are false, but all the events and statements are true representations of what this man's experience could be like.

All of us in this church, this community, this nation and on this earth have witnessed this week, clarity. Evil (Satan’s vocation and hobby) is so often masked in our lives and in our world. This week evil boldly and brazenly unmasked itself from its many disguises and killed.

We are shaken. Our future seems uncertain, our daily tasks trivial in comparison to the death, destruction and heroics of the past week. The personal griefs we bear (too often alone) are weighing in on us and are overwhelmed by the attacks in New York and in Washington, D.C. We are powerless, it seems, to help. Our anger is red hot (but we know we must not be consumed by it); we demand justice (and certainly that will come, but we know not without further sacrifice and—for the church—not without mercy). We search for reasons for this monumental loss, and know explanations are elusive but that God enters fully into human suffering and we the church are called to follow.

I want to thank Matt, Dale and Wayne for the way they handled the service last week and for their words and perspective. (A summary of their statements is on this site. I encourage you to read it.)

As we think again today about the horrific tragedy in New York, I want to encourage you to continue to pray for our country. We should be praying:

• for all of those who are in authority in government—1 Timothy 2:1-4
• particularly for our President
• for the victims’ families
• for Congress
• for the Cabinet
• for our law enforcement officials and officers everywhere in our nation
• for our military forces
• for those who fly and manage our airplanes—all of our transportation systems
• for the firemen and policemen of New York City
• and for all the children and adults everywhere who are still traumatized, fearful and in a great quandary because of the events of September 11th (How ironic it was a 911 call for America.)

The Problem of Temptation-Part Two

What Do I Do When I Fail?

Matt. 5:31-32; 19:9-12; 1 Cor. 7:10-16

The crisis of divorce is a highly emotional, yet significant matter we must consider as thoughtfully and lovingly as we can. Most of us approach this subject with mixed feelings, because it is almost impossible to address without inflicting further hurt on some or arousing the wrath of others. The subject is too important, however, for such risks to keep us from sensitively giving attention to a biblical perspective on divorce and remarriage.