by Pastor James Bell

Never was emptiness more disturbing. Mary’s plans for that morning were suddenly irrelevant. The silence of a dark, empty tomb was overpowering in it’s sheer nothingness. There was nothing to react to, no one to argue with, and nothing really to see. Just emptiness. Emptiness, with all it’s questions and all it’s fears, was the evidence of the most important truth of all time – He has risen!

Breathless, Mary began to run. She had to do something, tell somebody, about this shocking turn of events. Peter and John saw her coming, listened to her frantic, jumbled words, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb! We don’t know where they took him…” Now Peter and John were running. In his gospel, John mentions twice that he outran the big fisherman. He also admits that he did not enter that empty tomb, but just peered into the emptiness. After Peter charged right into the tomb and saw the grave clothes in a pile, John also ventured in, stating that when he saw this scene he immediately believed. The meaning of the empty tomb hit those two disciples, not like a giant searchlight piercing the darkness of a wintry night, but rather like a tiny stream of brilliance from a pocket flashlight. The full revelation would come later by the Lord’s own words to them. But the emptiness turned their thinking completely around.

Mary Magdelene was left alone to grieve in the garden by the tomb. She still reasoned that someone stole the body of Jesus, the infamous “they” getting the blame once again. It could have been the work of the Scribes and Pharisees. It might have been some of Herod’s hired thugs, or even the Romans themselves, for whatever reason. She felt cheated, betrayed, and most of all, alone. But the empty garden was not really empty.

“Woman, why are you weeping?”

She thought it must be the one of the keepers of the garden graves. Maybe he knew something about all this.

“Sir, just tell me where you put him and I will take him away”.

For a second it was silent in that beautiful place where the dead were buried. It was almost as if Heaven was holding it’s breath for a brief moment. Then he spoke.

“Mary.”

She knew that voice! How could this be? He is….standing….there.  Alive.

“Rabboni!”

This scene in a garden, beside an empty tomb, preceded a vast array of “aha” moments experienced by untold multitudes of people as they discover for the first time that Jesus is alive. He is not just a character from an old, old story. He lives today in the hearts of those who believe. Unlike the founder of any other religion, Jesus left an empty space for the world to contemplate. The value of that emptiness is measured by the transformation of countless lives throughout the ages.

In the tomb of religious endeavors there is an emptiness. But seekers of truth will find a quiet place to  consider the words of Jesus. If you listen, you’ll know when he speaks your name.

He is risen indeed!

by Pastor James Bell

When we started talking about getting involved in our community, we didn’t know it would start like this! We started talking and praying about reaching into the community and now it’s happening. We prayed and offered ourselves as the Lord’s servants, but were not sure what the next step would be. How could we help? LifePath Church invited us to partner with them at Tipps Elementary to positively impact the students schooling and home life. They also told us about an apartment ministry opportunity called “the Bridge” which offers, among other things, an after-school program.

This week there was a minor crisis because the after-school program starts Monday and the volunteers from LifePath were running behind in their efforts to get the apartment (provided to them by the management) ready in time. There was a long list of items needed and work to be done. Enter Hurricane Hosanna!

Nora got on the phone and volunteers started lining up. Several men from Hosanna helped replace the carpeted rooms with new flooring. Women from Hosanna were scurrying around getting needed items from Big Lot, Walmart, Garden Ridge, and all the “bargain” places to make sure the deadlines were met. One of our new “partner church” leaders started crying when she realized that it was all going to happen on time.

From the expertise of Marty Martin to the frantic multi-tasking of Tom Slappey, our guys, Vincent Huerta, Kevin Green, Vincent Valadez, and Ricky Goldsmith, worked hard and late with partners from LifePath to make sure everything was done well and on time. We will have people learning how this ministry works so we can help there and in other complexes as this outreach grows!

Coming soon will be more info about how we will serve Tipps Elementary. We believe what we learn from this experience will spread to other schools in our area. We are gathering volunteers for The Bridge ministry right now. Want to get involved? Here’s how:

Apartment Ministry Training will happen
This Sunday Evening, August 22nd, at Hosanna from 5 – 6 pm

The Bridge happens on
Mondays – Fridays
4:00pm – 6:30pm at:
The Lakes, 5650 TimberCreek Place Dr. #2105

Volunteer commitment is flexible: can be a one-time, once a week, once a month or on-going. All volunteers will need to attend a training session and a background check will be performed. We need Bus Greeters, Snack Preparers and Servers, Clean-uppers! Also, Worship Leaders, Play Supervisors and more! Some have volunteered to be Homework Tutors. This is a chance to impact so many individual lives.

Are you ready for Hurricane Hosanna to start blowing through? The hearts of our people are ready for ministry and the winds of the Spirit are moving across our church!

I’m loving it,

James

by Pastor James Bell

Jesus heard the laughter, even the punch line of the joke the greeter was telling some other folks. And it was a funny story, but Jesus had heard it many times before, usually in churches. No one took much notice as he quietly slipped through the door and across the foyer. You simply can’t greet everyone who comes into a service, especially if they all seem to wait until the last minute to arrive.

“Is this your first time with us?” asked a smiling receptionist at the welcome desk.

“Actually, I’ve been here a few times, but not in a while.”

“Well, it’s good to have you back. Be sure to fill out a visitor card!”

“May I ask why?”

“So we can have a record of your visit. Also, the pastor will send you a nice letter.”

Smiling once more, Jesus entered the Sanctuary and found a seat near the back.

“Look at someone and tell ‘em Jesus is alive!” bellowed the service leader. “We’re gonna give him our crazy praise today!”

The band was good. Very good. And the singers could do more than just sing. They were dancing, grinning, vibrant vocalists who never lost eye contact with their audience. The place was rocking. Everything ended with a crescendo exactly 23 minutes later. The pastor smiled his approval. After all, this service was being shot by three cameras and exported to five remote locations. Timing was everything.

After a video of a man asking people on the street why they didn’t come to church, which ended with an obese, unshaven homeless man wiping his nose and saying the preacher’s sermons didn’t make sense to him anymore, the pastor boldly approached the pulpit.

“My message today is ‘Why the Gospel Makes Sense’. If you are the man in that video, blow your nose and listen carefully!”

The congregation roared with laughter. They realized they had been set up, but it was great to be part of a church that was never boring and always so creative. The pastor worked his way skillfully through his power points, streaming from huge screens above his head.

“Even if you didn’t believe in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, just following his principles would change your life for the better”, the Pastor said, “And as your faith deepens, you start to realize that the poor choices you have made are hindering your search for true joy and fulfillment. Look in the mirror! You were designed to be something special!”

There was an impressive response to the call for transformation. You simply had to stand to respond. Many people did. After a prayer of agreement, they were thanked for coming and dismissed. One of the ushers approached the pastor after the service, striding quickly across the altar area and leaning to whisper in his ear.

“There’s a man sitting on the back row. Looks like he’s been crying.”

“Did anyone talk to him? Did he fill out a visitor card?”

“Don’t think so. He has kind of a strange look on his face. Seems like I’ve seen him around here before, but it’s been a long time. Always looks kind of outta place …”

Exiting the Sanctuary, the worship leader walked past the single figure sitting on the back row with one arm across the back of the pew. She smiled at this man with a troubled look on his face. She thought about how you often don’t really know who you are ministering to on a Sunday morning. She remembered that he didn’t seem be very demonstrative in his worship response, especially to the new song she had written, “Dancin’ Throwdown (a Hallelujah Hoedown)”. She consoled herself that he was probably too old school to appreciate cutting edge stuff.

The Sanctuary was quiet and almost empty now. Ushers were cleaning and straightening.

“Could I help you, Sir?” an usher said, walking toward the only person left in the Sanctuary.

Jesus smiled. “I don’t think so, but thanks for asking. And I was just wondering if there might be some way I could help you?”

“Nah, not really. I just gotta straighten up the church and get all the trash and stuff outta here before the next service.”

“I understand. I have a lot of experience doing that myself.”

The usher smiled, sighed, and shook his head, remembering how someone said at the last ushers meeting that this church seemed to attract some really different kinds of people. Reaching the front of the Sanctuary, he turned to get one more look. The visitor was gone.

Our new series, "Where in the World is Jesus" starts this Sunday.

by Pastor Kenny Innes

We know that God is gracious, loving and merciful. We know that God forgives sin. Does that mean that God doesn’t care about our sin, and therefore, neither should we?

There is a false grace movement on the fringes of our faith which says that we can sin all we like because God will forgive us anyway. This “grace” of God “frees” us to indulge our sinful desires, safe in the knowledge that God will forgive us for it all. This is an evil thought.

God hates sin, and wants people to be free from the sinful desires that separate them from Him. Furthermore, God says that He will judge all sin, and the consequence of an unrepentant life is death and eternity in Hell. To those who repent, He offers forgiveness.

The forgiveness that God offers us is not free. It was bought with a price. Jesus, God’s Son, became a man to live the perfect life that we cannot live, to die the death that we deserve to die, and to rise again to offer us new life. God poured out all of the wrath and judgment for our sin onto His own Son. When we believe and trust in Jesus, His righteousness is given to us. Our forgiveness is very costly indeed.

The cross shows us another very clear thing about our sin – we are not able to pay for it ourselves. It takes action on God’s part to remove the stain of the very sin that we commit against Him. All of our good deeds are not enough to satisfy the wrath and judgment of God towards our sinfulness. We need to throw ourselves on His mercy, confess our rebellion and wrongdoing, and surrender ourselves to His forgiving, healing, changing power. Only then can we gain any power over the sin that holds us back.

This is what David recognized in Psalm 51. He couldn’t appeal to his own goodness as a basis for forgiveness. He could only appeal to God’s merciful character upon those who sincerely repent and desire to be changed. So David, distraught by his own sin and unable to see a way to change within himself, cries out to God to rescue him.

Many church members forget that God is the only source of change and forgiveness. Instead, they try to hide their sinfulness under an outward appearance of godliness and good works. This works-based righteousness leads to a life of defeat, guilt, and shame. No matter how hard they work to cover their sin, they still have no power over it.

What God desires is for His Church to conquer their sin by depending on the work of His Son upon the cross to forgive them. Every one in the church will battle the sinful desires of the flesh. Those who hide it from God and from others will struggle in their faith. Those who confess their sins and cling to the cross will have victory after victory over sin as they experience the sanctifying work of God’s grace in their lives.

Trusting in Him alone,

Kenny

by Pastor James Bell

The first church Suzanne and I pastored was about fifty people meeting in a strip center. They were nice people and they were appreciative of our ministry to them, but there was a problem. They didn’t want to grow. “If we wanted to be in a large church, we would join one” they said. So they asked me to not make any plans to invite others or do any kind of outreach to the community. They explained their position very kindly, and I, just as kindly, resigned the next Sunday.

Looking back, I realize that in that church there was a fear of not being loved. People need to know that someone cares. This group had fallen victim to the myth that more people meant less available affirmation and care. In other words, the larger the group, the less people expect for others to care about them. But that’s simply not the case.

One of the most loving small churches I ever experienced was actually a small group within a very large church. I knew that I could count on the people in that group. They cared for each other. In fact, that’s what drew me to that church and that group. I saw, as an outsider, how they really reached out to each other.

The number one reason people join Hosanna is love. We are blessed to have quite a few other things going for us, along with some things that we could improve upon, but love is what opens doors more than anything else. I am convinced that the characteristic of God that is so attractive to non-believers is the love that they feel in his presence. We need that. Everyone of us yearns for that, even though some do not realize it until they experience it.

Now this is where you and I enter the equation. God desires for us to demonstrate his love to those who need it. Who are those folks? They are every person you know. What about haters? What about grouchy, cynical, mean-spirited people? They need love even more than most people! And they probably don’t get much of it.

When people feel loved, they begin to open their hearts to God. They rarely open their minds to change unless love provides a reason. Knowing that you care piques their interest. The door begins to crack open just a bit. Assurance that you are sincere in your feelings about people, about life, and especially about them, will result in doors flung open to the gospel. Jesus demonstrated love to the unloved. As much as we might love him at this point in our lives, it is still a response to what he initiated.

Somewhere there is a man or a woman waiting for you. He is wealthy, but unfulfilled. She is determined, but really struggling. He is penniless, but still hopeful. She has been rejected and abused. He feels angry and misunderstood. She is resentful and doesn’t see any way out.

The Lord simply asks you to be Jesus to one of these people. “How do I do that?’ you ask. “I’m not gifted in this kind of thing. At times, I am barely hanging in there myself.” You just show love when it  is unexpected. You listen and value and care.

Jesus does the rest. His love never fails.

Confidently,

James

by Pastor James Bell

Authentic Christianity is, more than anything else, a reflection of Jesus. This Easter we we were caught up in joyful, exuberant worship. The welcoming of many visitors and the fellowship of our church family was highlighted by a new peak in attendance. We had 701 in our combined (9:00, 10:45 and 2:00) services! I am so thankful for two people who came. It doesn’t matter which two. 701 just sounds better than 699, doesn’t it? What a great weekend it was!

I think many of those who attended Friday evening were surprised at what a powerful move of God we experienced. The videos, the communion service, and the connection of the worship songs to relevant truths about the cross were all a part of a strong presence of the Holy Spirit.

Saturday brought us face to face with more visitors than you might have imagined. So many thank you letters were sent out to families who were experiencing Hosanna for the first time. Many of those families returned to one of our services on Sunday.

“Exuberant” would be one word to describe Sunday’s worship. It seemed like waves of the Holy Spirit were moving across the congregation. Expressions of joyous praise echoed heavenward as everyone was blessed and refreshed.

On behalf of the Elders, Deacons, and staff, I want to say thanks to you. Thanks for coming, thanks for helping, and thanks for bringing your friends to church with you. It was one of the most memorable weekends we have ever had. Glorious worship on Friday night, wide-eyed kids finding multi-colored eggs and having a blast on Saturday morning, and then wonderful Easter services on Sunday.

Oh, and there is one more thing I want to share with you. Why not keep this going? As we begin our new series “The Church and the Kingdom of God”, let’s bring the same anticipation and enthusiasm to every service! The tomb is still empty, Jesus is still alive! All we have to do is bring the same heart for worship. The same Lord will show up with the same power in our services. Are you ready for a continual outpouring of the Spirit? Me too!

He is risen indeed,

Pastor James

by Pastor James Bell

The willful ignorance of God and his purposes by the media and the entertainment industry has perpetuated a disturbing and false concept of God. For the most part, our culture is buying into it big time.

The idea is that God is somewhere up there sneering and snarling at you because you are so messed up. The message is that you have two choices available to you with regard to religious convictions:

You are incapable of being good and you are honest about it.

Or

You are incapable of being good and you are a hypocrite.

You choose. According to the what is culturally acceptable, you only get to choose one. Okay, what do you suppose is the best choice? Here is how it might be described:

“It is to be aware that you are upsetting “the Good Lord” by the way you live, but you are an honest sinner, who might actually be so real and so honestly human that God begins to like you and feel a little sympathy toward you. I mean, at least you are not a hypocrite, whom God and everybody else despises. God will let you know how he feels about you by the things that happen, or don’t happen, to you in your life. If things get rough, you might want to attend a church service pretty soon to show a little respect. But don’t let that hypocrisy rub off on you.”

Just one problem with that concept, though. It’s totally bogus. Two thousand plus years ago, Jesus came to earth and changed everything. Knowing that we are incapable of being good, the Son of God was punished in our place, paying the price for our sins. God loved us too much to leave us separated from himself. There is a difference between imperfection (as we grow spiritually) and being a hypocrite. It is not hypocritical to take a stand for what is right, even though you need forgiveness when you don’t do the right thing. That is progress. That is growth. It can also make you a target for those who have failed to create their own righteousness and criticize the righteousness of Christ in others. They have “dumbed down” Christian teachings to formulate their own pseudo-spirituality that they will take with them to the judgement and eventually to an eternal hell.

One startling fact has not changed since Jesus walked the dusty roads of Judea and Galilee. It is the religious who hate Christ the most. Jesus was executed by Roman soldiers, but he was killed by the religious. The same misunderstanding of the righteousness of God permeates “Christian America” today. To be “good” has become a bad thing. To be “bad” is now a good thing.

God’s response is unchanging. He continues to love those who sin against him, and he offers them a better way. But, being limited by our own mortality, every person has their last time to reject him before it is too late. Understanding that God is not your enemy, you have a great opportunity to experience eternal life, beginning right now. Think about this prayer:

God our Father, we find it difficult to come to you,
because our knowledge of you is imperfect.
In our ignorance we have imagined you to be our enemy;
we have wrongly thought that you take pleasure in punishing our sins;
and we have foolishly conceived you to be a tyrant over human life.

But since Jesus came among us, he has shown that you are loving,
that you are on our side against all that stunts life,
and that our resentment against you was groundless.
So we come to you, asking you to forgive our past ignorance,
and wanting to know more and more of you and your forgiving love,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Stunned by the brevity and depth of this prayer, written by St. Augustine, I can only say, “Amen”.

How about you?

Question 1: Was there a time in your life when you ‘wandered”, when you did not fully understand what it meant to be set apart?

Question 2: Can you describe the moment of realization? That time when you suddenly saw things from God’s perspective instead of your own?

Question 3: How did you respond? How did this response change you as an individual?

by Pastor Kenny Innes

It’s been amazing to see the excitement and enthusiasm for the gospel that Hosanna has experienced so far in our Salvation sermon series. As Pastor James leads us through biblical truths about the work of God to save us, lights are being switched on in the hearts of long-time Christians as well as new-comers to the faith. Small groups are buzzing with conversation and discovery.

The truth we are discovering is that salvation is not a brick in the house of faith in which we live – it is the house itself. Every truth and element of our faith is dependent upon, and lived out, through our salvation. That’s why sermon series’ and continual reminders of the gospel truth of salvation are healthy for every church that wants to see its members living out the fullness of God’s call on their lives.

Here are some reasons we never get beyond salvation:

1. The Bible never does. The entire Old Testament leads us to Jesus‘ saving work on the cross, and the entire New Testament teaches us to live that salvation out. The apostle Paul continually returns to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and the implications of that for those who believe. When Paul talks about Christian faith, he can’t stop himself from wrapping everything in the context of salvation. Furthermore, he instructs Christians to, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling…” (Phil 2:12, ESV). This suggests that our salvation is something we should constantly embrace, think through, talk and sing to God about, and search the scriptures for truth about.

2. Salvation was in the plan of God before the universe existed. Revelation tells us about, “everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain” (Rev 13:8, ESV). The cross was not plan b, but the original purpose of God in revealing His glory to us. God created the world with the intention that salvation would be the central point of history.

3. Salvation will be the focal point of eternity. The people of God will forever worship Jesus, and the reason is because He has saved them. Revelation 7 gives us a glimpse into the kind of adoration that will take place:

Rev 7:9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (ESV)

The central reason they worship Him is the glory of salvation. Their devotion, love, and worship are set alight by the God who saved them. We have an opportunity in this life to begin a passionate pursuit of Jesus based upon the grace, love and mercy that He has shown in saving us.

4. There are people who think they are saved, but are deceived. Jesus tells us that there will be many who are convinced they had a grasp on salvation, when in fact they did not:

Matt 7:22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (ESV)

Christians need regular reminding of the truth of the gospel of salvation so that the Holy Spirit can continue to convict and confirm to them that they are living in true relationship with God.

5. The preaching of the Word in a church is not just for the teaching of those who already know God, but also for those who do not. When Christians hear preaching about the gospel, they should be excited that the core of their faith is being explained to those among us who don’t yet have a relationship with Jesus.

1 Tim 2:3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (ESV)



Someone once said that God does not call us beyond the gospel, but deeper into the gospel. I am praying for myself and for our church that the impact of our sermon series on salvation will last far beyond the 5 weeks of its duration, inspiring us to bring our whole lives into the context of God’s saving power in our lives, and create a desire to see that same experience happen to those who don’t yet know Him.

Here’s to a lifetime (and beyond) of salvation.