All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.2 Timothy 3:16

 The Bible is one book comprised of 66 smaller books, divided into two sections – the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is the story of God and humanity beginning in creation through to about 400 years prior to Jesus’ birth. The New Testament begins with the gospels, the accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry on earth, and continues through letters written by ministers of the early church through to the final book of Revelation. The Bible is God’s letter to his people. It is the history of God’s relationship with his people. And it is the record of God’s overarching plan, evidenced throughout all history, to redeem and rescue his people, beginning with creation and culminating in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 There are many different translations of the Bible and it can be confusing if you are unsure where to start. There are word-for-word translations, for example the English Standard Version (ESV) and King James Version (KJV). These are generally considered the most accurate translations but can sometimes feel a little clunky to read. There are also phrase for phrase translations, for example the New International Version (NIV) and New Living Translation (NLT). These are perhaps slightly less accurate but easier to read. There are also paraphrased translations such as the Message version and the Passion version, however these translations are completed by one individual instead of a team and often include that individual’s own thoughts or perspectives, making these the least reliable translations.

 At Cityhope Church we believe that the Bible is God’s Word. It is accurate, authoritative and applicable to our everyday lives. By reading the Bible, we as Christians can better know God and learn about his character, his promises, his instructions to us and his plan for our lives. Jesus himself meditated on the Scriptures and used Scripture to rebuke Satan when he was tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:5-11). By following his example and meditating on his Word, we are equipped to go into the world and our daily lives with his knowledge residing in us. The Bible is a source of teaching, encouragement, instruction, and direction to live godly lives.

 The most effective way to learn from God’s word is through daily devotions. This will look different for everyone – some people prefer listening to an audio Bible on their daily commute, some people find a devotional book beneficial, still others prefer to journal themselves. By spending time reading and meditating on God’s word daily, we embrace opportunities to learn, be encouraged, and find direction in God.

 One method that can help break down devotions is the SOAP method.

 S – Scripture. Read the scriptures of the Bible in the reading plan you are using.

O – Observation. What is something you observed about the scripture you’ve read?

A – Application. How could you apply the observation you made to your own life?

P – Pray. Spend time in prayer, and specifically pray on the Scriptures you read, the observations you made, and the application you will make in your life.

 Additional Scriptures on the Word of God:
John 1:1
Romans 15:4

And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.Matthew 6:7-14

Prayer is simply communicating with God. As Christians we can go to God with everything – praise, requests, concerns, and just talking about daily life. Prayer does not need to be complicated. Jesus himself said not to, “heap up empty phrases” (Matthew 6:7) but taught us how to pray simply and directly to God. Sometimes prayer will look like speaking out loud. Sometimes prayer is quiet, praying in the spirit (1 Corinthians 14:14, 15). Sometimes we don’t know what to pray (Romans 8:26, 27) and will simply sit and be quiet with God.

 Jesus taught us to deliberately set aside time to be with God. He would regularly go into a desolate place to be away from the crowds that followed him in order to spend time praying and being with God (Mark 9:2, Mark 14:32-42, Luke 4:42, Luke 5:16, Luke 6:12, Luke 22:39-46). Jesus was especially deliberate in spending time in prayer directly before he knew he faced a great challenge or decision, whether it was physical exhaustion, teaching, or preparation for the cross. While we don’t always necessarily know what will face us each day, we can be prepared for anything when we spend time communing with God and resting in his Spirit.

 Because prayer is communicating with God, it is important that we remember that it means not just speaking but also listening to what God wants to say to us too. He may speak to his people through many means – through scriptures, through a prompting of the heart, through a message brought by a person, through the still, small whisper of the Holy Spirit. By being intentionally still in our time of prayer we allow ourselves not only to petition God but also to receive encouragement and guidance from Him.

Additional Scriptures on Prayer:
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Philippians 4:4-7

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.Hebrews 4:9, 10

In the Sabbath, God is asking us to do something that he has already done. When he created the world in Genesis, he rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2.;3). He is God, omnipresent and omnipotent, yet he showed us how to rest. In fact, when he was creating the world he created evening (designed for rest) and then morning (designed for work) (Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31). Because God made the seventh day a day of rest, a holy day, he was deliberate in communicating that to the Israelites when he delivered them out of Egypt (Exodus 20:8-11). Moreover, God provided a double portion of food for the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness so they were able to rest on the Sabbath (Exodus 16:29). He provided their needs to allow them to rest. Just as he did in the beginning (Genesis 2: 3), God wants to bless our rest on our Sabbath because it is holy. God knows that our not only our bodies but our spirits need time to rest.

Jesus also honoured the Sabbath when he walked the earth and freed it from the legalistic expectations of the day (Matthew 12:8). Jesus healed people multiple times on the Sabbath, showing us that it is more than just sitting in bed all day, or not doing chores because that might be breaking the Sabbath. Rather the Sabbath is to rest from our weeks just as God rested from his (Hebrews 4:9, 10). As we rest it is an opportunity to be with God and worship him with our whole beings. We live in a fast-paced world and deliberately setting aside time to rest is becoming a foreign concept, but if we are to live according to God’s word then the Sabbath is something we need to implement in our lives.

This might be as simple as scheduling a family picnic after church, or turning your phone on silent during connect group, or listening to worship music during the afternoon. Resting on the Sabbath also serves to remind us of Jesus’ rest, the kingdom of God. Perhaps set time aside on your Sabbath to pray over your coming week that Jesus would move both in you and in your world through you.

Additional Scriptures on Sabbath:
Exodus 20:8-11
Matthew 12:8
Mark 3: 3-5

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.Romans 12:1,2

Many people think of singing songs to God when they hear the word worship. And while that is certainly one way of worshipping God, it is not the only way. Paul instructs us in Romans 12 to present ourselves as living sacrifices to God as worship, and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This means living a complete lifestyle of worship, centred solely on loving God, living in his will, and serving him as he calls each of us.

A lifestyle of worship can take many forms. It can be expressed as hospitality towards others, encouraging someone you know is struggling, making a meal for a new family, caring for your home without complaining, speaking well of your spouse and your children to others, volunteering in your spare time, or even deliberately setting aside time to simply sit and be with God. Whatever you do, let it be done for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

At Cityhope Church, worship is outworked in a variety of ways. In our Sunday services we do worship God together in song and prayer. We have teams who work to make our services possible every weekend, from Guest Services to Citykids to Milk and Honey Cafe. There are several areas people serve in during the week through our Cityhope Care branch. You can find more information on all of these on our website. In living lives of worship to God, we honour his sacrifice for us and also show those in our worlds the goodness of God. 

Additional Scriptures on Worship:
Psalm 100
Psalm 150:6
Philippians 4:8
Hebrews 13:15,16

 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Luke 22:14-20

 On the night before Jesus was arrested and led to be crucified, he shared what has come to be known as the Last Supper with his disciples. They were, in fact, taking part in the Jewish festival of the Passover, a commemoration of God saving the Israelites from the final plague, the Angel of Death, in Egypt before delivering them from slavery. God commanded them to sacrifice a perfect lamb and put some of its blood on their door frames so the Angel of Death would pass over the houses of the Israelites. The full narrative of God rescuing his people from slavery is found in the book of Exodus.

Jesus is the ultimate fulfilment of the Passover, becoming the lamb that was sacrificed for all humanity. When he shared the final Passover, or Last Supper, with his disciples, he asked them to break bread and drink wine together to remember his sacrifice for us, the covenant under which we live in God’s grace, and declare his Good News to those around us.

Today at Cityhope Church we celebrate communion with small wafers and blackcurrant juice as part of a Sunday service. Connect groups can celebrate this together when they meet, too. The important components of communion are gathering with a group of fellow believers and taking the bread and wine, or symbols thereof, to remember and praise God for the salvation of all people and for fulfilling all his promises, past, present, and future.

Additional Scriptures on Communion:
Mark 14:22-24
John 6:35
John 6:51
1 Corinthians 11:26
Hebrews 10:24, 25

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8

 Like worship, generosity really is a lifestyle of gratitude to God for all he has given us. This is shown in a few different ways.

Firstly, the tithe. Tithe acknowledges that all we have is a gift from God and we are returning 10% of that to him in gratitude and praise. Tithe is first introduced in the Bible by Abraham in Genesis 14 and established as part of the laws of the Old Testament (Leviticus 27). Jesus, in fulfilling the Old Testament and establishing a new covenant of grace with us, seeks first after our hearts (Mark 12:41-44). In rebuking the Pharisees, Jesus explained that rather than highlighting one spiritual matter over another, we should outwork justice, mercy and faithfulness in our worlds without neglecting matters such as the tithe (Matthew 23:23). In answering those trying to trick him, Jesus told his followers to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s (government taxes) and give to God what belongs to God (Mark 12:17). Jesus showed us how our perception of earthly treasures will affect our hearts (Mathew 6:19, 20). Essentially, we choose to tithe because we are so grateful to God for his mercy and grace that has saved us from an eternity without him and the consequences that go with that.

The tithe brought to the local church allows it to fund ministry. The tithe is essentially the income for the church, and it enables the church to pay essential bills and salaries, establish ministry such as Citykids and City Youth, and so much more. At Cityhope Church, we believe in being transparent with our congregation about how funds are spent, which is why we have external bookkeepers audit our finances every year and share those audits with the church once they are completed.

There is also giving in addition to tithing. At Cityhope Church this can look like partnering with our Legacy Offering each year. These funds go towards building upgrades and expanding ministry areas (for example, our global partners), just to name a couple of areas (more information on Legacy Offering can be found on our website). Other areas of generosity can include anything from paying for someone else’s petrol, sponsoring a child, having that new family round for lunch, or babysitting for a friend. Out of a heart of gratitude to God comes a lifestyle of gladly giving back to him. There is so much need in our world that the how will always be there; it’s whether or not we are willing to take that step on our walk with God.

Additional Scriptures on Generosity:
Malachi 3:10
Mark 12:41-44