Our Meetings
Our meetings are guided by
SIX SIMPLE PRIORITIES
PRAYER.
’… My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations…’ Mark 11:17
Jesus clearly states that the defining characteristic of His ‘house’ is prayer. Prayer is the great privilege and the great responsibility of the people of God. We talk to Him, and He hears us. We listen for His voice, and He speaks!
WORSHIP.
’But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him’ John 4:23
Worship is not a show, nor is it a ‘warm up’ for the preacher. Worship is worship! We worship because Jesus is worthy, and because we were created to worship Him
THE WORD WITH POWER.
’For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart’ Hebrews 4:12
’And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power’ 1 Corinthians 2:4
The Word of God is alive! And the Bible clearly states that the preaching of the Word is accompanied by power. Power to save, to heal, to set free; power to change lives in an authentic and lasting way
CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE.
’… Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven’ Matthew 19:14
’ Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse’ Malachi 4:5-6
’And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams’ Acts 2:17
Throughout church history, children and young people have been at the forefront of many times of awakening. In our time, as we again see signs of revival on the horizon, children and young people are very much on the heart of God! Because of this, ministry to those who are young must be an intergenerational priority for the church
THE POOR, NEEDY, LONELY & VULNERABLE.
’Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard’ Isaiah 58:6-8
You cant read the Bible without clearly seeing the heart of God towards those who find themselves on the margins of society. He never forgets the broken-hearted, nor does He forsake those who are struggling or lonely. As the people of God worship and pray, surely we will catch His heart and want to reach out, to share, to help, to stand alongside those in our community who are in need
THE TEMPLE COURTS AND HOUSE TO HOUSE.
’So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved’ Acts 2:46-47
The ‘prototype’ church in the Book of Acts met regularly in the temple (a larger gathering) and from house to house (smaller gatherings). Perhaps the larger gatherings were times of UNITY where they listen their voices in worship together. And perhaps the smaller gatherings were times of building COMMUNITY in the more intimate setting. This was one small part of the life of the early church. Together, by the power of the Holy Spirit, they ‘turned the world upside down’ (Acts17:6).
WEEKLY GATHERINGS
SUNDAY GATHERINGS
Weekly gatherings ◦ Sundays at 10am alternating with community-based groups
Our weekly gatherings alternate between family gatherings and community group gatherings.
Our corporate gatherings involve Prayer, Worship, the preaching of the Word and a children’s programme.
Our community gatherings are a place where deeper relationships are established
and where we can encourage one another in Prayer and study of the Word.
Community groups meet at 10am in homes in Bethlehem, Otumoetai, Omokoroa, Ohauiti and Papamoa
To get in touch with a community group leader, please email info@hopetauranga.nz
Please call or message Steve on 0272684491 or Simon on 0225295725 if you have any questions.
PRAYER MEETINGS
Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm ◦ Sunday at 9am ◦ Wednesday at 10am for young mums and children
Jesus established His church, but He gave very few specifics about the nature and function of it. That makes His few words and instructions about His church incredibly valuable!
’… Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?’ Mark 11:17
In this simple statement, Jesus clearly established one of His top priorities for His church; that it would be a place of prayer for the nations. This passage makes it impossible for prayer to be relegated to the sidelines, or for prayer to be reduced to a ‘warm up’ for the Sunday gathering. The church is a ‘house’ characterised by prayer for the nations! To put it bluntly; if we are His house, WE PRAY. If we don’t pray, we are NOT HIS HOUSE.
YOUNG ADULTS
Monthly meeting ◦
Firebrands
Jesus’ call to 12 diverse young men was FOLLOW ME. Their response? They left everything and followed Him. Not because He invited them to be part of the best social group, or offered them the greatest benefits for their lifestyle. They abandoned everything because in Him they found an answer to their longing
’… where are we going to go? You have the worlds of eternal life…’ John 6:68
There have been times in history when the culture among young people reached a ‘tipping point’ of confusion, pain, frustration and disillusionment. We are at another one of these times right now! And Jesus is not without an answer… nor will He stand back and allow the adversary to have his way! Right in the midst of all the pain and chaos, ‘God will pour out His spirit on the sons and daughters and they will prophesy’. He will raise up young men and women who ‘know their God and do great exploits’.
MEN
Barbarians
The word ‘Barbarian’ can be translated, ‘noble savage’… perhaps creating a mental image of a wild man with a heart of righteousness. The man who authentically follows Jesus is neither religious, nor is he domesticated. Instead he has a fiery heart to love the Lord deeply, to pray fervently, to study and apply the Word of God to his life diligently until he becomes increasingly like Jesus. To live like this, a man needs a ‘band of brothers’ who are on the journey themselves, and who will encourage, correct, provoke and inspire him. A group of men like this gather each Wednesday in the predawn darkness to pray, study the Word, build friendships and to be ‘iron sharpening iron’ (Proverbs 27:17)
WOMEN
Shield Maidens
Weekly meeting ◦ Fridays at 10am
The central focus of the woman’s ministry is:
– The pursuit of an intimate relationship with the Lord through the Word of God.
– To build strong and meaningful relationships with each other. – To understand and apply the word of God into our lives.
– To be Women who are strong, persevering and courageous.
HOPE KIDS
Fortnightly meeting ◦ Sundays of Corporate Gathering
HOPE YOUTH
Weekly meeting ◦ Friday at 6:30pm
Hope Youth is a Jesus centred youth group. We believe in walking alongside teens through a challenging time in their life and pointing them to Jesus. We try to create a family type atmosphere by having a meal together each Friday night (during the school term) from 6.30pm. After this we study a passage of the Bible. It is our goal to teach the youth how to study the Bible and be able to apply it to their lives.