About Mount Hope Church

We Are Family. Mount Hope Church is a community of people who love God and others—and that includes YOU! As a church family, it’s exciting to grow alongside others of all ages and backgrounds, coming together to experience the hope that is found only in Jesus. It is our desire that as you encounter God’s love and amazing grace at Mount Hope Church, you will truly feel a part of the family as we say, “Welcome Home!”

He Died For You!

“He has risen from the dead” is the ultimate declaration of victory! Nothing can conquer Jesus; even death could not hold him down. Through faith, He lives in you! 

Jesus didn’t just die. He died for you, in place of you! God raised Him to life on the third day as the sacrifice for your sins. If you believe that and have chosen to be a Jesus follower, then the One whom death could not destroy lives in you!  

The cross is central to Christianity, central to your life! A divine exchange took place at the cross, planned by the Living God who loves you. Have you had a revelation of what Jesus purchased for you? It is simply this: 

All the evil that was due us, earned by our sinful lives, came on Jesus, so all the good due to Jesus, earned by His sinless obedience, might be available to us.

Join me on Easter Sunday at Mount Hope Church and experience joy from the Holy Spirit as we celebrate the most significant event in history—the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

A few Wednesday nights ago, we were receiving communion together at our prayer gathering. I spontaneously asked my friend T.L Hart to tell us what the blood of Jesus means to us. His response triggered an eruption of praise. I’ve included his reply for you on the other side. 

As we approach Easter, let’s speak about what the blood of Christ has accomplished for us every day. 

Your Friend and Pastor,

Kevin Berry

Pray for Ukraine

Urgent Prayers for Ukraine

As the potential of a Russian invasion increases in Ukraine, Mount Hope’s Eurasia region is asking for urgent prayers for peace be offered up.

Currently, two Mount Hope missionary families plan to stay in Ukraine, while five will return to the United States. Five more families were already in the United States for itineration, and will remain stateside until further notice.

Missionaries Gerald and Jane Dollar say, “Everyone is speculating and preparing for an invasion, but that hasn’t happened. We read the American News and it is accurate reporting. A devastating invasion in the east could happen, and air strikes on Kyiv could happen. Everyone is preparing—most civilians have a plan. The situation is grave, but GOD! He will not forsake us. Only His mighty hand can stop the imminent bloodshed. That is what Christians on both sides of the conflict are believing for. Churches are on high alert. We’ve been called to prayer and fasting.”

The Pentecostal Union

Amid Ukraine’s population of 44 million, 11,000 registered evangelical organizations and churches exist. The Mount Hope’s primary partnering organization—the Pentecostal Union—has 1,800 established churches. And 3.6% of the population is evangelical believers.

In recent years, the Pentecostal Union, in partnership with Mount Hope personnel, has engaged in aggressive church planting across Ukraine, realizing that years of peace gave them unprecedented opportunity to work quickly and thoroughly.

“We must seize this opportunity and plant as many churches as we can before doors are closed. Our task is to prepare and send leaders to new churches,” says Vasiliy Voytovich. (In September 2015, ETS launched the first Russian-language Doctor of Practical Theology program in the former Soviet Union of which Voytovich is the president!)

His wife, Lyubov, agrees, “Every day, I and my 10 younger siblings left for school unsure if we would even get home to see our parents,” she says. “The government was threatening to take us from them unless they raised us as atheists. So, I know that what we have opportunity to do now is important! Please pray that we will have the wisdom to catch and realize what God wants us to do in the midst of what He is doing so quickly. We don’t want to miss anything that He needs us to do.”

Prayer Points

The Pentecostal Union has issued a call to prayer and fasting January 30—February 6, with the following prayer points:

  • Peace in the region
  • That many will come to repentance
  • That the good news of Jesus Christ will be preached widely throughout this crisis
  • For sound minds and peaceful hearts

In addition to our calls to prayer, many believers have already been fasting for weeks around the world. We know there is a miracle needed! And God will show up. I’m sure of it.

All Eyes on Jesus

The heroes of faith found in Hebrews 11 are examples of how to overcome when you are against all odds, and the culture of this world is against you. By faith, they brought what is in the Kingdom of God to earth. With their example in mind:

Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. – Hebrews 12:1-2

How do you bring God’s world into this world? (As it is in Heaven, let it be on the earth!) How do you live a holy life that runs against the culture of this world? According to the Word of God, success in the race we are called to run is accomplished by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus!

Being Sensitive to Jesus

I’ve been thinking about my times deer hunting this year. When I sit out in the woods, my mind isn’t normally racing. I’m focused on one thing: hearing and seeing deer in the woods. I take in every sound and the beauty of creation all around me. I become sensitive to the slightest sound as my eyes scan the landscape. If I can train myself to listen for deer moving the woods, I can train myself to be sensitive to the sound of the Lord moving.

Whatever you respond to, you become sensitive to. Whatever you ignore, you become hardened to. Let’s practice responding to the Lord this week. May His slightest move or whisper capture our attention as we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus! May we bring some more of His world into this world. May your heart not be overcome by the evil around you. Instead, may your eyes and heart remain fixed on the King!

Hold Nothing Back

“and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.” (Acts 5:2-5 ESV)

The questions’ The Apostle Peter posses here are piercing, “ And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? ” especially if we turn the sharp inquisition towards our own lives. What if this wasn’t about property and money? What if this moment is about our lives?

What if the Scripture, by the Spirit of God is really asking us, “Have you lied to the Holy Spirit and kept back a part of yourself? Was not your life your own to do with what you pleased before you made Jesus Christ Lord of your life? Why is it that we have contrived this deed in your heart … to say that you have given your life to Jesus, but yet you have held back a portion of it for yourself?”

Holding Back A Portion

In the context of our faith, I believe these questions are relevant today and the outcome the same. Like Ananias, those who hold back a portion of their life from God yet pretend to present the whole eventually fall and their faith dies (Read Luke 8:13). James, the brother of Jesus Christ writes, “For as the human body apart from the spirit is lifeless, so faith apart from [its] works of obedience is also dead” (James 2:26 AMPC).

This issue of holding back is not new. The Lord knows what is in man, and from the beginning He has encouraged us to guard our hearts from pretending to be something we are not. For example, in Exodus Moses records his encounter with the Living God on a mountain where he was instructed by the Great I AM to write Ten Commandments. These Ten Commandments would become the foundation of a moral life and the fundamental principles of godly living for those who would follow God. However, the third commandment is one that is often misunderstood. It states, “Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”

For most western Christians, we understand this commandment as a warning to never use the name of God recklessly or in a meaningless way. For example, when someone gets upset and out of frustration may yell “Jesus Christ!” Or when someone is mad and they shout, “God d@%# it!” Most television networks will bleep these statements out as a curse word (and in order to not engage your web browser’s parent controls, I also had to censor the phrase—which only proves the point). However, though I acknowledge these rude uses of God’s name are disrespectful and wrong, this is not really what the third commandment is talking about. The third commandment is really a warning against pretending to be something we are not.

Represent His Name

The third commandment is saying don’t take on the name of The Lord unless we mean to represent who He is! It is a warning against holding back or pretending we are followers of God, when we’ve actually held back a portion of your lives for your selfish desires or a sinful lifestyle. The commandment is warning us against calling ourselves “Christians” when our lives and behavior are not “Christ-like” at all!

It would be as if someone put on a team jersey, but had no idea how to play the team’s sport, didn’t know the coach, didn’t know the plays, nor did they intend to do what was necessary to train to win. They have taken on the team name in vain. They may wear the name, but they don’t represent nor belong to the team. Or it would be like a woman taking on the name of her husband with no intention of being faithful to him alone. She has taken on his name in vain and her vows were meaningless because her actions don’t correlate with the name she took on as her own.

This is why the Lord said, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” (Luke 14:27-28 ESV)

Jesus goes onto to say, “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33 ESV).

What Are You Holding Back?

Are you holding back? The Lord is asking you right now to stop and really measure what it means to follow Him and to give Him your whole life. Your life was yours to begin with and you can do with it what you please. However if you step forward to present your soul to the King of Glory, hold nothing back! We are commanded to give it all and do not lie to the Holy Spirit. Give Him ownership of your thoughts, your opinions, your behavior, your work, your marriage, your family, your future, your entertainment … let Him have it all! Hold nothing back … because The Lord so loved us that He held nothing back from us—He gave His life for us—He gave it all on the cross, so hold nothing back from Him. He is worth it!

“For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” (Deuteronomy 4:24 ESV)

Let me remind you that The Lord requires that we give Him everything, yet we are putting our lives into the hands of He who is Love, He is Good, He is Truth, He is Life. He knows that if we give Him our life, He can then multiply it into something far greater than our best intentions. When we place our entire life at His feet, He then takes it and transforms it into something so amazing, so fulfilling, so supernatural, so loving, and everlasting. When we lose our life for Jesus and hold nothing back, we gain immeasurably more!

Prayer

Lord, I give it all. The portion I have held back from You, I now give. I let you in to take the things that I have been unwilling to give up or was afraid to let go of. You have all my heart, all my soul, and all my strength. I present my whole life afresh and new. I have counted the cost and realize you are worth my entire life! I renounce all sin and turn from evil that I know keeps be from knowing You wholly. Jesus, you are my everything, I love You! I hold nothing back! Amen. 

Take Action

Faith without obedience is dead. This is where the rubber meets the road. If you meant that prayer and are presenting your whole life, you must now give up those things that you have kept back for yourself. For example, maybe you have refused to give up an immoral relationship with your boyfriend or girlfriend. Maybe a relationship has become sexually immoral and you need to establish new boundaries to maintain holiness. Or maybe you’re viewing websites that are immoral and unholy and you need to delete some apps and use some software that will keep you accountable. Faith in God is alive when you take action to remove sin in order to please God and live for Him wholly. Hold nothing back!

A Thankful Heart

I LOVE YOU and am praying for you! As we approach Thanksgiving, I’m thanking God for you. My heart is filled with love for you, and it’s coming out as a prayer from the Apostle Paul. 

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for you with joy. And I’m confident that God, who began a good work in you, will be faithful to finish what He started. It’s right that I should feel as I do about you, for you have a special place in my heart! God knows how much I love you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:3-8

Did you notice how many times the Apostle Paul said the word “you” in that prayer? Six times! The people that filled the church in Philippi were at the front of Paul’s mind. I want you to know that you are on the front of my mind and close to my heart. I hurt when you hurt, and I jump for joy when you celebrate. The purpose of my letter to you this month is simply to say—I love you!

Thank You!

Recently on a Sunday morning, I prayed with a precious mom who, through tears, asked me to pray for her son to come off life support. We dropped to our knees and prayed right there. Seconds later, a young man told me of his desire to get engaged that morning. He asked if I would help orchestrate the moment where he would make the big ask. I called them over, and as she came near, he dropped to his knees and proposed. People around could see him holding out the ring, and they started clapping and celebrating the moment. 

Experiencing the weeping and celebrating just seconds, and feet, apart reminded me of the variety of circumstances our church family faces every day. There is such beauty in the privilege of bearing one another’s burdens (Galatians 6) and sharing in eachother’s joys. Thank you for intentionally engaging with your church family every week! Thank you for simply taking time to walk through the hallways looking for opportunities to pray with and encourage somebody; for talking to somebody you usually don’t talk to; for stopping by the Connect Center and intentionally connecting.

The best way for the family of God to be there for each other is undoubtedly through close relationships. If you are not part of a small group, would you prayerfully consider joining one? You might think you don’t need to be in a small group, and I get it. But here’s the thing, somebody needs you! Together we can ensure that Mount Hope Church is the best protected, best fed, and best cared-for flock in the world. Thank you. 

What a privilege it is to be your pastor. I feel the weight and joy of watching over your souls and being accountable to God for how I treat His children, the children He died and rose again for. 

Thank you for allowing me the honor of being able to pray, love, and serve you.

Your Friend and Pastor,

Kevin Berry

Lord You Told Me

Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O Lord, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.’  Genesis 32:9

When Jacob faced a huge obstacle, he taught us a lesson on how to pray. He poured out his heart to God and told God how he was feeling. He was afraid, terrified, and thought the worst was going to happen. He thought his angry brother was going to destroy his family. But watch where he landed in his prayer… this is where the power is. He said, “Lord, you told me…” and reminded God what was promised to him. This is the game-changing moment of every prayer you pray. When you know what God has promised you, you have something to hold onto. That word from the Lord becomes the focal point of your prayers.

One of my favorite ways to pray is lining up my prayers with what God has said. It’s been a regular practice of mine for years to have about four pages of what I call declaration verses. They are scriptures that clearly say what God has said over my life, promises He has made to me through His written word. From my personal walk with God, my marriage and family, the ministry God has called me to, the friendships God has blessed me with, to the finances God has entrusted to me—I have searched God’s Word to find out what He has to say about that.

Here are some of my favorites that I wanted to share with you. Today, enjoy saying what God has to say to you! Go ahead and say them out loud and hear the Lord speaking over your life.

  • I have called you, I have brought you, and you will succeed in the mission I have given you. – Isaiah 48:15
  • You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! – Isaiah 26:3
  • The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. – Psalms 32:8
  • The Lord is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. – Psalms 25:8
  • The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. – Psalms 23:1
  • He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. – Isaiah 40:11
  • Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God I will strengthen you and help you. – Isaiah 41:10
  • The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall,  for the Lord holds them by the hand. – Psalms 37:23-24
  • The hopes of the godly will come to pass. – Proverbs 10:24b
  • I am blessed with wonderful harvests and plenty. – Isaiah 30:23
  • My barns are overflowing with wealth and increase. – Proverbs 3:10

As you are reading God’s Word today, look for a promise, look for something God is speaking over you. Then take note of it, make a list. You can speak those words over you, and pray those words for years to come. Remember, He is faithful to keep His promises!

Chaos to Beauty

These days when there is chaos and confusion in the world around us, it is more important than ever to be connected to the One who brings order to disorder; to the One who helps us—the Holy Spirit. It is imperative in this season that you stay highly connected to your church family (Hebrews 10:25), and to the Holy Spirit!

We see the first activity of the Spirit of God on page one of our Bibles. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, but creation was a process, not done all at once. 

The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of the Lord was hovering over the surface of the waters (Genesis 1:2).

Formless and empty come from Hebrew words that mean a place of chaos and confusion, a lack of order.
This is where we see the Spirit of the Lord hovering (preparing to move something from chaos to order) over the surface of the waters, making something beautiful out of what was chaotic. 

The Holy Spirit makes what is filled with chaos become filled with beauty; that is what He did at creation, and it’s what He still does today! Everything beautiful that God does in your life is accomplished through the direct action of the Holy Spirit! Are there areas of your life that are chaotic? Is there something broken that looks beyond hope? You need the Holy Spirit. As I look at the chaos around us, I’m reminded of our desperate need for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. You can look at all the chaos around you, or you can see the Spirit moving above it all. He’s preparing to bring life, order, and beauty! 

This is what the Spirit does for us! He comes to live inside of us when we place our faith in Christ. He starts to untangle all the messes of our lives. He takes what was ugly—filled with sin and chaos—and makes it beautiful! Oh, I’m so glad that God doesn’t wait for us to be void of chaos before He comes to us! 

And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more (gradually) like him as we are changed into his glorious image
(2 Corinthians 3:18).

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not an option but a command from Jesus!

Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5).

I used to think that being filled with the Holy Spirit was optional. I knew being saved was essential;
that would determine where I would spend eternity, in Heaven or Hell, and the kind of life I would live on this earth. I could live an abundantly full life or a life of constant chaos on this earth. I thought water baptism was kind of an option. If I wanted to, I could be water baptized later on, and maybe someday I could be filled with the Holy Spirit. But that would probably be a way off; after all, the Spirit is Holy, and I didn’t always feel very holy. But that is not what the Scriptures teach us!

Throughout the journey of the early disciples, it’s apparent that being filled with the Holy Spirit was considered essential! How about you? Did you receive the Holy Spirit since you believed? Have you had the Holy Spirit come upon you since you believed? The disciples could not live out their God-given mission to take the gospel of Jesus to the nations of the world without first being filled with the Holy Spirit… and neither can we.

Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away —all who have been called by the Lord our God” (Acts 2:38-39).

These words of the Apostle Peter are still true today: You will receive! The bottom line is if you are born again, that means you have the Spirit of God already living inside of you. Ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit coming upon you, and you will receive! 

If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him (Luke 11:13).

Friend, whether you are a brand-new believer or a seasoned follower of Christ, this promise is STILL for you! Simply ask, receive, and experience the life-transforming power of the Holy Spirit!

Renee and I love you and are praying for you. We see the Holy Spirit moving above all the chaos that has come against your life and making something beautiful in and through you! 

Your Friend and Pastor,

Kevin Berry

Grounded in the Word

Over the last year, we were slammed with information about Covid, mask-wearing, vaccines, and so much more. Shockingly, we went through a season where the government told churches not to gather, and some that they could not sing! How do you know who to believe anymore? What’s the truth? 

Beloved, you must be grounded in the Word of God! 

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. – 2 Timothy 3:16

Contrary to popular opinion, there is right and wrong. Some things are true, and others are false. The Word of God will teach you to do what is right! The Bible is the inspired Word of God, and it teaches us what is true and points out what is wrong in our lives. 

Let me give you a few critical reasons why you must be immersed in the Word of God. 

1. The Word of God is the key to your spiritual health! 

Jesus said, “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). We need a healthy diet of words—but not just any words—GOD’S WORDS! When you feed on the Word of God, you get healthy! 

How is your appetite for the Bible? When a person loses their appetite, it’s a danger sign; it is a sign of sickness. If you have no hunger for the Word of God, it’s a sign of a spiritual sickness that will begin to eat away and erode every area of your life. 

When you are desperate for God, you will become dependent on the sustaining power of His Word. 

Perhaps one of my greatest concerns in this season has been the amount of “junk food” that people have been feeding on. People have been filling up on words from social media and the news. Yikes! I grew up hearing things like, “Garbage in, garbage out.” The reason so many people are talking garbage is that they’ve been feeding on it. Others get their fill from their favorite Bible teacher, which is okay, but it is no substitute for your own Bible study! Hear my heart—you need to be feeding on God’s Word personally! You are not supposed to live off the words God spoke to your pastor; God has a personal word and time of encounter for you! Read your Bible, encounter God there. Read your Bible and change your life. 

I was up before the sun hoping for a word from you! – Psalm 119:145 MSG

2. The Voice of the Lord is in your Bible!

There is nothing more important to your life in this season than for you to hear the voice of the Lord! The Lord wants to talk to you. His voice will speak to you about the relationship He longs to have with you! The overall theme of the Bible is God’s pursuit of you. He intends to adopt you through faith in Christ into His family! 

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. – Ephesians 1:4-5

His voice will speak to you about guidelines for your life. He will teach you what is best and direct you in the way you are supposed to go (Isaiah 48:17). The Great Shepherd of your soul, Jesus, will guide you along paths of righteousness (Psalm 23:3). The world has just plain flipped upside down and has thrown out even the concept of right or wrong. You need to hear the voice of the Lord about sexuality, holiness, pornography, sex outside the marriage covenant, and so much more. 

Remember the words of the Apostle Paul where he said, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” – Romans 12:2 

The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic. – Psalm 29:4 

I hear the voice of the Lord speaking to you right now through His Word. Go ahead and open your Bible to Psalm 23. Read and listen; He is saying: 

I am the Lord, your shepherd, you have all that you need! All that you need is wrapped up in me. I created you to cling to me, to be close to me. Nothing in your life will feel entirely right as long as you are filling up your life with things other than me. Now watch me, beloved, see what I do for you. I make you rest because I know you are at your best when you rest. The best only comes out of you when you are in a place of rest. I lead you into the peace of my presence! Yes, you are called to live in peace. Peace is your divine destination. Peace—my peace—is your inheritance. There in that place of peace, I restore your soul. I renew your strength. I make every part of you that is alive, fully alive! 

I restore everything that was stolen from you. I restore everything that was damaged and broken in you. I AM the Lord, your Healer! And even when you walk through the darkest days, you will not be afraid! Why? Because I am right here close beside you! Oh, too many people have been more aware of viruses and the problems that surround them than they have been aware of me. But not you, my child! Look, take note, I’m not distant. I’m not far from you! No, the Lord your Shepherd is near you! I AM with you! My unfailing love and mercy will pursue you all the days of your life! Peace be to you!

3. If you don’t obey the Word of God, your life is heading toward a mighty crash! 

Reading God’s Word isn’t enough; you have to obey it! Jesus said something that must have shocked those who heard it the first time. He told them that whoever listens to His teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds his house on a solid foundation. And when the rains come, and the winds beat against that house, it WILL NOT collapse! 

But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come, and the winds beat against that house, IT WILL COLLAPSE with a mighty crash. – Matthew 7:26-27

In the last days, the Scriptures warn against false teachers and that some will depart from the faith (1 Timothy 4:1). The ones who are most at risk to false teachers and falling away from the faith in the last days are the ones who hear the Bible but don’t obey it; they are heading toward a mighty crash. Don’t let that be you! 

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted. – John 15:7 

You are my friends if you do what I command. – John 15:14 

IF is one of the smallest, yet biggest, words in the Bible. If you do what Jesus commands, then you are His friend! 

So my friend, just get started. Open up your Bible, get into that book, encounter God there and change the rest of your life! 

Your Friend and Pastor,
Kevin Berry

Spiritual Leadership At Home

Throughout our NextGen Ministries, we believe that Spiritual Leadership is made up of these three things:

  • Hosting the Presence of God,
  • Taking Spiritual Risks, and
  • Participating in Corporate Worship!

The leaders of Kidz Connect, and all the way up to Mount Hope Young Adults, are taught how to help others become aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence, take spiritual risks, and make worship a priority. I want to give you some easy ways that as parents you can also help lead your children to do these things!

Hosting the Presence of God

Hosting the presence of God, simply put, is teaching your child to constantly be aware of the presence of God! In Kidz Connect almost weekly, we carve out time for your children to listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit and tell others what He is saying! Don’t be afraid to create these moments at home, too! In the mornings, put on worship music for even just 5-10 minutes. This could be during breakfast or the car ride to daycare/school. Tell your child that together you will listen to the Holy Spirit. Then ask your child what He spoke, and be amazed at how easily your child can sense the presence of God and hear His voice! 

Taking Spiritual Risks

Children are filled with boldness! Help them take risks for Jesus! If they felt Holy Spirit one morning tell them to share Jesus with their friends, encourage them to do so, and then follow up later that day asking how it went! If your child wants to invite a friend to church, take the lead, and invite their whole family! They are watching you. If you take risks for Jesus, so will they! When you feel prompted to give a prophetic word or pray for someone, bring them with you! Tell them at the dinner table when you shared your faith at work. Bring them with you to a community outreach. Let their childlike faith inspire you to keeping taking risks for Jesus—it’s one of the surest ways their faith will grow!

Participating in Corporate Worship

Lastly, to spiritually lead your child means to constantly put them in an environment where they are being led in worship! Make sure that bringing them to Kidz Connect is a priority so they can worship Jesus with their peers in an environment appropriate for their age. But don’t stop there; take some Wednesday nights and have them join you in the Prayer Gathering! Let them see you kneel, cry, dance, and lift your hands to Jesus! Some things are taught, but others are caught. Show them the importance of lifting up Jesus’ name and their spiritual lives will be rich even as a child!

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