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!”

How to Lead a Prayer Walk

A prayer walk is an interactive way you can take spiritual authority and do the critical task of interceding for your campus, neighborhood or work place. It’s an on-site prayer meeting that has a way of stirring up ideas, insights, and faith in those who are gathered, in a way that sitting in a room may not.

STEP 1: Set a Time and Place for All Walkers to Meet

Have everyone who wants to pray for the campus gather at a specific time and place on campus. Consider holding the walk at a time when people are active on campus. You might want to reserve a room on campus where you will start and end together. If so, choose a quiet space that will have minimal interruptions, and where you can sit together. Split the group into pairs or threes to cover various parts of campus; assign locations if you’d like. Collect one person’s cell phone number from each small group. Agree on a time to return and debrief the prayer walk together. Plan on an hour for the walk, and perhaps another hour for debriefing.

STEP 2: Communicate that time and place no less then 1 week in advance.

Could be a formal invitation, a social media post or simple a text or conversation. No matter the method, make sure you prayerfully build your team and clearly communicate to them the when and where. Example “Hey Brian, I felt lead to as a few people to walk around MSU and pray. We are going to meet at the Starbuck in east Lansing at 6pm and walk for an hour. Consider this text your official invitation! It’s time for revival at MSU”

STEP 3: Prayerfully make a prayer points list.

Leading up to the meeting time ask God to give you seeing eyes to see what you should be praying for. I like to make a list with 2 categories. A. Prayer focuses and B. Goliaths that must be killed. Remembering to keep the focus the focus. We don’t stair at the giants, we stair at Jesus and he battles the giants. Practically that means fight to be full of faith and keep things positive.

Example of MSU Prayer Points List.

Prayer focuses.

  • Christians on campus would be strong and bold.
  • Mount Hope Church would have favor in planting a church among the students and surrounding area.
  • Jesus would be the talk of the campus
  • Student would experience supernatural miracles that point to Jesus

Goliaths that must be killed.

  • fear
  • sexual perversion
  • striving
  • pride

STEP 4: Ask God to show up.

Appoint 1 or 2 people to stay at the meeting place and pray over the whole prayer walk. Have them invite God to speak to each individual in the group through images, Bible verses, songs, situations seen, etc. Pray that each participant would be open and responsive to God during the walk, expect and prepare for God to answer this prayer! Practically this allows you to start on time but not worry about those that might show up later at the meeting spot.

STEP 5: Start walking, praying, and paying attention.

Go in groups of 2 (4 at the most). As each group starts walking to different places within the targeted area, participants can be praying that God would speak to them. Instruct your team to pay attention to:

  • What’s being advertised on bulletin boards.
  • What values do they promote?
  • What others are doing, wearing, and saying as you pass by.
  • What’s the spiritual climate?
  • Activities and situations in progress while your walking?

Make prayer stops as needed, if your group feels the Holy Spirit prompting you to spend time in prayer for a specific person, building, department, etc.

Protip: You may want to have someone be in charge of taking notes on what you’re each observing. As the leader if you go the extra mile a provide a small journal for them to write your team will love you ever more! Does not have to be fancy a simple note book will go a long way.

STEP 6: Regroup and debrief.

Debriefing the prayer walk is extremely important! When everyone has returned, have one person from each small group sum up what their group prayed for and what they felt God reveal to them. It is helpful to note that one person may receive a picture or a word and not know what it means, but God may give an insight to someone else in the room.

During this time anything that you as the leader suspect is not from God can be set aside. (such as any direction that contradicts Scripture or is not from a posture of kingdom love). These are great “mentor moments”. It’s great leaders who lovingly guide those they influence towards holiness and honor. After every group shares, highlight any patterns, themes, and broad concepts that came up across the multiple prayer groups.

Extra Mile:

Assemble a revised list of specific prayer requests based on the common themes from each group; have someone type them up and email, text or give them to participants so they can continue praying in the days and weeks ahead.

Looking for God in Culture

**Words Written by Veteran Missionary in a sensitive location.**

I see Him in the woven textiles. I see Him around the table of steaming bowls of noodle soup. I see Him in their reverence for nature. I see Him in the bananas offered to me when I visit my friend. I see him in hands pressed together raised in expressions of honor. I see Him in the faces of those who still wait to hear of who He is.

How do I see God so clearly in a place that is 98% unreached by the gospel?

Because His creation doesn’t have to be aware of His fingerprints on their lives and culture for them to be there. All nations, all tribes, all tongues- those saturated with the gospel and those wasting away without it- we are created in the image of God. His character and nature are revealed in us and through us, simply because we belong to Him.”

God spoke: ‘Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, and, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.’ God created human beings; he created them godlike, reflecting God’s nature.” Genesis 1:26-27 MSG

As you prepare to serve in a culture other than your own, it is important to remember that culture is simply an outward expression of an inward belief. Cultures in and of themselves are not sinful. Certain expressions of culture might be, but we have to guard ourselves from thinking or feeling that our own home culture is more “Christian” or “holy” than another. Because all people are the “Imago Dei”- image of God- when we look closely we can see specific and beautiful attributes of God, even in the lives of those who are far from Him.

My Buddhist friends have taught me much about hospitality, respect for nature, honor of elders, and devotion to worship. Because I have been able to look past their expressions of culture that lead to religious bondage and sin, I have had the honor of bearing witness to the deeply woven character of God in their lives that I pray one day will be revealed to them through a revelation of the gospel.

“For the life of every human living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being.” Job 12:10

When I am able to see these attributes in cultures outside of my own, my understanding of the very nature and character of God is expanded, and I’m left in awe that my American idea of God is so much smaller than the reality of who He is. This mighty, powerful, omnipresent Master Artist who displays His glory and image in all creation longs to reveal Himself to you in a new culture. Will you have eyes to see it?

Great Questions to Ask.

What pre-conceived ideas do you have about the culture you are going to that you might need to let go of?

Have you ever felt that your own culture is superior to others?

If so confess that to God and let Him speak to you. Ask God to open your eyes to see Him in a new way in the culture that you are going to, and to prepare your heart to see His image more clearly through those you will serve.

I Have a Dream

As our nation has been filled with fires born out of frustration over delayed and denied justice, I’m reminded of the riots, fires, and frustration that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A member of our church family recently reminded me of the fires of revival that followed King’s assassination. The Jesus movement began to sweep across the nation. So I pray that following our day of grief and frustration will be the fires of awakening again! I ask again for a Grace Awakening across America and the nations.

In regard to protests and the dream in his heart, Dr. King said,

“We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protests to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.”

“There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, ‘When will you be satisfied?’ We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.”

Then quoting from the prophet Amos, he said,

“No, no we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty river.”
– Amos 5:24

In calling for justice and righteousness, King was calling for justice for the past and righteousness for the future. Justice in the moment—without righteousness—would mean that the injustice would continue to resurface over and over again.

I like the way Gerald Brooks said it, “Justice for yesterday and Righteousness for tomorrow.”

Justice for the past, righteousness for the future.

Justice responds to the past while righteousness creates a future!

Providing proper justice in a community is the responsibility of civil servants. In the Scriptures, they are called God’s servants.

Providing righteousness in a community is the responsibility of the Church. Righteousness has been provided for by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the Church that has been entrusted by God to display and proclaim the righteousness that is available in Christ.

Father: Grant us—your children—the wisdom to put feet to our prayers! May we PRAY, LOVE, and SERVE in such a way that results in showers of your mercy and showers of your grace! May there be waters of justice flowing like water in our communities, and mighty rivers of righteousness!

Unity in the Midst of COVID-19

Looking at the prayer of Jesus in John 17, we see His great desire for our lives: UNITY!

“May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”  – John 17:23

Perfect unity—what does that look like among a family when there are obvious, differing opinions? Can we only get along with people that think exactly as we do about everything?

There is a divisive spirit that is trying to creep into the family of God that we must not allow. We should expect there to be division, strife, name calling, and slander in this world—but not in, or coming from—God’s Kingdom family. The Apostle Paul said,

“So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.” – Romans 14:19

Ed Stetzer recently wrote on Twitter:

“If you open your church, you don’t love your neighbor. If you don’t open your church, you are a compromised coward.
False dichotomies are dividing the body of Christ.
Local situations are different and responsible pastors will follow appropriate guidelines. Let’s have some grace folks!”

People have different opinions about when the church should open up (trust me, I’ve heard my share of them), the effectiveness of wearing masks or not wearing masks, the way they practice social distancing or do not, and many more.

One Guiding Principle

There is one guiding principle in all of our relationships: LOVE! Love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work in a person’s life (John 17:17, 26; Acts 4:32). Love is patient and kind. Love is not proud. Love does not demand its own way. Love puts the needs, thoughts, and desires of others above themselves (1 Cor. 13).

As you encounter people in God’s family who think differently than you, let love win over your opinions winning. Let your conversations be filled with grace. Refuse to pretend to be the judge over other people. Let mutual respect govern the words and attitudes that come from you. Remember your own imperfections, lighten up, and have some grace.

Where there is unity, the Lord commands a blessing (Ps. 133). Let’s work to cultivate unity in our homes and with our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Let’s position ourselves for the blessing of the Lord that comes to the place where there is unity.

Prayer

Lord, I ask that you work in me some more of the fruit of your Holy Spirit. I ask that you give me the grace to put the concerns of others above myself. Because the words that come out of my mouth always reveal what is in my heart, I ask that you continue to do a work of transformation in my heart. May you fill me fresh with your Holy Spirit again today so that your love will guide all of my actions.

I rebuke the spirit of division that seeks to judge, condemn, and divide your people. I plead the precious, protecting, and cleansing blood of Jesus over your family today. I pray that they will give no room for the enemy in their lives. I pray that they will conquer evil with pure goodness! May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know you!

This Is Our Moment

This Is Our Moment

When unusual persecution took place and the early Church was not allowed to meet in their usual gatherings, they scattered out into communities proclaiming the Good News about Jesus and the life transformation that follows. The result? We see in Acts 8 that massive numbers of people came to faith in Christ, miracles took place, and people experienced hope!

In 1918, when there was an unusual Spanish flu that lasted for more a year, 500 million people were infected. In these dark times, history records that the Church thrived! By the summer of 1919, it’s reported that the gospel had won the hearts of entire communities and churches experienced massive growth in that season.

Throughout the Scriptures, we see a pattern that when there is a season of the unusual, God does the extraordinary. We began this year with our focus on 2 Chronicles 20, where Judah faced an unusual moment of trial and was shaken to the core. King Jehoshaphat set his face to seek God and called the entire nation to do the same.

Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. – 2 Chron. 20:3

When the king wanted to get the people’s eyes off the problem and onto the promise of deliverance, he said,

“Believe God, and you will be established; believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.” – 2 Chron. 20:20

The result? In their unusual trial, their threat of annihilation, they did something unusual and began to praise the Lord. They fought their enemy with a sound_the sound of praise. At the sound of their praise, God did the extraordinary and provided supernatural deliverance and provision. The people went from shaken to shouting as they spent time in the valley of blessing, giving thanks to God (2 Chron. 20:19, 26-27).

This is our moment… let’s shine brightly! Let’s gather for the sake of going! Let’s make a sound of praise that sends the enemy running and releases supernatural deliverance and provision. Let’s do the unusual and watch God do the extraordinary!

I look forward to seeing you all soon!

Your Friend and Pastor,
Kevin Berry

A Prayer To End COVID-19

Throughout history—in times of tragedy or crisis, during plagues or looming disaster, when it was time for something horrible to end—the prayers of God’s people went into action.

When Pharaoh cried out for a plague to stop when enough was enough, we read this: “So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. And the Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies… not one remained” (Exodus 8:30-31). 

When King Jehoshaphat was shaken to the core, threatened by opposing armies, and it appeared all hope was gone, he set his face to seek the Lord. He went on to call the nation of Judah to seek the Lord. The threat miraculously and suddenly ended. The King and the people went from shaken to shouting praise to God (2 Chronicles 20:3-4, 12, 22, 27). 

When wicked Haman sought to kill the Jews, Queen Esther called for three days of fasting and prayer. The threat of annihilation came to a sudden end (Esther 4:16). 

When the disciples were caught in a storm and afraid for their lives, they cried out to Jesus, who suddenly brought the storm to an end (Mark 4:39). 

When Herod had killed the Apostle James and then had plans to take Peter out next, the church was earnestly praying to God. Suddenly and miraculously, the threat came to an end (Acts 12:5). 

COVID-19 has gone on long enough.

LORD, knowing your great history of responding to the prayers of your people and bringing an end to plagues that threaten your creation, we cry out to you, Great King! We are not confident in the government to fix this. We are not confident in the medical experts to create a medicine that can heal. We thank you for them, but our hearts are confident in you, O God (Psalm 57:7). You are the Creator of Heaven and Earth. You are the Lord, our Healer. You are the King who sits on the throne. You are the Great I AM, not the “Great I Was!” You are eternally kind and gracious in all you do. 

Lord, you have seen the suffering of this nation and the world. You have collected the tears of your people. Because you are the God who sees me, you’ve seen this suffering. I’m confident in you! We ask that COVID-19 come to an end suddenly, in the name of Jesus.

Jesus, you taught us to pray as it is in Heaven, let it be on the earth. So, Lord, as it is in Heaven, where there is no virus, let it be on the earth. Let it be in Lansing and all our surrounding communities. In Michigan, this land you made with the shape of a hand, let your hand of healing power touch this state. 

I speak to the mountain called COVID-19:

Cease and desist, dry up and die, be gone with you in the name of Jesus (Mark 11:23-24). No more breaking through the walls of our state, no more cries of alarm from this virus. NO MORE! (Psalm 144:14)

Now, Lord, as the eyes of the world have been watching a virus and its effects, I pray for all eyes on Jesus! I pray for a new sound of thanksgiving and praise to rise from the state of Michigan. We humble ourselves, set ourselves to seek your face. We ask that you come suddenly and heal this land of yours, and we thank you for it.

Family Essentials

Year of Unusual

One thing that has stood out to me during this season is that it’s just not normal. The Lord put on my heart that this year would be surrounded by the word “unusual,” and if we would do the unusual, God would do the extraordinary. I had no idea then that things would be as unusual as they are right now, but God did.

I don’t like being away from people, away from you. We have been wired by God for relationship with Him and connection with each other. As we come to the close of our study in Romans, it’s interesting to me how the Apostle Paul ends this most amazing letter. He starts going through a list of names. He says hello to this person, honors another, calls them brothers, sisters, and one was like a mother to him. It’s clear that for Paul, the family was essential! These family relationships, the gathering of the saints, are essential to our lives. You are essential!

Family is Essential

In this series, we are discovering how essential the family of God really is. We’ll explore why this family gathering has been unstoppable throughout history. How God made you for community. How to combat loneliness. The secret power of the gathering of believers. How the right relationships can be a catalyst for your life and so much more.

While our in-person gatherings have stopped temporarily, we are still connecting more than ever. Now is a great time to connect with a Life Group. You can spend extra time making memories with your family. Make some phone calls, send text messages, or write somebody a note at least once a day—just stay connected. The Scriptures reveal this truth: We need each other, and we are better together.

The Kingdom

In this season, it is imperative that as followers of Jesus Christ, we understand that we have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of light through faith in Christ (Col. 1:13). What does it mean to seek first the Kingdom of God, and then all these things will be added to you (Matt. 6:33)? What is the Kingdom? As followers of Christ, citizens of another world, how do we live in this world that is filled with evil and headed toward destruction? Let’s look at God’s word together.

  • For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power (1 Cor. 4:20).
  • Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe (Heb. 12:28).
  • I’m not asking that you take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They don’t belong to this world any more than I do. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world (John 17:15-16, 18).
  • So, we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Cor. 5:20).

Heading for destruction

For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ.  They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior (Phil. 3:18-20).

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth (Col. 3:1-2).

What is the Kingdom? To have a kingdom, there must be a king. The Kingdom is the King’s rule in the human heart that changes the way we live. The Kingdom is both already and not yet. The Kingdom was inaugurated at the coming of Christ, and something we will enter fully in the future (Matt. 25:31-46). Be encouraged, my friend, as you prioritize the King of Kings, “all these things” will be added to you. He will provide for you out of His kingdom riches (Phil. 4:19). When this season gets beyond frustrating to you, stop and remember: The King is on the throne! You are valuable to him. Yes, you are essential to the heart of God and He will take care of you!

A word of caution!

Don’t allow yourself to be obsessed with this world. Satan is called the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4). This world calls evil good and good evil; they brag about shameful things and only think about life on this earth, but not you. You are a temporary resident on this earth but a permanent citizen of Heaven.

With all that is going on in the world right now, it’s easy to be consumed by it. It’s easy to be obsessed with how broken things are, how unlike Heaven this earth is right now. Lot was vexed by the evil around him day in and day out (2 Peter 2:8). Hear my heart, my brother and my sister: Fix your eyes on the King. We have one role while on this earth – ambassadors of another Kingdom, representatives of the love of God. Our calling is to bring light into the darkness. Don’t be surprised by the darkness around you. Don’t be shocked by how politically polarized our nation has become; instead – shine there! (Matt. 5:14). Jesus said we are not of this world any more than He was of this world, but we are sent into this world, just as the Father sent Him. Let’s follow His lead. What did Jesus do? He walked around, empowered by the Holy Spirit, doing good, seeking to save the lost, healing those who hurt (Acts 10:38). We have a part to play in this world – it’s representing the interests of the King.

God’s Unlikely Servants

When I think of God’s servants, I think of great people like Moses, the disciples, pastors, and you! However, the Apostle Paul adds to the list of God’s servants, civil leaders. But Paul doesn’t stop at calling political, governmental leaders God’s servants. He also calls believers to honor them, pray for them, and submit to them (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Tim. 2:1-3). That all sounds good when you agree with them, but what about when you don’t? Do we get a pass on this when they aren’t the person we voted for? When their decisions make us uncomfortable?

Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority. –Romans 13:1-2, 4, 7

How do we respect and honor those who are in authority?

1) Submit to them. I imagine the first readers of Romans saying, “Wait? Submit to Roman authority? But they are ungodly. The emperor thinks he is a god and should be worshipped! Look what these leaders do; they are known for perversion, brutality, and murder!” Paul knew that submitting to Roman authority was not an easy ask and would go against everything a believer’s flesh wanted to do. Side note: Submitting doesn’t imply agreeing as much as obeying.

2) Pray for them (1 Tim. 2:1-2). The command is not to pray for those you agree with or the ones you think are godly leaders. I sometimes wonder what could happen if we would spend more time praying for our leaders instead of talking about them. More can be accomplished in minutes of prayer than years of criticizing. In a culture that is known for speaking out against our leaders, I find it very interesting that as evil as the Roman leaders were known for, Paul didn’t feel the need to point that out. It seems he was more interested in exposing them to the Kingdom than exposing their sins. The call from the Scriptures is clear: Pray for your leaders!

When is civil disobedience ok? 

Is there a time when enough is enough, and we are forced to choose to obey God rather than obey man? Sure, of course, there is, when government leaders command what God forbids. When Peter and the apostles were ordered not to teach in the name of Jesus, Peter and the apostles said, “We must obey God rather than any human authority” (Acts 5:29). When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were ordered to worship the statue of Nebuchadnezzar or be burned to death, they said, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” (Daniel 3:17-18).  Then of course there was the time that the law of the land decreed that no one could pray to anyone except to King Darius. But Daniel did what he always did, and prayed to his God (Daniel 6:10).

While I believe that the gathering of believers is absolutely essential (Hebrews 10:25), the temporary restriction on gatherings, as a result of COVID-19, is just that – temporary. Let there be no doubt, there is a line that can be crossed which biblically requires a response of civil disobedience; that is not the moment we are in right now. We are in a temporary situation, not a permanent condition. I’m eager to resume meeting once again, and we are in the process of prayerfully and strategically planning our comeback. For right now, let me remind you that the Church of Jesus Christ has always been unstoppable. The cause of Christ is simply too great to stop. When the Church was not able to gather because of persecution, they did not take a vacation, they did not pause; instead they went out boldly proclaiming the gospel, leading people to Jesus, healing the sick, and the Church flourished (Acts 8). So instead of slowing down, let’s together ramp up our efforts to saturate this region with the hope we have in Christ. I’m believing God for another Great Awakening in America!

Prior to laying out the call to respect and honor governmental authority, Paul said, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:12, 21). May you rejoice in the hope you have in Jesus! May you have the grace to be patient in trouble. Let’s keep on praying, and let’s overcome evil not by lashing out, not by responding to evil with evil, but with goodness.

Kevin Berry

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