Sunday January 28th Service_summary.txt

• New members are welcomed into the church
• James shares his story of coming back to God and finding the church community
• Jabe and family share their experience of moving from Quebec to BC and finding a sense of belonging at Hope Church
• Yuan introduces herself as a 15-year Christian from China, and is grateful to have found a new home in Hope Church
• Lois shares her story of joining the church and celebrating her 50th wedding anniversary
• Dave shares their experience of attending Hope Church for over a year and being drawn by its friendliness and preaching
• Tim introduces himself as someone who has been searching for a new church community, and is grateful to have found Hope Church
• Amanda (and Ed Gerber) share their story of finding the church after moving back from the US and Wales
• Introduction to Trinity Western University campus
• Pastor Tim Sheridan's background and experience
• The Sheridans' connection to Hope Church
• Introductions of several families joining the church
• Marilyn Heinen's story of joining the church after feeling a sense of belonging
• Discussion of making commitments in a culture where commitment is not valued
• Explanation of what membership entails at Hope Church
• Discussion on the importance of faith, commitment, and trust in Jesus Christ
• Membership commitments: loving Jesus, believing in the Bible, strengthening love and commitment to the church, and growing in faith
• Welcome and prayer for new members
• Baptism ceremony, specifically for the Knee family and their decision to join the church through baptism
• Discussion of baptism and its significance
• Recitation of the Apostles' Creed
• Personal testimony by Jibay about his faith journey, including:
	+ Early interest in Christianity and acquiring a Bible at age 10
	+ Secretly keeping his faith private due to family concerns
	+ Meeting his wife and being introduced to church and deeper faith
	+ Marriage and spiritual growth through attending church together
	+ Moving to Canada and facing challenges that deepened their faith
• The speaker reflects on their life's journey and believes that Jesus guides them in every pivotal moment.
• The speaker describes feeling a sense of divine guidance and epiphanies throughout their life.
• The speaker mentions their daughter Scarlett being a beacon of light and guiding them through life's complexities.
• The family is baptized, with the speaker and daughter receiving baptism.
• A pastor thanks God for the family's journey and prays for a blessing on them.
• The speaker offers a prayer for the family who has just become members of the church.
• The speaker thanks God and prays that the family will be guided and strengthened in their faith.
• The speaker asks God to bless the family's journey and use them for His kingdom.
• The family is introduced as new baptized members, and they receive a Bible, certificate of baptism, and other gifts.
• A song of celebration, "Oh, Praise the Name," is sung by the congregation.
• Introduction to worship and welcome of new members
• Reflection on what it means to be the family of God
• Reading from Galatians 4:1-7
• Explanation of the gospel message as freedom from slavery through Christ's redemption
• Discussion of adoption as children of God and inheritance as heirs
• Application of the passage to daily life as children of God
• The law was a gift to the Jews as a guide until the set time
• The law was powerless to save and was weakened by human flesh
• God sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering
• Jesus became the curse so that He can free us from being under the curse of the law
• Both Jews and Gentiles were in slavery to sin, with Jews being slaves to the law and Gentiles being slaves to false gods
• The entire creation was longing for redemption and a Savior
• The set time in God's fullness has come and is already fulfilled through Christ
• Don't go back to being a slave, but instead recognize you are God's children
• You have received the Spirit of adoption and can call God "daddy" or 아빠
• As God's children, you live and move and have your being in Him and are free from slavery to sin
• The law could never make you an heir, but now as a child of God you are fully privileged and free
• Warning against returning to being slaves by adding the law of Moses through the Judaizers' teaching
• The Judaizers in Galatians were trying to define who the real family of God and children of God are based on their own traditional standards.
• Paul argues that true membership in God's family is not determined by ethnicity or observance of Jewish traditions, but rather through faith in God's spirit and His grace.
• The gospel message is Christ alone, and those who believe in Him are invited into His family regardless of background.
• The question arises of what is added to the gospel to define real Christians, and how this can subtly or explicitly affect church membership requirements.
• The concept of belonging to God through faith in Christ Jesus
• No distinction between Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, as we are all one in Christ
• Identity as children of God and heirs to the promise
• Reflection on God's family and identity hope
• Being loved and free in Christ, enabling us to bear one another with love and the fruits of the Spirit
• The empowerment by God's own Spirit for our identity as His children
• Adoption into God's family through Christ
• The importance of recognizing one's identity as a loved child of God
• Overcoming seasons of doubt and suffering
• Seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit
• Embracing privilege and freedom in Christ
• Receiving and sharing God's love through one's life
• Celebrating and acknowledging one's relationship with God