• 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