New Hope Chapel

The day of Pentecost inaugurated the birth of the church, in fulfillment of the fourth spring festival:

 Fulfilled Spring Feasts (Christ's First Coming)

Passover (Pesach): Fulfilled by Jesus's death as the sacrificial Lamb of God, redeeming believers from sin.

Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzah): Fulfilled by Jesus's sinless life and burial, as he is the bread without leaven (sin).

First Fruits (Yom HaBikkurim): Fulfilled by Jesus's r...

Have you ever worried you have sinned so much that God is not going to forgive it?  Our section this week in Matthew 12 records Jesus as saying, “And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven,” suggesting there may be things beyond the reach of forgiveness. 

There was a period—in the late 2000s through early 2010s—when some pe...

Joanne says, "According to the Mishnah, Sabbath desecration was one of the most grossly wicked crimes a person could commit, and the penalty was stoning to death. By accusing Jesus’ disciples of transgressing the Sabbath laws, the Pharisees were implicating Jesus as well – that He was also sinning by allowing them and not stopping them. What today might seem like a small matter, was actually a matter of life and death. ...

Dr. Bill says, “You can probably think of a number of times in history where everything changed. For example, the invention of the wheel, the telephone and so on. There were also a number of times in scriptural history where everything changed in terms of how God related to people, especially in terms of how He revealed Himself. 

This week we will explore another, often overlooked, major pivot God made with respect to how...

Here's the focus this week from Matthew.

One way to read Matthew's Gospel is to see it divided into an introduction (1–4), a conclusion (26–28), and five central narrative-discourse blocks that alternate between Jesus's actions and teachings. 

These five sections are often compared to the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament), framing Jesus as a new, authoritative Moses.

Introduction: Jesus's Genealogy and...

If you have struggled with doubts about your faith, you are in good company! Even John the Baptist, who knew better than anyone that Jesus was the Messiah, needed reassurance when things went sour. This week, Julie Coleman will take us through Matthew 11:1-15, and examine Jesus' reaction to John's doubts. Was it sin for John to doubt? Or did Jesus take it in stride? What implications does all this have for us, when our faith wavers...

Steve Coleman says, "This Easter, we’re zooming out to see the whole story of the Bible — from the first creation to the new heaven and new earth. At the center is one question: Why do Jesus’ death and resurrection matter so much? Because they are the turning point where life, sacrifice, and the presence of God — threads that begin in Genesis — are brought to their fulfillment in Revelation."

Steve refe...

Have you ever grieved the fact that you will never measure up to Christ's standard for believers? In Matthew 10: 37-42, Jesus concludes His instructions to His disciples, sending them out to prepare people for His arrival and the message that God's kingdom is at hand. How would they do in fulfilling their commission? How will we do when faced with the kind of obstacles that Jesus described? Join Julie Coleman to discover the secret...

Two of Jesus's most famous sayings are "Love each other as I have loved you" and "Peace I give to you." Well, that's in the Gospel of John. The Gospel of Matthew seems to be saying another thing altogether! “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." What? "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Is this the same Jesus? Let's unra...

Have you ever wondered what your spiritual gifts are? There are all kinds of workbooks, seminars, retreats, and Bible studies designed to help us recognize how God has empowered us to do kingdom work. Some people really seem to know their calling, and have thrown themselves into their ministry with gusto. Some of us still aren't too sure. How did Jesus's twelve disciples feel when Jesus gathered them together, in Matthew 10, and to...

As we continue studying the book of Matthew, specifically chapter 9, we are in the middle of a series of healings to include: leprosy, paralysis, a fever, raising a girl from death, and many demon possessed, not to mention calming a storm. 

I wonder if Matthew included the calming of the storm story right in the middle of all of these healing stories to make a point. When we are sick it can be similar to having a storm in the b...