Valley Creek Church Weekend Messages Valley Creek Church

In this experience, we wrapped up our Hope Carrier Initiative series. The kingdom of God is a movement of hope, and God wants His kingdom to flow into every area of life, not just in the church. God has empowered us, as His children, to be the ones to carry His kingdom into the places we go every single day! Pastor John Stickl commissioned us to do just that – to be hope carriers, disciples of Jesus living on mission to change their world. We may be in the world, but as followers of Jesus, we are of the kingdom. God has given us the power, ability, authority, and right to change the atmosphere. We are hope carriers! While this is the end of our Hope Carrier Initiative series, it's just the beginning of a lifestyle of living each day as a hope carrier in Jesus' name.

What does hope carrier mean to you? The Hope Carrier Initiative is more than a series; it's a way of life. Being a hope carrier is far more about what God is doing inside of us than what He does through us, and learning to live as a hope carrier is simply learning to live like Jesus. The Kingdom of God isn't complicated or overwhelming; following Jesus is meant to be easy and light. In this experience, some of our leaders have a conversation about what God has been speaking to us throughout the Hope Carrier Initiative, and they share what the heart of being a hope carrier looks like. This is not the end but just the beginning of hope carriers!

How do you define success? In the kingdom of God, success is obedience not results, and obedience is proof of discipleship. So, as hope carriers, success looks different to us than it does to the world. In this message, Pastor John Stickl teaches us that hope carriers define success as doing what God asks us to do, when God asks us to do it, how God asks us to do it. We know that it doesn't matter if God's kingdom is coming in the world if it hasn't come first in our hearts. God is a good Father, and He cares that our hearts are soft, tender, and responsive to Him, because He has a hope and future for us. Do you have a vision for a life of obedience to God or a life of results in this world?

Are you present in your life? Or are you just waiting for "it" (school, the semester, the commitment, the season you're in) to be over? Are you present? Or are you focused more on your feelings, circumstances, or your past than on where God's placed you today? In this message, Pastor John Stickl teaches us that being present means wherever we are, we're there with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, fully available, and ready to do whatever God wants to do. As people of God, we have the ministry of presence – the kingdom of God – inside of us, and when we're present in our lives, God's presence can flow through us and change the world around us. Jesus was present in His life, and He wants to be our teacher. Jesus says following Him is easy and light when we allow Him to shape and form the internal realities of our lives. That's when we begin to see God's presence at work in our present.

The evidence of a Spirit-filled life is the ability to dream with God. In other words, a heart that is captivated by God will always be full of dreams! In this message, Pastor John Stickl reminds us that we are God's dream! And the greatest way to steward the garden He has given us is by dreaming with Him about what could happen within it. Do you spend more time pursuing a dream or pursuing God? When we dream without God, our dreams become idols. But when we dream with God, His dreams will become our dreams! Sometimes, those dreams may not even happen in our lifetime. So, are you willing to tend a garden you may never eat fruit from? Dreaming is not about accomplishing a goal; it's about enjoying relationship with our Father. The most important dream of all is becoming more like Jesus!

As followers of Jesus, we are ambassadors of heaven. We have been empowered and created to change our world, and the evidence of a Spirit-filled life is the ability to dream with God! In this message, Pastor John Stickl teaches us that dreaming with God is when we partner with Him to create a future that doesn't exist. It's working with God to see His kingdom come in the area of life we have been given to steward! Remember, we are made in the image and likeness of the ultimate Dreamer. So what are you dreaming about?