BE A DISCIPLE… MAKE DISCIPLES… BE THE CHURCH…
TO THE GLORY OF GOD!
In 1996 a group of believers at First Baptist Church of College Station began praying about a new church in the southern part of the city. They wanted to reach unchurched people. This resulted with Living Hope Baptist Church beginning to meet for worship at Rock Prairie Elementary School in September 1997. Butch Smith became our first pastor in February 1998. In January of 2002 we had our first service in our church building - where we still meet today!
Living Hope continued to have a vision to start new churches. As a result, in 2009 we helped plant Living Hope Bryan and New Life Baptist Church in College Station. While we are three independent churches, we remain unified in our desire to tell others about Jesus and see the Gospel go from Bryan-College Station to the ends of the earth.
In July 2018 Alan Pittman was called as our second pastor. He is leading us to continue to develop strategies that enable us to truly be a church family that lives out our mission to “Be a disciple… Make disciples… Be the church… To the glory of God!”
ABOUT US
And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Mark 1:17
Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered… “and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:16-18
Jesus has always called people to follow Him.
Jesus has always called those who follow Him to tell others about Him.
Jesus has always promised to build His church on our confession of who He is.
This is why at Living Hope, we are all challenged to:
“BE A DISCIPLE… MAKE DISCIPLES... BE THE CHURCH… TO THE GLORY OF GOD!”
BE A DISCIPLE
A disciple is a person who follows Jesus because they have been forgiven of their sin. They have been saved by grace through faith once they have repented of their sin and trusted in Jesus’ sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection. (Ephesians 2:8)
A disciple denies himself, takes up his cross, and follows Jesus. (Luke 9:23)
A disciple obeys Jesus’ commands. (John 14:15)
A disciple abides in Jesus’ word. (John 8:31-32)
MAKE DISCIPLES
A disciple understands that it is their responsibility and privilege to point others to Jesus. Disciples also understand that God is calling us to help train others in the discipleship process – not as experts, but as fellow disciples seeking to follow Jesus together.
Jesus commissioned us to go into all the world to make disciples. (Matthew 28:19-20)
This is to be done in the power of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8)
Being a disciple involves replicating discipleship in others. (2 Timothy 2:2)
BE THE CHURCH
A disciple realizes that God doesn’t call us to go to church. Rather, He calls us to be the church. There’s a radical difference. Going to church is passive. Being the church is active. Let’s go church!
The church is to gather to encourage and admonish one another in the faith. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
The church is to love and support one another. (Romans 12:9-21)
The church loves one another, showing the world that they are His disciples. (John 13:35)
OUR VISION
OUR MISSION
What is the Gospel?
Gospel means “Good News!” But, to have good news means there is bad news as well. The gospel is the beautiful good news of God’s grace that invades the utter darkness of this world. We were created in God’s image, to worship Him and reflect His image. However, sin entered into the world. Sin is anything that is rebellion and disobedience to God. All of us have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). Because God’s standard is perfection and none of us come close to measuring up, we deserve death – both physically and spiritually (Romans 6:23). However, the wonderful good news is that from eternity past God ordained that Jesus would come to take our sins upon Himself, experiencing an agonizing death on the cross (Revelation 13:8). However, Jesus didn’t stay in the grave. On the third day He was resurrected victoriously (Matthew 28:6).
Christ’s death is a substitutionary sacrifice to God for our sins. It satisfies the demands of God’s holy justice and appeases His holy wrath on sin. It also demonstrates His love and reveals His amazing grace. Jesus Christ is the only way for us to be made right with God (John 14:6). There is no other name by which men can be saved (Acts 4:12). At the heart of all our beliefs is the understanding that Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection is the only thing that redeems sinners dead in their sin. Everything we believe has the gospel message as the starting point.
