Look Forward

Outside on the church’s platform, the 20somethings were chilling out on the picnic tables deep in discussion with stacked boxes of Little Caesars. The hot topic of the evening was the end times. We’ve been hearing about things that are going to happen in the world & the major events planned by man. We’ve been hearing the church sounding the alarm. We’ve all been feeling a difference in the atomosphere. Today, I just want to encourage you to keep your head up to Christ! The unsual world events do catch our attention but there are great things for the believer in Jesus to look forward to!

His Holy Spirit

In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. Acts 2:17

Good news everywhere

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14

We will meet Him

Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  1 Thessalonians 4:17

Jesus Wins! 

And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. Revelation 19:19-21 

He makes all things new

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had disappeared. Now there was no sea.  And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It was prepared like a bride dressed for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne. It said, “Now God’s home is with people. He will live with them. They will be his people. God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain. All the old ways are gone.”The one who was sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this, because these words are true and can be trusted.” Revelation 21:1-5

I encourage you to read the book of Revelation & the entire chapter for all of these. I also encourage you to not fear & to not give up praying for your friends & family. Set your eyes on the One who has saved you as He foresaw your future.

God’s Calling

This generation is under attack! The enemy is bringing things to the 20 somethings. In fact, things are harder than they have ever been before. God has called us in this time & generation to bring His people back before its too late. The enemy comes at us like there is no tomorrow! Over and over again, the devil tries to distract us by bringing us down & out of the will of God.

For the average 20 something….. the enemy comes & we let him have his way. God wants to do amazing things through us. We can’t forget that of course! But the first moment the enemy brings something our way we forget about it! We forget what that calling is and focus on our problems.

We have to tell the enemy not how big our problems are but tell our problem how BIG IS OUR GOD!!!!!!!!! We have to be the people God has called us to be & focus on God! Not our issues, not money, not relationships, not our total 100% at school & work  but on God. Once we give all our focus to God He will provide for those needs & we will hear His calling.

Have a Blessed day

Jason,

How to keep focus?

• Pray often
• Shun the very apearence of evil. Wether it’s a mind battle, a verbal offense against you, a situation. Reject it!
• Think about someone else.  Sometimes it’s the last thing we want to do but How can we help bring God’s people back to Him if we think of ourselves?
• Hit the books. Read The Word of God.
• Help out in your Young Adult Ministry Don’t allow issues & attacks of the enemy to affect how much you serve & attend here. Some people in their 30+ years say “I wish this ministry was avaiable for me when I was 20.” Chances are, if you are a 20 something right now, God can use you here to help the young adults in your city!

The world is full of distractions…

For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 2 Timothy 3:2

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. Philippians 2:3

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:12

Choose Today

Today could be the most Mondayish Tuesday ever! After a long weekend, the first day of the work or school week always feel like a Monday – no matter what day it is! You may be feeling tired and overwhelmed like me. You may be wishing you had just one more day off. You’re clinging to that cup of coffee (or in the case of my husband, a diet Coke!) like a life preserver. It’s easy to get angry on a morning like today. Your commute might have sucked; somebody might have stepped on your perfectly pedicured toe. But despite all of this, I am asking you to choose today to be happy. Choose today to be grateful. After all your God woke you up this morning, He gave you the provision to buy that cup of coffee, and His grace allowed your legs to carry you on that train. Choose today to take a minute to say this simple prayer :

Lord, I worship you today. Your name is high and lifted up oh God. This day I praise You in everything that I do. Let my mind meditate on You all day. For in You I am comforted, in You I am protected, and in You I am peaceful. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be blessed today friends!

Love, Andera

Can’t Shake The Feeling?

20 Somethings,

You are a special kind of people. Not because you are 20 somethings, but because you are a child of God. He has placed different talents, ministries, acheivements, & more inside of you! As you are alive now, it’s time to get it out & use it for His honor & glory. He has placed you here on the Earth to spread the good news, cast out the powers of darkness, be filled up with The Word, inspire & mentor the younger ones to go in the right path, cry out to God for your brothers & sisters in prayer & fasting, help those around the globe who suffer & much much more. Did those things ever cross your mind? If you are feeling distressed and unable today, shake it off! If you are feeling forsaken & left alone by God, Shake it off! It is not true & not who you were meant to be. The enemy would like us to be lied to & blinded by our feelings. We don’t need to think or feel, We can do something better….We can know the truth! 

There’s a familiar song that says

I’m not gonna live by what I see,
I’m not gonna live by what I feel
Deep down I,KNOW that You’re here with me
I KNOW that, You can do anything

Through You,
I can do anything,
I can do all things,
For it’s You who give me strength,
Nothing is impossible
Through You,
Blind eyes are opened,
Strongholds are broken,
I am living by faith,
Nothing is impossible!

In this generation many live by feelings & what we see. Many will stay centered on self!

Romans 12:2 says Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 

What is His will for you today? This day? Don’t let it be ordinary! Don’t let it be about you, the problems, the feelings… Shake it off & be help to this world today, God can use you! Simply pray & He will provide an opportunity you’d never expect!

One person here in Lift Off mentioned that she had gotten the opportunity to chat with a friend on facebook. She has not spoken to this friend in a while. She got the chance to explain her journey to Jesus & HopeNYC in detail. Was the friend truly interested in knowing all of that? Realistically no, but because of a High school theology class Hw assignment, she needed to interview a Christian for a grade on her project. After the interview she received better understanding of the faith & seemed interested.

Another person in Lift Off has met a lady on the train who had desperately allowed her son to go to church with him that same evening because he hung with friends of bad influence. 

Some others got the opportunity to share the good news with family on their vacations!

One man (You may know) felt the sudden need by the The Holy Spirit to open his mouth & spread the good news on the subway without knowing he would do it that day. He was later asked by someone to provide a card with his church info so they can possibly visit one day.

Shake the feeling & be His servant today! What you can do for The King today?

 

Incomplete

20 Somethings

Be encouraged today that God is for you. He knows every thought that runs through your mind. He understands every emotion you experience. He knows your heart & every desire inside. He cares like no one can.

Don’t feel dismayed or forgetten. Don’t ever feel unfavored & unloved by the Great Big God of Heaven & Earth. He will complete what ever in your life seems incomplete. Some of us are at a place right now thinking about life & how it seems incomplete. At our 20s, we picture ourselves doing better, living good, going places, moving higher. In many of our minds we imagine our lives full of accomplishment as we graduate college with the bachelors degree, finally meet our soulmate, live independently, start a rewarding career, fly high to exotic places, do fun extreme sports, drive a great vehicle & whatever else sounds good. It sounds so perfect for now…this time… this age. We are 20 somethings? Why aren’t we doing it now?

You may have some of it or none of it. Trust in Jesus, He will complete the life He gave to you. WARNING: He will complete it differently than you planned! You already know what Isaiah 55:9 says:  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Proverbs 20:24 says:  The LORD directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way? If you are living for Him, He is directing! The life He has planned for you will be way better than what you’ve pictured. If The Lord tarry, I believe that you will be overwhelmed by what He’s done for you by the time you finish this decade & turn 30. You were made for more than accomplishments! He wants to use you to help change someone’s eternity. If my life was not about Jesus, it would be incomplete. An artist sang it like this, Without Jesus my life seems wrong. 

I want to tell you to just keep praying but I gotta specify. As 20 somethings, we’ve got to spend real time with Him in prayer. Drentch yourself in His glorious presence. That quality time is so important, dont forget it. If it seems like He’s not showing up, then you show up for Him! In fact, you know He was there before you showed up. You know The Word says He never forsakes (1 Deuteronomy 31:64) Don’t let a mere feeling get in the way of what you know is true. If you’ve been too busy, make the time to be with Him. There is a quote that says “If you are too busy to pray, you are busier than God wants you to be.” After you devoted the time & finally pressed through in prayer, you will understand your God, His heart for you & where you stand in Him. All at that moment. You may even look back on how far you’ve come. He is up to something amazing & it is still unfolding.

I know everyday, it may not seem like much is hapening but be assured that God will complete everything. He will make every year in your 20s be significant. Every day you are alive is significant. Make every hour in it count! Keep on growing, praying, reading, job hunting, class searching, encouraging, laughing, helping, smiling, greeting, enjoying, learning, fellowshipping, showing up & serving at HopeNYC. Trust Him.

You are living in a significant time 20s somethings. If you are living completely for Him, the things you need to get done in your life will get completed. If certain things did not happen according to your plan, you will thank God later it didn’t happen after all. At the end of it all, your life won’t be for your glory, it will be for His. Now that would complete me. 

Be encouraged today,

Love Cindy

Don’t Forget!

LIFT OFF MEETS NEXT SATURDAY!

Come to our VIP Mocktail event! Get Glamourous & Dress fancy!

Invite some 20 Somethings because this will be Good! Pastor Sharo will be speaking! Come & hear this special message God has planned for just for us! Travis Freeman will be worshipping in song!  Have you been inviting???

This will be our meeting for August! Next Month we are going to see Bethel live in concert! Let Cindy know ASAP if you are interested if going! Tickets need to be ordered NOW if you are going next month!

The LIFT OFF Facebook

Be our friend to get updates on our next meetings & check out past photos of fun times!

Loving Christ

I’m sitting here in a Chinese restaurant, not knowing what to say. I don’t even know what to order. A friend of mine asked for a favor, and I almost forgot to do it. It’s Friday and I was asked to do this blog almost two weeks ago. And I still don’t know what to say.  But today, God is good. This morning I woke up with a headache that’s been going on for three days and my neck hurt worse this morning. I was getting sick and tired of being sick and tired. Nothing was really working. No meds, no massage, nothing was working. I sat there on the bed this morning and I just got mad at the devil. I got dressed quickly and brushed my teeth. I remembered how much I can’t do without Jesus. I started speaking life into my situation, praying in authority over my pain, over my body. It was deep, a prayer not even the devil could stop. I put my hand on my head and I prayed that pain out. It was like the pain was a hat on my head and I just took it off with my hands. And I did the same with my neck and in that moment of prayer when all the pain went away, I was reminded of something by the Holy Spirit of God. That is I have the power of God within me. I have authority over this world and my situations. Like always I stood there in awe for a few minutes of God’s greatness upon us. I was able to get through my day with ease. I just want to thank God for His awesomeness for His GREATER MERCY AND GRACE!!! AND MOST OF ALL HIS LOVE!!! THE HEALING POWER OF GOD IS OUT OF THIS WORLD. “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17 KJV

Have a blessed day, Neal

Singled Out

Ever felt singled out for being single? Singles get the short end of an already short stick in contemporary society. You’ll pay the most for health insurance, you’ll pay an arm and a leg in taxes, AND you’ve got to buy birthday presents for each one of your coupled up friends yet they give you ONE gift on your birthday…it sucks. Today I want to remind you of two very important people in history who were single and changed the world drastically. Let me introduce you to Jesus and Paul! The Scriptures make it very clear that both men never married. So why is there such a stigma against singles? Churches need to affirm singles and not make singles second-class members unless they want to make Jesus and Paul second-class members of Christian tradition. HopeNYC does this by providing Lift-Off!

Let’s talk about covenant relationships for a minute. Covenant relationships are first and foremost between God and us. A covenant should be confused with a contract. A contract is something that can be cancelled once certain conditions are met. A covenant is a lifelong agreement and commitment. Marriage is a covenant, not a contract. But before you get to that stage (if at all – there’s nothing wrong with being unmarried, Scripture also supports that), we need to seek and cultivate our covenant relationship with God. Then we can focus on covenant relationships with our family and friends. To nurture these covenant relationships (God, family, friends) is to transform and deepen our sense of life’s blessings.

Think about the covenant relationships you nurture today and thank God for His relationship with you and your relationship with others!

Love, Andera

LIFT OFF Young Adult Ministry

Lift Off is the young adult ministry of HopeNYC Church. It is exclusively for young adults ages 20-29 that are singled (not married). The 20 somethings can stress down, express themselves and mingle with new friends as this ministry provides a comfortable & fun atmosphere. There are cozy seats,  refreshing mocktails, great food & desserts, awesome conversation & more. Sometimes there are cool themes like an ugly sweater party and wear all white under the UV light! Lift Off meets only once a month. Sometimes, our meeting will be a relaxing lounge in church, sometimes it will be a fun outing, and also it may be a time to colaborate & work on a huge project for God’s glory. (see How Big is our God?)

Lift Off is here to help to young adults lift off! We encourage them to live their lives with joy for Jesus Christ!  Conqure issues through Him! Prosper & getting to work on living the good life God has planned for them. We have discussed hot topics such as singleness, money, depression, love, stress, the meaning of life and much more to come! There are truly some great challenges that are faced during the ages of 20-29 years old. Big decisions made here can effect them for the rest of their lives!

Without Jesus there is no Lift off.

The ministry is sponsored by people with a special place in their hearts for the youth & young adult. They are there willing to help & serve in anyway possible &  they are very knowledgeable of the word of God. They have counseled & prayed for the 20 somethings who reached out needing someone to talk to about issues they deal with. They have also lead talks or Hot Topic Conversations, that has helped people.

This blog was created to encourage the singled young adults of Lift off on a weekly basis. Great posts to read & wise reminders from the word of God.

Our Upcoming event: Lift Off on August 22nd

On Saturday August 22nd, Lift Off will be meeting at HopeNYC Church! Come stress down & enjoy great mocktails, food, desserts, friends, games, The VIP experience & much more!

We have SPECIAL Hot Topic conversation from our guest speaker & Awesome Pastor: Pastor Sharo!

We will also be having a special dance by Lift off’s favorite dancer: Steven Vilsaint!  

Not to mention an orginal song of worship from Travis Freeman.

This exclusive event is only for Singled young adults ages 20-29 years old. 

Parents, kids, siblings will be kicked out by our bouncer! 🙂  

INVITE INVITE INVITE INVITE INVITE INVITE INVITE! 

If you want to know Jesus & invite others to Him THIS IS THE PERFECT DAY!

INVITE INVITE INVITE INVITE INVITE INVITE INVITE! 

It may be a themed day so watch out for announcements & keep posted for updates! 

AUGUST 22nd at 5pm!

Add us as a friend on facebook: Lift Off

Like our fan page: Like Lift Off