A Spiritual Anchor
Don’t we live in a unique time in history? Sometimes it is so difficult to take a step back and find some perspective in this age of “living your own truth.” How have we come to such a place? A place where we as human beings think that we can develop, create or choose our own definitions of “truth.” This concept seems so far from what our Heavenly Father has created us to be and how He created us to live, but this prideful concept is all over our culture today and it seems to be running as rampant as a dog let off of his leash.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” At UHCC, we often refer to the Bible as the Holy Blueprint of God. We talk about the beautiful simplicity of the Holy Scriptures and how God wasn’t trying to confuse us or leave it all up to us to lean on our own understanding. In a mysteriously complex way, the Word of God is so simple and clear about the commands of God, the attributes of God, the Holy character of God and the implications that all of these have on us as His creation. Unfortunately, in our world, the Holy Word of God seems to have gone from a blueprint to a list of loose guidelines. From the original sin of Adam, humankind has been taking the Word of God and treating it like a suggestion instead of a loving mandate. We continually think that maybe we know better than the Creator of the universe or that maybe the Author and Perfecter of our faith minced His words or made some mistakes along the way and it’s our job to tie up God’s loose ends. How have we come to such a place?
Here in Fairfield, it has become increasingly evident to our members and church staff that we are in a place that has been a stronghold for Satan’s kingdom. People all around us here are no different than our original parents, Adam and Eve, and the devil is still catching people in the same trap he used on them in the garden. “Did God really say…?” In a post-truth world, a decreasing number of people are prepared for this type of subtle, simple and predictable attack from the devil. So many, believers and non-believers alike, have lost their connection to a spiritual foundation. If Christ is a firm foundation, the cornerstone, the way, the truth and the life, then our only hope in this life and the next is to stay connected to the One who took on flesh, walked among us and paid the price for our rebellion against God that no one else could ever pay. And if our only hope is in Him, then how are we to stay connected to this good and firm foundation?
We believe that the Word of God is our anchor. It is the one source of God-breathed truth that is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. This anchor is the only source of absolute truth that leads us into relationship with our firm foundation and it is the only means by which our decaying world can find true hope. We also believe that it is through the church that the manifold wisdom of God is made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. That is why we see Urban Hope Community Church as an anchor here in this city. We are trusting that the Lord has seen fit to trust us as a church to continue to carry His Word to the people of Fairfield and surrounding communities and to connect people to our firm foundation, Jesus Christ. Despite being in a world that rejects God’s blueprint, Urban Hope has dug its toes in the sand and has no intentions of doing anything other than remaining steadfast in our study, discipleship, preaching and teaching of the Holy Word of God.
This is a promise that we make to all of you who have helped to establish this physical anchor here on Gary Avenue in Fairfield, Alabama. Urban Hope exists as a missional community devoted to growing disciples of Jesus, who are confident of their true identity in Christ and are agents of Hope in Fairfield, Alabama and beyond, and this mission has been rooted deep in the DNA of our church. The pictures below are an update on the progress of our new physical worship space in downtown Fairfield immediately across the street from Fairfield City Hall. Please be encouraged along with us and our community that the Lord has used you to fulfill His promises and to establish His church among the people of our city. To all who have contributed to this phase of our church, we are eternally grateful to you. To anyone who wishes to contribute to the ongoing work of Urban Hope, we invite you to click here to support our upcoming efforts to launch our Urban Hope Leadership Initiative, a two-year residency program for the discipleship and development of young men in our communities.
Thank you so much for your love, prayers and support of Urban Hope Community Church and we pray that you are as encouraged as we are that the Lord is at work and His Word is on the move in Fairfield, Birmingham and beyond!
