True Hope Churches & Ministries

Volume 2
June 23, 2011

Hello,

Jesus sets the captives free!

This “4th of July” as we celebrate “Independence Day”, let us recall the TRUE LIBERATION that we have experienced in Christ Jesus the Lord and His redemption - - and let’s include that in our celebration!

What did Jesus set you free from - specifically?   

Next week – in the True Hope Times “Celebrating Independence!” issue, we would love to publish a one or two liner statement of what Jesus set you free from - - from as many of you as will share with us!  (We will print just your first name and will NOT include contact information to protect your privacy)

For instance, Jesus set me free from a life of perversion, addictions and the condemnation that comes from hurting others as He not only forgave me but cleansed me from the unrighteousness of carnal living!

To share, simply email us by clicking here and remember, just include your first name and please have it in by next Wednesday so we will have plenty of time to review it and get it included - thanks!

Many Blessings!
Dr. Timothy

TRUE HOPE TIMES

From Dr. Timothy
Dr. Timothy Hoflund
The Power of
RECALL!

"Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt;"

Recall - To summon back to awareness ...

Recall is vastly different than "remembering" - - remembering often occurs without much or any effort on our part at all!  Remembering is a human function that the enemy of our souls often triggers in his efforts to trap us in our failures!

RECALL - - Many times in Scripture we are instructed to remember something that the Lord has done to strengthen our faith and reinforce our confidence as we face some present situation or circumstance that is opposing our success.

God often instructs us to recall something of our past in which He intervened in our behalf, for instance - -
"Deuteronomy 7:18 (KJV) "Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt;"
However, when we look into the original language we find that God is telling us to do much more than merely have a memory, He is telling us to make a pointed effort to summon back to our awareness certain events that illustrate His faithfulness to strengthen, protect, provide, deliver, or otherwise show Himself strong in our lives!

The ability to recall is far more powerful than merely remembering something!  Actually, when the enemy provokes memories, he is doing so at times when it appears to him that we are presently vulnerable to some degree of defeat; he is doing so to make us doubt God's interest in our lives or His concern for what is in our best interest so that we will question - or better yet, dispute - His instructions to us.

You see, the devil knows that he cannot simply overthrow our faith!  He must first lose our confidence in God which leads to breaking down our trust in God.  If and when satan is successful in these, THEN he can more likely overthrow our faith in God! 

The devil - provoking our fleshly fears - attempts these things by bringing about - - or capitalizing on a situation of our own creation of - - a situation that challenges our trust in our Heavenly Father!  Some situation arises that requires us to make a decision to follow God into what looks like a hard process or to take actions that human logic screams "this doesn't make any sense - do something else!"

It is at just such a time that if we pause and make the effort to RECALL the times before when God led us into a "hard decision" or a difficult, even threatening, situation arose in which God told us to trust Him.

Why?  Because in every such situation/circumstance - while our flesh is crying out "this doesn't make sense!" - the devil gets in our face and arousing emotional turmoil he screams out "God is going to fail you this time!  God is going to lead you into a place that will cause you to suffer!  God is asking you just toooooo much this time!"  (And on and on he goes trying his dead level best to convince you that THIS time you just cannot afford to trust God!) 

Of course, in all the confusion that is surrounding us in the heat of battle, we (just as Israel of old) forget that it is the enemy not God that has come against us!  The devil also knows that he must keep us confused in order to prevent us from RECALLING the history of God in our own lives!  Why is he so intent on this?

RECALL gives us power over the enemy!  When the flesh and some devil is screaming out "you can't trust God this time!", RECALL all the times when you did obey & follow God into those "hard" decisions and then God let you down!  Oh, wait a minute!  He never has failed us!  He did not fail us then which means He won't fail us now!

Do the hard thing!  Do the God thing this time and you will have one more "marked" event in your lifetime which can be recalled the next time you are facing situation in which the enemy is trying to lead you into destruction!  But don't do so blindly!  Do so using the tools and power God gave you by RECALLING what He has already - and always - done in your life in your behalf (even when it was painful to go through at the time) and that is ... WIN!  God always wins and by this WE ALWAYS WIN in Christ Jesus!

"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."

In Christ & With His Love,
Dr. Timothy

PROPHET'S CORNER
BEWARE!
CHRISTIANITY
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ISLAM = CHRISLAM!!!

Due to a technical issue in last week's issue, the following is a re-print of something we all must be aware of, even when it may point out a flaw in a "favorite" ministry with many of us - - thus we need to pray for spiritual eyes to be opened and repentance where needed!

Van Impe ministry abandons TBN in clash over Islam

http://www.wnd.com/

A Christian ministry's decision to expose as "false teachers" several celebrity ministers it believes are corrupting biblical teachings has prompted a rift, with Jack Van Impe Ministries dropping plans to work in the future with Trinity Broadcasting Network, where it has broadcast for more than two decades.

"I Will Not Be Silenced! I will not allow anyone to tell me what I can and cannot preach," Van Impe said in a statement when TBN would not allow his program to air. 

"When I see heretical teaching leading to apostasy, I will speak out," he said. "The Bible says 'All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:' (II Timothy 3:16). The Apostle Paul also gives instructions in Titus 1:9-11, 13 'Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers … Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake…Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.'"

Van Impe said he immediately called his media agents and told them, "I no longer wanted to air my program on Trinity Broadcasting Network; we will take the tremendous amount of money that we were spending there to obtain new stations that will allow us to continue to reach every square mile of America with the truths of the Bible without this network."

The dispute arose over the issue of advocating for "Chrislam" and other efforts that are designed to find "common ground" between Christians and Muslims. TBN declined to air one of Van Impe's programs that contained sharp criticisms of leaders such as Rick Warren of "The Purpose Driven Life" fame and Robert Schuller.

In a statement from Van Impe Ministries today, Executive Director Ken Vancil said his organization rejected an effort by TBN to reinstate the programming and would work to develop alternative broadcast outlets where they were needed.

"We would not be able to minister effectively if we had to look over our shoulder wondering if a program was going to be censored because of mentioning a name," Vancil said. "While there is hurt over this incident, we hold no animosity towards TBN. Dr. Van Impe has often expressed his appreciate to Paul and Jan (Crouch, of TBN) and all that they have accomplished."

But he confirmed that Paul Crouch Sr. "cautioned" him as recently as Monday "regarding Dr. Van Impe's naming of names and publicly rebuking ministers and their teachings."

The dispute erupted just last week, when Van Impe's ministry planned to air sharp criticism of Christians who say they want to "reach out" by incorporating beliefs or practices of Islam into their Christian organizations.

The program specifically mentioned Warren and Schuller, prompting TBN to prevent the broadcast.

"We received a call from Matt Crouch of TBN informing us that they would not run that program. … The reason he gave was that we specifically mentioned Rick Warren and Robert Schuller and that it is TBN's policy that broadcasters are not allowed to rebuke other ministries," Van Impe said.

"This is a rather hypocritical statement in light of the fact that they have never said anything in the past when we have rebuked others such as Bishop Spong, Bishop Pike, and in the past few months Harold Camping and Rob Bell," he continued. "They also stated that they would not run any future program where we offered our DVD Reclaiming & Restoring Biblical Christianity as a premium for a donation to our ministry. A DVD that exposes false teachers and the heresies that they proclaim."

TBN did not respond to WND's request for comment on the dispute.

Vancil said after TBN's decision not to air the program that there was no future between the two groups.

"This was not an easy decision; we have had a relationship with TBN for 23 years. … But at this point we feel it is time to part ways," he said. "We have been able to over the years develop an independent network of broadcast stations all across America as well as broadcasting on TBN and Daystar. Our media agents have worked diligently and determined that we need to add 14 stations to be able to continue fully covering every mile of America.

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE

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The Church That Doesn't Believe In Jesus

http://www.thelocal.se/

Only 15 percent of members of the Church of Sweden say they believe in Jesus, and an equal number claim to be atheists according to the results of a recent survey.

"It's not very high," Jonas Bromander, an analyst with the Church of Sweden who was responsible for the study, told The Local in reference to the figure.

"It's not really a problem; rather, it’s a byproduct of the secularisation in Swedish society which has taken place over many years."

More than 10,000 members of the Swedish Church participated in a comprehensive membership survey carried out over the past year and dubbed "Member 2010" (Medlem 2010).

According to the survey, 15 percent of church members are atheists, while a quarter of Swedish Church members identify themselves as agnostic.

The younger the members, the more likely they are to be atheists or agnostics.

Bromander pointed out that there is no requirement that church members believe in Jesus or any particular religious figure.

"Many are members, not for religious reasons, but because of the role the church plays in society, or because it serves as an organisation which maintains Swedish traditions," said Bromander.

"In fact, there are many members who would rather that we focus more on our social work in Sweden than on Sunday services."

Of the roughly 6.6 million members of the Church of Sweden, about 400,000 are active churchgoers, attending services at least once a month.

According to the survey, 90 percent of church members have a weak relationship with the Swedish Church, forcing the church to ponder whether or not it remains a relevant institution in Swedish society.

The purpose of the study was to learn more about what sort of expectations people have for the church and to see how the church "can be relevant to people's lives in contemporary society".

Most said they are members in the Swedish Church because they are "have a little faith, because the church does good work in society, and stands for important traditions, at the same time thinking that the church isn't especially relevant for them personally".

The study also revealed that members who have gone through the confirmation process are more likely to see church membership as relevant. 

"Therefore, there is reason to take the continued drop in the number being confirmed with the utmost seriousnees."

Most members remain positive about the church, but the authors of the report note that those who have the greatest need for "hope, comfort, and open doors" don't appear to view the Swedish Church as giving them as much as it gives those who are happy with their lives.

According to the study, if the church succeeds in providing assistance to the poor, elderly, and other marginalised groups, it can expect its members to view belonging to the church as more valuable.

"For many the church is a religious organisation and they want it to be one, even if they don't believe in Jesus themselves," said Bromander, adding that members see their membership as a way to support what the church does.

Until 1996, Swedes automatically became members of the church at birth if at least one parent was a member.

Members are obliged to pay just under 1 percent of their annual income in church tax. 

Until 2000, the Church of Sweden was an official state church.

Bromander said the figures indicate that the church may face a challenge in balancing the needs of faithful and secular members.

"That will be something for church officials to discuss," he said.

"There is a risk of an increasing divide between those who are more engaged and those who aren't engaged."

FROM LEADERS IN MINISTRY

WHERE IS THE HOPE?
By:  Ray Gano

We are living in perilous times. This fact should be nothing new to us, scripture said that these days would be coming.

We are living in the last days correct?

It is interesting these past 5-6 years. As many of you know I have been promoting a preparedness mindset for some time now.

But in being a watchman on the wall, talking about preparedness and such I get emails from people calling me "doom and gloom Gano" or something that tends to rain on someone's parade.

It is interesting to fast forward to today and look about. There is a lot of people who are hurting, feeling down, not in a good position at all, hungry, without a home, jobless and the list goes on.

I have been warning about this for almost 20 years now, and now we are entering the throws of what scripture calls perilous times.

People are beginning to realize that the Bible was correct in warning us what is to come.

Folks, this is just the beginning. Things are not going to get better, things are going to get worse. In fact far worse.

I study history and have looked at what took place during the great depression. I honestly believe that what we are facing globally is far worse that what our grandparents faced at that time.

" Oh there goes Doom and Gloom Gano again."

I really do not want to focus on the negative.

The issue is, I see is opportunity.

There are so many people out there who are asking " Where is the hope?"

Years ago I was listening to Steven Curtis Chapman CD. At the very beginning of the song "Heaven in the Real World" there is a short speech. It has always stuck with me and when I think of it, I am reminded 1 Peter 3:15 and where Christ told us to "occupy till he returns.

The speech was given by Chuck Colson, who I am not a fan of what so ever, but no matter what, the words still stuck with me.

Here is what was said…

"Where is the hope?

I meet millions of people that tell me that they feel demoralized by the decay around us.

Where is the hope?

The hope that each of us has is not in who governs us, or what laws are pass, or what great things we do as a nation.

Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people.

That's where our hope lies  in this country.

And that's where our hope lies in our life."

We are entering into an era where there is no hope. People globally have been stripped of the knowledge of God, Jesus and His Word.

There is a vacuum in every man, woman and child's heart that calls out to our father in heaven.

We have forgotten how to have the power of God work through the hearts of men.

Because we have forgotten our hope, we have lost our faith.

In today's world people see what is going on, but deep in the hearts many have questioned the truth and thought that it was just a fairytale.

Sure they quote the scripture and claim the title. But they did not have hope.

Scripture says…

Hebrews 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Where is the hope?

We have a chance to help renew the hope.

But to find the hope, we need to renew our faith.

To renew our faith, we need to renew our minds.

Scripture says..

Romans 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

How do we renew our minds? We renew our minds by being in God's Word.

See, it is His Word that gives us power. It is His Word that lives in our hearts that will renew our minds.

By renewing our hearts and minds we are able to then boldly go out and share the gospel.

See, that is the hope that people need. They need the hope that no other can give but God. The hope of eternal life with Him, our Father in Heaven and His son Jesus Christ.

"Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people."

Folks, the rubber is meeting the road. People have lost their hope, their faith and with all of that gone, they are losing their ability to care.

We may not be able to save the world, but we can help share the hope with those whom we have influence with.

We have the chance to share the hope with friends, family, co-workers, even fellow church members.

What we must be willing to do is just take that first step in faith and allow the power of God to work through our hearts.

How do we do that?

Sometimes it is as simple as being a listening ear to one who is hurting.

Sometimes it is offering an extra bag of rice, a dozen eggs, a loaf of bread to a family who is hungry.

Sometimes it is a willingness to pray with someone who has given up and has nowhere else to turn.

The perilous times are beginning, in fact they are here.

We have a chance to make a difference, but to do that, we need to have faith in things hoped for, we need to have our minds renewed in His Word and in fellowship with Him.

And when we are ready, prepared, renewed. It will be at those times that we will begin to see what God sees.

It is at that time where we have done all, and when the evil day is upon us, that we will stand. We will be occupying till He returns, we will have the power of God in us and allowing us to share the blessed hope and His gift of life through the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Where is the Hope?

The hope is in Jesus Christ. He is the answer to the world's woes. We just got to get it out there one person at a time.

Romans 8:35-39  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter

37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That is our hope.

Nothing will separate us from the love of God.

John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

That is our promise.

Now we need to share this truth, the hope to those who have no hope in a hopeless world.

This article can be found, along with more from Prophezine! Click Here.

MINISTRY UPDATES

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It appears that our move to Southwest Missouri will be nearing completion by mid July, just about a month away!  Be watching for our announcements regarding our new location and added contact information!  Pray that all continues to go well!

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Dr. Timothy & Staff of True Hope Churches & Ministries
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