Living Hope Church - Programmes

In every generation there is a deep and unrelenting call from God to those whose heart is tuned to Him to go out into the world around them to proclaim His plans and purposes. "Mission" began with God and continuously flows towards Him, pulling mankind from their self-destruction to salvation through Christ Jesus.

Mission is proclamation of the gospel, the good news that God has made a provision to save mankind from perdition and bring them into a new and wholesome relationship with Him. Mission is also attestation to the gospel through transformed lives - a sense of living by which the glory of God shines out in the life of the individual through their character, their conduct, their conversation, their passionate positive and constructive engagement with the world around them.

This engagement is Christ-like engagement with the fallen and alienated world of sin and the effects of sin. This engagement is redemptive, it brings the true Christian out into the arena of struggle and ultimate victory over the problematic encounter with all the consequences of rebellion against God as found in the world at large. We are in the world, the Lord teaches, but not of the world. We are servants of Christ sent out to brave the storms of unbelief, persecution, and all forms of ungodliness - we are sent to do battle in His name with all the forces that hold people captive in their thought and imagination, those dark and invisible forces that lead people away from God.

Mission is staking out very clearly that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the earth, that we are a city set up on a hill, we cannot be hidden. It is a deliberate, planned and purposive action to make Christ known wherever we are. Jesus Christ Himself was sent of God for this very purpose: to bring back to God a people saved by His blood, sanctified by His Holy Spirit and strengthened by God's living word, the prophetic proclamation of God's truth as contained in the Holy Bible.

Mission in action is evangelism in the broadest sense possible. It is the deliberate pursuit of making disciples for Christ Jesus. Our main tool is the Bible, the Word of God. To some, the Bible has no meaning or relevance in today’s society. But to those who are being saved through the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible is a message of hope and salvation; the words within its pages are a message from God. The message is that there is hope for us and a future for us, if we place our faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. God can change our circumstances through faith in Jesus Christ. Indeed, all over the world, lives are being changed for good by this message.

Defining Mission in Action

Mission in action is about evangelism. Every believer in Christ is expected by the Lord to share the good news with other people. Not everyone is an evangelist, but everyone is expected by the Lord to be active in sharing their faith with other people.
Mission in Action is about discipleship. A disciple is more than just a follower of Jesus Christ. A disciple is someone who takes his or her faith seriously enough to want to know more about the Lord in order to form a deeper relationship with Him. Mission in Action provides the believer an opportunity to study the principles of the Lord, and how to put these principles into practice.
Mission in Action is about spiritual and social care, what is called “nurturing” by professionals. Because we meet in home-based groups, the formal environment of the Church gives way to an informal atmosphere of real friendship and love. We learn together, we get acquainted with one another, and we develop confidence and trust in one another. Jesus did not say people would know that we are His disciples if we attend more Church, but if we love one another. The home-based group offers a more one-to-one, heart-to-heart, head-to-head opportunity for members of the Church to knit together and to bond together. It deepens their sense of belonging, and shows that they are not isolated individuals facing the world without friends and fellow-travellers.
Mission in Action is about community outreach. This is one of the traits of a relevant Church. A relevant Church is a Church that is concerned about the needs of its community and seeks to participate in influencing the community, shaping the life of the community through direct involvement in practical projects and in community events.

Our Mission in Action Programme

As a Church, our Mission in Action programme started September 2001 with doorstep and car park leafleting, and moved on to the establishment of two home-based Church groups, meeting every Wednesday. As the Lord added further avenues of mission to the programme, we closed the home-based Church groups in order to focus more effectively on the core objectives of evangelism – proclamation of the good news of salvation and discipleship.

Our Mission in Action programme is now carried out through the following avenues:

Living Hope TV satellite broadcasts every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday at 11.30 p.m. (UK Time) on SKY 765 (Revelation TV platform)
Youth Express – Young members of the Church meeting monthly in different homes, sharing hospitality, practical experiences, social bonding and teachings from the Word of God. They are now very well constituted and contributing significantly to the ministry of the Church.
Women’s Fellowship - Women of the Church meeting monthly in different homes, sharing hospitality, practical experiences, social bonding and teachings from the Word of God. They are very well constituted and contributing significantly to the ministry of the Church.
Men’s Fellowship - Men of the Church meeting monthly in different homes, sharing hospitality, practical experiences, social bonding and teachings from the Word of God. They are very well constituted and contributing significantly to the ministry of the Church.
Focus events – every alternate 1st Saturday of the month, and focused on practical subject matters of wider interest to Christians and non-Christians alike.
Open-air evangelism in the heart of the City of Leeds – every alternate 4th Saturday of the month. This includes the distribution of a specially written booklet for first time believers, titled “We’ve Told You”. We had 5000 copies printed specifically for this purpose.
Berean programme for new believers – every Sunday before the main meeting
Mustard programme for young believers – every alternate Sunday, a separate class for young believers

Through these avenues, we optimise our desire to both disciple and nurture all our members in informal gatherings as well as extend the kingdom of God to many others every month. We are conscious of the fact that to know God is to know joy and peace.

Life has many challenges and offers many opportunities. There are good times and bad times, and everyone has their fair share of them. Perhaps you are one of the many people trying to make something of their life without God, and you know you have failed several times. It is time to turn your direction towards God. It is time to come home, time to accept the mission of Christ!

Jesus said: “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Please, come to Jesus Christ today, if you are yet to do so!

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)

What about Focus Events?

The word “focus” implies “heart”, “centre”, “hub”, “centre of attention”, “spotlight ”, “meeting point” and “focal point”.

The Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ can be described in these ways. It is the heart of God, it is the centre of our life, it is the hub of the Christian community, it is the centre of attention in a world that is splintered into many religious faiths, it is the very spotlight that concentrates our mind on eternal truths, it is the only meeting point where sin is overcome by the blood of Jesus Christ, it is the focal point for those who wish to enjoy the plans that God has for their life.

Clearly, there are many dimensions to salvation, and the message of hope and assurance is multi-faceted and multi-layered. Therefore, it is practically impossible to restrict the message to purely what is spoken from the pulpit. The Good News is not just about lives transformed by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, and the visible presence of God in the life of the believer, the Good News is also a veritable tool to deal with the social challenges of the global and local community.

These are some of the reasons why we host a "Focus" event every alternate month to spotlight a particular issue that is relevant to people within and outside of our Church. Our main aim is to reach as many people as possible with the insight and wisdom contained in the Word of God for dealing with everyday life. In addition, relevant aspects of many specialist areas of learning, knowledge and professional practice are used to provide wise advice and help to those who attend these events.

Apart from strengthening believers and enabling them to reach their maximum potential, the Lord wants to benefit, especially, people who normally would not attend Church or do not realize that there are many practical benefits that they can enjoy if they accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.