Pastor Wayne Cordeiro, Pastor Jon Burgess
November 20, 2016 - W1647

Pastor Cyndi Burgess [video]: Our Future and a Hope spiritual journey started in January of this year. It's incredible and heartwarming to see what God has done so far and to see how the church ohana, from keiki to kupuna, has responded and joined the spiritual journey. Here are the stats that reflect the rewards of the journey: 398 people gave their life to Christ for the first time; 127 people made a public declaration of their faith and was water baptized; 82 people were part of our Growing Deep, Growing Strong program; thousands are memorizing their God tag scriptures and over 1500 are growing spiritually through the use of the daily (texting) devotional. Collectively, the congregation has responded to the building campaign through both the Walk of Faith initiative (875 individuals) and the Future and a Hope initiative (1300 New Hope Oahu leaders, individuals, and households) with pledges, commitments, and donations totaling $7.5 million. New Hope Oahu is laying a foundation for the next generation. God has given us a Future and a Hope!

Pastor Wayne: Reveal Weekend.

Well, that's outstanding. I look at the video and I'm just thrilled! Some of you might say, “Well, we got $7.5M but we need $10.8M.” So if someone would like to write a $3M check tonight, we'd be right there!

There is a parable in Matthew 25 where the master gives one servant five talents; another, two talents; and another, one talent, each according to their abilities. The servant with five talents doubled his talents and the master said, "Well done, good, and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master." The servant with two talents doubled his and received the same response, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master."

God chooses the amount we receive so He asks the church to pray that we will be faithful to steward the $7.5M and not borrow any more money. He also encourages us to listen for the heart of God saying, “Well done my good and faithful servant! Now I will add more because of your faithfulness.”

New Hope Oahu (NHO) is made up of people from all walks of life and Pastor is thrilled with the $7.5M and thanks everyone for their faithfulness in responding to the campaign. Leadership will look into ways to best steward the $7.5—perhaps, we will build the 400-seat chapel but enclose it later. We may also postpone the completion of our building until 2018 because the price of concrete is now sky high because of the construction of the rail and condos. We are told that at that time, most of the construction should be completed, making concrete more available and the price substantially lower. Construction in the Mauka Annex is currently being done and everything will be completed “in the fullness of time.” We have great leaders on the building committee who listen to the cadence of the construction world and to the Lord, making sure the timing is correct.

Pastor Wayne: Make Your Mark - Consistency.

The sermon today is about Making Your Mark Through A Life Of Consistency. God does a lot in the earthly kingdom through people who I call "outlasters." You outlast the circumstance, the deluge, the rain, the setback, the devil, and all of the things that he tries to do. You are still here, plugging along and worshipping God regardless of what happens. Consistency.

Pastor notes that Paul the apostle was an outlaster. He was consistent through everything he experienced and at the end of his life, he says, "I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness," (2 Timothy 4:7-8 NIV). Paul made his mark as an outlaster, as someone who was consistent regardless of circumstances.

Job says, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him," (Job 13:15 KJV). Job exemplified a life of absolute consistency. We never wonder where Job was (in his faith) or where he would be tomorrow—he would be serving God.

In the Book of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were about to be thrown into the furnace by order of King Nebuchadnezzar.They said to Nebuchadnezzar, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods.” (Daniel 3:17-18 NIV) Understand the mark they made by consistency.

Over the next decade NHO may have a building that looks a little different. A building may be used to express consistency, endurance, and perseverance. However, the greatest mark a church will make is on the next generation. That’s where the life—yours and mine—of consistency will be most important. The consistency of a church allows young people to grow up, find their place, discover their faith (kind of go nuts for a while) then come back. Why? Because if the church is also running around and searching for the next popular trend, what will happen when the young leaders decide to find their way back home? How will that church help them? However, if a church is stable, built on a solid foundation, when the young leaders decide to return home to a church, they will find a consistent light burning for them.

NHO is a lighthouse. It will see many trends and people will compare, but NHO must stay consistent. It doesn't matter what's going on around us. We must help the next generation find their way back home. I look at our church and realize we're not a very super-rich church, yet, basically all of the New Hope pastors, many church leaders, and talented musicians on this island, came "out of this womb."NHO may not have a lot of opulence, but the church has consistent, faithful people who are Making A Mark.

Abraham in Genesis 22, at the age of 99, had a son Isaac. Some time later, God speaks to Abraham, "Abraham! I want you to take your son up to the mountain and I want you to give him up. I want you to sacrifice him." As the story progresses, we find Isaac lying on the wood and his father ties a rope around him and takes a knife and—wait, this is a crazy story! Why doesn't Isaac, who is probably a strapping 18 year old young man, save his life by overpowering his 117 year old father, and run? Why did Isaac just lie there and wait? Because for 18 years he had watched his dad put God first. He had seen his dad honor God, and God never failed his dad once. It was the consistency of Abraham that left such an indelible mark on Isaac that caused him to trust God.

During the renovation of one of the walls in the NHO sanctuary building structure, a rediscovery of scriptures were found written by church members on drywalls 17 years ago! Some were written in Japanese; so we know that even back then New Hope had a heart for missions in Japan and for people who don't know Christ. One of the Japanese scripture translated says, "Now abideth faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love." Scriptures about healing and love for the lost were also written. The same heart that God used to build this church 17 years ago, is the same heart He will use to build in this new season. Consistency will make the greatest mark of all—not a nice building design. As NHO moves from 17 years ago to maybe 17 years from now building, purchasing, and expanding, let us keep the same consistent heart with which God began this ministry and never lose that. Never lose that!

The Reveal Weekend is a reminder that God will allow us to make the greatest mark of all—not by climbing to the top of Mt. Everest or accomplishing a grand achievement but—by the consistency of holiness. As a sign of that, please leave your mark on the next era to God and others, just as Abraham, Job, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Paul did. They made their marks because their hearts were consistent from the beginning to the end—they never changed.

NHO had experienced “flack and was nailed” when the legislative laws conflicted with our faith or the roof collapsed, etc. The people were going all over the place but they were able to reroute their lives through scripture, get it straight, and find their way home because NHO remained solid and consistent as a lighthouse in the community! I give thanks to NHO for being a church that stands strong and consistent in the midst of "all the stuff."

Pastor John Burgess (instructions to the congregation): You will receive a keepsake Sharpie that says "Future and a Hope, Make Your Mark." Write your life verse or prayers on the sheetrock (to be installed as a wall in the new building) on top of tables under the Ohana tent or on the floor in the Mauka Annex across the street. You will make a permanent mark of what God is doing in this church founded on the Word and Spirit of God, through the people of God to reach this island and beyond.

Discussion Questions:

1) Why is a life of consistency important in leaving your mark or legacy?

2) What would happen to the next generation if the church is not consistent?

3) What scripture or life verse or prayer would you have written on the wall of the church?