Sunday Service: December 7, 2025 • Guest Preacher, Pastor Carlos Reyes at HOPE Church in Clarksville, MD ---

Sunday Service: November 30, 2025 • Pastor Jason Choi at HOPE Church in Clarksville, MD ---

Pastor Jason teaches that the Church is entering a crucial season requiring deep spiritual discernment—not simply distinguishing good from bad, but discerning what is good from what is truly God. Using 2 Timothy 3, he warns that many things may appear godly yet lack the power of God, and believers must grow sharp in recognizing the difference. He explains five key “S’s” of Christian identity—son, servant, sinner, saint, and soldier—and emphasizes that becoming a soldier of Christ strengthens discernment by freeing us from the distractions and comforts of “civilian” living and calling us to simple, obedient, mission-focused faith. Yet while we live as soldiers in our waking moments, we rest as sons and daughters who enjoy the Father’s unwavering love and smiling presence, especially in seasons of darkness. Just as a child needs a nightlight to see their parent’s loving face, Christians need places of spiritual encouragement—community, prayer, worship—to remind them of God’s delight in them. Ultimately, discernment grows through obedience, identity, and intimacy with the Father, whose faithfulness remains even when ours falters.

Sunday Service: November 16, 2025 • Pastor Q Kim at HOPE Church in Clarksville, MD ---

Pastor Q’s sermon, “Stephen, the First Martyr,” traces Stephen’s godly character, bold witness, and sacrificial death as the first Christian martyr. He highlights how Stephen, a Spirit-filled servant chosen in Acts 6, displayed extraordinary wisdom, grace, and power—so much so that opponents could not refute him and resorted to lies, stirring hostility that led to his arrest. In Acts 7 Stephen responds with a sweeping retelling of Israel’s history, exposing Israel’s pattern of resisting God and ultimately rejecting the Righteous One, Jesus. Enraged, the leaders stone him, yet Stephen sees Jesus standing at God’s right hand and dies with Christlike forgiveness on his lips. Though Stephen’s life seems cut short, God uses his martyrdom to scatter believers to Judea and Samaria, fulfilling Acts 1:8, and his death deeply impacts Saul, who will later become Paul. PQ concludes that Stephen’s “crown” reminds us that God redeems suffering, advances the unstoppable gospel through hardship, and calls the church to faithfulness, hope, and courageous witness even in difficult seasons.

Sunday Service: November 9, 2025 • Pastor Q Kim at HOPE Church in Clarksville, MD ---

Pastor Q’s sermon on Acts 6:1–7 focused on how the early church—though filled with the Holy Spirit and rapidly growing—still faced internal problems, specifically conflict and feelings of unfairness among believers. The Hellenistic (Greek-speaking) Jews complained that their widows were being overlooked in daily food distribution, revealing both administrative challenges and potential cultural tension within the church. Instead of ignoring the issue, the apostles acknowledged the problem and wisely delegated responsibility by appointing seven spiritually mature, wise, and reputable men—among them Stephen and Philip—to oversee this ministry, while the apostles devoted themselves to prayer and preaching. PQ emphasized that healthy churches, like healthy marriages, are not those without problems, but those that handle conflict with humility, respect, and dependence on God. The early church’s solution reflected grace, inclusivity, and the Spirit’s guidance—choosing even Greek-named and non-Jewish believers as leaders—which led to greater unity, growth, and a continued spread of the gospel. PQ reminded the congregation that every problem can be an opportunity for God’s love, wisdom, and power to be revealed in the body of Christ.

Sunday Service: November 2, 2025 • Pastor Q Kim at HOPE Church in Clarksville, MD ---

Pastor Q’s sermon on Acts 5:17–42 focused on the apostles’ bold obedience to God in the face of persecution and how God turned opposition into opportunity. He recounted how the high priest and Sadducees, jealous of the apostles’ growing influence, imprisoned them, only for an angel to miraculously set them free and command them to continue preaching “the message of this life.” Despite threats and beatings, Peter and the apostles declared, “We must obey God rather than men,” boldly testifying that Jesus—whom their accusers crucified—had been exalted by God as Savior. Pastor Q emphasized that true faith means living under God’s authority, not seeking comfort or approval from the world. He reminded listeners that suffering for Christ is not a curse but a privilege, a mark of being “worthy to suffer shame for His name.” In contrast to a self-centered or prosperity-focused faith, he urged believers to revolve their lives around God, finding joy and purpose even in trials for the sake of Christ.

Sunday Service: October 26, 2025 • Pastor Jason Choi at HOPE Church in Clarksville, MD ---

Pastor Jason’s sermon calls the Church to awaken from spiritual complacency and grow in discernment amid a confused and deceptive world. He warns against false prophecies and superficial spirituality, emphasizing that true understanding comes only through abiding in God’s Word. Using practical illustrations, he reminds believers that following Christ means seeking His will—not comfort, wealth, or popularity—and that the Bible promises God’s comfort, not a comfortable life. He urges Christians to recognize the times, embrace discipleship over mere conversion, and long sincerely for Christ’s return. Ultimately, Pastor Jason centers the message on the finished work of Jesus—the blood of the Lamb—as the believer’s unshakable hope and identity, urging the Church to “make much of Christ” above all else.

Sunday Service: October 19, 2025 • Pastor Q Kim at HOPE Church in Clarksville, MD ---

In his ongoing sermon series on the book of Acts, Pastor Q delves into the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. He emphasizes that their sin was not simply withholding money, but lying about it to appear more generous—exposing pride and hypocrisy. PQ underscores that their lie was directed toward the Holy Spirit, who is not a force but a person, making their deception deeply personal. He points out that while the gift was theirs to give, their dishonest hearts revealed a dangerous disconnect from truth and reverence. This moment was serious for the early church because God was establishing the importance of integrity among His people. The result was great fear—a reverent awareness of God's holiness and the reality that He sees not just actions, but the intentions of the heart.

Sunday Service: October 12, 2025 • Pastor Q Kim at HOPE Church in Clarksville, MD ---

Pastor Q’s sermon reflects on the marks of a great, Spirit-filled church as seen in Acts 4:32–37, emphasizing unity, sacrificial generosity, bold witness of Jesus’ resurrection, and the abundant grace of God. He acknowledges the various changes that have happened and that are upcoming at HOPE Church and stresses the importance of a healthy, well-prepared leadership transition and a continued investment in the next generation. Using the example of the early church and figures like Barnabas, he highlights how the church should be more than a building—it should be a home where believers live in deep community, reflecting heaven on earth through genuine love, shared resources, and transformed lives by the Holy Spirit. His prayer is that HOPE Church would become such a home: a place of God’s presence, unity, and care for all people.