Paul opens the fourth chapter of His letter to the Ephesians by stating, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”
Incumbent in this exhortation is understanding first, we are not inherently worthy. We are sinners, wholly unworthy of the Lord’s love, forgiveness, and grace. The good news is that God has chosen to love us! Because He loves us, He sent Jesus to die, that through His blood, when by His grace we repent and trust in Him, we are forgiven and we are called worthy. Paul is writing to those who are now positionally worthy and calling us to act like it!
He goes on to tell us what that looks like. Ephesians 4:2 says, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Volumes could be written about this verse alone, but to state it simply we are called to the following:
Humility: Understand that God is God; I am not. As such, we should gratefully, obediently submit to His will, love Him, and love others above ourselves.
Gentleness: Practice meekness, or controlled strength.
Patience: Endure adverse interactions and actions without anger or frustration.
Forbearance (bear with one another in love): Have patience under provocation; accept mistreatment without retaliation.
Paul then calls us to, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). The Holy Spirit establishes unity between believers. We then are called to keep this unity through the bond of peace. There should be harmony and oneness among all believers. Certainly, conduct in keeping with Ephesians 4:2 will make great contributions to maintaining unity and the bond of peace.
These teachings are so clear, and are a gracious roadmap from our heavenly father. However, after focusing on these verses over the last months, it has become evident that, as sinners, we have a propensity to apply these verses in our critique of others, rather than in self-examination. Might I state clearly, this verse was not given as a weapon against others, but as a weapon against our own flesh. We should battle our sin nature. Instead of putting our rights before others, and picking the speck out of our brother or sister’s eye, we are called to willingly deal humbly, gently, and patiently, and lovingly serve our fellow believers in the name and love of Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
May we strive to Walk Worthy, and in so doing, share the love of Christ, keep our unity through the bond of peace, and bring glory to His holy name!
2023-24 Theme: Stand Firm in the Faith
Christian Education has proven to be a vital part of raising children with a biblical worldview. While a recent Gallup poll showed that the number of people who believe in God and heaven has dropped 16% since 2001, the Nehemiah Institute reports that the vast majority of professing Christian children who hold a biblical worldview are educated in biblical worldview schools, like HCA. Having spoken to recent graduates from HCA, our conversations support this claim. We have heard from many graduates from the class of 2023 who say their faith is strong and they are able to defend their faith by calling upon so much of what they learned at HCA. All glory to God!
As we know, much of the world is hostile to Biblical Christianity. Although Americans will seldom face severe persecution, the attacks on our faith from culture and media are constant. We are told to look to ourselves for truth, to live for pleasure, and that Biblical Christianity must be altered to conform to American culture. All of these attacks remind us of Ephesians 6:16 when Paul, discussing the Armor of God, writes, “…take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”
There are flaming arrows trained on our children, seeking to dismantle their faith. As Paul says, faith will be their shield. This year, HCA is focusing on exhorting and equipping our students to “Stand Firm in the Faith.” Our theme verse, 1 Corinthians 16: 13-14, calls students to be on their guard, to be courageous and strong, and to stand firm in the faith! One can’t help but read the militant tone of these verses. We need to know that we are in a battle for truth, for faith, and for hope! And while we are called to stand firm in the battle, we are also called to “Do everything in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14). How amazing is our God, who calls us to fight our battles with love? Thankfully the LORD has given us the Holy Spirit who gives us all we need to be strong, courageous, and loving, and to “Stand Firm in the Faith!”
2022-23 Theme: Know Jesus Know Truth
“What is truth?” retorted Pilate (John 18:38). Since long before the days of Pilate, people have questioned, challenged, scoffed at, and, at times, truly inquired, seeking the truth about truth. The wisdom of the world offers many ideas about truth. Some ascribe to the idea of post truth (subjective appeals to emotion over facts), others lean toward pragmatism (outcomes determine truth), others define truth as consensus (majority/popularity determines truth), and still others are cynical, like Pilate, simply justifying themselves by insinuating that truth is unknowable.
Praise God that we are certain that absolute truth exists and that God is the author of it. In fact, Pilate’s comment in John 18 was in response to Jesus, who said, “the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
So what is Truth? The Word of God tells us.
The Bible is Truth: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).
God is Truth: “Thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth” (Psalm 31:5).
The Spirit is Truth: “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you in the truth” (John 16:13).
Jesus is Truth: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).
In his article, “What is Truth?” John MacArthur summarizes all these by defining truth as, “That which is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory, and being of God.” Or, more succinctly, “Truth is the self-expression of God.”
So, “What is Truth?” There is no more important question because the answer will determine what one believes and how one lives. It will determine who one serves and whether one will be a slave to sin or live in the freedom of forgiveness. And, most importantly, it determines where one will spend eternity. God is so gracious that He not only tells us what truth is, but also how to acquire it. In John 8:31-32 Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
The Bible is truth. Truth is acquired by being Jesus’ disciple. By this truth alone, are we set free from the condemnation of sin and the lies of the evil one. Here at HCA, we strive to teach, defend, and live by the truth, that we may abide in Christ and glorify Him in our ministry and in our lives. Please pray that God will guide us as we inspire and equip our students to “Know Jesus, Know Truth.”
2021-22 Theme: Worship His Name
“Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are His deeds, and His righteousness endures forever” (Psalm 111:2-3). When we consider God’s loving-kindness, how can we keep from worshiping His Holy Name? At HCA, we are in awe of how gracious the Lord was as He protected our campus this past year. We marvel at the blessing of over 130 new students for 2021-2022 who will have the opportunity to learn and grow through a Biblical Worldview. And we praise God for the faithfulness of those who give generously in support of His work through this ministry. Certainly God is good and greatly to be praised.
As we begin the 2021-2022 school year, let us not forget that, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). How great is our assurance that we know the God who does not change, the God who is holy, and the God who is sovereign, working all things together for His glory and “the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28b). He is wholly worthy of all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise. To that end, our 2021-2022 school theme is “Worship His Name.” The school verse is Psalm 115:1, “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.” This theme and verse should lead us to: 1) Worship God in spirit and truth, 2) Worship Him and not ourselves, and 3) Know and understand the names of God and how they help us to worship Him.
Throughout this new year, we challenge each student, family, and friend of HCA to meditate on what an amazing God we have, to keep our eyes fixed on Him, and to put our own interests aside so that we may worship the Lord in all we do. As the very first step, I encourage you to sit down with your family and meditate on Psalm 145 as we worship our awesome God. “My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever” (Psalm 145:21). May all we do at HCA bring glory to His name during this school year and always!
22020-2021 Theme: Love Like Jesus
As we look back at the culmination of this past school year, we think of a world filled with disappointment, discontentment, and sadness. We think of illness, anger, violence, and hunger; the bitter fruit of a sinful world. Praise God that, through it all, we had the anchor of His Word, the peace of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the comfort of a family of believers. I thank God that, during this time, our children had the blessing of being connected to friends and to loving teachers who, despite the challenges, continued to minister to them and provide opportunities to draw near to the Lord. I’m grateful for our weekly virtual chapel services when students (and families) heard of God’s sovereignty (Col. 1:16-17), were reminded of His sustaining hand that grows us during difficult times (2 Cor. 4:6-18), and were assured that He is our helper and we should not be afraid (Heb. 13:6). Praise God for His great and precious promises (2 Pet. 1:4)!
So, with hopeful hearts rooted in Christ alone, we were able to find joy in God’s work in the world and in the lives of our children. Among these celebrations were our 8th and 12th grade commencement ceremonies. What marvelous, God-honoring and, quite frankly, fun events these were! I praise God for all of His blessings upon the HCA community and for all those who support His work in our community through prayer and giving.
Now, we turn our attention to the 2020-2021 school year! The world is hurting and in need of hope, and HCA remains a beacon of truth, discipling students to know and share the good news of the gospel that changes hearts and heals the hurting. Our school theme this year is “Love Like Jesus,” in accordance with Romans 12:9-10, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” My prayer is that this year our students, faculty, and families will be devoted to one another in love; that, like Jesus, our love for one another would be radically different, sacrificial, and sincere. Please join us in lifting our students and community before the Lord, that He would continue to pour out His blessings upon the HCA family as we share the light of His hope-filled love with one another, and a world in need.