Hilo Church of Christ

By Kelly Bartholomew, Women’s Ministry Leader.

“No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. ‘Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law My servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:5-9 (NIV).

As the Lord speaks to Joshua following the death of Moses, He commands Joshua to “Be strong and courageous” in leading His people (the Israelites) “to inherit the land I [the Lord] swore to their forefathers to give them.”   I imagine Joshua being somewhat fearful and overwhelmed with the daunting task of taking millions of Israelites into the Promised Land.  These were men and women who, prior to this point, were children to those who were within seconds of stoning Joshua when he tried to enter the Promised Land the first time, just 40 years earlier (Numbers 14:10).   I find Joshua’s fears and feelings of being overwhelmed extremely relatable to me through the journey of my life as I have gone from the world into being a whole-hearted disciple, from a whole-hearted disciple into lukewarmness, from lukewarmness back to a whole-hearted commitment, and finally to becoming a leader in God’s Kingdom.  The phrase, “Be strong and courageous” is found three times in this scripture, and in one of the three times, the Lord adds the word “very” to say, “Be strong and very courageous.”  Certainly, it had to be these words that Joshua needed to hear in order to stay the course.  And it is those very same words that have kept me from turning “to the right or to the left”!

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By Evan Bartholomew, Lead Minister.

“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.” Daniel 2:44 (NIV).

In the book of Daniel, we find the famous interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream by the prophet Daniel. He prophecies to the king about the coming of the Kingdom of God that was to come some 600 years later. In his interpretation he summarizes the dream by saying, “It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but It will Itself endure for ever.” It was to be an eternal Kingdom thrust into the heart of all nations!

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By Kyle Bartholomew, Evangelist, Honolulu International Christian Church.

As I imagined what my first week in the Honolulu International Christian Church would be like, I envisioned sharing my faith with a ton of people, having memorable bonding times with the disciples, an incredible first Sunday Service, a faith building Special Missions Contribution, and of course a lot of fun!

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Guest article by Kip McKean.

(Editor’s note: The following guest article is taken from the web site of our sister church in Los Angeles, California, the City of Angels International Christian Church.)

Los Angeles World Missions Jubilee
Hilton Hotel – Universal City, California
July 31 – August 3, 2008

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By Evan Bartholomew.

As disciples, one of the most amazing demonstrations of God’s overwhelming grace and unlimited power in our own lives is found by looking at how He pulled each and every one of us “out of the darkness and into His wonderful light” (I Peter 2:9). We remember the emptiness and loneliness of the darkness, and our cries for help when we were the most desperate. Then, just like “a burning stick snatched from the fire” (Zechariah 3:2), God reached down, grabbed hold of us, and brought us into a new and incredible life. With certainty, we are no longer found buried in the deepest pits of darkness, but have been rescued and made into light for a wicked and darkened world. We are now a “light to shine before men” (Matthew 5:16). Yet, not all lights shine brightly. There are some who barely flicker like a candle caught by a gust of wind. Then there are those whose brilliance shines through the night like distant stars across the expanse of the universe. How brightly does your light shine?

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By Kyle Bartholomew.

In this prophecy of Isaiah, we learn that it is and has always been God’s heart to bring His righteousness, hope and salvation to the nations! God’s heart for the nations is reflected in many other passages such as Acts 1:8 – the command to take the gospel to the “ends of the earth”; Acts 2:39 – the promise that the gospel message would reach “all who are far off” (Gentiles); and perhaps most familiar, Matthew 28:19 – God’s command “to baptize… the nations”! Since I was born and raised in Hawaii, the most exciting aspect of Isaiah’s prophecy is that God’s arm will extend out even to “the Islands”!

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By Evan Bartholomew.

“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” Revelation 2:4-5 (NIV).

For many of us, memories of the day we got baptized still play vividly in our minds. It was the day our lives were radically changed, the day we began a new life, and the day we were no longer going to let the devil win. We were filled with so much excitement and so much anticipation for what new things the Lord would bring. As it says in scripture:

“Your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” Acts 2:17 NIV.

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By Evan Bartholomew.

“I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20-21 (NIV).

It is undeniable that God has the power to make possible the impossible, and to move the immovable. Here in the scriptures, we find that this power is also given to disciples. With faith, there is nothing impossible, and no mountain that can’t be moved.

For the past eight months, it has been my privilege to lead a faith-filled group of sold-out disciples of the small city of Hilo; the Hilo International Church of Christ. Hilo is located on the biggest of the eight islands that make up the Hawaiian island chain, and the city’s population is only about 40,000 people. Ironically, unknown to most people, Hilo is also built on the side of a “mountain.”

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We are having another car wash to help raise money to send some of our members to the City of Angels International Christian Church’s conference in the summer.

The car wash will be held at Kai Store in Hilo on April 26 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Bring your dirty or clean cars and get them washed!

By HiloICoC WebServer.

Jim is the winner!

Jim has come from behind to claim the crown of our “Brother Bracket,” our college basketball postseason tournament competition.

Going into the championship college basketball game, Jim sat in third place, a mere five points away from first place. His only chance of winning was if the Kansas Jayhawks beat the Memphis Tigers in this past Monday’s game.

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