August 2023 | EOC Update
I love following Christ with my family. In some ways, this is what the Biblical story is all about — the Lord redeeming the world through a family. In fact, the gospel is about a Heavenly Father who wants children for Himself and a Bride for His Son.
In Genesis 12:1-14, God promised that He would bless all the nations through Abraham’s family and his future descendent, Jesus Christ. Through the Body of Christ in every nation, tongue, and tribe—the very family of God—God is establishing His Kingdom on this side of eternity (Eph. 1:22-23). All of our personal families play a small, but significant role in this larger drama of God’s family. What a glorious reality!
In this season, I’m excited to share a meaningful moment for our Hood family. On July 4th, my third son, Joshua, was baptized in the Sea of Galilee. I and his two older brothers not only got the privilege of baptizing him but also the honor of being with him as he made a proclamation to himself and the world that He is in Christ! Before his baptism, he continued to proclaim the Gospel in its most simple form, saying, "Even when I do not feel it, I can trust that Jesus forgives me and that Jesus loves me.”
This moment wraps a 20-year story for our family. In the early 2000s, as I was in prayer in Kansas City, I heard an impression from the Lord that I was to baptize my three sons in the land of Israel. A couple of years later, the Lord gave me a powerful dream related to the salvation of Israel and our family's small role in it. Looking back two decades later, it has been my honor and joy to baptize all three of my sons in the Holy Land.
In the Summer of 2009, I baptized my oldest son, Samuel, in the Jordan River. We spent the morning having a time of precious reflection and felt an unusual sense of God’s peace! In the Summer of 2015, I baptized my middle son, Jonathan, in a different location of the Jordan River.
His baptism was reflective of the gathering of the nations, as there was a church on the other side of the Jordan and a Korean group of believers also being baptized and singing. On both sides of the river, there is a witness of the church.
The centerpiece of each baptism was family. Samuel had both his Uncle Ed and cousin Ellen there with him, as well as my dear friend Mike Newsome (an EOC board member) and his daughter Olivia.
Jonathan had his cousins Laura and Jonas Park there praying over him at his baptism. Joshua had his two brothers there, Samuel and Jonathan. Each time, it was a moment of rallying around family and fighting for faith!
This value for family — choosing to father a family and not a vision — is really the primary focus of the local work being planted in South Florida. We want to fight for faith in the context of prayer, worship, and doing life together. This is our core value being sown into the ground here locally!
Thank you for your continued friendship, prayer, and financial support. We feel God’s wind behind our backs. We are doing this hand in hand with you!
For His Name,
Allen Hood
P.S. If you would like to track with the core, foundational messages I’m preaching down here at Open Door Church, make sure you subscribe to my Youtube channel. All of my newest sermons are being uploaded there!