The Gospel of John Begins June 1

This coming Sunday Northwest kicks off our summer teaching series THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. Over the next 8 weeks we will be given a front row seat to the power of the Word of God.  We will also be confronted with the reality that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and all who believe in Him will have eternal life. During our eight week journey through John, we will encourage you to follow Jesus Christ and allow the power of God's Word to transform your life. 

The journey begins Sunday, June 1 at Northwest Community Church

During this series you will have the opportunity to grow and learn from the Gospel of John through:

• Our Sunday morning teaching series during June and July
• Connect Sheets used in our weekly Community Groups
• Daily Bible readings distributed on Sundays and through social media

In order to stay connected and receive the latest resources we encourage you to LIKE us on Facebook, FOLLOW us on Twitter, SUBSCRIBE to our blog, and SUBSCRIBE to our weekly podcast on iTunes. And remember all these links can be accessed directly through our website.    

Religion vs. Relationship

This past Sunday we wrapped up our CLEAN series by studying Isaiah 1:10 - 18 as we discovered God's perspective on religion and relationships. In this passage God reminds Israel (and all of humanity) that He designed human beings for a personal relationship with Him.  God clearly states His total disgust for religious ceremonies, rituals, sacrifices, and offerings designed to make us "clean" by our own efforts. Remember we are made clean by God through the power and resurrection of Jesus Christ.      

So why is it that we often find ourselves reducing our walk with God into a religion? Here are some phrases that indicate a person or a church is headed towards religion:

• I HAVE to go to church. 
• When I go to church I sit, listen, and watch. 
• When the leadership of a church says “The church is an organization we must manage and control.” 
• If I do X then God owes me Y. 
• The church is a business, programs are the products, and I am the consumer.

What does God have to say about religion? He hates religion. 

On the contrary, Here are some phrases that indicate a person or church is walking in a personal relationship with God: 

• I GET to go to church. 
• We gather at church to worship, serve, encourage, pray, and grow together. 
• When the leadership of the church says “The church is the body of Christ where everyone is valued and needed.” 
• I will obey the Lord and trust Him no matter what circumstances I face. 
• The church is the bride of Christ and I will contribute to her health, mission, uniqueness, beauty, and growth. 

What does God have to say about those who follow Him through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? I will bless you. 

Today choose to never settle for a religion. Instead pursue a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and remember we are made clean by God and for God.

Stories of Life Change

Yesterday was an exciting day at Northwest. We started the day at Cooper Elementary and kicked off the CLEAN series by gathering to worship the God who makes us clean. The worship was authentic, the friendships were genuine, and the stories of life change spoke of the power of Jesus Christ. Afterwards we came back to the Northwest office building for an outdoor bbq lunch and baptisms in Spanker Creek. Wow that water was cold! Be sure to check out the stories below of Gary and Becky Jaworski. Jesus Christ has transformed their lives and we celebrate that at Northwest. God is so good!

Outdoor BBQ Lunch

Becky 

Becky Jaworski
I was raised in a Christian family. My parents set a good example for me. I remember times in my life when I felt really close to God and times when he felt so far away. I remember even being angry at God when my life was in shambles and I felt as if He deserted me. It took me years to learn and accept that the reason for my life being a mess was because the poor choices I made were my fault- not Gods.

I always prayed to God, and never really considered Jesus or the sacrifice that God made for me giving his son to die for me. I knew of Him but thought, why do I need to pray to him? Why not just pray to God since he is the main One. I thought of Jesus as the Messenger, the one who brought the Word. Jesus, to me, was like a prophet and not my Savior. I knew that God loved me, he loves us all.

I was still searching for something and began to church hop. It seemed to me like a lot of people who called themselves Christians were judgmental and teaching fire and brimstone. I still knew God loved me, but I just never committed myself to living the life he wanted me to live. We took our children to church, and attended now and then, but I never really gave myself to God.

In 2013 we were asked by our landscapers to help support a mission trip that they were going on. It was the invitation to their church to see a film of what they did on their trip that finally got me to say, okay, we will go to church and see it. Once I was at this church, I could feel Gods love, I knew I was missing something in my life, and a relationship with God was it. From that point on I felt as if something was changing in me. God started to work in our lives

We moved to Arkansas only a few months after attending Cedarbrook. We prayed that we would find a church like the one we left behind and wanted to continue to grow in our faith. I am still growing as a Christian. I know that Jesus came to earth to die for our sins and my relationship with him is growing each day. I know that God has paid the Ultimate Randsom for me, his Son. He is my personal Lord and Savior. What He wants from me is my heart. It is His.

Gary

Gary Jaworski

Religion and Jesus have been a part of my life since I can remember. Whenever I needed something I would ask God for it and when I did not get what I wanted I would blame God. See Jesus was someone that was always there, but I did not really understand who he was.

I moved to Arkansas from Wisconsin not that long ago. Back home I had everything I needed and more. A brand new house, a perfect yard, new truck, and a prefect job. I thought I deserved these things because I had worked hard for them. And yet there was something missing in my life. I started going back to church not really understanding if it would be the answer to this hole that was in my life. Like I said Jesus was always around in my life but I did not know who he really was. Have you ever known someone as a friend but did not know all the things they have accomplished? This is how it was between Jesus and me.

The more I found out about Jesus I was amazed at all the things he did in his short time on earth. I needed to know more. I have also seen amazing things that Jesus has done with ordinary people and the lives that have been changed in his name. How unselfish people like BJ and Jill changed my outlook on life. Those THINGS I thought I deserved; they are not happiness but learning to give back to God for all his blessings that is happiness.

I have been learning to build a friendship with Jesus and continue to be amazed that he would love me in spite of my faults. How many friends do I have that would lay down their life for me I not sure but I know Jesus did. I would like to share with you that I have accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior and I would like to offer my life to our Lord and allow him to take control for I know our God can do a lot better job at it then I can. Thanks Northwest for making me feel so welcomed. I want to thank Will and Greg for believing in me too.

Thanks to our Lord and Savior for His patience in waiting for me to be saved.

Towels and Hugs

Check out the video clip of Gary's baptism in Spanker Creek.  

Clean

Northwest kicks off a new series entitled Clean this Sunday, May 18th. We will spend two weeks looking at how we are made clean by God for God. The incredible reality is that God promises to clean, restore, and forgive all who put their hope and trust in Jesus Christ. We are made clean by God in order to do good in a world filled with hurting people.          

This Sunday we will also have the opportunity to hear life change stories and celebrate the baptisms of new followers of Jesus Christ at Northwest. Immediately following the worship gathering on Sunday, we will head over to the Northwest office for an outdoor bbq lunch and baptisms.  Come join us!

Northwest office is located at 8250 W McNelly Rd Bentonville, AR 72712 just two miles from Cooper Elementary in Bella Vista.  

Team Blanchard

It's been an exciting two weeks in the life of the Blanchards. On Saturday, May 3 we welcomed Allison Lee Blanchard into our family. Sarah was amazing and the delivery and recovery process has gone smoothly. Allison weighed in at 7 pounds 11 ounces and of course we immediately fell in love with her.  We continue to give thanks to God for blessing our home with another baby girl and consider all the adjustments and sleepless nights completely worth it. Now all we have to do is raise Allison to love Jesus and become a responsible, thoughtful, generous contributor to society!