Baptism BBQ Bash - Part 2

Some exciting things are happening in the life of a 14 year old student named Cole. Check out Cole's story which he recently shared at Northwest just before his baptism. God is at work in this guy's life!  

Before my relationship with Jesus Christ, I was getting called out on my sins and I knew I needed to change. I thought church was the most boring place to be…just one hour of boredom. But, I DID know that God should be an important part of your life. I tried to understand but all I was doing was thinking about myself and my plans instead of the Lord and His plans. One Sunday morning we went to church and one of the pastors talked about baptism and that got my attention. For the first time church wasn’t boring. I paid attention and after church I thought hard about my life and man was that a serious time. And man I needed to make some changes about my life. Once I began to “a hunger for the Lord” as Will says my relationship with God just kept getting stronger and stronger. I became excited about church and eventually I brought my sin to the cross and started anew.

After that many changes happened in my life. My relationship with Christ changed the way I looked at the world and my life was filled with joy, hope, and love.  Here is a little story to prove it. At my school there were four kids. Three of them did not care much about the Lord and one of them had just moved from Africa and had never been introduced to the Lord. Then, three weeks later the kid from Africa and two of the other guys became Christ followers and I was surprised at the difference God made in their lives. Since then I have been telling my dad I want to be baptized to show the world that I am a follower of Jesus too.  One Sunday our pastor made a good point.  Will said that “Baptism is just a symbol. It does not make you go to heaven or make you right with God. Baptism simply shows people that you have accepted Jesus Christ into your heart. Baptism is a lot like a wedding ring. Even if you take a ring off you are still married.” That was the coolest concept I had ever heard. So here I am today telling you that I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior and I hope that I can wear this symbol of baptism with pride and show the world my love for the Lord.

Baptism BBQ Bash - Part 1

On Labor Day weekend Northwest celebrated the life change Jesus Christ has been producing in the lives of four men connected with our church. We called it the Baptism BBQ Bash.  It was obvious to us that if a group of people wanted to have a party and celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ has restored our relationship with God and is making us into a new person that some smoked meat should be involved!    

Over the next 4 blog posts, I want to share with you the stories of the 4 men who made recent commitments to Jesus Christ and followed Him in baptism. Their stories testify of God's goodness, mercy, grace, and ability to restore what was once broken and lost.

Jason W. Story...

My parents raised me in what can honestly be described as a dying church. The sermons began to focus too frequently on tithing, so we stopped going. In junior high two positive influences, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Fellowship Bible Church, rekindled my spiritual interests. I invited Christ into my life at a Newsboys concert in the autumn of 9^th grade. At the time I thought I knew exactly what it all meant, but it would be another fourteen years until I understood the full gravity of that decision.

In my later teen years I made a cascade of poor decisions that led to a life of addiction and pursuit of pleasure. Literally everyday started with thoughts and actions that did nothing to exemplify Christ’s ways and focused entirely on myself. Thankfully and perhaps luckily these choices did not lead me to the grave or jail, but looking back now the world I was living in was depressing to say the least.

Fast forward several years, the setting was in a garage working on a old beat up Jeep. A friend named Tyler asked me what my thoughts were on religion and if I saw myself as a Christian. I admitted my questions and doubts I had at that time and truly felt it was God’s way of asking “Where’s your heart at, Jason?”

Jaclynn and I began regularly coming to church and joined a community group shortly after that experience. In a short time here at Northwest, I’ve had many examples of what being a Christ follower genuinely looks like. Will, Greg and Dr. Sanders have been more than generous with their knowledge and time. My co-worker Kam Ghomghani, an Iranian Muslim turned born again Christian, has likewise been a great resource to discuss all things faith related. And Chris Cantwell, an all-around great guy as long as you can get past the fact he’s a Cardinals fan. All have played an integral part in getting my life pointed in the right direction. 

And that’s basically my story, a story of a man who isn’t worthy but in total need God’s grace. I am eternally thankful for Christ’s love and forgiveness and for the opportunity for life change through Christ here at Northwest.  

   

Life Change

At Northwest it is all about life change centered on Jesus Christ. You see Northwest Community Church exists to lead people to experience a new life in Jesus Christ. We do what we do because Jesus has changed and is changing our lives and we simply want to share this experience with as many people as possible.  So at Northwest we don't just talk about life change. We celebrate life change. We celebrate when people serve for the first time, give generously, begin to pray and read their Bible, lead their families in a Christ-centered way, establish healthy relationships, live in community, and worship God consistently and passionately. We also celebrate when people give their lives to Jesus Christ and accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior.  

This coming Sunday, Northwest will continue to celebrate life change as we baptize 4 men who have had their lives changed by Jesus Christ.  In our worship service at 10am we will have the opportunity to hear personal stories of salvation and transformation. Then, immediately following the worship service everyone is invited to join us for a baptism bbq bash at our office building along Spanker Creek.

The church office is located at 8250 West McNelly Rd Bentonville, AR 72712. We will gather there at 12pm for the baptisms and then eat outside along the creek. We will have plenty of bbq for everyone and encourage people to bring a side item to share with others. Don't forget to bring a blanket for your family to spread on the ground for a picnic style lunch.

As always we encourage you this Sunday to invite your friends, family, and neighbors who may be unchurched. Invite them to come see what life change centered on Jesus Christ is all about.  

The Volunteers At Northwest Are Amazing

The volunteers at Northwest are amazing. Over the past few weeks I have witnessed several of our volunteers serve in ways that not only honors God but show others how much we value people.

I've watched as a team of ladies led by Ashley S. served 70 Firehouse Subs to all the teachers at Cooper Elementary and took the time to help the teachers prepare their rooms for the new school year. I've seen people like Kent, Cathy, and Cole D. along with Haley S. show up at Cooper Elementary during Open House to help serve and direct families. I've watched students like Spencer H. assist in the children's ministry even when he was not on the rotation simply because there was a need. But wait there's more. On that same Sunday I also watched Spencer come back into the cafeteria after the worship service and tell a new family how much he enjoyed teaching their child in children's church! I've watched couples like VJ and Brittany W. serve back to back Sundays on the A-team with amazing attitudes and show people how excited we are to have them come to church! I've seen Jeff and Jennifer P. step up in big ways and encourage others to get involved. I got to see Keslyn E. and Tom H. serve as point people for our setup process this past Sunday and do amazing jobs. I've watched as Tim B. and Dan F. have started using their gifts to help lead our church in worship. I watched Bynum, Sarah, and Andrew overcome technical difficulties and focus our people on worshipping God. I've seen Kurt and Rebecca S. and Becky G. serve faithfully and invite new families to join us at Northwest. And these are just a fraction of the ways our volunteers have served over the last two weeks!

The example of our volunteers reminds me of how crucial it is for each member at Northwest to feel valued and needed. In my humble opinion there are two things that will bring people back to Northwest and allow us to serve and invest in their lives:

1. Meaningful relationships with people who genuinely care for them.
2. Encounter with the living and personal God who loves them. 

It is our job as leaders to equip others and solve problems so that more and more people are able to experience BOTH! If you attend Northwest and have ideas for how Sundays could flow more smoothly, engage more volunteers, or focus people on Jesus Christ, please let us know. If you know of someone at Northwest with unused gifts and talents, then together let's find a way to get them involved. When we give our best efforts God is honored and other people are inspired to get involved. May we always give our best as an act of worship to the God who saves us.