Take A Risk in 2017

Today and tomorrow we focus on the fresh start of a new year. At the very beginning let me ask you to consider the following question:

What risks are you going to take for Jesus Christ in 2017?

In a thrilling exchange in the middle of a storm out on the water, Jesus tells his disciples in Matthew 14:27 "Don't be afraid. Take courage. I am here!" Just imagine if you lived every single day with those words ringing in your mind...Don't be afraid! Take courage! Jesus is with you! Think about it. How could those truths impact your life in 2017?

Just consider the following examples of "risks" that could completely transform a person's life in 2017:

• I am going to pursue the truth claims of Jesus Christ in the Bible.
• I am going to examine if Jesus Christ is worthy to be my personal Lord and Savior.
• I am going to be obedient in baptism. 
• I am going to join a local church, get connected to a community group, and serve others.
• I am going to lead a community group and share life with others.  
• I am going to grow in generosity and trust God with my finances.
• I am going to become a servant and student of my spouse. 
• I am going to disciple my children and teach them the ways of Jesus.
• I am going to go on my very first mission trip.
• I am going to allow Jesus to break addiction in my life. 
• I am going to serve my friends and neighbors and show them the crazy love of Jesus. 

Remember, God designed you to trust Him. God is honored when we dream big, trust big, and then depend big. He loves it when we take spiritual risks and then ask for His help to follow through with obedience. In 2017, don't allow yourself to play it safe. Talk to God about the risks you are willing to take for Him, ask for His help, and then share those risks with friends and family who will encourage even more risk-taking for Christ in the new year. 

Happy New Year!

A Big THANK YOU!

A big THANK YOU to the entire Northwest family! Your prayerful support, financial investment, and servant leadership are very much valued and needed in the life of Northwest. As your Leadership Team, we are incredibly grateful to God for the privilege of serving alongside you and sharing in this faith journey together. In addition to saying thank you, the Leadership Team would like to share with you the exciting ways God has been working to prepare Northwest for future service and impact.   

Over the past 6 years, God has established a unique and healthy culture at Northwest characterized by high levels of trust, humility, and generosity. Furthermore, God has raised up servant leaders dedicated to the mission of producing and releasing leaders who are fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.  At the close of 2015, the Leadership Team shared with you two strategic goals we believed God was leading Northwest towards over the next 3 years:

1. The support of 4 fully-funded pastors committed to making disciples and releasing leaders.  
2. The Serve the City Center – Our land and building concept designed to partner with other organizations, businesses, and non-profits striving to serve the needs of people in north Benton County in the name of Jesus Christ.  

Through out 2016, God has confirmed these two strategic goals in the hearts of our leaders and given us greater clarity for the future. In addition, God has amazed us with His provision and financial blessings through the generosity of His people. In our current teaching series, James 1:17 has reminded us that every good and perfect gift is given to us by God in order to highlight His goodness. At Northwest we want to use the blessings God has given us to bless others and point people to Jesus Christ. God’s recent provisions for Northwest have emboldened the Leadership Team to take steps towards 4 fully-funded pastors, designate funds for the future Serve the City Center, and explore new partnerships and avenues of service to our community.     

For the remainder of 2016, please join us in asking the Lord to grant Northwest greater levels of spiritual momentum and then consider the specific ways God wants you to invest in the future of Northwest through the use of your time, talents, and treasure. As always, please feel free to reach out to anyone on the Leadership Team if you have questions or comments regarding your past, present or future giving.   

In Christ,

The Leadership Team of Northwest Community Church 

A Big Thank You, Family Discipleship, & More

Hey Northwest! Sarah and I are back from our sabbatical and we are excited to see Jesus do big things in Northwest Arkansas. Thank you so much for praying for us the past three weeks. During our break, we focused on 4 main things:

• Rest - We intentionally slowed our pace and attempted to eliminate hurry from our schedule.
• Recreation - We did things that recharged our batteries...swim, run, golf, beach. 
• Reconnect - Sarah and I went on dates, prayed together, and talked about God's plan for our family. We also spent quality time with our girls and extended family too.  
• Renew - We spent intentional time being quiet before the Lord praying, reading, and preparing for the next phase of leadership. 

Thank you for being a church who values a team-style of leadership. Thank you for being a church filled with grace. Thank you for being a church who allows your pastors to rest. Thank you for being a church who follows after Jesus Christ and is wiling to dream big and trust big.

In addition to saying THANK YOU, I also wanted to let you now about an exciting new teaching series we kick off this Sunday, July 17th. Over the next 5 weeks we are going to discover God's incredible design for the family. We believe it is God's desire to see EVERY family thrive in Christ. Our goal during this series is to give parents a framework for family discipleship built around time, moments, and milestones that honor Jesus Christ and produce healthy, grace-filled homes. The series will flow directly from Deuteronomy 6:4 - 9 as God gives us a beautiful picture of parenthood and family discipleship. Every Sunday you will be given practical, real-life examples of how to live out God's design for your family. Don't miss this incredible opportunity to thrive!

Sundays, July 17 - August 14

And don't forget...our Family Discipleship series will be a perfect opportunity to invite other families in your neighborhood or from your kid's ball team to join you at Northwest Community Church. With a simple invite, God could use you to help another family begin to thrive too! 

To find out more about Northwest Community Church be sure to check us out online, subscribe to our weekly podcast, and like and share our page on Facebook. 

Watch and See

In Exodus chapter 2, the Bible presents us with an incredible story which is a unique combination of strategy and prayer, of planning and faith, and of hard work and yet total dependence upon God. You may recall that the opening chapters of Exodus recount the circumstances and miracles that surrounded the life of Moses. Just imagine the context of this remarkable story...

• 1,500 years before the life of Jesus Christ in ancient Egypt along the Nile River.  
• The Hebrew people have been slaves in Egypt for almost 400 years and have grown to a population of over 2 million people (4 times the population of NWA).
• The Egyptian Pharaoh has ordered all baby boys to be thrown into the Nile River in an attempt to stop the growth of the Hebrew people. 
• Read Exodus 2:1-10 to see how one set of parents responded to this set of challenging circumstances.

You will notice in Exodus 2:4, that Moses' family must have prayerfully strategized but eventually came to the point where they were forced to "watch to see what would happen." They had to step out on faith. They had to trust that God was going to work in miraculous ways. Even though the circumstances may look drastically different, I believe this is the precise intersection God wants us to live our lives today...where strategy and faith collide. 

This past Sunday during our weekly worship gathering, the Leadership Team shared some of the big plans we believe God is leading Northwest towards in 2016 and the years ahead. We shared 3 components for a strategy that is being prayerfully directed by faith in a mighty God. These big steps of faith include:

1. Northwest to support 4 fully funded pastors.
2. Northwest to purchase land.
3. Northwest to build our own facility designed to serve the families of Bella Vista. 

If you were unable to hear the entire message, be sure to check out our podcast available online. 

Furthermore we invited all of Northwest to join the Leadership Team for 3 nights of prayer in November to ask for God's provision and clarity. The 3 nights of prayer include:

• Wednesday, November 11th at 8pm at the church office building
• Monday, November 16th at 7pm at Greg and Cassi Luka's home
• Thursday, November 19th at 7pm at Scott and Amilee Sanders' home

Finally, we want to encourage everyone to be back at Northwest for our weekly worship gathering on Sunday, November 15th as we unpack these 3 components of our unlikely vision in more detail and continue to study the life of Moses in Exodus 2 & 3.  It is our prayer that God will continue to grant Northwest new levels of spiritual momentum and give us the courage to "watch to see what would happen."