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." 

Unlikely

Make plans to join Northwest Community Church for our weekly worship gatherings on Sundays, November 8th and 15th at 10am at Cooper Elementary in Bella Vista as we share with you the exciting and even unlikely ways God is directing the future of our church. Join us as we unpack the big steps of faith God is leading Northwest to take in 2016 that will lead to greater service in our community and around the world. Come with an expectant attitude and be prepared to consider the question...How am I going to participate in the future of Northwest Community Church?

And remember, you can catch up on all the recent messages at Northwest on our media page or by subscribing to the Northwest podcast on iTunes.

   

Primed

Northwest has designed an exciting summer of growth for you and your family focused around something called "the gospel".  You may be wondering, "What is the gospel?" Over the next few weeks, your family will discover that the gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ has come to rescue and restore people. Even though the gospel is very simple to understand, it is also designed to have a deep impact on your life and the people around you.

During the summer, we are going to experience the gospel together in 3 ways:

Teach It
Beginning on Sunday, June 7th Northwest will begin an 8 week series entitled Primed.  During this series we will celebrate the good news of Jesus Christ and learn how to apply it to our lives. We will also equip you to share this good news with other people in your life.

Live It
During our summer semester of community groups, each group will be learning how the gospel is to shape life in community as they walk through a resource entitled The Gospel Primer.  Remember our summer groups launch the week of June 7th. Be sure to signup and don't miss out.

 
Do It 
Finally, this summer we are going to put the gospel into action.  You will be given several opportunities to serve your community and share the gospel in natural ways with your friends and neighbors. Be sure to listen for more details for events such as the movie nights at Metfield Park, Adventure Camp led by Northwest Kids, and the service project we will host at Cooper Elementary.  

Our prayer is that the summer of 2015 will be a defining time in the life of your family and in the life of Northwest Community Church. We pray that God will highlight the transformational power of the gospel in our lives and use everyone at Northwest to point people to Him.  

Philemon and the Power of Jesus Christ

Yesterday Northwest Community Church kicked off a new teaching series on one of the shortest books in the Bible. Over the next 3 weeks we are going to walk through Philemon together and discover some incredible things about the power of Jesus Christ.  We will see how God is able to use a short letter (Philemon contains less than 450 words, is organized into only 25 verses, and takes less than 5 minutes to read) to highlight Jesus Christ's ability to reach people, change people, and forgive people. When you combine God's Word with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you have the recipe for life-change not only in your life but also in the lives of people around you. Remember, God has been changing people's lives for centuries and the book of Philemon is a perfect example of the lengths God is willing and able to go in order to reach people and transform them.

Sundays, May 17, 24, & 31 at Northwest Community Church

During week 1 of the series, we walked through the first ten verses of Philemon and introduced the three main characters of this powerful letter. We met Philemon, Paul, and Onesimus. Philemon was a wealthy, influential businessman, a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ, and a man who was known for his ability to refresh and encourage other people. The Apostle Paul was writing to Philemon while imprisoned in Rome for preaching about Jesus Christ. Onesimus was a runaway slave with a shady past who eventually gave his life to Jesus Christ and experienced dramatic life-change and forgiveness.

If you missed week 1 of the Philemon series be sure to listen to our podcast and read Philemon 1-10 during one of your quiet times later this week. As you do, keep in mind that the book of Philemon shows us the power of Jesus Christ and His ability to reach people no matter where they are in life. Onesimus had a shady past and was running from his problems and yet God allowed him to cross paths with Paul in a Roman prison. Meanwhile Paul was suffering imprisonment and God gave purpose to his suffering and allowed Paul to lead Onesimus to Christ. And then finally Philemon was riding a wave of success and was suddenly given an opportunity to be an example to the world of what forgiveness and faith is all about.  Wow! Jesus Christ truly has the ability to cut across all barriers and circumstances to reach people no matter where they are in life.

Finally, we challenge you to ask yourself three questions as you study the introduction to Philemon:

1. Am I willing to give God my past?
2. Am I willing to trust God in the midst of pain and trials?
3. Am I willing to surrender my success to God and trust Him with my future?