WEiRd Series

Craig Groeschel wrote a book called, "Weird: Because Normal Isn't Working." In it Groeschel defines what is normal in the culture and then challenges Christians to live different, weird lives. Not for the sake of being weird but because God's values are often the opposite of what is normal in culture.

One of the problems Christianity has is that it is not much different than the culture when it comes to values. The divorce rate among Christians is not any different than those who are not Christians. The of couples who live together between Christians and non-Christians are in a statistical dead heat. Consumerism is the same within the church and outside the church.

Christians have become accustom to letting culture define what is normal. The Bible teaches that we should live in the world but be different than the world. We are to be weird!

So our new series, beginning January 22 is called WEiRd. We are going to look at several different topics we need to be "weird" in: Finances, Time, Sex, Marriage and Parenting.

So let's challenge each other to get a little WEird!

A Year of Surrender

Surrender is not in most peoples vocabulary. The natural thing for people to do is to fight to the end. The goal is to never give up. So when we challenge people to take this year and surrender it is going against every fabric of their being. Yet surrender is necessary in order to live as a follower of Christ.

The word surrender simply means to give up. The question is what are we to surrender to? The answer to that questions is easy--we are to surrender to God. We fall before him and say, "God I give up my life to you, do with it what you will, I am all yours."

At least that is the challenge from Jesus. He challenges His followers to surrender to Him.

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:23

We must surrender daily to Jesus. We must daily deny ourselves and follow him.

This year of surrender means our leadership is going to surrender to Jesus, our church is going to surrender to Jesus and we are asking you to surrender to Jesus. Trust him with all that you have and follow him.

God is For Us

In 2011 we did a series called "God Is For Us."

The reason we did the series is that many people have a distorted view of God. They see God as this angry old man who sits on his throne passing judgment on people. A lot people don't even think God likes people.

This is a messed up view of God. Even though he is a just God, a God who will someday pass judgment, it does not mean he is not for us. Whenever someone turns their back on Him, He is always there to catch them when they cry out for help.

Take the story in Matthew 14:22-32 about Jesus walking on the water. As he walks back to the disciples who are in a boat ahead of Him they become afraid because they think He is a ghost. He proclaims to them that it is Jesus and they should not be afraid. Peter says, "If it is you tell me to come to you on the water."

Jesus motioning to Peter says, "Come."

Peter steps out of the boat and begins to walk toward Jesus. Then he takes his eyes off of Jesus noticing the wind. He begins to sink. Jesus said to Peter, "You of little faith, why did you doubt."

He did not say that to Peter and let him drown, he said it after Peter cried for help, "Lord, save me!"

Matthew says Jesus reached out his hand and caught Peter before he went under.

Only a God who is for us would reach out and catch us even when we doubted Him.

Do you feel like you are sinking, about to drown? Have you tried everything on your own not trusting God? Call on the God of peace to save you. Maybe you need to cry out to him today.

Do not be afraid of God, He is for you. Live by the words of Isaiah-- "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).

So We Can . . .

If you pay any attention to what is going on in the United States you know that debt is killing our country. Debt is destroying families, businesses and even churches. Dave Ramsey has clearly pointed out that we have a debt problem.

Northwest is no different. We have a debt problem. It is not that we can not pay our mortgage, it is that we have one. And because we have a mortgage it means that kingdom dollars that could be used to participate in kingdom work is going mostly to interest. It is going to a secular institution. Literally we are the servant to our lender.

So, we are launching a campaign to eliminate some if not all of our debt. We have a balloon payment due in three years. We are asking everyone at Northwest to give above and beyond their normal giving for the next three years "So We Can" eliminate debt. "So We Can Participate in the Kingdom" at a higher level.

On Sunday, we will talk about how our mortgage payment each year would be enough to fully fund a church plant every two and a half years. Our mortgage payment for one year would be able to fully fund 37 preacher's in Zimbabwe providing each of them a motor bike and allowing more churches to be planted. We could build parks in communities, provide tutoring for low income families and come to the aid more quickly to those who have an emergency need. The list goes on and on. It would allow us to dream big and who knows where God would lead us.

We are asking the people of Northwest to prayerfully consider how God is asking you to participate in this campaign. If you are not a part of Northwest and you end up on this website ask yourself the same question. Maybe God is leading you to become a part of something that can impact the community you live in or even challenge you to go back to your church and start a similar campaign "So We Can" as the church become the hands and feet of Jesus.

On September 11th we will be collecting commitment cards. Prayfully consider how God is leading you to particpate in this campaign over the next three years.

Becoming More Like Jesus

Thomas a Kempis was a German Monk who lived in the late 1300's early 1400's. He is known for writing one of the best selling books other than the Bible of all time. The book is simply a series of devotional thoughts about imitating Christ--that is why the book is called "The Imatation of Christ."

In his first devotional thought (Imitating Christ and Despising All Vanities of Earth), Thomas a Kempis says some of the following things:

"Now, there are many who hear the Gospel often but care little for it because they have not the Spirit of Christ. Yet whoever wishes to understand fully the words of Christ must try to pattern his whole life on that of Christ."

"Indeed it is not learning that makes a man holy and just, but a virtuous life makes him pleasing to God."

"For what would it profit us to know the whole Bible by heart and the principles of all the philosopers, if we live without grace and the love of God? Vanity of vanities and all is vanity, except to love God and serve Him alone."

What if you decided to take a step closer this year in becoming more like Jesus? What if the whole church comitted to taking a step closer to looking more like Jesus? It would change the culture a little bit both within the church an in the community.

This next year we are going to challenge ourselves to grow a little closer to Jesus so that we become more like him. But we can't just talk about it. All of us need to commit to become a little more like Jesus this next year. Maybe you only take one step closer. Maybe you take two or three steps closer.

We all need to evaluate where we are and then decide where we are going to move to this next year. Then we put a strategy in place to take a step or two closer to Jesus. Maybe it is with your finances. Maybe it is with your commitment level in worship. Maybe it is serving in some place. Maybe it is taking a short term mission trip. Maybe it is getting baptized (immersed) or becoming a member of Northwest. All of those things are great, but the focus is not just change, the focus is becoming more like Jesus in those areas of our life.

What do you say? Are you in?