A 366-Day Experiment
Every four years there is a Presidential Election, a Summer Olympics, and a Leap-Year; 2012 is the year with the extra day, the global celebration, and our national election. In all honesty, none of us know whether we will see any of these events, or what their eternal impact will be. What we do know is that if we live through them, we are called to do so by faith in the unseen One who created, sustains, and is governing by His power, wisdom, and Divine purpose. We live in, for, and through Jesus Christ.
With every day (including the extra one) a gift from God, I’m proposing that we who call ourselves followers of Christ do something strangely radical in a world whose population is predominantly non-Christian: We make glorifying God in all we do our number one priority…
8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 14:8
Faithfulness, fruitfulness and fully following Christ are inescapable requirements of discipleship. Jesus said this to all His would-be disciples:
23 “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24)
The Church is supposed to be a disciple-making organism. And while disciples are not mass-produced or manufactured, there are key initiatives we can undertake in community to fulfill this task that brings God glory and reflects the mission He has given us to make more and maturing disciples. There are key beliefs and behaviors we can embrace and engage. There is a Radical Experiment we can undertake for one year that has the potential to influence everyday of the rest of our lives as well as our eternity.
On January 1, I will begin unpacking the Big Idea of a year-long church-wide Radical Experiment in Biblical Discipleship. I will be preaching primarily from the books of Luke and Acts for the next twelve to twenty weeks. Many of our small groups and Sunday school classes will be challenged to use our message-based curriculum, supplementary resources such as Radical and Radical Together by David Platt, and/or to study Luke and Acts as a comprehensive unit.
This experiment is extremely practical and has five basic commitments for which we will direct our equipping efforts in the opening quarter of the year.
- Pray for the entire world – Operation World, Seek God for the City, Focus Forty
- Read through the entire Word – Reading plans & devotional resources
- Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose – Faith Promise & Key Ministry/Mission Opportunities
- Spend your time in another context – Mission Trips & Hands-On
- Commit your life to a multiplying community – Life Groups & Mentorships
So for 2012 my call is to elect Jesus as Lord of your life, run the race he has called you to with endurance, and use the extra and every other day for God!
Blessings,
Pastor Jon
DATE: Saturday, January 14
TIME: 1:30-4:30 p.m.
COST: $5
What I loved about this seminar is that it’s NOT a lecture-driven ten-step checklist to a perfect child. Instead, it is an interactive presentation diving into biblical principles and current world realities, helping you think through how you engage your children.
FACT – RWPS is BIBLICAL… explore Biblical principles that will help your family grow together as followers of Christ.
FACT – RWPS is REALISTIC… address real issues you are facing as a parent, and develop reachable next steps.
FACT – RWPS is FUN & ENCOURAGING… connect with other parents, laugh, and gain hope and confidence that your families can grow in Christ together.
FACT – RWPS is PRACTICAL… gain simple, concise tools to help your children develop godly wisdom.
FACT – RWPS is INSPIRING… giving your family a vision of how God wants to use you together to bring love and generosity to your community
My hope and prayer is that this is the start of something life-changing for ALL parents of Hucrest Community Church of God, and that this is the first step to developing a community of parents that can help one another during this journey called parenthood!
This seminar is for everyone, whether you have a 0 year-old or an 18…20…21 year-old or any variation in-between; I hope you will join us.
Blessings,
Pastor Kyle
Wednesday “Family Night” Activities ramp up again this month with brand new studies. Join us for a delicious home-cooked meal each week followed by a variety of study options for all ages beginning again on January 11.
Family Night Meal – 5:45-6:30 p.m. (donations accepted)
Family Night Activities – 6:30-8:00 p.m.
- Rock Solid Kids (through 4th grade)
- Gate 56 (5th & 6th grades)
- The Grove Student Ministry (7th through 12th grades)
- Women’s Bible Study – Beth Moore’s “James: Mercy Triumphs”
- Men’s Bible Study – A Radical Experiment in Men’s Discipleship
- Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University
- Prayer & Care Team
Beth Moore’s “James: Mercy Triumphs”
James, Jesus’ own brother, started out as a skeptic. See how one glimpse of the resurrected Savior turned an unbeliever into a disciple with Beth Moore’s study, “James: Mercy Triumphs.” Once you get to know both the man and the Book of James, you’ll never be the same again.
A Radical Experiment
In Radical, David Platt invites you to encounter what Jesus actually said about being his disciple, and then obey what you have heard. He challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated a God-centered gospel to fit our human-centered preferences. With passionate storytelling and convicting biblical analysis, Platt calls into question a host of comfortable notions that are common among Christ’s followers today. Then he proposes a radical response: live the gospel in ways that are true, filled with promise, and ultimately world changing.
Financial Peace University
FPU takes the knowledge from God and turns it into real action in our lives through a step-by-step process taught by best-selling author and financial counselor Dave Ramsey. This 13-week life-changing program will empower and teach you how to make the right money decisions to achieve your financial goals and God’s plan for your life. The course includes practical lessons on eliminating debt, building wealth, giving like never before, and much, much more! A FREE PREVIEW will be offered on January 11. Check it out for free. The fee for new students is $100 (includes all materials). Alumni can attend for free.
I would like to say thanks to everyone for your prayers while I was in India. There is no substitute for prayer and it was very comforting knowing there were so many people interceding for us.
My friend Mark Mayberry and I traveled to Lungphu, India, which is about two hours by jeep up into the mountains from Imphal. It is within sight of the border of Burma (Myanmar). Our mission was to teach the 2nd of 3 modules of the Mobile Bible School. MBS is a Bible teaching ministry started a few years ago by Travis Hunt and a few others from Camas Valley Christian Fellowship and Roseburg Christian Fellowship. Together he and a number of people from several other churches in Douglas County put together a basic Bible teaching curriculum designed to train and equip disciples in foreign countries. They specifically go to areas of the world that have never been reached with the gospel, northern Burma being one of those areas. One of their contacts in India is from this small village and has people they know across the border in Burma. So they chose this village (Lungphu) as a safe place to bring people across the border and teach since they are new believers and have little training but are on fire for the Lord. We spent two weeks teaching the Old Testament survey, proving the Bible, and teaching basics in biblical counseling to about 30 people. The classes were a success and everything went very smoothly. The village was like stepping back in time 100 years. They have no running water; they carry it from a community spring. Electricity has only been there for a few years and it is only switched on from their power company for a couple hours twice a day. Once in the morning around 6:00 a.m. and again in the evening at about 10 or 11 p.m. and this is not very consistent. There has only been a road into the village for about a year and only two or three families have a vehicle. Most people only have what they need to survive. There aren’t many luxuries but people are happy with what they have. We take way too much for granted. I was truly blessed and humbled by the people that we met.
As always I encourage anyone who has never been on a mission trip to go if you can. As Jesus said, we are to make disciples of all the nations! Thanks again so much for all the prayers. We will be praying for the safety and boldness of those who will be taking the gospel to the lost in northern Burma and India.
Making Room for the Savior
Keep Christ the Focus of your Christmas Celebration
Celebrate the greatest gift the world has ever seen this Christmas—the gift of Jesus. Hucrest Church offers three different worship service options over Christmas weekend. You are encouraged to keep Christ at the center of all your Christmas celebrations. These special services are a unique opportunity to invite your family and friends to join you in worship.
Two Identical Christmas Services:
• Christmas Eve at 7:00 p.m.
• Christmas Day at 10:00 a.m.
These two services will feature elements from our annual “Christmas Celebration,” such as the Hucrest Special Events Choir, as well as dramatic elements that will tell the Christmas story in a unique and compelling way.
Candles and Carols Service:
• Christmas Eve at 11:00 p.m.
Join us for this special “midnight” service featuring the telling of the Christmas story through carols, Scripture, communion and candles.
Invite your family and friends to join you on Christmas weekend and truly “make room for Jesus.”
