We will begin “The Truth Project” study NEXT Saturday (back to our old night) at 6 pm. We will be in the D building (Youth Room) Anyone 17-26 is invited, hope to see you there. Call Brandon for more information or questions!
Love Warns!
Just wanted to thank Adam for the title of his sermon yesterday. It was so great to see the last two weeks of teaching be focused on a not so popular subject…
My note from yesterday really hit me today…
Matthew 7:21-23
True and False Disciples
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
It was something that I have read so many times, but this time it really hit me…I don’t think it was so much that they were unsaved but didn’t know it, I think the REAL issue was with their hearts. When miracles are performed do WE take the credit? Did I actually cast out any demon, perform a miracle, save myself??? NO, their words show their hearts, they felt that THEY had done these works…THROUGH his name, and it is the EXACT opposite…God performs miracles daily in our lives THROUGH his Son Christ Jesus.
I know that being in Real Estate it is so easy to look at what I have done in a given time and look back at how great I was…BUT I have learned that everything that comes my way is not from anything I have done, even when it appears to be…If I go make a call to a home and they let me in the door, it was not MY work that get’s it done, but GOD blessing me.
I want to challenge everyone this week to just think of the blessings in their lives, the great ideas that you have had, the success you came upon and think…was this REALLY me, or was it God, guiding my steps, giving me the talent, the mind, the resolve???
Also as another part of this conversation, I loved what Pastor John said about Hell…
“It’s not HOW could a loving and good God send people to hell…It’s HOW could he let such crooked and BAD people INTO heaven!??”
The next time that is a struggle for you, or one of your friends brings up this worthless arguement remind them that it takes the focus OFF of God and his grace, holiness and goodness and puts it back on OUR deeds, and our self importance. If God really is who he says he is, he is SO far above us that we can’t comprehend how amazing he is…he isn’t just holy, as the angels sang he is “HOLY HOLY HOLY”! This was a great conversation starter and really goes a long way towards disarming such a weak arguement.
I’ll leave you with the beginning of our next discussion on Saturday…
1 Timothy 4
1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
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The Impact Has Arrived…
Welcome to our website…
By this point you have most likely seen the posters, looked up the website, asked around…WHAT IS IMPACT???
Impact meets TUESDAY evenings at the NWBC Campus at 7 pm. We also have various meetings and get togethers throughout the week so check us out on Facebook to stay connected! You can add me and let me know you are interested in Impact. There will be a monthly fellowship time, most likely on Saturdays, but we’ll keep you updated on that!
Brandon Thompson on Facebook, or ask to join IMPACT @ NWBC.
It has been a long and interesting journey getting this group together. I started attending Northwest in the fall of 2009 at the invitation of Tom Piazza. He was excited about his new church family and asked me to come check it out. My wife Debbie and I had been attending Calvary Chapel churches for the past few years but living in Marana and driving to Pantano and Camino Seco was really not helping us get involved. I was working with a team of Realtors and would drive out for church, rush home and change clothes, then back out for an open house every Sunday.
We were really impressed by the genuine feel of NWBC and the friendliness of the people attending. Little did I know Tom would be taken from us in a senseless murder just months later. I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about Tom and our friendship, and how I never would have found NWBC without him, never would have met the awesome people I have met, and created the lasting friendships I now value. Tom had an Impact on everyone that knew him, and the two of us had plans to make a difference in our families, our friends and our community.
Fast forward to last fall and I began to feel God leading me to get more involved. Specifically, what is going on for the 20 something crowd. Is there ANYTHING??? I was heavily involved with our college and career group back in Colorado in the early 2000′s and saw a gaping hole at NWBC waiting to be filled. After speaking with the leadership and LOTS of prayer and conversation the doors began to open in early 2011.
At a men’s breakfast one EARLY Saturday morning, Adam (Luckow) was speaking to the men about needing godly mentors for the High School group, etc. I set up a time to meet with him and we really had the same vision and hit it off. I was really just looking to help him out anywhere they needed, but when he brought the College age group back up. I had been praying that if I was supposed to do this, the doors would open without me trying to kick them in. When I walked in and saw Garret Bolthouse sitting there ready to go with the College Group, I knew it was really going to be moving quickly and that God was really behind it. Adam, Garret and I met for over an hour just discussing what had been missing, what could be done, and what we felt we could do to help…
So here we are, a few months removed, being thrown into the mix as a new group, a new ministry, a new mission. Our goals are simple, we want to have an IMPACT on our peers, our church, our community, our world. We want to make Impact a group of believers that support and love one another through accountability, teaching and fellowship. I have been playing with the word to come up with an anagram of sorts and really this is it…
Impact (through)
Ministry
People
Accountability
Community
Teaching
Looking back on my 20′s, especially the first half, there was a longing for a genuine community of believers that I could lean on, fellowship with, and grow with. I hope that this group will be that and more.
I hope that Impact will be a group that fosters discussion, but strays away from living in a grey area full of self justification, and luke warm convictions. I believe that our world is longing for something genuine, something not waivering, and willing to call TRUTH the truth. It is time that we get away from situational ethics and get back to reality. I want to challenge people to get back to true conviction for what we believe in, but also remember why we have those beliefs in the first place.
Over the coming weeks and months you will get to know me, and I hope to get to know you. You will get to know each other, and I pray that we will have people that are invited, or just stop by because they hear about what is happening at NWBC. Be ready to ask questions, express opinions, and most importantly…Have an Impact. I look forward to meeting you all on the 21st, and hope you will feel free to call, email or text me. You can also get me on Facebook anytime either through Impact @ NWBC or Brandon Thompson. We are also active now on Twitter as ImpactNWBC.
Brandon Thompson