Devo Week Day 1: VISION 2030

Bob Hicks

A couple of weeks ago, several of us went to an escape room. This was my first time and I wasn’t sure what to expect. We were divided into groups of 6 per room and given 60 minutes to “escape.” The “Game Master” told us that we could ask unlimited questions of her and she would give us “hints” to the clues. All six of us wanted to beat the clock and dive into the puzzles. We were 10 minutes into the clues and came to a screeching halt. We were “clueless.” Then we remembered, “Ask the Game Master.” She was great. She gave us answers to our questions, but we still had to perform the actions to figure out the clues. In other words, we had a vision to escape, and we were given some clarity to the vision, but we still had to participate. And while the clues helped, the active participation of all six of us, working together, using all of our various abilities and talents, following the clues, we were all out with 56 seconds to go.


Cue Applause!


Here’s what I learned, even with a clear vision, with given clues, we still needed each other to accomplish the vision.


We just experienced exactly what scripture states.


“Where there is no vision, the people perish…” Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)


If we didn’t have a clear vision to escape we would’ve all been running around that room, bumping into each other, getting irritated, and not knowing what our next steps should be. We needed clarity. Which, again, is clearly what scripture says:


“Write the vision. Make it clear on tablets so that anyone can read it quickly and run and tell others.” Habakkuk 2:2 (GW)


Once we had clarity and help with the clues, we all knew what jobs each of us could do. Someone needed math skills, another needed to know how to work a combination with letters, someone else needed to know how to read maps and so on. Putting all of our talents and abilities together, we got creative in figuring out the clues and fulfilling the vision to get out of that room together!


God has given NMCC a vision founded upon His Great Commandment and His Great Commission. His Great Commandment is:


“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV)


And His Great Commission is:


Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)


What I love about NMCC’s Vision 2030: One M.O.R.E. is that it is scriptural, focused, clear, and reachable to accomplish together! Everyone working together, committed and determined, with one vision and one purpose does several things for us:


It Unites Us. We are all working together as one knowing our purpose and clarifying next steps. This unites all of our efforts focusing on accomplishing the vision together.


It Propels Us. We have direction and a plan to work on for the next 6 years where the church is taking next steps to fulfill God’s Great Commission.


It Aligns Us. We are not going in all different directions with no clear destination only hoping that we will arrive where God wants us to. Walking in the same direction gives us momentum and strategies to get there.


It Inspires Passion & Creativity In Us. When there is a clear vision, we excitedly get creative in how we can fulfill that vision. When we understand the “Why” behind the “What” we do, we are eager to invest our time, talents, and resources in advancing God’s Kingdom.


It Holds Us Accountable. We can encourage each other to be living One M.O.R.E. lifestyles by living out the values and principles that Christ gives us. Having this vision helps us support and challenge one another to grow together.


It Attracts Others. One M.O.R.E. not only excites those who call NMCC home, but it also attracts newcomers who resonate with this message and purpose. It actually becomes a light into our dark world giving hope and connection. (Matthew 5:14-16)


It Empowers Decision Making. Having this One M.O.R.E. Vision helps us discern which options align most closely with our mission, values, and purpose.


It Creates Celebratory Milestones. As we make progress toward fulfilling One M.O.R.E. we have cause for celebration! Having clear goals and objectives allow us to track our achievements, rejoice in God’s faithfulness, and acknowledge all of our hard work and dedication.


These are just a few amazing characteristics of what a vision can do. As I see it, Vision 2030: One M.O.R.E. ultimately allows us to breathe life into who we are and empowers us to impact our community, the nation, and the entire world for the glory of Christ.


NMCC is committed to living out God’s Great Commandment to love God and to love others. We are also committed and determined to fulfill God’s Great Commission to go into all the world with the saving message of God’s love delivered by His Son. We know that by all of us increasing our level of commitment and determination, this will hugely impact NMCC and the fulfillment of Vision 2030: One M.O.R.E.


As I think about our escape room adventure, once we escaped with 56 seconds to spare… there were high 5’s, celebration, laughter, and excitement. We told story after story where we thought we would never make it in time, but then someone came up with a solution. It was a blast.


There are going to be stories to share, celebrations, laughter, excitement, and most of all… people escaping from the darkness of this world into the light of Jesus Christ!! All because, there are people who have a God-Inspired Vision, united together, using all of their time, talent, and resources…


Making Jesus Known

Offering Christ’s Hospitality

Raising Up Disciples

Engaging Next Steps


Will you join in praying with our pastors, staff, leadership, and everyone who calls NMCC home, to not only raise our commitment and determination but also join in participation to see One M.O.R.E. become a reality?


This coming Sunday, May 5th we will be making our commitments to accomplish what God has called NMCC to for the next 6 years. Will you join us in being One M.O.R.E.?


I can’t wait to celebrate with you what God is doing collectively through His people.

Devo Week Day 2: Making Jesus Known

Garrett Wilson

There is a running joke that seems to resurface every now and then about folks who do CrossFit that I find humorous. It is almost always along the lines of “How do you know someone does CrossFit?... Because it’s one of the first things they tell you!” I chuckle to myself partially because of the truth of it, but also because of this veiled view held by a majority of people outside of the community (or “cult” as my wife likes to call it). They jump to the extremity of macho men and women walking around, grunting at each other like animals, seeing who can pick up the heaviest thing in their surroundings. This is a skewed view with only partial truth, but it paints the broad picture of CrossFit in an unapproachable and unattainable light. They know about CrossFit, but they don’t know what it is. The principle is widely understood, but the central parts of it remain a mystery. Until you know the origin, you can’t (fully) understand the big picture.


This is a similar problem within our world surrounding the Christian Church and the person of Jesus. Preconceived notions and personal experiences lead to judgments and assumptions about who Jesus is and what value He has in today’s world. So, the question is, how can we as a church make the truth of Jesus known? I believe the answer is simple: we live out of the encounter, experience, and interaction we’ve had with Him. We’re going to look at five ways that we can focus our “living out” to be a declaration and proclamation of Jesus’ name. 


‘𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐮𝐭’ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 (𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝟐𝟐:𝟑𝟒-𝟒𝟎, 𝐋𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝟗:𝟐𝟑-𝟐𝟔, 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝟔:𝟏𝟗-𝟐𝟏)


When we love something, it tends to overflow into all places of our life. Making Jesus known is simple when our love and adoration of Him fills every ounce of us. The intentional decision to choose the Lord in the everyday is a catalyst for not only knowing Him, but to make Him known to those around us. Jesus commanded us to love God with all of our hearts, souls, and minds. In order to make Him known, we have to have that intimate relationship with Him. BUT, from the first commandment comes the second…


34 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 35 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘸, 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 36 “𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘸?” 37 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥: “‘𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥.’ 38 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 39 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵: ‘𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘣𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.’ 40 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴.” 

𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘸 22:34-40


When we completely and sincerely love the Lord, He becomes our focus. Our prize. Our desire. Our hearts are fixated on His glory, which leads us to love what He loves and continually flow onto those around me. It’s the idea of filling a glass with water. Once it’s full, the overflow begins. Now, not only does the glass know the water but that which surrounds the glass does as well. When we are filled with the love of God, it begins to overflow to those around us, making known its impact, value, and life-givingness.


‘𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐮𝐭’ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐅𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 (𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝟏𝟓:𝟏-𝟖, 𝟏 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟐:𝟏-𝟓, 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟑:𝟏-𝟏𝟒, 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝟐𝟑:𝟏-𝟔)


Where there is satisfaction, there is also peace. In peace, we claim “I have all that I need”. So many times in scripture we see that the Lord is the provider. Jehovah Jireh. This isn’t because of His ability to do miracles or heal or inspire moral and upright citizens to behave as such. It’s because of the root. The source…


5 “𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦; 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵; 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 6 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴; 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱, 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥. 7 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 8 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵, 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴.

𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 15:5-8


What we are connected to and what holds us is what will keep our hearts. When we are rooted in the vine of Christ, we are professing that He is enough. That His connectedness to the Source is transferring to us and we (like Him) are satisfied in the Father. We’ve found something that “works” and is true; in our outward expressions and interactions, our contentment and satisfaction in the Lord is a testimony to His name. His name is known when His presence is enough for my heart.


‘𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐮𝐭’ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐒 (𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝟏𝟑:𝟑𝟒-𝟑𝟓, 𝐄𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟒:𝟏𝟕-𝟐𝟒, 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝟐:𝟏𝟒-𝟐𝟔, 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝟓:𝟏𝟑-𝟏𝟔)


Jesus didn’t live from a place of passivity, so why should we? Our spiritual vigor and prowess cannot be displayed by sitting back and waiting for Jesus to return. We’ve been called into the game to be an active participant and not a spectator. As Jesus is walking towards the cross, he sets a standard for His disciples…


34 “𝘈 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶: 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘴 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘴𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 35 𝘉𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.”

𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 13:34-35


“As I have loved you… you must love one another”. That’s big. That’s a different standard than we tend to play with. If Jesus was playing at a professional caliber, then we tend to play at the “pee-wee” level. Our ambition to make Him known must match up with our desire to do what He did. I should be speaking the way He did… I should be walking and talking and doing what He did. Not because I think I can do it better than Him, but because He bought my life and unlocked me to live in the same way He did. What I say and how I act are a reflection of what I’ve been raised up in and called to do. With the standard of Christ at the helm, my words and actions ought to match His. 


‘𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐮𝐭’ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐄𝐒 (𝟏 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝟏:𝟏-𝟒, 𝟏 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑:𝟏𝟓-𝟏𝟔)


Testimony is a church buzz-word of sorts. Some believe it to be overused and biased, proving it to be a “good story” but not of divine nature. I’d disagree. This Biblically founded and vital expression of the Lord’s work in someone's life validates the reality that He is still moving, working, and alive within our present day! In John’s first letter (first chapter… FIRST WORDS!) to the believers of Asia Minor, we see him attest to the power and validity of what they’ve seen and witnessed and experienced. 


1 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥—𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 2 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥; 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴. 3 𝘞𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘰𝘯, 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵. 4 𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦.

1 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 1:1-4


John’s testimony isn’t a piece to his ministry. It IS the root of his ministry! John knew Jesus… He walked with Him both physically and spiritually. He saw the miracles and the aftermath of them. He witnessed the crucifixion and resurrection. He was there and knew that his eyewitness account of Christ and the movement of God that was continuing to take place was the validation that the growing Church needed. Why? Because Jesus lives within our testimonies. When we speak of what He’s done, we are showing the world who He is. If we want to make known the name of Jesus, we have to speak His name through the truth of where He’s been and what He’s done. 


‘𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐮𝐭’ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐔𝐄𝐃 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐂𝐘 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐉𝐄𝐒𝐔𝐒 (𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟑:𝟏-𝟏𝟒, 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝟓:𝟒𝟑-𝟒𝟖, 𝐄𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟓:𝟏-𝟐𝟎)


So, when is it enough? When will I do enough to “lock-in” my standing with God? The answer: Never. Like any close relationship, when we stop growing, it starts dying. Our relationship with Christ should be an ever-deepening river and unending adventure. There is a difference in being satisfied in the Lord and being satisfied with where you are with the Lord. If I want to continue proclaiming the Lord’s name and making Him known, I need to continue in my pursuit of Him because He is a never ending well of life giving water.


12 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘰𝘣𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦. 13 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘥𝘰: 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥, 14 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴.

𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘴 3:12-14


As Paul is saying here, he’s tasted and seen of the Lord’s goodness and worthiness with his whole heart. But it’s still not enough for Paul. Why? Because he knows that there is more to be given, and in return, there is more (of the Lord) to be had. Paul gave his heart to the proclamation and profession of the name of Jesus, but he never reached a point where he had “made it”. Knowing the depth of something drives our hearts deeper into it. The Lord will continue to move in our hearts as long as they are continually open to Him doing so. His proclamation is made through our continual pursuit of Him.

_____

It’s my prayer that your heart has been stirred and that you’ve come to the realization that making the Lord known is coming from a position of love within us. What we love, we profess. We will continue to invest in what we love. That investment and profession and the fruit that is a result of the process speak much deeper volumes than many words could. I find myself saying something similar when I invite someone to try CrossFit for the first time that I will say to someone who is unsure of Jesus/church/etc. “Come and See”... Try it out and find out what it’s really about. I firmly believe that when you see the beauty of the Lord (and maybe even CrossFit) that you won’t help but be able to resist the desire to share who He is and what He’s done. 

Go in peace. Love you all. 

Garrett

Devo Week Day 3: Offering Christ's Hospitality

Zack Shelton

I’ve had a lot of experience as a first-time attendee at a church, and I mean a LOT.


—No, it’s not because I’m a church hopper.—


Growing up in a family of a traveling music ministry and then touring with 64 to Grayson gave me 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟏,𝟎𝟎𝟎 first impressions within churches around the US.


I told you… a lot.


Some of these places do hospitality well. Welcoming smiles at the door, a website that gives you a heads up of what to expect, good signage—Where IS the bathroom?


Other churches… not so much.


“This is your first time here? Please stand up in the middle of our service and introduce yourself and your family to all of these strangers sitting around you!”


𝘊𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵.


In Matthew 9:10-13 we get a glimpse of Jesus’s heart of hospitality.


"𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘸’𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘹 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴, '𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘢𝘹 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴?' 𝘖𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, '𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴: ‘𝘐 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦.’ 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴.'"


Two of the things I catch from this passage:


𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭: Why were there so many broken and excluded people at Matthew’s house?

Because Matthew himself was an outcast!


His occupation had him blacklisted. He was a tax collector and no one liked tax collectors, but Jesus not only went to Matthew’s home and loved on his hurting friends… He called Matthew to follow him as one of his disciples!



𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝: Jesus welcomes the sick, the sinner, the broken, the hurting, the dirty, the outcast… He throws his arms wide open to those who YOU would be shocked to see even pulling into the parking lot of the church. These dinner guests didn’t leave the same, because coming in contact with Christ changes us. However, that wouldn’t have been possible if he kept everyone at arm’s length. In Luke 15:2, the religiously-egotistical leaders even toss this hospitable trait of Christ out as an insult. He wasn’t fazed.


Our second pillar of “One M.O.R.E.” is Offering Christ’s Hospitality. I 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 this. We have the opportunity to be a welcoming family who is just here to make the introduction. Who are you inviting? How many unfamiliar faces are you saying hello to on Sunday mornings? Being part of God’s family means that we are the hosts every time the doors open… how are we treating our guests?


There are already plenty of barriers and fears that a visitor has to overcome to get into the front door. Why would we not do what we can to eliminate as many distractions as possible so they can be fully attentive to what the Holy Spirit could be doing? Why would we not welcome them in as Jesus does?


In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says, “𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵. 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺; 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘥 𝘐 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.” (𝘕𝘊𝘝)


I hope we continue to grow in becoming a beacon of hope for all those who are tired and have heavy loads so that they can get the rest that Jesus offers. I want others to experience the fullness of life that he promises. We don’t do the saving, we do the welcoming. You in?


Let’s offer Christ’s hospitality to 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞.

Devo Week Day 4: Raising Up Disciples

Brye Welty

At the young age of five, I began taking piano lessons each week after my grandmother helped me discover my love for the piano. After only a few years, I had made my way through the various levels of instructional materials and was nearing the completion of the final book. I shared my progress with my grandmother, and she asked, “So what happens after you complete the last book?” Out of my great immaturity, I responded, “I guess I have learned all there is to know about playing the piano.” She chuckled and gently reminded me that I will never stop growing in my ability to play.


As people who have accepted Jesus as the Lord and Savior of our lives, we will never stop growing in our relationship with Him. All too often I fear many believers fall into the misconception that once they have been baptized for the forgiveness of their sins or have taken the steps to officially join the church, they have “done all there is to do to grow in their faith with God.” However, as I study the life and ministry of Jesus and the words of some of His greatest followers throughout the New Testament, I am convicted that being baptized or joining a local body of believers is only the beginning of living our lives for the glory of God. We often talk about how God calls us to be a disciple, but what does that really mean?


As Jesus begins His ministry, we see Jesus say these words to some of His very first disciples, Simon and Andrew in Mark 1:17 (ESV). 


“𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦𝘯.” 


A disciple is someone who leaves their previous way of life behind them and follows Jesus by developing a strong faith in Him. A disciple is one whose entire life is transformed by the saving grace of Jesus and who begins to resemble the heart of our Lord and Savior. A disciple loves Jesus so much that they are fully committed to the ways of God and to fulfilling His purpose in their lives. Practically speaking, a disciple has made the decision to be baptized, is actively participating in the body of believers, and maintains a personal relationship with Jesus by spending time in God’s Word and on their knees in prayer regularly.


A mature disciple of Jesus has a desire to do what Jesus did – to lead others into a growing relationship with God by walking alongside them, encouraging and challenging the new believer throughout the journey. One of the final commands Jesus gave us before He ascended into heaven is found in Matthew 28:18-20 which says, 


“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘣𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘦.”


To be a disciple of Jesus is to become a disciple maker just like Him. When Jesus gave this command, He was not just speaking to the early disciples, the leaders of the church or present-day pastors. This command was given to each and every one of us who has surrendered our hearts to King Jesus. The ultimate mission of the church is to make disciples. As a follower of Jesus you have a part in reaching the lost with the Good News of the Gospel and equipping them to become committed disciples of the Kingdom too.


The third component of our One M.O.R.E. Vision is 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐩 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬. As we look ahead to what our church will look like in 2030, our leadership desires to be a church that is full of disciples who are making disciples. This won’t just happen on its own. It will require us all to intentionally take advantage of every opportunity to form new relationships with individuals in order to share the Gospel and begin discipling them into committed followers of God. Can you imagine what might happen if every believer who calls NMCC home began actively discipling just one person?


All of us are at different points in our discipleship journey. For some, you may have just started attending NMCC or following along with us online, but you have never taken the step to make Jesus the Lord of your life and be baptized into Him. When you are ready, our church family wants to celebrate with you and help you begin your faith journey with Jesus.


For others, you’ve been a believer and a partner of our church for quite some time but have never given much thought to your responsibility of discipling others. It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will guide you to identify one person in your life who you could actively pour your faith into. I pray for boldness to share how Jesus has changed your life forever, and for diligence to demonstrate for them what being a follower of Jesus really looks like. As you do, you will find yourself closer to the Lord than ever before.


Let’s be disciples making disciples who make disciples!

Devo Week Day 5: Engaging Next Steps

Jacob Horn

I still remember the moment that I decided I wanted a relationship with Jesus and I was baptized. It was Father’s Day of 2001 and I had grown up going to church my whole life but had never really given a thought to being baptized or having a relationship with Jesus. I had just thought because I went to church that I was good. But it wasn’t until I got baptized and I accepted Jesus as my savior that there was more. The problem was I didn’t really know what to do after this moment. I didn’t know what my next steps were after accepting Jesus. 


I think most people in church that have accepted Jesus feel this way as well, “what do I do now?” “What are my next steps?” As a believer once you accept Jesus and are baptized, that’s not the end of the journey. We have to become engaged in continuing our spiritual journey. As part of our One More vision; Engaging Next Steps is a vital part of everyone's walk with God. It represents the stepping stones on our path to becoming the hands and feet that Jesus called us to be. 


Engaging Next Steps calls us to become servants. We weren’t meant to just accept this gift that God has given us and then sit by and watch others do the work. Jesus was our example to follow. Mark 10: 45 tells us this; 


“𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺.”


Or over in Romans, Paul says this, 


“𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘏𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨. 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘻𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺. 𝘙𝘦𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦. 𝘉𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘈𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺.” 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴 12:9-13


Peter also chimes in on this topic in 1 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 4:10-11; 


“𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘴. 𝘜𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴? 𝘋𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳! 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘯.”

 

By being part of NMCC and on this journey to become One MORE, you are called to something more than just attend church. You are called to take next steps, you are called to grow, and you are called to serve. Whether that means you find a community group to get involved with, volunteering to work with our youth, joining a DU class to grow your faith, or making the decision that Jesus is your Lord and Savior and being baptized; God is calling us all one step closer to Himself.

Today’s prayer for our church as we approach commitment Sunday on May 5th is that we would take some time to listen to what God is calling us to next. I believe that God has a plan and a purpose for everyone and I pray that our NMCC family is ready and willing to engage with God and our church, one step at a time.

Devo Week Day 6: MORE Generosity

Aaron Mawfo

“𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴: 𝘞𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘱 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘱 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺.” — 2 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘴 9:6, 𝘕𝘐𝘝

Most of us would like to think of ourselves as being “generous” but what exactly does it mean to be generous? Generosity has to do with selflessness and kindness toward others. It involves being willing to share resources and look out for the needs of others, instead of focusing on ourselves and our desires.

Generosity is commonly associated with just money; however, there are other ways to be generous. Generosity is at the heart of our ONE MORE vision for 2030. Making Jesus known, Offering Christ’s hospitality, Raising up disciples, and Engaging next steps represent a generous attitude that is willing to care about and make sacrifices for other people. 


Generosity does require work and practice. Even though we like the idea of being generous; it’s often hard to sacrifice our comforts for others. We might not automatically be generous people but with prayer, practice and help from God we can develop a generous heart.


Some ways that we can grow our generosity include:


𝐄𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: Be generous with our words. Words are powerful tools for encouraging others and building others up. It does not take a lot from us to give an uplifting word or compliment to someone who may need to hear it.


𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞: Our time is a precious resource and we may hesitate to be generous with it. However, using our time is another way to show love and develop our generosity whether it be through volunteering with an organization or simply setting up a time to help a friend out or share a meal with someone.


𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐨𝐝’𝐬 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝: Sharing the gospel with others shows we care about more than their temporary or physical needs but also their eternal salvation. We can generously share the news of Jesus Christ which is the most valuable gift we possess.


𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Counting our blessings and having a thankful heart can also help when we work on becoming generous individuals. If we are unsatisfied with our own lives, we are not likely to be generous toward others. However, if we are thankful for what we have and celebrate the blessings that others have been given, our attitude shifts away from us.


𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝: Helping others in need may involve any of the things previously mentioned or it could be something else altogether. Maybe a friend needs a ride after their car breaks down. Perhaps someone broke an arm and needs some help preparing food. No matter the situation, we can be generous and prepared to help others when the need arises.


𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐝’𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲: There is no better way to learn how to be generous than to take note of the ultimate example. God gave His one and only son for us. He freely offers us grace, forgiveness, and unconditional love. God can help us develop our generosity far better than we can ever do on our own.


𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠: Offering our money or resources according to our income is a theme that we can see throughout many different passages in scripture. In Luke 21:1-4, a poor widow put two coins in the temple offering. In comparison to others, this was a very insignificant amount. However, because she was generous with the little she did have, Jesus said she gave more than all the others. Even if we do not have much to give, we can still have a heart of generosity through giving. 

As a church we have asked everyone who calls NMCC their church home to consider being a part of the ONE MORE vision. We have collected hundreds of signed cards declaring “𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄” person committed to this vision. I find it amazing to be a part of a church where we are looking ahead and all on the same page. 


This coming Sunday (May 5th) we will be collecting the commitment cards for this vision. I pray that everyone will seriously consider their response to this challenge. We are asking households to make a two-year sacrificial generosity response, to jump-start funding the NMCC Ministry plan for this six year vision. For some this will mean giving to NMCC in a significant way for the first time and for others it means considering how they can sacrifice and expand their giving. 


Wherever you are in your walk with God, we pray that you can grow in generosity as a disciple of Jesus.