Exciting New Opportunities at First North
We are changing here at First North to open new opportunities for growth for God’s people. Jesus makes it clear that we are to be involved personally and as a church in the Great Commission. In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus says, “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.”
This is not just about taking the gospel to the ends of the earth; it is about what we do every single day. We are to be growing in our life with Christ and, as a result, we are to also be making “disciples.” That word means followers. Jesus makes it very clear how we are to go about that. We are to use every opportunity that we have in our daily lives to:
-
See people come to know Jesus as their Savior
-
Connect them to the church of Jesus Christ
-
Teach them to obey and live by the principles of God’s Word
As followers of Christ, we are to be salt and light; we are to be making a difference in our culture. In order to do that, we must be continually making the effort to live our lives in a manner that is pleasing to Him.
We have been talking about developing a full throttle life. This involves a desire and a lifestyle of developing into what the Lord wants us to be. This should be part of our daily experience in walking with Him. Becoming a disciple of Christ means that we are to develop his life within us. Jesus does not want us to just live our lives for Him; He wants to live His life through us. That is what it means when He says in John 10:10 “I am come that they may have life and have it to the full.” We have been looking at an acrostic that our pastor has been preaching on in the month of January. The life of Christ is:
L – Living Successfully
I – Investing in Others
F – Following Christ
E – Engaging the Culture
Our task is to develop the life of Christ in our lives and to help others do the same. It is important for us to be organized to do the main thing most effectively. We have come to the conclusion that we need to make some adjustments to give our people more time and opportunities to work on the task of becoming disciples. Obviously people are more pressed for time now than ever before. We need to use the tools that we have as effectively as possible. Many of our people have not been able to take advantage of opportunities to grow due to work schedules or leadership in other ministries, such as children or youth ministries. It is critical that everyone have the opportunity to develop that “full throttle life."
We also realized that our culture is moving so rapidly away from our Judeo-Christian base that we must increase our efforts in equipping believers to engage the culture and stand for what is right. Ephesians 4:11-16 tells us that God has given us certain leaders with certain gifts in every church whose job is to equip the people for works of service so that the whole body may be built up. That, too, requires time.
Therefore, after a great deal of planning, prayer and study, we have decided to change our schedule dramatically so we can bring our resources to bear more effectively on helping people develop that “full throttle life.” As a result, we will make some significant changes starting in February. We will have Sunday night worship services and Bible Fellowship Team Meetings once a month, usually on the first Sunday of the month rather than weekly. On the other Sunday nights, we will offer discipleship classes and “Life groups” which are organized around our Bible Fellowship classes . This will help us be more intentional about the main thing of becoming and making disciples.
This change on Sunday night creates a time for us to offer discipleship classes for those who can’t take them on Wednesday night because they are involved in serving in other areas or because they work. It also allows time for Bible Fellowship classes to have small group studies or class fellowships. We are carving out time to do the Main Thing. Here is what it will look like:
Sunday morning will remain the same.
-
Bible Fellowship at 8:15 & 9:30.
-
Worship at 9:30 & 10:50.
First Sunday of Most Months
-
Children’s Choirs, Youth Choirs and Bible Fellowship Team Meetings at 5:00
-
Worship Service at 6:00 with childcare provided for children birth-5 years old.
Other Sunday nights from 5:00-7:00:
- Childcare for Birth thru 2-year-olds.
- Kidz-Praiz for children age 3 – 6th Grade complete with choirs, meal and activities.
- Youth Choirs for grades 7-12 followed by discipleship classes.
- Discipleship Classes and Bible Fellowship class small groups.
Wednesday evenings 6:15-8:15:
- Discipleship classes and Bible Fellowship class small groups
- Youth Ministry Rush Hour in The Well
- AWANA for kids.
Wednesday Evenings from 7:15-8:30:
- Adult Choir and Orchestra Rehearsal
Get Involved
- Know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord by repenting of your sin and placing your faith in Him.
- Worship the Lord faithfully and consistently in our worship services on Sunday morning.
- Be connected to a Bible Fellowship class. Find a list of all the classes and teachers and rooms on the website under Bible Fellowship or on the charts on walls throughout the church.
- Go deeper by being involved in a small group for more intentional development and maturity.