Are you ready for the year 2019?
The number 19 in Hebrew denotes two things: hearing and faith.
Luke 17:5-10 (NASB)
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
Jesus uses a parable to address the apostle’s desire for increased faith.
And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’, andit would obey you.
My natural bent toward faith has been that it is a power we exercise. However, I’m learning that faith is more of an expression of dependence and reliance on Him.
So what is Jesus saying here? How much faith do we need to depend on Him? If you had faith the size of a mustardseed? JUST A LITTLE BIT! That’s all!
“Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’? But will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you may eat and drink’? So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’”
Did you hear what you are supposedto say? We have only done that which we ought to have done.
Can faith be that simple? Yes. Simply hearing and doing—and while you are doing—expressing dependence and reliance on God.
These passages fall in line with the number 19: HEARING AND FAITH!
For Freedom Church, it is going to be a year of building. In order for us to build it will take HEARING AND FAITH!
I’m not just speaking about our new home at 304 East Butler Road. That will definitely take “a little bit” of faith.
I’m speaking as well about building people.
Matthew 28:19 (NASB)
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
To be honest, we’ve not been called to build buildings, but to build people.
Our leadership team has been very intentional about how we teach on Sunday mornings. For the past two years, we have taught books of the Bible as opposed to teaching themes. We believe this encourages our Freedom Family to read scripture well.
Another way of making disciples occurs through The River Upstate. The River offers classes that will encourage us to read Scripture well.
I would like to strongly encourage you to prayerfully consider some of the classes offered through The River. Below you will see a description of some of the classes with links to register. All are free.
2019 IS GOING TO BE A YEAR OF BUILDING FOR FREEDOM CHURCH. It is going to be exciting when we begin seeing the parking lot paved, HVAC installed, sheetrock going up, walls painted, doors installed, ceilings added, carpet laid, a stage built, etc. It will be easy to place our focus on the physical.
But the leadership of Freedom Church is committed to keeping the spiritual building as the NUMBER ONE priority, and the physical building of our new home as secondary. We invite you to exercise mustard seed faith as we walk together, listening to Him individually and corporately.
Will you take seriously the importance of taking time to build YOUR spiritual building in 2019?
Classes at the River:
EXPERIENCING THE PRESENCE OF THE SPIRIT (6 weeks starting Tuesday, January 8th)
Our relationship with the promised Spirit is essential to living out life in Jesus. The Holy Spirit remains unknown for many Christians. To the extent this is true, their experience of life with Jesus is hampered. Although the Spirit is to be experienced in life, the Scriptures provide the only appropriate framework for understanding the new life the Spirit provides, the empowerment He brings, the fruit He produces, and the gifting He provides every believer.
http://www.theriverupstate.org/course/experiencing-the-presence-of-the-spirit/
MARRIAGE: GOD’S DESIGN FOR THE FOUNDATION (Thursday & Friday, February 7th & 8th)
This two-evening intensive will explore the Biblical picture for a God-designed marriage. Whether you’ve been married for a long time, considering entering into marriage, or have just begun the journey, clarity about God’s design for the foundation for marriage is critical. Even with great tools for building the relationship, if the foundation for the marriage is not secure building well will be an ever-increasing challenge.
If you have already attended this class we encourage you to invite another couple to attend with you.
https://www.theriverupstate.org/course/marriage-gods-design-for-the-foundation/
READING SCRIPTURE (6 weeks starting Tuesday, February 26th)
This is a six–week course to enrich your ability to read and understand the Bible. Rather than starting with what you don’t know about reading the Bible–which is where many Bible study books begin–this course starts with what you already know about reading and applies it to reading Scripture. Coupled with “lab time” where you will experience the joy of personal discovery in reading Scripture, this course will forever change the way you read the Bible.