More pictures of new location

NLBC First Meeting Location

Starting Sept. 9th, we will meet for our Sunday services at the Black Belt Academy, 5750 Davis Blvd.(suite 201), in North Richland Hills. Thanks to the owner's kindness, we were given a reasonable rent price for a storefront that provides great exposure from a busy highway. We look forward to exercising our faith :-).

We'll provide more details later. In the meantime, God continues to bless our midweek Bible Study. This past Wednesday we had a group of thirteen. It was a sweet time of prayer and fellowship.

To God be the Glory!

Going Forward? Expect Friction!

When we attempt something for God, we expect persecution...in the form of mockery, criticism, condescension. But sometimes it's even more difficult to deal with common inconveniences and the adverse circumstances of life.
Yesterday we experienced one of those days. Perhaps you did as well. As some of you know, I have a part-time job as Chaplain of a local Drug and Rehabilitation Center. I've thoroughly enjoyed the ministry of giving heavenly hope to those who struggle with their addictions and the consequences of their harmful habits. Last night as I left the facility at a fairly late hour, I was greeted with an unwelcome sight...someone had smashed the window of our van and had stolen some valuable items.
I had just given the lecture, "What Price Are You Willing to Pay?", and stressed the need for commitment in doing what God wants us to do. As I faced the scene outside, I was reminded of my own commitment and our calling to plant this new church in Texas.
Commitment can be painful, costly, and messy. Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" (Luke 9:23). Sometimes "our cross" involves harm to our body or even loss of life. Sometimes our cross is the loss of two weeks of part-time salary to repair a shattered window and replace missing items. Whatever our cross may be, we must go forward for God and fulfill His Great Commission.
We are more and more convinced that God has specifically called us to the DFW metroplex to do Kingdom work. It is a daunting task; however, we are encouraged by Luke 18:27..."The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."

John and Shawn

Updates: Please pray for our weekly mid-week Bible study and prayer meeting. This afternoon, we will continue the search for a Sunday meeting place. We're encouraged by the possibility of additional seed family help in the form of a single young man and a young family.

Pray For A Church Meeting Place!

Please join us in earnestly praying for an affordable and accessible building to rent for our Sunday church services to begin on September 9th. We've done our survey work and have a general target area in mind, so now we'll contact business owners, school district offices, child care centers, etc. to inquire about occupancy.

We're holding on to Jeremiah 33:3 - "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not."

The Early Church

Just like the early church, we at New Life Bible are meeting in a home- our home. The Wednesday Night Bible Study continues to be a sweet time of fellowship around God's Word. Last week, we had an attendance of ten folks who were eager to search the Scriptures. Our collective and individual faith continues to be strengthened. Two individuals were able to share exciting answers to prayer concerning a need for employment. We are always reminded and uplifted by Matthew 7:7- "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."

We at NLBC believe that church planting is Scriptural. Below are a few reasons why we desire so passionately to continue in this work:

1. Church planting is a biblical process (Acts 9:31; Acts 16:1-2, 5).
2. The older most churches get, the less evangelistic they become (Acts 1:8). Statistically, almost half of all U.S. churches last year did not add one new individual through conversion growth. According to church researchers, most newcomers are simply a “circulation of the saints.” Someone once said: “Evangelism is not complete until the evangelized become the evangelists.”
3. Numerous churches today are either stagnant or in a survival mode. There is a spiritual barrenness and deadness in our churches today. One church planter said: “Overall, 80-85% of U.S. churches are on the downside of their life cycle.”
4. Church planting is the best way to reach the growing number of ethnic groups in America (Revelation 5:9). The mission fields are no longer entirely overseas. Statistically, over half of our U.S. population lives in 43 cities with populations of over one million. As of now, there are over five million people in the Dallas/Forth Metroplex.
5. Church planting actively involves believers in the Great Commission (Mt. 28:18-20). It has been said: “The New Testament church is an organized body of saved and baptized believers united together for the main purpose of carrying out the Great Commission.” Larger churches become hiding places for saints who want the convenience of a New Testament church, but do not want to fulfill the Great Commission.
6. Church planting confronts the surge of false religions in our country (I John 4:1). Immigrants to America have brought with them a legion of New Age/diverse religions.
7. Church planting is cost efficient. The emphasis is ministry over maintenance; not big buildings.
8. Church planting produces enthusiasm, renews vigor, and dispels complacency among God’s people. The focus is on Christ (I Corinthians 3:11), and not on personalities. Kingdom work is done with eternal results.

Recent Bible Study Topic: Anger Management

At our last New Life Bible Church meeting we had nine individuals in attendance as we studied and discussed the topic of "anger." Other than a Christian's struggle with his thought life, I don't know of any other area that troubles a believer more than the subject of anger. It can make or break our testimony for God. Proverbs 25:28 says, "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls."
Here are some other notes and Bible references that we studied: TYPES OF ANGER, CAUSES OF ANGER, RESULTS OF ANGER, AND CURES OF ANGER...Mark 11:15-17; Prov. 12:16, 15:1, 21:24; Gal. 5:20; James 1:20; Col. 3:12-13; II Tim. 1:7; Job 5:2; Prov. 19:19; Phil. 2:3; Psa. 37:8; Luke 18:1; Romans 12:17; Eph. 4:30-32; Prov. 16:32; I John 1:9; I Cor. 15:57.
If our anger is not managed and controlled by Christ, it brings harsh ramifications. One author put it this way: "Anger in some ways is a feast for a king; it can be enjoyable...the chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is YOURSELF. The skeleton at the feast is YOU."

Totally DEPENDANT on Christ

We're looking forward to our next Bible study/prayer meeting in our home on Wednesday, July 11. If you're in the area and would like to join us, please call (817)788-9810 for more information.

We ordered tracts for New Life Bible Church and received a phone call informing us of that our incorporation forms(for tax exempt status) have been filed with the state of Texas. In the coming weeks we will search more aggressively for a temporary facility for our Fall church services.

If you know of someone who lives in the DFW Metroplex and is searching for an opportunity of service in a good Bible church, please have that individual contact us. We're praying for more co-laborers!