Naz Family Church

Weekly News Update News from Pastor Allen 9/30/26

What does it look like to truly follow Jesus in a world that says fight for what is yours? This week, we continued our Counterculture series in Philippians 2, where Paul calls the church to a radical kind of humility rooted in the example of Christ himself.

Jesus, though fully God, did not grasp at his divine privileges. He emptied himself, took the form of a servant, and humbled himself to death on a cross. And because of that, God exalted him above every name. That is why we bend the knee. That is why every tongue confesses Jesus is Lord.

The call for us is the same. Not just to believe in a humble Savior, but to imitate one. In the million little ways we lay down what we feel entitled to for the sake of others, we look like him.

How is God calling you to empty yourself this week?

Weekly update from Pastor Allen 09/23/26

This past Sunday, we explored the Apostle Paul's example in Philippians -- a man who, even in chains, chose to pour himself out for others rather than fixate on his own suffering. We also heard the remarkable true story of plane crash survivors who refused to give up, conditioning themselves through grueling hardship until they found rescue. Their hope was not passive. It moved.

Paul reminds us in Romans 15 that the God of hope fills us with joy and peace so that we may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. That is not wishful thinking -- that is a living, active force working through us into a broken world.

Our neighbors need more than optimism. They need to see hope embodied. Will you be that for someone this week?

This week's message from Hosea 6 challenged us to examine whether our confession and repentance is genuine or just a rushed ritual we perform to move on quickly.

God's word through Hosea is striking: "Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early." God does not want empty apologies or surface-level religion. He desires steadfast love and a heart truly turned toward him.

The good news is that even when God looks at us and asks "What shall I do with you?", he has already made up his mind to remain faithful in his love. But relationship is a two-way street. True repentance means changing our minds, our hearts, and our direction, not just feeling sorry for a moment.