Winning Ways -- Hillcrest Baptist Church

What Part Will You Play in Someone's Faith Story?
by Tom Goodman
August 24, 2011

I love "Faith Stories," and Jonathan Chen shared a great one last Sunday! "As an international student from China," he told us, "I faced two barriers, huge mountains, to accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior." The first was his atheistic background, and the second was to admit he was a sinner.

These barriers were overcome by a co-worker's invitation to her church's loving care and faithful teaching. "At LSU, the first people I met at a jambalaya party in our school director's home were Vicky and Mark Tiller. They were a Godly couple. I know now God assigned Vicky to be my office mate. Vicky invited me to a Wednesday night supper at Southside Baptist Church."

After a year of experiencing the love and teaching of this church family, Jonathan said, "I realized obtaining a PhD degree was just a gain of scholarly esteem. I needed to purpose everlasting life through Jesus Christ. My family and I declared Jesus was our personal Savior and were baptized."

You can read the full transcript of his testimony here. What will God do with your own invitation to have a classmate or co-worker attend Hillcrest with you?

"Unhindered!"

We'll be in Acts 28 on August 28, and so end our 16-month study through the Book of Acts. The last word in the Greek text of Acts is akolutos, which means unhindered: "He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance!" It cannot be a coincidence that the last word of this book is the best one-word summary of the whole book!

To that end, the theme of our 2011 Missions and Ministry Fair is Unhindered! After the 10 a.m. service this week, you will be released to our gym filled with booths and tables with information on the ministries and missions our church supports. Come and get informed, get inspired, and get involved!

Callers Are Needed

Our 2011 Connection Campaign begins in just a few weeks. Volunteer to be a caller! Based on previous experience, our calls should result in about a hundred interested in attending our church, and about a thousand interested in prayer. Let us train you and put you to work! Contact Herb Ingram right away (herb@hbcaustin.org or 345-3771).

--Tom

Beacon Articles Available Online: The staff newsletters that appear each week in the Beacon are also available on our website. You can find them here.

Check out my weblog here.

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Winning Ways - from Hillcrest Baptist Church, Austin, Texas	Contact Tom Goodman, Pastor
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What Part Will You Play in Someone's Faith Story? by Tom Goodman August 24, 2011 I love "Faith Stories," and Jonathan Chen shared a great one last Sunday! "As an international student from China," he told us, "I faced two barriers, huge mountains, to accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior." The first was his atheistic background, and the second was to admit he was a sinner. These barriers were overcome by a co-worker's invitation to her church's loving care and faithful teaching. "At LSU, the first people I met at a jambalaya party in our school director's home were Vicky and Mark Tiller. They were a Godly couple. I know now God assigned Vicky to be my office mate. Vicky invited me to a Wednesday night supper at Southside Baptist Church." After a year of experiencing the love and teaching of this church family, Jonathan said, "I realized obtaining a PhD degree was just a gain of scholarly esteem. I needed to purpose everlasting life through Jesus Christ. My family and I declared Jesus was our personal Savior and were baptized." You can read the full transcript of his testimony here. What will God do with your own invitation to have a classmate or co-worker attend Hillcrest with you? "Unhindered!" We'll be in Acts 28 on August 28, and so end our 16-month study through the Book of Acts. The last word in the Greek text of Acts is akolutos, which means unhindered: "He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance!" It cannot be a coincidence that the last word of this book is the best one-word summary of the whole book! To that end, the theme of our 2011 Missions and Ministry Fair is Unhindered! After the 10 a.m. service this week, you will be released to our gym filled with booths and tables with information on the ministries and missions our church supports. Come and get informed, get inspired, and get involved! Callers Are Needed Our 2011 Connection Campaign begins in just a few weeks. Volunteer to be a caller! Based on previous experience, our calls should result in about a hundred interested in attending our church, and about a thousand interested in prayer. Let us train you and put you to work! Contact Herb Ingram right away (herb@hbcaustin.org or 345-3771). --Tom Beacon Articles Available Online: The staff newsletters that appear each week in the Beacon are also available on our website. You can find them here. Check out my weblog here. Do you know friends who would appreciate Winning Ways? Just forward this e-mail to them! Have you subscribed to Winning Ways? You can subscribe by clicking here and following the instructions. Your e-mail address will not be sold or given away to anyone, and you can automatically change your subscription or drop it by following the easy steps provided with each e-mail. FRESH NEWS AT HILLCREST UPDATED WEEKLY: www.hillcrestaustin.org LISTEN TO RECENT SERMONS: Click here. MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS: Click here. If you do not have access to the web, please send a note to newsmaster@hbcaustin.org to tell us of any changes you would like to make.