We are experiencing a great start to 2025. I am learning to walk in God’s peace as my passion for God and ministry is being renewed. It has been my habit for many years to ask the Lord for a word and direction as a new year begins. The verse He gave me was surprising. It is Jeremiah 12:5 “If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, then how can you run with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?” I am aware that this shall be a year of great advance at Church Alive and in the kingdom of God here in Northwest Arkansas. There will be battles and resistance, but we always triumph in Jesus’ name! As I was pondering implications regarding this verse, I asked the Holy Spirit how to proceed.

He spoke clearly that we are to return to the foundation of prayer in our lives, families, and Church Alive. We are attempting to accomplish this by focusing on prayer in our Monday evening men’s group, in our ladies’ groups, Wednesday noon prayer, and in our main weekly service. Our desire is to minister praise, worship, and thanks to the Lord and hear His specific directions. Then, in prayer we speak these things out with thanksgiving. All that is left from there is to walk in obedience by faith. The results will be our church body awakening and coming alive!

We have begun the remodel of a new leased facility. It has produced some challenges with acquiring permits. Through prayer and wise counsel, we are steadily progressing forward. We see the possibility of moving in by middle of March or first of April. This will allow us to return to Sunday morning classes and a worship service. Also, we will be able to have more prayer, Bible studies, and counseling in our new facility and re-establish things like “The Room for Encouragement” which is a time each month where people can make appointments to receive words from a prophetic council.

Our vision going forward is encapsulated in four words: Evangelize, Encourage, Equip, Extend. We are taking steps to do outreaches serving people and sharing the gospel. Our modus operandi is to be an atmosphere of encouragement. We have structured our teaching model to equip, not just inform. The goal of all this is to extend the gospel of the kingdom and love of God to our surrounding communities.

I want to ask us all to be faithful to gather with Church Alive regularly, get connected to this church body, and find who God gifted you to be. Then, put yourself to work. The best is yet to come!

My prayer for this year comes from Ephesians 4:15-16. “Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”

Advancing His kingdom together,

Pastor Tony