Count the Cost
According to Michael Easter, America has a crisis of comfort. In his book, The Comfort Crisis, he argues that modern life has become so physically and psychologically comfortable that it is harming our health, happiness, resilience, and sense of meaning. Easter’s point is that we grow though difficulty and hardship, so if we avoid it, we won’t grow.
Is it possible that American Christianity has a comfort crisis? Is it possible that we’ve bought into the desire for comfort and ease such that we don’t like it when the Christian life gets hard? Rather than inviting people to follow him because he has “a wonderful plan” for them, Jesus warns those who would follow him that they had better count the cost because he demands wholehearted obedience.
If we would follow Jesus, we must be prepared to renounce everything, count the cost of following him, and be salty in this sinful world (Luke 14:25-35). While Jesus’s message was to those who wanted to enter into the kingdom, this hard word serves to remind us of what we signed up for. So, let us remind ourselves and count the cost by asking ourselves some heart questions:
What do you LOVE more than Jesus?
What in your life is competing with wholehearted devotion to Jesus?
What rules your time and your money?
What do you treasure most?
Renouncing all that competes with Jesus may be hard, but Jesus is worth it. Jesus does have a wonderful plan for your life, and it may include difficulty, hardship, suffering, and possibly evendeath. But what we gain when we follow Jesus is much more than what we lose – eternal life (Matthew 19:29).
Listen to Sunday’s Message HERE.
Opportunities to Serve
(For Opportunities to Serve at High Pointe, click HERE)
Volunteering in nursery or children’s ministry is a great way to get to know others at High Pointe and to serve our parents on Sunday mornings and other church gatherings. Reach out to Erin at erin@highpointeaustin.org.
God has blessed each of us with unique gifts and talents, and at High Pointe, we believe serving is how we use those gifts to bless others and advance His kingdom.
Whether you have 30 minutes a week or several hours, there's a place for you to serve in our children's ministry, as greeters, with the hospitality team, media/tech support, building and grounds, safety, community outreach efforts, and through administrative support. Reach out to find out more today: info@highpointeaustin.org.
Resources of the Week
The Cost of Discipleship – A Sermon by R. C. Sproul
How to Count it All as Loss – by John Piper
Life at High Pointe
Spring Life Classes
Life Classes are meant to equip High Pointe for life as a Christian. Our spring classes are from January 25th - May 24th. Click here to see which Life Classes are being offered!
Sunday AM Preaching Schedule: Pray regularly for the ministry of the Word at High Pointe. Also, prepare for our gatherings by reading the sermon text, thinking it through, and asking questions about the text before Sunday. Here is our (tentative) preaching schedule designed to help you prepare for Sundays:
March 15 | Isaiah 50:4-11 | The Willing and Suffering Servant Christ | Pastor Robert Cline
March 22 | Luke 15:1-32 | Lost and Found | Pastor Juan Sanchez
March 29 | Luke 16:1-17 | You Cannot Love God and Money | Pastor Juan Sanchez
April 5 | EASTER | Luke 16:19-31 | The Rich Man and Lazarus | Pastor Juan Sanchez
April 12 | Luke 16:18 | What the Bible says about Divorce and Remarriage | Pastor Juan Sanchez
April 19 | Isaiah 53 | The Atoning Servant Who Suffers and Rises Again | Pastor Robert Cline
April 26 | Isaiah 59:14-21 | The Only Feasible Option: Yahweh Himself will Accomplish It | Pastor Robert Cline
May 3 | Luke 17:1-10 | Our Life Together | Pastor Juan Sanchez
May 10 | Luke 17:11-19 | A Thankful Heart | Pastor Juan Sanchez
May 17 | Luke 17:20-37 | When Will the Kingdom Come? | Pastor Juan Sanchez
May 24 | Isaiah 60 | Light and Glory in the Risen City | Pastor Robert Cline
May 31 | Isaiah 61:1-11 | Spirit Filled Servant Brings Jubilee Freedom | Pastor Robert Cline
Begin praying as you prepare to join us this Sunday at 10:00 a.m.
Gospel Partner of the Month: Our Work in Cuba
1. Predica Fiel
In our approach to missions at High Pointe, we not only seek to send our best, but we also want to equip and encourage those who are already serving in the field. One of the ways to do that is to provide training for national pastors and missionaries. Predica Fiel is a training ministry that equips pastors, missionaries, and church leaders in expositional teaching and preaching. They provide training workshops throughout the island of Cuba and the Spanish-speaking world.
Please pray that the Lord will give them favor and fruitfulness in their work. Pray that the Lord would grant them continued opportunities to train pastors, missionaries, and teachers. And pray that the Lord would provide all the resources they need to do their work.
2. First Baptist Church & Seminary, Santa Clara, Cuba
High Pointe established a partnership with FBC Santa Clara in the 1990s. In fact, the Lord allowed High Pointe to have a significant role in helping the church start a seminary to raise uppastors and seminaries.
Pray that the Lord would provide all the seminary needs to train pastors and missionaries.
On-Call Pastor
To better care for you, High Pointe, we have an “on-call” pastor available for emergencies after office hours. To reach the on-call pastor, call 512-837-7725, extension 1.
