Dear Church Family,
 
I recently read In The Plex by Steven Levy, the subtitle declares, How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives. One of the most fascinating insights, for me anyway, was OKRs. At Google employees must submit what are known as OKRs, Objectives and Key Results. Objectives are the goals that they must set for the next quarter. These Objectives must be ambitious, and should feel somewhat uncomfortable. The Key Results regarding their Objectives are measurable. At Google they use a 0–1.0 scale to grade each key result. The interesting thing to me was that the “sweet spot” for an OKR grade is .6 — .7; if someone consistently gets 1.0 then it means that their OKRs aren’t ambitious enough. This type of thinking was introduced at Google in 1999 when they were just a little googlet but it was a principle that was foundational to them becoming the behemoth that they are today.
 
It often concerns me when Christians think small and are not ambitious regarding the glory of Christ and the expansion of God’s Kingdom (Read Romans 2:6-8 to see how seriously God takes our ambition). At Heritage we want to be ambitious for God’s glory. We want to see many people taken out of darkness and delivered from bondage to idols. We long to see a great multitude from all different cultures worshipping the only, true, and living God. We desire a legion of mature disciples serving in the church and on the mission field. After all, didn’t our Lord Jesus state that our Father is glorified when we bear much fruit? (cf. John 15:8)
 
To this end we are implementing some structural changes. The changes were unpacked in a recent sermon series covering the five sections. The five sections are:

• Mission: reaching the community with the Gospel (Matthew 24:14; Psalm 96:3)
• Magnification: Pointing the crowd to Christ (Psalm 100:1-5; Revelation 14:7)
• Membership: Confirming the congregation as the people of God (Acts 2:47; 1 Corinthians 12:12)
• Maturity: Discipling the committed (Colossians 2:6-7; 2 Corinthians 7:1)
• Ministry: Equipping the core for service (1 Peter 4:10-11; Romans 12:10-13)

A church that isn’t reaching out into the community is a dying church, it is a church that has lost its first love and is no longer a witness to the love and beauty of Christ (Revelation 2:4-5). May Heritage never lose its passion for the lost. Jesus came to seek the lost (Luke 19:10) and as the Father sent Him into the world to do that so Christ has sent us (John 17:18 & 20:21). If Christ has sent us and empowered us by the Holy Spirit we must be ambitious and request great things of the Lord.
 
The former Libertine slave trader, John Newton, wrote:
 
Thou art coming to a King,
Large petitions with thee bring;
For His grace and power are such,
None can ever ask too much;
None can ever ask too much.
 
While Charles Spurgeon preached:
 
In prayer we stand where angels bow with veiled faces; there, even there, the cherubim and seraphim adore, before that selfsame throne to which our prayers ascend. And shall we come there with stunted requests, and narrow and contracted faith? Nay, it becomes not a King to be giving away pence and groats, he distributes pieces of broad gold; he scatters not as poor men must, scraps of bread and broken meat, but he makes a feast of fat things, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.
 
Lastly, William Carey said:
 
Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.
 
May God increase our faith and boldness. The Lord is already answering our prayers! We are outgrowing our current venue and have begun to pray and look for another. The church plant in Potchefstroom is growing and we hope to have someone on site next year. Many students are attending due to the FOCUS campus ministry. We have great plans for a church plant in Alexandria Township. The Lord is working may we not be lazy fellow labourers.
 
Pray, invite others, use the invitation cards, find out where there is a Christianity Explored course. If you are able to gather a group of five or more people together for a Christianity Explored course then please let us know.
 
Let’s attempt great things for our Great God.

Michael Rogers

Soli Deo Gloria