Firm Foundation with Bryan Hudson

“Ready & Well-Positioned”

Message from Sunday, March 15

Luke 9:1, Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. 2 He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece. 62, But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

“Fit” means suitable, ready, or well-positioned for kingdom service.

Hand to the plow and not looking back

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Pastor Bryan Hudson, DMin reviews the earlier themes of the series: the peril of the past, seen in Lot’s wife looking back; the peril of the present, seen in Israel facing the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army; and the promise of the future, which requires faith to see beyond present obstacles. He stresses that before people can move forward outwardly, they must first move forward inwardly—in heart and mind.

Using Luke 9:62, Pastor Hudson explains that Jesus’ words about putting one’s hand to the plow and not looking back speak to focus, commitment, and Kingdom readiness. To be “fit for the kingdom” means being suitable, ready, and well-positioned for God’s service. Looking back, carrying too many distractions, or losing focus makes a person ineffective in their calling.

He then connects this to the story of the man at the Pool of Bethesda in John 5. The man had been disabled for 38 years and was trapped in a system of false hope, waiting for healing in the water but never experiencing change. Pastor Hudson says the man’s real problem was not just his condition, but the system he was stuck in. Bethesda represents the kinds of systems people rely on that actually keep them stuck—socially, emotionally, spiritually, financially, or relationally.

A key insight of the message is this: you are not the stuck thing; the system is stuck. People are not defined by their trauma, environment, or condition. God did not create anyone to live in bondage. Pastor Hudson uses the illustration of boots stuck in mud: the person is not stuck—the boots are. The answer is to step out of them. In the same way, believers must step out of mindsets, habits, environments, and patterns that keep them bound.

He emphasizes that the miracle for the man at Bethesda was not in the water, but in leaving the water when Jesus said, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” Becoming unstuck is not always dramatic; often it happens through simple but important steps like changing your environment, setting boundaries, changing your mindset, ending destructive relationships, refusing gossip, or breaking unhealthy cycles.

The message closes with the acrostic

FORWARD: Faithful, Obedient, Resilient, Wise, Aligned, Redemptive, Destined.

These qualities describe the kind of life that moves with God. Pastor Hudson’s final encouragement is that believers should remain focused, avoid rigged systems and false hope, and keep moving forward because forward is the only direction God is moving.

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“Systems That Help or Hurt”

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Message from Sunday, March 8

The Promise & Peril of Systems

John 5:5, Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.6, When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” 7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.

A system is a structure of interacting parts that produces outcomes, good and bad.
Navigating systems requires:
Knowledge, patience, perseverance, willingness to adapt, and courage to challenge when necessary.

In this text, we see the convergence and collision of different systems:
1. The system of the man and the people at Bethesda.
2. The system of false hope
3. The system of how disabled people were treated
4. Religious systems
5. The system of Jesus & the Kingdom of God

UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

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STATEMENTS OF GOOD & BAD SYSTEMS

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"The Peril & Promise of Systems" is the second message in the series “Forward: The Only Direction God Is Moving,” Pastor Bryan Hudson, explores how systems influence human life—both positively and negatively—and how believers must understand, navigate, and sometimes challenge those systems while remaining anchored in the system of the Kingdom of God.

Three Levels of Forward Action
Heavenly Perspective
Psalm 103:19, The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.

The Church’s Role
1 Corinthians 3:9, For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.

Society and Justice
Jeremiah 22:3, Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.”

Together these passages show that believers must be “heavenly minded and earthly good.” Our faith must translate into real-world service.

The sermon challenges a shallow form of Christianity focused only on religious activity. The church exists not merely to “have church” but to serve people and influence society.

True Christianity involves action:

Not only loving in word, but loving in deed
Not only praying, but acting
Not only preaching, but serving

Christ followers must move beyond simply attending church and instead become agents of transformation, helping people navigate and improve the systems that shape society.

Central Message:
While the world is governed by many systems, believers are called to navigate and/or challenge those systems while anchoring themselves in the system of the Kingdom of God. From that foundation, we can discern the peril of destructive systems and the promise of systems aligned with God’s justice, compassion, and truth, enabling them to move forward with wisdom and purpose.

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“Moving Forward”

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Message from Sunday, March 1

FORWARD: The Only Direction God is Moving

Hebrews 12:1-2, Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The greatest challenge to moving forward is the past and the present

Three perspectives:

THE PERIL OF THE PAST
THE PERIL OF THE PRESENT
THE PROMISE OF THE FUTURE

THE PERIL OF THE PAST
Successes, failures, mistakes, and even people who keep us looking back.

THE PERIL OF THE PRESENT
Allowing circumstances alone to define your reality.

The perils of the past and present can conspire to ruin your perception of the future
The most significant difference between you, your lived experience, and a crisis is what you think about it.

THE PROMISE OF THE FUTURE
The Promise of the future is your character in Christ and God’s promises.

UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

Donate to New Covenant Church: https://cash.app/$newcovenantindy

Sow seed to Pastor Bryan Hudson, https://cash.app/$BryanIndy