To many, a new year means a new opportunity to reset and renew. Many believers take the new year opportunity to re-center on the gospel and God’s big idea for the world.
OC Global Research Team member Stan Nussbaum’s website—SYNCx.org—helps people “See Yourself iN Christ” and recognize that God is on a campaign to heal and bless the world and to connect it to him and his plan.
Christmas celebrates the birth of the Messiah, the Leader of God’s campaign. A new year is a great time to start thinking like a member of his campaign team.
“Jesus Christ is the center of the story, holding it all together, making it work. Under his direction we participate in it, trusting him to bring it to the grand conclusion he has planned. Meanwhile we enjoy the benefits of being in SYNC with Christ — security, significance, goodness, self-respect, and much more,” Stan says.
This year try reading the Bible with the two SYNC questions in mind:
- What is this passage telling me about God’s campaign to heal, bless, and connect the world?
- What is God’s Spirit saying to me about my role this week as a campaign team member?
Does “campaign” sound odd? Could it be that the whole Bible is the story of God’s campaign?
- Genesis 1-11 tells us why the campaign is needed (what wasn’t working).
- Revelation 17-22 tells us how the campaign ends (what victory looks like).
- In between (Genesis 12-Revelation 16) is the “big story” of the world, which is the story of God’s campaign to save the world.
SYNC Rhythms and Game-Changing Events
SYNC draws us into the story by describing the campaign in five stages, plus the introduction and conclusion already mentioned. Each stage starts with one of God’s game-changing events, which brings a new gift to the campaign team to take to the world. We call the world to get in SYNC, to dance to the rhythm of each stage and each gift.
Here’s the breakdown:
Life — God created the universe; humans abuse life … See Yourself iN Christ as a life-bringer who heals, blesses, and unites
THE CAMPAIGN:
Roots — God created his own nation/people … See Yourself iN Christ as a fruitful branch on the Abraham family tree
Freedom — Jesus the Messiah launched the Freedom Era … See Yourself iN Christ as an activist for the new Era of Freedom
Power — The Holy Spirit was poured out … See Yourself iN Christ as walking evidence of God’s power
Mercy — Jesus presented the final sacrifice … See Yourself iN Christ as a forgiveness agent
Honor — Jesus’s followers were expelled from Jerusalem … See Yourself iN Christ as an honorable finisher
Vision — Jesus will return to make the world perfect … See Yourself iN Christ as a trailer for a movie about the coming world of peace
How Are You Looking at 2021?
How might 2021 play out if you looked at each day as part of the SYNC annual cycle of seasons?
Read more details about this calendar on the SYNCx.org website.
“In this cycle, the story starts on January 1st with the creation of the world and ends on December 31st looking forward to Christ’s return. In between, some holidays like Easter have their familiar meanings, and some like Ash Wednesday are given new meanings,” Stan says.
Other Resources to get in Sync
The SYNCx website also has a wealth of other resources to help you play on God’s campaign team, whether you follow the SYNC calendar or not.
- A paraphrase of the Lord’s Prayer, a.k.a., the “Campaign Prayer.”
- A short explanation of the “big idea” of each SYNC season, such as this one on “Life.”
- A daily declaration to start your day appropriately for the season, like this one on “Freedom.”
- A navigation guide like this one on “Power” showing all the resources for the season, including a “5G” quick-start section.
- A through-the-Bible-in-a-year reading plan arranged by seasonal theme, such as this one on “Mercy.”
- A panoramic sketch of the whole Genesis to Revelation story from a different perspective in each season, like this one from the “Vision” perspective.
We look forward to serving on the same campaign team with you in 2021 and beyond, unless, of course, this SYNC New Year’s Eve prayer gets answered (sing to tune, “Auld Lang Syne”):
“Yes, let this be the year, O Lord, the Messianic Year. Your kingdom come. Your will be done. Please let this be the year.”
Research
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