Jesus’ lineage before him is filled with some of the great Jewish historical figures. Also included are 4 women with questionable backgrounds. So, Jesus is both royalty and an outcast. What does this say about him? Jesus is for everyone. Jesus had encouraging words for the outcasts at the beginning of his Sermon on the Mount. He is the reason for hope in this life and the next and his hope encourages us to live contrary to the world.
Faith in Jesus started even on the day he was born. In Luke 2, we learn that the shepherds near Bethlehem left their sheep to go find the baby in the manger. Simeon’s faith was shown when he believed the baby in his arms was the savior of the world. Story after story throughout the gospels show us that it was nearly impossible to not have faith in Jesus after an encounter with him. It’s up to us to share the good news of Jesus with people around us so that they can have their own encounter with ...
Christ is returning, but the time and date isn’t known. We must therefore be watchful, ready and waiting for him to come. That means putting away the worries of this world and focusing on the eternal. Though we don’t know when the end will come, we need to live our life with the end in mind. In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul gives us instructions on what that kind of life looks like. When we focus on things outside of our control, we take time away from things that we could actually influence. Faith pr...
When we became Christians, we moved from the desire to please ourselves to the desire to please others and God. In 1 Thessalonians 4, we learn that perfection is not given at conversion and, in fact, cannot be attained this side of heaven. We are being sanctified (being made holy) day by day. The Christian’s walk is about sinning less, doing good more and becoming more like Jesus daily. Sanctification is the process by which an entity is brought into relationship with or attains that which is ho...
If you are a Christian, then you are a co-worker in Christ. What does that mean? It means encouraging other followers in Christ: through prayer, reading and sharing Scripture, and standing with them during times of temptation/persecution. God is with us at every moment and he uses believers to extend his grace. When we are empathetic with others, we let them know that they are not alone and that others have gone through the same trials. As co-workers of Christ, we are called to strengthen and en...
1 Thessalonians 2 is often called “The Minister’s Manual”. But aren’t we all ministers of the gospel if we are walking with Christ daily? We are not just sharing the message of Jesus but also our very lives as we go about our schedule during the week. We need to make sure we get the message right - that we are sinners, sin separates us from God and we are only made holy and brought into relationship with Him because of His grace. Identify our message and its source. Don't corrupt the message. Id...
The Thessalonians were new Christians but were already doing a lot of things right. They had faith and that faith produced action. What can we learn from the early Church in Thessalonica in order to apply it to the Church today? This week we look at how faith, love, and hope inspire us, and how we inspire others. Are you a source of gratitude or a source of grief? Does you life testify to the Triad? Faith is not produced by works but works are certainly a byproduct of faith. True Love persists t...
At the end of Joseph’s story, we see a man who went from punished by his brothers to justified by God and in a position of power. But he didn’t use that power to get back at his brothers. The struggles he went through taught him things and he became more loving, more grateful, more benevolent. It’s up to us to learn from the battles we face and come out a more Christlike person. Don't make an offer you aren't ready to fulfill. Battles can only be considered lost when you learn nothing from them....
The story of Joseph changes drastically once he is freed from prison and made second only to the pharaoh. Next to his blessing, we see his brothers in the middle of trouble. In this passage we learn that, in the midst of the battle, we need to be looking beyond the “now”, learn from our circumstances and work with others to receive the blessing on the other side. Don’t let the battle leave you brainless. If we only have integrity when people haven't caused us offense, then we have favoritism. Tr...
Joseph wanted to be remembered by those that he interpreted dreams for. He could have lied to Pharaoh's baker in hopes that they would have mentioned him to the pharaoh quickly, or to spare the baker's feelings. But in the end we see that it was his integrity, his desire to be truthful and the events playing out as he said they would that broke him out of his prison. Don't lie to protect people’s feelings. Doing what's right is always better than doing whatever it takes. Faith allows for integri...
In Genesis 39, we read the story about Joseph, Potiphar and his wife. Potiphar’s wife tried to sleep with Joseph but he never spoke ill of her or of Potiphar, his master. In fact, Joseph was given additional responsibilities because of how faithful he was to him. We can learn a lesson from how Joseph treated others - trash talking and coarse language should never be a part of a Christian’s demeanor. We should be content with whatever the circumstances - if we have a good boss or a bad one, likab...
Genesis 37 starts the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob. Joseph was clearly Joseph’s favorite son but there’s a problem with favoritism - it sets up its object for failure. Joseph was given unrealistic expectations and it caused his brothers to resent him and stop caring. In our relationships, it’s important to not show favorites (or revel in it) and so much of that comes from our words. Holding our tongue and being humble is the best way to fight favoritism.
How do we deal with differences in opinion in our team environments? 1) We all need to be in agreement that disagreements are okay. 2) Everyone on a team has the right to express their opinion. 3) Team Members must give each other the benefit of the doubt. We have to see, know, understand, and have faith that our teammates are seeking to make us better - we can’t take disagreements as an attack. Encouraging differences in opinion brings success to the team - and when the team finds success, we a...
The Book of Proverbs teaches us that humans can make goals, but God has the final say. Successful goal construction and completion takes God's Sovereignty into account. The goal must be flexible because God’s purpose will sometimes be different than our plans. That said, here are some goals that we’ve set for Crosspoint Fellowship: Always have someone to minister to Children and Youth, to make them a priority. Second to have a strong presence in our small group settings. To regularly lead people...
Romans 14 instructs believers everywhere to encourage one another and keep each other accountable. Successful teams buy into the idea that they are responsible for each other’s success and rely on one another to stay on course. In order to succeed at mutual accountability, we need self-introspection, selflessness, and the desire for mutual edification.
God gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. A team has a hierarchy - there is a leader (Christ) and those who fill certain defined roles. But a hierarchy does not mean monarchy. Good leaders listen to those they supervise and therefore keep the momentum of the team going. Clearly defined roles provide purpose, pave the way for successful outcomes, and help set and maintain expectations.
When we don’t receive a blessing from God, we assume that it’s because God didn’t want to give it but oftentimes it’s because we didn’t take the risk. When Jesus called Peter out of the boat and to walk on the water, it took a risk from Peter and a miracle from Jesus - and Peter reaped the blessing. Too often in our lives, inside the church, and out, we let fear petrify us into inaction. God calls us to do the extraordinary but if we don’t take a leap of faith, we just end up being ordinary....
Communication is the key in any and every relationship. We have to be Open, Honest, and Free with our communication if we hope to become and remain a strong team. And that starts with being honest with God. David in the book of Psalms was honest in his complaints to God just as he was in his praises. It’s so important to hear others’ opinions and to be heard so that changes can happen as they are needed. Successful teams work with one another and for one another.
When a bunch of “I”s become a “we”, everyone brings their talents and gifts for the common goal of the team. What is the clear direction of the Church? God is CrossPoint’s team leader - He is the shepherd and His sheep listen to His voice. We must follow the path that He is leading us down and the way we get that direction is by getting into the Word of God. His direction will always look like us choosing second so that He can first and others won’t be last.
On July 4th, Americans celebrate the freedoms that we enjoy in our nation but Christians have a reason to celebrate beyond that - freedom from sin and death. "Who the Son sets free is free indeed" means that we have the freedom to live our lives the way God designed us to live and we can only do that with His help. It also means not living according to the way others live their lives around us. We must be set apart from the world and stand with Christ in order to live in freedom.
In Joshua 23, we read Joshua’s final words to the Israelites. In his speech, he warns his people against complacency and encourages them to remain faithful to God even during times of peace (times when we think we’re good on our own). When we are on the mountain, we can’t forget who helped us out of the valley. Remaining faithful isn’t just about our mindset, but the actions that accompany our thoughts.
In Joshua 7, we find the Israelites after the battle of Jericho. God’s people were told not to touch the sacred things but Achan disobeyed and stole some of them. There is never a more dangerous time for a Christian than on the backside of a victory. We have to change our view of success from doing and getting what we want to getting and doing what God wants for us.
Joshua 6 tells us the story of the Battle of Jericho. Joshua led his troops into Jericho not (at first) with swords and shields but with trumpets. But this whole thing could have possible been avoided if the people of Jericho had repented before the attack. If you are aware that something is not right in your circle of influence, speak up! Not taking action when God is clearly opposed to the situation you are in causes collateral damage. Don’t wait to take action if the spirit is telling you to ...
In Joshua 2, we see that Joshua’s men made a promise and then in Joshua 6, they kept that promise. If you say you will do something, then do it. Our words hold power in that they represent who we are, which represents who God is. If we want people to trust us when it comes to the big things, then they need to be able to trust us with the little things. That means being specific with our language and following through on our promises.
In Joshua chapter 1, Joshua tells the Israelites to prepare for battle. Does that mean they weren’t trusting in God to fight in battle for them? No. Preparedness isn’t a sign of lack of trust in God. Too often Christians take the approach that God will provide as an excuse to skirt responsibility and then we end up in battle without the things necessary to win the fight. Faith is not an excuse for foolishness. We must prepare while we can so that we can be ready when we have to be.
In our new series, we’re going to be taking a look at Joshua from the Old Testament. Staying true to our faith requires us to be strong and courageous. They are important if we are to finish our race and remain true to God, a continual theme of Joshua. God will stand by you while you work towards completing it and he won’t leave you a hostage to the outcome. But in order to have this experience we must exhibit strength and courage.
Even a moment with Jesus can change a person. In Acts 9:1-20, Saul was fundamentally changed from a man who persecuted by the Church to one of its greatest leaders. This teaches us that it doesn’t matter how far you’ve fallen, Jesus can always raise you back up. No matter what your past is, you can still be forgiven and you can still be changed. If you’ve already been changed by Jesus, it’s your job to be the vessel by which Jesus brings change to others - even if you’re a new believer.
In Matthew 28, we get the “Great Commission” from Jesus. What is he commissioning us to do? To spread the good news - that God loves them at died for them. And failure doesn’t look like the world not believing - failure comes when they don’t hear the gospel at all. This isn’t an optional or “when you fee like it” command. It’s something we are to be doing all the time, as we go. But we don’t have to feel alone when we share our faith with others - Christ gives us the assurance that he is always ...
When Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection, he proved that powerful and victorious miracles happen and God is in control. But he wasn’t just proving a point - Christ resurrected himself in order to resurrect us and showed power over death in order to empower us. If you know Jesus, you are loved by the Father, you are sent by the Son and you are empowered by the Spirit.
The Old Testament taught God’s people about the coming Messiah and Jesus himself told his followers in person how he would die and rise again... but still they were surprised by the events of the cross and resurrection. Sometimes we are waiting for God to speak to us but often He already has - we just aren’t listening. We don’t need Jesus to do the things Scripture has already deemed appropriate. And not listening is not an excuse for not knowing or inaction.
