Cross City Church

So much ministry looks good in the eyes of men but is worth nothing in the eyes of God. The prayer-refined heart seeking the pleasure of God and glory from Him alone must be behind all ministry. Without it, what looks like love and ministry is just flattery and masked greed.

From the earliest days in the NT church, there was a clear understanding and embrace of the return of Jesus physically… who would do two incredibly powerful things.  He will come and deal with humanity in two wildly distinct ways. He will deliver… take back every person who has listened to him genuinely, having said to him.. I submit to you.. follow you completely and trust you promise to use your work of your perfect life and death and resurrection to save me.  To every last person who has shunned and dishonored him, choosing “other than Christ”, he will judge… and warns us time and again that the perfect and holy judgement of Christ is not quiet, is not dignified, avoidable, quick or easy. Time and again, his divinely chosen word to describe it is wrath..   Jesus is eager to save all and terrifyingly mighty to judge.  With all your heart, call out to Jesus for his promised grace and let us wait together for his sweet promise of coming and delivering us.

The core change of salvation is not escape from eternal destruction, but  a transformation from false powers and promises to whole heartedly worship the only living and true God.

There is great worth in human examples. God has designed incredible power to be demonstrated through followers of Jesus who understand and articulate gospel centrality well and live lives continually shaped by it.  Authentic believers openly speaking Christ into all things.

As Paul is commending the Thessalonians for the Spirit’s fruit in them, he reminds them of God’s unmerited, choosing love for them and grounds all that he sees in them in that reality. God’s love being poured out on people through his gospel going forward in word and in power is the mean’s by which the church is established and strengthened.

Spiritual Vitality… what does the prayerful work of our faith look like? What does the labor of our love for one another look like and how steadfast is our confidence in Christ?

I am coming and all will be perfectly rewarded by me, including you. Come to me and let me cleanse you. Listen to the Spirit telling you now “come”. Listen to the Church say “come”. Come and add your voice to tell others to come be with Christ and have your thirsty soul satisfied by Christ as a gift …without your merit.

Again and again we place ourselves at the feet of Jesus and welcome his commission to go out like Jesus and be a servant like he was. Its our spiritual act of worship.