Crossing Community Church

"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you." (Matt 5:11) Jesus warns us of how the world will react to followers of Christ who have become pure in hear, merciful, mournful, peacemakers, gentle and who truly long for righteousness. He teaches us that we should be "exceedingly glad" when treated poorly. Today Pastor Tim talks about why the world responds this way and how we should understand it. 

To be a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus calls us to set aside all that we value in this life and all that we would build our reputation and status on to become poor in spirit, meek, mournful, merciful, peacemakers, pure in heart, who hunger and thirst for righteousness as you do you daily food and drink. A high calling for an eternal Kingdom!

Some words get used so often and out of context that we forget what they really mean. That is the case with the word 'blessed.' Many think it means happiness, but it is far more than that. It is the inner peace that cannot be disrupted by outer circumstances. 

The Sermon on the Mount is an amazing example of the Master Teacher instructing his disciples. And the only right conclusion to come to when one has digested all that is taught by Jesus is -- we can never fulfill God's standards, and it's only Jesus that can. He meets our inability with his total sufficiency!

We are pleased to have John Ashton share his story of how God grabbed his life and changed it. And what is so encouraging is how John's story reveals how important mentors and other Christians are to our walk with Christ. 

There are times when there is so much happening in life that we need to stop and remind ourselves of what is true. And what is true for us as Christians, is that these difficult days will only last "for a little while" as Peter writes, and then we will enjoy our inheritance and all the promises of Christ will be fulfilled.

Our world is full of changes.  Churches are changing as well, even the way we ‘do church’ is different.  Is this good or bad?  What does God expect from us and Crossing now and in the future?  We find answers to these questions from Paul’s home church, the church at Antioch.  From them we’ll see 6 qualities that healthy churches today need to have. 

This week, one of the Elders of our church, Scott Brubaker, tackles the thorny and confusing issue of understanding the nuances of a relationship with God as compared to having fellowship with God. One can never change, while the other is ever changing!

This week, Pastor Tim dug a little deeper to show us how much more there is to our justification before God -- an ultimate at the heart of all of it, is our Heavenly Father as He pours out His love, mercy and grace upon mankind. 

Today, Nathan Breece shared the story of how he came to believe in Christ for the forgiveness of his sins. But his story is different than many others. Instead of coming to grips with his need for a savior because of a crisis in his life, he came to that understanding as a young child. So his story is different. It's not one of redemption from bad choices and a rebellious lifestyle. Instead it's the story of how following Christ has resulted in blessings and a lack of crisis in his life! He does a great job of telling his story. Please take a few minutes to hear it!