There aren't many characters in the story of Jonah -- God, Jonah, some sailors, the people of Nineveh, a big fish, a plant and a worm. But dig a little further in the story and you will find you and I are in the story as well.

1 Samuel 3:10 records Samuel's response to God's call -- “Speak, for your servant is listening.” Is that how you typically respond to God? Many of us are more like Moses or Jonah, we disbelieve or disobey.

This week we look at Genesis 50:20 and Joseph's statement on his life. How does anyone come through hardship, suffering and abuse and believe there can be good come of it?

Ever since the fall of mankind people have been running and hiding from God. Meanwhile, God is always pursuing and offering forgiveness and reconciliation.

God demands justice for our sin. But He also provides payment for our sin in the substitutional death of His own Son, Jesus. It's too amazing to fully understand. It's too amazing to not accept!

Our best motivation for living an urgent life is when our hearts are captured by all that we have and will have in the next life as opposed to the rubbish we cling to in this life.

Paul instructs the church at Corinth about building on the foundation of Christ. There is no other foundation to build upon. That is determined. What we build on it is not.

This morning we look at James 2 to learn about the purpose of good works in a Christian's life. What we learn is that good works are never required for salvation. Instead they are an expected result of our salvation.

If the cure is not applied to the disease it does the afflicted person no good. Faith is the means by which God's cure is applied to the spiritual ailment of mankind --his sin.

It was with great pleasure that Crossing welcomed the Lord's Love Evangelical Church of Philadelphia to our service this Sunday. This Korean church plant began meeting at Crossing this week. We took time to pray for them and for the persecuted church of North Korea. After our time of prayer Scott Brubaker continued his series on the uniqueness of God's saving grace!