CrossPoint Fellowship Messages

God is the source of wisdom and knowledge; everything we know about this life just comes from him. Putting our ego where it belongs in relationship with God starts with accepting his wisdom and living according to it. Such a concession of course requires humility but, when we bow to his wisdom, we are granted the benefits afforded to those who pursue God. 

• One way that we can accomplish overcoming our ego is by leaning on God for wisdom.
• Pursuing God with our ego admits that God's way is better than our own.
• The wise see wisdom as a gift from God.
• Choosing the wisdom of God is the right choice.
• Wisdom doesn't exist in you if it isn't accompanied by humility.
• The pursuit of wisdom is the pursuit of Christ. 

We are saved by God’s grace through faith but it is our works that show what God has done. Everything ultimately comes from God and we are really only giving him only that which he has given us. Pursuing God means doing good works and there are lots of ways to do that. We must make the most of our days on this earth and give of our time, talents and wealth in a way that pleases God. 

• We are saved by faith, but our works testify to our faith. This follows Christ's example, and shows the world our connection to God, and brings glory to him.
• You give of your time, talents, and wealth
• My money is not my own, my house is not my own, my family is not my own, my occupation is not my own, my abilities aren’t my own.
• These are gifts that I have been blessed with through which I can pursue and serve God.
• How we give is as important as what we give. Everyone can give at different levels. And that changes throughout life. The attitude with which you give doesn’t have to change.
• In the end pursuing God with our works is about answering the call when he dials our number.

Prayer is the pursuit of Jesus' input and presence. You can’t have a personal relationship with someone you aren’t willing to communicate with. There are many reasons to pray and various ways to do it. But the most important thing is to do it - open that line of communication with your God and see how he responds. 

Why should we pray? 

1. It follows Christ's example.
2. Forgiveness. 
3. For strength and perseverance. 

How should we Pray?

1. With confidence. 
2. With purpose. 

When should we pray? Always.

How many days on this Earth do you have left? How many hours do you have in a day? Whatever the numbers are, they are finite and cannot be added to. Given the time that is available to us, what should we do with that time? 

• Time is the only finite resource we have
• How do we prioritize our time? How does God’s work being eternal affect what we do?
• God is the only one who can take what we do and give it lasting purpose
• There is not a priority list of “how much time do we spend with God or doing Christian things” - rather everything we spend our time on, both the required and voluntary, we should do in the pursuit of Christ.
• Our time is not only limited by our mortality
• Christ will return again, suddenly and without warning, so the time to pursue God is now, because we truly are not guaranteed later

The Word has always existed since the beginning of time. Today, we have God’s word in the form of the Bible. All Scripture is God-breathed and has incredible purpose in all kinds of ways. It is an incredible weapon for the believer, able fend off the lies of the Deceiver. It also reveals truth, even the truth we are actively avoiding as we pursue Christ. 

• If we want to pursue Christ, we must pursue the Word of God.
• If we want to know Christ, if we want to be like Christ, if we want answers, Scripture is here for the job. 
• Scripture allows us to fight against the assault of the enemy by counteracting his lies with God's truth. 
• The Word is a revealer of truth. 

What does it look like to pursue Christ? Today, we see that getting your priorities in line, putting Jesus at the top of the list, is one of the major facets of it. God’s promise of healing and deliverance is yours if you chase him. Because all along, God has been chasing you - we just have to turn around and touch him. 

• Pursuing Christ requires courage and conviction.
• Pursuing Christ means making Him your number one priority.
• The results of an earnest pursuit of Christ are guaranteed.

The Bible records in great detail the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ final hours, his crucifixion and his resurrection. Today’s message is the Gospel - the good news and the story of Jesus’ ultimate gift of salvation from death for us, paid for by his blood on the cross. But it didn’t stop with the cross - when he rose from the dead, he gave us the gift of life in the here and now.

• The cross paid our debts for wrongdoing, but his resurrection allows us to live and to thrive. 
• Christ died for those that betrayed him. He died for those that denied him. And he died for you and for me. 

The final chapter of 1 John says that if we love God, then we will keep his commands. We don’t do so to earn salvation, but rather to keep harmony with others and God. It’s not a burden to keep his commands - it’s our pleasure because of our love for him. But salvation comes be grace through faith - this is the basis for our victory. 

• God's commands are centered around creating harmony between believers and himself. 
• Following God's commands are sacrificial, but when you love someone, a sacrifice is a pleasure and not a problem.
• If you struggle with being certain of your faith, look no further than your victory.
• It's not wrong to question your faith. It's wrong to not answer your questions.

You cannot fully understand what love is all about unless you know God. In fact, we only know what love can truly be because God has shown us. Everyone wants to be loved. God’s love lives in the heart of every follower of Christ. It is therefore our mission to love others and show them what God’s love looks like. 

• Love is a product of the indwelling of the Spirit.
• One cannot know the fullness of God outside of the parameters of Love.
• Everything we innately want from love can be realized in Jesus.
• No one has ever seen God. But if we love others, like he has loved us, then they will see God in you.
• God never leaves us. Us staying in him is a direct sign that the Spirit is in us.

Just because someone claims to speak on behalf of God, doesn’t mean that they are. We have to test what he or she is saying to see whether it is from God. How do we do that? Knowing the Word of God is a key part of the answer. 

• We must ensure that before we commit something to our hearts that it is in line with God's truth. 
• True confession is accompanied by fruit. 
• For a person's spirit to be of God, their life must testify to the sincerity of their words. 
• Christians who become familiar with the source have an easier time avoiding what the world speaks to them.
• Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is peace, which occurs in the form of freedom.