CrossPoint Fellowship Messages

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 with us. 

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.

Mary Magdalene was one of the first to see Jesus after his resurrection. When the disciples felt as though Jesus had abandoned them, Mary held out hope and looked for him. When we lose sight of Jesus, he is still present, calling your name and waiting for you to return to him. And when you do, he wants you to go and find others who have lost sight just like you did and lead them back to him. 

The resurrection of Jesus is the most significant supernatural event in human history. On Easter, we celebrate the forgiveness of sins by Jesus’ death on the cross but also the power of God to defeat death and offer life. Life is given to followers of Christ here and now but also after physical death - we know that a new life begins. We have to move from nonsense to knowledge, believing that Jesus rose from the dead and we now have life in Him. 

The world is starting to turn around on the human trafficking issue and the Church needs to be at the forefront of that battle. It’s a 150.2 billion dollar industry and it’s not going away on its own. Worth isn’t something that’s wrapped up in an occupation - it is innate, cannot be taken from us and is given to us by God. Our goal should be to restore dignity and give life. That starts with seeing the women trapped in the sex industry not as objects or as dirty sinners but as valued daughters of God who need rescue. 

In Matthew 25:33-40, Jesus made it clear - we have an obligation to feed the hungry and help the needy. In fact, he really is saying that feeding people is akin to feeding Jesus. 11% of Americans are “food insecure” and in Missouri, that number is higher: 15%. The church needs to be unselfish for personal gain and be like Jesus: meeting people’s spiritual needs and physical needs. Get to know the Community Kitchen in Republic that is doing just that, and is one of our beloved mission partners.

Jeremiah 1:5 teaches us that life begins before conception ever takes place and that God sets the preconceived apart. Being pro-life is more than being anti-abortion. We need to provide mothers the resources they need to make abortion not seem like their only option and the RPRC does just that. Hear from Mary Jackson, director of the local Pregnancy Resource Center, about how they care for babies, mothers and fathers in our community.

Each week in this series, we’re going to be highlighting a different missions partner that CrossPoint has. The first week, we’re learning about the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home, a ministry that started in 1886! Giving care to children and adults in many different ways, we invite you to pray for them as we give them monthly support to see their work continue.

Prayer is not a spiritual luxury, it is essential to spiritual growth. And yet, Christian find themselves only going to God in prayer during the hardest of times. The truth is, though, is that we need prayer more than even God does - it connects us to Him like nothing else. Our private life with Christ is as important as our public life with Christ. Spend some time in prayer this week!