CrossPoint Fellowship Messages

Successful churches are characterized by servitude. They not only serve the Lord wholeheartedly, but they also serve their communities. Importantly, they also serve each other. We have to be able to put others first, otherwise we foster a community of consumerism.

• We are all slaves to sin. But through Christ, we can choose to be subject to him, making us slaves to righteousness.
• This is calling us to snuff out the fire of self-centeredness.
• To serve Christ is to serve others.
• Greatness in the world is to be served. Greatness in the kingdom of God is to serve others.
• What we do for others we ultimately do for the Lord.
• You won’t serve those you despise.

The greatest danger to churches today is an unwillingness to have tough conversations with each other. The Devil's greatest tool is division. If he can cause churches to fight amongst themselves, they will fail.

• Communication’s greatest gift is its ability to resolve conflict and build connections that aren’t easily destroyed. 
• “Excellent communication doesn’t just happen naturally. It is a product of process, skill, climate, relationship, and hard work.” - Pat McMillan
• If you have a problem with a brother or sister in Christ, the only person you should discuss that problem with, to begin with, is them. 
• If you haven’t given your brother or sister a chance to correct their ills, don’t expect your pastor to do it for you. 
• Communication is a matter of correction, not a seed of animosity.
• Our communication must be grounded in love.
• We must remember that the goal of our communication is restoration.

Matthew 18:15-16, Ephesians 4:26-27, Proverbs 10:12 

Churches that pray are powerful churches. Prayer changes things. It strengthens relationships and builds a connection with the Almighty. If we want to be successful as a church by any of the metrics that actually matter, we must be characterized by prayer.

• Prayer is the means by which God fulfills his will among his people. 
• Suffering that leads to prayer, that leads to grace, leads to the glory of God.
• Prayer encourages confession and brings healing.
• We can’t experience healing, or expect our offering to be received while harboring ill will for our brothers and sisters. 
• Our lives should have clear evidence of a pattern of prayer

2 Corinthians 2:11, 2 Corinthians 4:15, James 5:16, Matthew 5:23-26, Romans 12:12, Acts 1:14, Acts 2:12, Acts 6:4

When it comes to our interactions with others, we must approach one another with a spirit of grace. This means we assume the best in one another, we are quick to forgive, and we don’t hold grudges.

• Approaching each other with a spirit of grace starts with assuming the best in one another.
• When we assume the worst in others, we break the bonds of fellowship, destroy trust and crush our own confidence.
• It’s easy to have a spirit of grace with others when you view yourself in the correct light.

Matthew 22:36-40, Luke 6:36-37, Matthew 7:1-5

What takes place at the end of Judges is horrible. But debauchery is all that exists when we leave God out of the equation.

• The greatest defense of the existence of God is the propensity to create idols for ourselves.
• We reach peace once - that god is the one true God.
• When we unplug from God, we turn to idol worship.
• When your gods are taken from you, all you have is nothing.
• But there is nothing that can take God from you.
• I’m not a fan of "hellfire and brimstone" but I believe strongly in truth and immovable moral standards.

Judges 17:1-5, Judges 18:22-26, Judges 21:25

Throughout Judges we have looked at temporary judge after temporary judge. These were imperfect saviors but Jesus was the perfect Savior. Today, on Easter, we look at what makes him so.

• Jesus is the perfect Savior because He was both human and divine. 
• A real sacrifice exchanges something of equal value. Human life for human life. A divine sacrifice allows for the Son of God to reconcile all human life.
• Jesus is the perfect Savior because He was the perfect sacrifice. 
• Jesus is Savior because He completes the process of salvation. 
• It’s not just that Christ has allowed you to be forgiven, but that God sees you as blameless and whole because of what He's done.

Samson was physically strong but spiritually weak. He was a personification of the nation of Israel and his failures led to his demise.

• We can’t let our lust override the law. 
• As parents, we can raise our children, try to lead them, and still watch them fail.
• God uses our mistakes for His mission.
• We can’t lead others down a sinful path despite our struggles.
• A lack of wise decision-making leads to a troublesome life.
• Poor decision-making is aided by an unchecked anger and the consequences can be earth-shattering.
• If we don’t learn from our mistakes, we are doomed to repeat them.

Samson is the most famous of all the Judges but he started out like we all do, a baby full of promise.

• God’s faithfulness persists beyond our foolishness.
• God uses the ordinary to bring about the extraordinary.
• We must do what we can to prevent corrupting what has been gifted from and ordained to the Lord.
• As parents, we must seek guidance from the Lord, control what’s in our control, and trust God with the rest.
• We all need people to bring us back to the ground, who speak wisdom and knowledge, people who we will listen to.

After yet another rebellion, the people found themselves in need of a leader. Jephthah stood up to fight for his brothers even after they had rejected him.

• Repentance requires actions and humility. And words alone mean very little. 
• When you repent, you need to act and be humble. You are at the other party's mercy. What they need from you, you do. If you aren’t willing to repent, you are sorry about your circumstances, not that you caused them. 
• Your past does not disqualify you from serving God, even if you find yourself rejected by man. 
• It’s a blessing from God to be able to overlook how you’ve been hurt to serve others who need you.

Abimelech was the son of Gideon. The problem was he had 70 brothers standing in the way of what he wanted, so he killed them. This section of Judges shows us that we can’t escape the consequences of our actions.

• Be wary of those who want to lead you and be careful what you wish for.
• We must weigh advice based on its merit and not on its deliverer. 
• Our God is a God of justice and there is no escaping consequences for your actions.