Crossroads - Weekend Messages

Rarely do people think or talk about obedience as a path to joy. Yet, when the authorities in our lives truly know and lead us into what is best for us, obedience absolutely produces joy, because when we walk in God’s best for our lives, joy is a beautiful fruit.

Nobody enjoys times of humiliation. In fact, we pretty much do anything to avoid them. But, if we want to live lives of unique joy, humility is part of the equation. Without personal humility, interpersonal relationships are nearly impossible. Because pride divides people. Jesus is the ultimate example of the power and blessings of humility.

Believers can experience real joy even in seasons of suffering, keeping in mind four important ideas from Philippians 1:21-30.

Everyone loves to get good news. Whether a loved one gets to share something special, or a challenging situation is alleviated, good news is always welcome. Well… the death and resurrection is the greatest of all news. That is what the word “gospel” means… good news. The apostle Paul finds great joy in the gospel and so should we.

God’s word evokes joy in the hearts of those who love and trust God. And no book portrays the beauty of joy in Jesus like Paul’s letter to the Philippians. So it’s with great joy that we begin a journey through this tremendous letter in a series called “Joy / FULL.”

To kick this series off, we will see the joy that comes from living in community. God created us for deep and abiding relationships. And we will see the Apostle Paul, in the greeting section of this letter, celebrate the joy of community.

God has given us His Word to help us understand His heart and ways. We always seek to honor God by walking in accordance with the Word. There may be no more important section on the gifts of the Spirit than 1 Corinthians 12-14. In it, we find the primacy of love in the life of the believer. And because of that love, we walk in the gifts as to amplify that love. Don’t miss this important teaching.

Even though we live in an individualistic culture, our God calls us into relationships. Those relationships have many purposes. One of the reasons He calls us into community is that no one, except for Jesus, has everything. We, as individuals, bring unique gifts with us. And it’s only when those gifts are shared that the body of Christ blossoms. Part of the beauty of the church is the tremendous tapestry that is created when everyone shares their gifts.

There may be no more controversial subject than the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This becomes even more heated when we look at the gifts of the Spirit. But this shouldn’t be so. Because the Bible is pretty clear that God never changes and God has given us His Spirit for many important purposes. As the Lord continues to pour out His Spirit on the Crossroads family, we felt that it was important to explore the Person and work of the Spirit.

Every church is unique. We are called to be a unique part of the universal body of Christ so that God’s Spirit will move, in our midst, in some unique ways. And we are excited for and open to that. As we begin our Gifted series, we are encouraged to fulfill God’s perfect will for the Crossroads family.

Unfortunately, there are many things in life that get overlooked. We often miss deadlines, forget to pay bills, and even neglect to take care of ourselves. In the busyness and relentlessness of our journeys, important things can fall by the wayside. This also happens in our spiritual lives. In the closing of our On Demand series in Psalms, Pastor Daniel is going to remind us of some things that we need to be sure not to miss. When we do these things, our lives will bear precious fruit and we will be God’s gracious fragrance in our community and our world.