The Bible says that “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9). This is one of the challenging parts of the human condition. God expects us to make our own plans. It is a gift that God has given us. But we need to remember that God has His own plans as well. And God’s will is better and higher than others. The apostle Paul learned this in Acts 16. His plan was to go to Asia with the gospel of Jesus. But the Lord directed Him to Europe instead. And what a work the Lord did!

People often disagree. Do you agree? Because we all have different ideas and opinions about what matters we will often find points of disagreement even with people we love. In Acts 15, we find several examples of key leaders in the early church arguing and discussing what they consider to be the most necessary things, but what we find at the very end is that Jesus is the most necessary thing and His work of the gospel the most pressing. 

We have a tendency to believe that when God calls us to something, everything will be easy. But that is rarely the case. God’s ultimate goal in our lives is not just ease and comfort. Instead, God wants us to grow, mature, and bear much fruit. And oftentimes, it is through conflict and struggle that God’s work is accomplished. This weekend at Crossroads, we will see this as Paul and Barnabas continue on their first missionary journey.

It is truly amazing to think about the church of Jesus Christ. In every nation, in every language, in every generation, there are people worshiping Jesus. The people of God surpass every human boundary. But what is even more amazing is to see how God took the message of Jesus from Israel and brought it around the world. It took courageous men and women, who were filled with the Holy Spirit, to simply respond to Jesus and bring the good news to others. This weekend, we will take a look at the very first cross-cultural missions trip of the early church.

Jesus said that this parable is the key to unlocking all the other parables. Simply put, it’s all about the condition of your heart! The heart of every issue is an issue of your heart. Mark 4 will help us keep our hearts ready!

There are soooooooo many things to adjust to and learn as we begin our new life in Christ. This series is about “ESSENTIALS”…that which is absolutely necessary; extremely important… Nothing …ABSOLUTELY NOTHING is more essential than what the Amplified Bible calls your “vital union” with Christ. John uses the metaphor of a vine and branches to give us a picture that communicates what our relationship with Christ looks like. There are ESSENTIAL truths to be drawn out from the vine and branch metaphor that will help us live a more fruitful life in Christ.

Jesus is always extending an invitation for us to trust Him in greater ways. Whether it’s with our relationships, our finances, work, health, or family needs, His call of trustful surrender remains the same. The passage we will be unpacking today reveals how Jesus used a young Simon Peter’s hesitant yes, to change Simon’s life in unexpected ways. When we see the power and love of Jesus displayed in our lives, we can’t help but be transformed. Because of this, our prayer for today’s message is that we would see how Essential our yes to God is when He calls us into the deep.

The idea of God the Father for many of us comes with many emotions. For some, the idea of God being a father brings feelings of warmth, safety, and support, while for others, feelings of vulnerability and neglect. When we take time and consider the character of God the Father in the scriptures, we find a more accurate image, one of kindness, forethought, and forgiveness. Let’s glean from and be comforted by the word of God as we consider The Father’s Heart.

Essentially, life is experiencing the blessings of God. Life itself is one such blessing. If you have a pulse, you have been blessed by God. Unfortunately, we often don’t take the time to notice or rejoice in these blessings. But God has not blessed us so we can just enjoy life. God amplifies our enjoyment of life by encouraging us to bless others with the blessings that we have received. How incredible! This weekend, join us as Pastor Daniel unpacks the Blessings of Psalm 67.

The goal of life should be to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. That was how the scholars who wrote the famous Westminster Confession explained it. That might sound impossible. It is impossible with only human strength and ingenuity. But God doesn’t expect us to do it on our own. God equips each one of us for the life He calls us to.

As we open our summer series called Essentials, Pastor Daniel will bring us back to the very first message he ever taught at Crossroads, to remind us of how God empowers us to pursue Him!