Crossing Community Church

There are times when there is so much happening in life that we need to stop and remind ourselves of what is true. And what is true for us as Christians, is that these difficult days will only last "for a little while" as Peter writes, and then we will enjoy our inheritance and all the promises of Christ will be fulfilled.

Our world is full of changes.  Churches are changing as well, even the way we ‘do church’ is different.  Is this good or bad?  What does God expect from us and Crossing now and in the future?  We find answers to these questions from Paul’s home church, the church at Antioch.  From them we’ll see 6 qualities that healthy churches today need to have. 

This week, one of the Elders of our church, Scott Brubaker, tackles the thorny and confusing issue of understanding the nuances of a relationship with God as compared to having fellowship with God. One can never change, while the other is ever changing!

Today, Nathan Breece shared the story of how he came to believe in Christ for the forgiveness of his sins. But his story is different than many others. Instead of coming to grips with his need for a savior because of a crisis in his life, he came to that understanding as a young child. So his story is different. It's not one of redemption from bad choices and a rebellious lifestyle. Instead it's the story of how following Christ has resulted in blessings and a lack of crisis in his life! He does a great job of telling his story. Please take a few minutes to hear it!

This week, Pastor Tim dug a little deeper to show us how much more there is to our justification before God -- an ultimate at the heart of all of it, is our Heavenly Father as He pours out His love, mercy and grace upon mankind. 

"Justification" is one of those theological terms that many don't understand or believe it has any impact on their daily life. But it is huge! It has tremendous impact on our lives!! Today, Pastor Tim explained what it means to be justified before God and how it takes away all the feelings of condemnation and guilt. 

Romans 3:23 tells us "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." In this Olympic season it's easy to think of missing the mark and falling short of Olympic glory. But what does it mean to fall short of God's glory. This Sunday, Pastor Tim spoke about what it means that all of us have "missed the mark" and fallen short and how Jesus was the answer to that problem for mankind. 

The parable of the Prodigal Son is well known. It's rich with lessons to be learned and insight to be gained. This Sunday, Pastor Tim drew our attention from the older and younger son and directed it on the father and how the father of the parable is a shadow of our Heavenly Father. 

This week, Joel Van Sant spoke from Psalm 110 about the finished work of Christ and its implications for the Christian life. We have a Savior who has completed the work of salvation and has defeated sin and death. Even at this moment the Father is making all of the enemies of Christ, His footstool. All of these facts should bring us peace, hope, and comfort today and into the future. 

Unloved. Unwanted. Left out. Those are a few of the emotions Todd Domke felt as a child growing up in a broken home. The desire for the kind of 'normal' other children had left him asking, "Why can't I have a father like other kids?" This sense of being unwanted caused him to question God's fairness. It was in college that someone invited him to a bible study where he learned that he was very much wanted by a God that loved him. Todd went from feeling unwanted to being adopted into the family of God, being totally wanted and overwhelmingly loved. Enjoy his honest and encouraging story. 

This morning, Joe Darrow joined us and spoke honestly and candidly about the loss of his wife, the season of life he is in and how scripture informs the decisions he is making these days. His comments are a challenge to all of us, regardless of where we are in life. 

There are many Christians that go through life disappointed and discouraged about their spiritual life. They are convinced that God is not happy with them or that they must do more to gain His approval. But none of that is true! From the moment we place our faith in Jesus, we have His full approval and favor. We can never lose it or gain more of it. Understanding that should give us great freedom!!

This morning Pastor Tim was joined by Lucasse Henrilus, our missionary from Haiti as well as Scott Brubaker, one of our Elders, to give a report on the outreach ministries of our church. 

The cares of this world weigh heavy on us! It's not uncommon to become overwhelmed with the issues of our daily lives. But thank God that He is aware of that and His Word gives us guidance on how to manage these issues in our life.This Sunday, Dan Marzari used three passages that give us a clear picture of how we are to think about and respond to worry. 

Tom came to Christ late in life. He says he was actively sacrilegious and considered the Bible as foolish. He loved creation but not the Creator. Then he read the Bible. After reading the Bible he had a different conclusion -- Jesus was truly the Son of God. There was no middle ground, no in-between. His new faith was absolute. He learned that all he had believed before was untrue and found certainty, and most importantly, new life in Christ.

The one distinguishing aspect of Christianity over all other religions of the world is grace.  All other religions teach that man must earn the approval of God. But Christianity dares to offer God's grace -- His unmerited favor -- unconditionally! This week Scott Brubaker did a fantastic job of highlighting the often overlooked and misunderstood grace of God. Please take the time to listen!

We all ask the question, "Can God use me?" Many feel that if they don't have a dramatic testimony or some sordid past they are some sort of "Christian wallflower" and therefore rendered useless to God. This morning, Pastor Tim teaches from 2 Corinthians 1-4 to remind us that God uses who we are, where we are and like we are to accomplish His eternal plans!

Why have men and women given up liberty, comfort, family, safety and their very lives to take the gospel to people who have never heard of Christ?This week, Pastor Tim gives us several reasons to seek out the unreached people of our world and share the Good News of Jesus with them!

As a part of our Global Awareness Conference, David Nelson, the founder of Crossing Cultures International, shared from Romans 15 reminding us and encouraging us that God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary purposes, specifically to reach the people of our world who have never heard the Good News of Jesus Christ

This month in our ongoing series of personal testimonies, we hear from Nancy Schmoyer.  Nancy remembers being aware of Jesus but not understanding why he had to die. Eventually through the witness of a college student, she came to faith in Christ but didn't know if God had a plan or purpose for her life or how to find that out. After surviving a terrible car accident, she knew God had to have a plan for her life.  She began to attend a bible study that lit a passion for the Bible and eventually married the teacher!! Now after 35 years of ministry in the United States and in India, she confidently believes she is blessed in every way!