THE CROSSING BLOG
Sunday Gathering 06.11.2017
The purpose of this blog post is to help our church to engage and prepare our hearts to worship King Jesus. We will highlight the Scripture that we will preach on as well as the songs we will be singing during our Sunday Gathering.
Here are a three simple ways to prepare your heart:
1) Read through and meditate on the text that will be preached that Sunday with your family or friends.
2) Sing, listen or read through some of the song lyrics that we will sing together and ask God to grow and strengthen our faith and understanding of Him through them.
3) Pray for God to reveal Himself to you and the The Crossing church in powerful ways!
Worship through the Word:
Psalm 24
Worship through Singing:
Lord I Need You
The Wonderful Cross
Give Us Clean Hands
Lift High the Name of Jesus
Beautiful
Behold Our God
Sermon Discussion Questions John 5:18-29
Hey leaders,
Here’s a recap on this last week’s message. I hope it’s helpful in your own preparation process. Since a lot of this study will have to do with the relationship between God the Father, God the Son, and (implicitly) God the Holy Spirit, I would urge you to spend some time praying for the Spirit to come and reveal his truth to you and your group this week and ask him to show you where to apply these truths before you launch into the study.
Teaching Goal: Jesus imitates God the Father as Healer, Giver of Life, and Judge.
Application Goal: That when we know who Jesus is, we are able to imitate him in our lives in such a way that it brings other people to life.
TPQ:
The message this last week was all about how Jesus the Son imitates God the Father. To some degree, we all imitate our parents. What are some of the things that you imitate from your parents that you’re thankful for? What are some things that you imitate from your parents that you previously thought you’d never do?
Background info:
In the preceding section in John 5, Jesus healed a lame man and had him take up his bed and walk. The Pharisees ignored the fact that a man was just healed from his infirmity, and instead took issue with him for carrying something on the Sabbath. They later became enraged that Jesus would dare to heal someone on the Sabbath. This sets the stage for Jesus’ interaction with the Pharisees and his explanation of his relationship with the Father.
Read John 5:15-20
It says in v.18 that they wanted to kill Jesus because he made himself equal with God. Does Jesus deny this allegation? (No). What does he do instead? (Explains his relationship with the Father).
What do we learn about Jesus’ relationship with the Father in this passage?
- They both work (v.17), the Son is not independent of the Father (v.19), the Son imitates the Father (v.19), the Father loves the Son (v.20a) and reveals everything that he is doing to him (v.20b).
What do we learn about how Jesus is imitating the Father in this passage?
- 17 “My Father is working until now, and I am working”
Specifically, Jesus is referring to why he did the work of healing on the Sabbath. We learn from the creation account in Genesis 1 and 2 that after the work of creation was done God “rested” from his work. The Sabbath commandment points back to that event (Exodus 20:8-11) when God told the Israelites to honor his work of creation by resting.
What do you think Jesus means when he says “My Father is working until now”?
- At one level, it refers to God’s act of sustaining creation (see Hebrews 1:1-3)
- Another thought here is that the original Sabbath was lost by the introduction of sin into creation. Ever since that time God has been working toward restoring the good creation he made that the Sabbath points to (Hebrews 4:9, Revelation 14:13).
How does knowing that God is at work for us help us to experience true rest?
Do you feel like you have this kind of rest in your life?
How can we imitate Jesus as he imitates the Father in healing?
- A few answers could be: Being a community of healing from brokenness, praying for healing for physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, etc. Bearing one another’s burdens…
Read John 5:20-29
There are two themes that Jesus addresses throughout the rest of this passage, so we’ll look at both of them: (1) Jesus imitates the Father by raising the dead; (2) Jesus imitates the Father by Judging
Jesus imitates the Father by raising the dead
Have people read aloud all the verses where Jesus talks about raising the dead in this passage
- 21, 24, 25, 28, 29
According to verse 20b, why does Jesus tell us about his ability to raise the dead and give spiritual life?
- So that we might marvel
As a group, talk to each other about the glories of the resurrection. What makes it important to you? Work on marveling at what God is doing in the resurrection! Contemplate the fact that he sent his Son to be the firstfruits of it (1 Corinthians 15:23). Honestly, for all I care you and your group could stay here and not even get the rest of the study if you spend time marveling at the resurrection.
If you do move on, follow up with this question: How can we “imitate” Jesus the way he imitates the Father when it comes to the resurrection?
- 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”
- We can imitate the way Jesus imitates the Father by being obedient in bringing the Word of Christ, which is God’s power for raising the spiritually dead to life, to those in our lives. God can raise the dead through us by the preaching of the gospel (see previous verse, John 5:24, John 6:63,68, John 20:30-31, Romans 1:16).
Lastly, Jesus imitates God the Father as a Judge.
Read the verses that speak of Jesus being a Judge:
- 22, 24, 27, 28, 29
For starters, we have to notice that the resurrection and judgment are inextricably linked. Judgment is typically thought of as a bad thing; if anyone knows anything about the teachings of Jesus, it’s to not judge (Matthew 7:1).
Why is it good that Jesus is Judge?
- It’s the foundation for our own ability to “turn the other cheek” (Romans 12:19-21)
- It means that there’s actually purpose to our world, it’s not just random stuff happening all the time, some of which is ok and a lot of which that just plain sucks.
- It means that evil will be punished, which is a good thing. It’s also a bad thing, because we do evil things. Which is why it’s so amazing that the Judge himself became the Defendant and was found guilty on our behalf so that we could experience the resurrection of life (v.29, 2 Corinthians 5:21).
There are many religions whose beliefs make Jesus to be something less than what is portrayed here. Adherents of eastern religions are happy to view Jesus as a philosopher or a good moral teacher. Western religions will recognize him as a prophet (Islam) or even a god-like being (as is the case with Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons), but Jesus’ words in John 5 don’t seem to leave room for these interpretations (never mind the rest of the Gospel of John).
Why is it important for us to have a proper understanding of who Jesus is?
- Essentially it boils down to v.23b (“Whoever does not honor the Son [you could argue, “for who he is”] does not honor the Father who sent him.”)
Think through some implications of how Jesus’ imitation of the Father and his role as a Judge have implications on our lives.
- Here are some thoughts:
- We can be peaceful like Christ because we know he will judge
- We can become servants/lay our lives down for others (including enemies) like Christ because we know that he will judge
- We can warn others of the judgment of Christ and share the fact that he will grant amnesty to anyone who trusts in him for salvation
- We can grow in our own understanding of righteousness by looking to Christ, and then working toward restoration in our own communities because he is a perfect Judge
Sermon Discussion John 1:35-51
Here’s a few sermon discussion questions to help our church love God by applying his Word to our lives. Feel free to use these questions for personal reflection, alongside your family, within a smaller discipleship/journey group, or even within the context of your Life Group. If you missed Sunday’s sermon from John 1:35-51 you can view online here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R1Uk1OBfx
In this passage, we’re reminded of two pillars in Jesus’ ministry:
- ‘Come and see’
- ‘Go and tell’
Come & See—
Jesus asks the followers of John “what are you seeking?” (what do you want?) and they answer back with their own question “where are you staying?”. Christ invites them to “come and see”, to follow Him and live and learn.
Q: are there questions I bring when I consider following Jesus? Do these questions draw me to Him or draw me away from him?
Aaron shared his experience of having his mom die suddenly years ago and how this could’ve drawn his family away from Christ but instead it drew them closer. And Rita observed all this and saw the depth of their faith.
Q: who is in your life, watching you and observing your relationship with Christ? How are they drawn to ‘Come & See’ who Jesus is?
Go & Tell—
We see these first followers (Andrew, Philip) telling their friends/family about Jesus and leading them to Him.
Q: when is the last time you told someone about Jesus and who He is to you? Who can you be talking with about Jesus?
Jesus interacts with Nathanael, revealing His knowledge of Nathaniel (and His knowing what was probably Nathanael’s secret place). Nathanael responds with acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ.
Jesus tells him that He is the connecting point between heaven and earth. We all have a ministry to let others know who Christ is and that He is the bridge between heaven & earth.
Q: who are you in relationship with that needs to know who Christ is and that He is our bridge to the Father? Perhaps God is using you as a bridge as well. Discuss how this might be?
John Memory Verses:
Next Week’s Passage:
John 2:1-12
The Gospel Project
Check out this great little video of the “Story of the Bible” by The Gospel Project!
Sunday Gathering March 1st
Here is our weekly blog that we post in hopes of helping those coming to The Crossing’s Sunday Gathering to engage and prepare our hearts to worship King Jesus. We will highlight the Scripture that we will preach on as well as the songs we will be singing.
Here are a three simple ways to prepare your heart:
1) Read through and meditate on the text that will be preached that Sunday with your family or friends.
2) Sing, listen or read through some of the song lyrics that we will sing together and ask God to grow and strengthen our faith and understanding of Him through them.
3) Pray for God to reveal Himself to you and the The Crossing in powerful ways!
Worship through the Word: Acts 20:17-38
Worship through Singing:
Come Thou Fount
Man of Sorrows
In Christ Alone
Jesus I My Cross Have Taken
Our Great God
Servants of the Kingdom
The Mission: to make disciples for the glory of God and the joy of his people. We at the Crossing desire for all of our Covenant Partners to see themselves as missionaries. Specifically that Jesus has sent us into the world and wants to use us in the lives of those around us everyday. This can be with family, friends, co-workers and anyone Jesus opens a door for a relationship.
With that, there are a few folks in our body that have been called by God to serve in various capacities both locally and abroad. We’ve recently highlighted some of the folks during some of our Sunday Gatherings. Here’s a recap, contact info and ways your can specifically pray for these missionaries.
Locally:
Karsten and Alex Sween – Serving with Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) as the Northern Colorado Director
Karsten & Alex have been coming to the Crossing since 2014. They have a heart for the gospel to be reached into the lives of coaches and players all across Northern Colorado. They are CrossFit fanatics have 2 kiddos with a 3rd due this summer.
You can email Karsten directly at ksween@fca.org and you can donate to them online at http://bit.ly/1AlYb2e
Check out their update from our Sunday Gathering
Here’s how you can pray for the Sween’s:
- Wisdom for Karsten as he leads his staff and fills positions for FCA in the area.
- Alex’s and baby’s health during pregnancy, she’s been battling migraines during the 2nd trimester.
- Relationships at their CrossFit gym, for an open door for the gospel.
Garrett Schlegel – Serving with The Navigators at CSU
Garrett has been coming to the Crossing since 2014 but has been involved more in various ways for much longer. Garrett is originally from Swink, CO and has a heart for making disciples who make disciples on the college campus. Garrett’s passions include black coffee and hunting.
You can reach Garrett directly at garrettnschlegel@gmail.com and you can give to him online at http://bit.ly/1ATkpKE
Jecka Walker – Serving with The Navigators at CSU
Jecka has been apart of the Crossing since 2012. She is in her second year on staff with the Navs. Jecka loves singing and anything outdoors! She has a heart for helping young women grow in their understanding of Jesus and his word.
You can reach Jecka directly at jeckawalker@gmail.com and you can give to her online at http://bit.ly/1E6KI18
Check out the update from Garrett & Jecka online. Here’s how you can pray for them and their ministry:
- Pray that God would raise up many generations of laborers to reach the lost on CSU’s campus. (Isaiah 61:1-4)
- Pray for Thomas, specifically his identity in Christ, submission to his lordship and that he would make disciples who make disciples.
- Pray for Jecka’s freshmen girls (The Holy Hooligans!) that they would grow in the knowledge and application of God’s word.
Abroad:
Zach & Kara Zegan – Serving with Josiah Venture in Czech Republic
Zach and Kara have been apart of the Crossing since before it began. Kara lived with Pastor Aaron and his family years back and has been influenced greatly by them. Pastor Aaron had the privilege of marrying Zach and Kara in 2011. Zach and Kara have a heart for engaging the lost and specifically helping the next generation in Eastern Europe embrace Jesus. You can learn more about Josiah Venture here.
You can reach the Zegan’s directly at zzegan@gmail.com and you can give to them online at http://bit.ly/1EaQqz7
Check out the video from their Sunday Gathering.
Here’s how you can pray for Zach and Kara:
- Jesus would provide an apartment close to those they are trying to reach and within their financial means
- Wisdom in time commitments and relationships as they have transitioned to Prague
- Language, Language, Language. Zach and Kara would understand and communicate well with those around them
Sunday's Gathering Feb.15th
Here is our weekly blog that we post in hopes of helping those coming to The Crossing’s Sunday Gathering to engage and prepare our hearts to worship King Jesus. We will highlight the Scripture that we will preach on as well as the songs we will be singing.
Here are a three simple ways to prepare your heart:
1) Read through and meditate on the text that will be preached that Sunday with your family or friends.
2) Sing, listen or read through some of the song lyrics that we will sing together and ask God to grow and strengthen our faith and understanding of Him through them.
3) Pray for God to reveal Himself to you and the The Crossing in powerful ways!
Worship through the Word: Acts 20:1-16
Worship through Singing: God Alone Man of Sorrows To Christ the Ransomed Sinners Run When I Survey (The Wondrous Cross) The Church’s One Foundatio
Church Plant #1 Choice City Church
The Crossing’s first Church Plant is Choice City Church here in Fort Collins, CO. Check out their short little video about their Church.
http://vimeo.com/110668251
Sunday Gathering, January 4th
Here is our weekly blog that we post in hopes of helping those coming to The Crossing’s Sunday Gathering to engage and prepare our hearts to worship King Jesus. We will highlight the Scripture that we will preach on as well as the songs we will be singing.
Here are a three simple ways to prepare your heart:
1) Read through and meditate on the text that will be preached that Sunday with your family or friends.
2) Sing, listen or read through some of the song lyrics that we will sing together and ask God to grow and strengthen our faith and understanding of Him through them.
3) Pray for God to reveal Himself to you and the The Crossing in powerful ways!
Worship through the Word: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
Worship through Singing: Wonderful Cross Man of Sorrows Cornerstone Jesus, Firm Foundation
Christmas Eve Gathering
On December 24th at 5:30pm we will come together to worship the Incarnation of Jesus! Please join us and bring a friend if you are in town. We will have a short devotional message, read scripture, pray but mostly we will sing of this epic event! Our Gathering will be about an hour from 5:30pm-6:30pm so that you can make all of the other Christmas Eve engagements.
Advent 2014 Resources
This weekend we kicked off the Advent of Jesus Christ!
The word Advent means “coming” or “arrival.” From November 30th-December 25th we will focus our Gatherings around the celebration of the Birth of Jesus Christ, his first Advent, with anticipation of His Second Advent as the conquering King.
Here is a free resource on Advent called, “Good News of Great Joy,” from John Piper and Desiring God. It is a great tool to help us keep Jesus at the heart of the Christmas Season.
www.desiringgod.org/books/good-news-of-great-joy
Matthew 1:1-17, The Genealogy of Hope
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JDYb5eaPfg&feature=em-upload_owner
Sermon Recap, Acts 18:18-28
The Ripples of Discipleship:Acts 18:18-28
“Ordinary People living ordinary lives with gospel intentionality who are empowered by the Holy Spirit.” This is one of our motto’s here at the Crossing and in Acts 18 we see this motto lived out in Aquila and Priscilla.
Aquila and Priscilla were a ordinary couple who had a tremendous impact on the early Church, in particular the Churches in Corinth, Ephesus and possibly Rome. They modeled for us 3 characteristics of a Disciple Maker and how everyday people are used by God to build His Kingdom:
—Available
—Hospitable
—Engaging
Here are some questions from the sermon:
What was the main point of the sermon?
What was your favorite part of Acts 18:18-28?
Out of the 3 characteristics (being available, hospitable, engaging) where do you excel and where do you need prayer and growth?
What does the phrase, “Discipleship is not what you do but it’s who you are” mean? How does understanding this phrase change you approach to discipleship?
Who do you need to share this message with?
Acts 18:18-28, The Ripples of Discipleship:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeIZWAwkSBg&list=UUOcXw3M2AEot6bZFSsR0S9A
Ordinary People Series | Soma
Here is a great series from Soma encouraging people to make Disciples in their life context.
A theme we have adopted here at the Crossing is, “Ordinary people, living ordinary lives with Gospel intentionally empowered by the Holy Spirit.”
Enjoy this series.
Missional Moms Part 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cF1m0A6frg
Sermon Recap, Acts 18:1-17
Acts 18:1-17,“The First Disciple’s in Corinth”
What causes fear in your heart? That was the question we opened up with in Acts 18:1-17. In this portion of scripture we see the Apostle Paul (the William Wallace of the Faith) struggle and overcome the fears and the high’s and low’s of making Disciples in Corinth.
Here are a several questions to ask and meditate on in Acts 18:1-17
1. What was the Corinthian Culture like that Paul was engaging? What are the contemporary issues that we share with the Corinthian Culture here in Fort Collins/USA?
2. What were the high’s and low’s of Paul’s ministry to the Corinthians in Verses 1-17? What are the high’s and low’s you encounter in your ministry?
3. Why did Paul in verse 6, “dust of his garments?” Why did he also say in verse 6, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent?” How can we apply this OT example to our lives today?
4. Why was Paul afraid in verse 9? How did the Lord meet Paul in his fear?
5. What are the 3 commands and 3 promises that the Lord gave in verse 9? How can we apply those commands and promises in our lives when battling fear?
Acts 18:1-17 Sermon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeBVXKnHYhM&list=UUOcXw3M2AEot6bZFSsR0S9A
Acts 17:16-34, Sermon Recap
Acts 17:16-34“Get the Message Out”
Many of us went to the voting polls this past week to cast our votes for the politicians who’s message we resonated the most with. Over the course of the last couple of months they used every mode of communication they could to get their message out to the people. The Apostle Paul was not in a political race but had a message he needed to get out to the people in Athens, the Gospel.
In Acts 17:16-34, Paul shows us 4 steps to effectively get out the greatest message, the Gospel. These steps the Spirit used back then and still uses today to bring people into His Kingdom.
The 4 steps are:
1. Observing culture that leads to a provoked spirit
2. Engaging everyone/everywhere
3. Finding common ground when engaging people
4. Contextualizing the Gospel
Here are some questions to think through this week as you recap the sermon and engage with Acts 17:16-34.
—What are the idols in your city and in your heart? How is the Holy Spirit provoking you to respond to these idols?
—Who and where did Paul engage people with the Gospel? Who and where are those people and places in your life your called to engage?
—How did Paul find common ground with those he was engaging? Why is finding common ground so important when engaging people, especially in conversations about the Gospel.
—Why did Paul begin with God as Creator with the Greeks rather then starting with Abraham, Moses and David as was his custom with the Jews?
—Who do I need to share this message with this week?
—What specifically is the Lord calling me to obey from Acts 17:16-34?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gHMuMtu1cg&list=UUOcXw3M2AEot6bZFSsR0S9A
New Pastor @ The Crossing!
It is with great joy that on October 5th 2014, The Crossing Church added our 4th Pastor/Elder, Daniel Smith! Daniel has been with the Crossing since the beginning and has shown to be a man who loves Jesus and His Church.
Please pray for Daniel and His wife Michele as they start a new calling in life.
Here are a couple pictures from that Sunday.
View more pics: https://www.facebook.com/thecrossingfc
Everyday Missionaries
Are you a missionary? I am. I’m not always a faithful missionary. I’m not always an effective missionary. But I am a missionary… and so are you. All who follow Christ are given the mission to make disciples as we go along the road of life. Some are sent overseas. Some are sent to unreached places. Some are freed up to do this vocationally. But we’re all sent into the world together as communities of missionaries (John 20:21).
We talk about this often with our church. We try to help everyone embrace their identity as a missionary and a vital member of a missionary community (Life Group). For some, this can seem overwhelming, so I want to offer a few practical ideas that can help us approach everyday life as everyday missionaries.
Be regulars
We’ve seen people become a part of our community through relationships built at stores, gyms, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, parks, hospitals and grocery stores. These relationships rarely develop through a single encounter. They grow over time and with regular interactions. Go to the same places for your regular routines. Go to the same coffee shop regularly and build a relationship with the baristas. Go to the same gym at the same time each week and build relationships. Go to the same library at the same story-time session weekly with your kids, and become a part of that community. Shop at the same grocery store at a regular time and go to the same check out each time. Be intentional about visiting the same places for your weekly activities. Get to know the people, remember their names, ask about their kids and their weeks and follow up next time you see them. Before long, you’ll find out that you’re becoming friends.
Build friendships
New friendships require time together — whether it is with your neighbors, coworkers or other people you have met along the road. Eat meals together, go to parks together, watch sporting games together, do hobbies together — just do something together that allows you to share your life, listen, learn and love. In our culture, people will recognize an agenda-driven, salesman approach to friendship. We must actually love people — whether or not they ever come to believe. When you are genuinely friends with someone, they will trust you and listen to your perspective more readily, and they will more readily share their true reasons for not yet believing.
“Show & Tell” the grace of God
As friendships grow, we must model honesty about our own brokenness. Most people imagine Christians to be either clean and put together or hypocrites, so they feel the need to pretend like they have it together. This proclivity to maintain a façade of righteousness hinders us from proclaiming and celebrating the grace of God. Because of God’s grace in Christ, we can be real about who we are — our struggles, our trials, our failures and our joys. We don’t want to boast in our sin, but we do want to be honest about it so that we can boast in the Cross where we have received grace. As friends begin to let us into their lives, we must show God’s grace to them as we accept them, and we must be bold to share with them the good news of God’s grace in Christ.
Invite friends into your community
Introducing unbelievers to your community of believing friends is one of the most neglected, yet important aspects of introducing people to Jesus. Practically, this is the same as building friendships, but it requires finding ways to build friendships with unbelieving friends and believing friends simultaneously. When people see your individual life and your love, they see one good person. When they meet your believing friends, they will (hopefully) meet a community of grace, a community of honest and broken people, a community of servants and a community that loves God’s truth. They will meet the Body of Christ. Your community displays God to the world because God is in you (i.e. y’all). When broken people are accepted by God’s people, they begin to understand that God will accept them too, because of Jesus. Often people come into a real relationship with God after first coming into a meaningful relationship with His people.
Pray like missionaries
If we are God’s missionaries, then we must pray like missionaries. We must pray for opportunities for ourselves and for one another. We must pray for readiness. We must pray for Spirit-filled love. We must pray for patience. We must pray for wisdom. We must pray for awakening. Unless God graciously acts, we will never see people come to new life in Christ. So, above all, we must pray for God to awaken our friends to the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Kingdom Living - Becoming Family
By God’s grace, The Crossing family has been growing, and our Life Groups have been multiplying. Our Life Groups are more than Bible Studies or weekly meetings. They are growing families, committed to living for Jesus and His mission together. The following video shares a story of what God has been doing in one of our newer Life Groups in Loveland, and how this burgeoning family is being used to shine God’s glory to our community. Praise God for His faithful love.
This is Discipleship
This is what we are all about: Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the glory of God and the joy of His people.