Crossgate Church Podcasts

THE ROLE YOU PLAY IN GOD'S STORY 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Peter 4:10-11   WHAT IS MY S.H.A.P.E.? S piritual Gifts — What gifts has God graciously given you to use for His glory and to change the world? (take the assessment) H eart — What are the passions that resonate in your heart? A bilities — What are your abilities that seem to come naturally to you? P ersonality — What is the p...

Prodigal Pt. 2 -  The Elder Brother (Luke 15:11-32) Luke 15:11-32 (ESV) Religious self-righteousness is even more dangerous than rebellious unrighteousness. 1. Because it gives us an inflated  view of self. Luke 15:29 (ESV) "A cold, self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute." - C.S. Lewis 2. Because it gives us a deflated  view of self. Luke 15:30...

  BE SELFISH TO BE SELFLESS . . . Be selfish with the time that allows you to selflessly care well for those you love most. "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12   CARING FOR YOUR HEART . . . Daily get away with God. "Then Jesus said,  'Let's go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.' He said this because there were so many people coming and go...

Prodigal Pt. 1 - The Younger Brother • Luke 15:1-24 (ESV) • God extends recklessly extravagant grace toward recklessly rebellious sinners. • 1. The Recklessness of Sin • Luke 15:11-12 (ESV) • "Sin doesn't always look sinful to us; sometimes it looks beautiful. That's why we need grace to see sin for what it really is - dark, dangerous, enslaving, and destructive." - Paul Tripp • 2. The Recklessnes...

Acts:  Obstacles and Opportunities   Acts 27-28   WHEN IN ROME . . .   Don't let obstacles discourage you from sharing your faith story. God has a way of taking obstacles and turning them into opportunities. Make the most of every opportunity.   Be intentional about sharing your faith story. "After three days, he (Paul) called together the local leaders of the Jews . . . For this reason, therefore...

Acts:  A Story Worth Sharing     KNOW YOUR STORY . . . "Jesus is not swept into your story. You are swept into His." (Michael Horton, Core Christianity:  Finding Yourself in God's Story   Know your story so you can share your story. (Acts 22:1-21; 24:10-21; 26:4-29) The conflict of your soul.   The climax of the gospel and crisis of belief.   The need for resolution. A heart set free and at peace...

To understand the spiritual battle, we need to begin with acknowledging that we are in a war. Battles make up smaller components of the bigger picture. By definition, battles involve combat between two persons, between factions, between armies and they consist of any type of "extended contest, struggle, or controversy" (Webster-Merriam).   As Christians, we are in a spiritual battle of some sort o...

Jesus's resurrection means that there is a way for you to be made right with God. "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins."  1 Corinthians 15:17   "More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."  Romans 5:11   Why do I need to be made right with God? Because your sins have mad...

Palm Sunday Bible Verses  Luke 19:41-42  -"As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it, and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes." Zechariah 9:9  - Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, t...

THOUGHTS FOR YOUR JOURNEY . . .   On this journey, there will be moments of contention.   Don't let moments of contention hijack the mission. Relational challenges are never a valid reason for missional drift.   On this journey, there will be moments when God redirects you. "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps."  Proverbs 16:9   God is strategic in all He does. The u...

Acts:  Your Mission Journey Acts 13-15:35   ON MISSION . . . We have been set apart by the Spirit of God to make much of the gospel. "you will be My witnesses."  Acts 1:8 Some are called vocationally. "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'"  Acts 13:2 All are called relationally.     We...

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1 Corinthians 7:1-9 "Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman."  2  But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.  3  The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband.  4  For the wife does not have authority o...

Acts:  Acts 12:1-25 God opposes and humbles the proud. "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  Luke 14:11 Satan who sought to exalt himself over God was cast down from heaven. He has always sought to destroy the redemptive work of God. And yet he has failed.  When the enemy seems to win a few battles, we need to remember that God has won the...

1. A Wider Understanding of the Total Reach of the Gospel.     ...God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. - Acts 10:28b "Be not proud of race, face, place, or grace." - C.H. Spurgeon  After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb,...

  The Hope of Healing . . . For believers in Christ, we experience healing either in this life, or ultimate healing in the life to come.   Healing always is in the name of Jesus Christ. "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you . . ."  Acts 9:34 Healing never happens apart from His name. (Acts 4:9-10, 30)   Healing always points people to and exalts the risen Christ. Healing never happens for physical heali...

  GOSPEL HOPE . . . There is no one so far from the reach of God that they cannot be rescued by God. "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or His ear dull, that it cannot hear."  Isaiah 59:1   RELENTLESS PURSUIT . . . Even in our rebellion, God relentlessly pursues As relentless as Saul was in pursuing and persecuting Christians with legalistic zeal, Jesus was even more r...

GOD AT WORK . . . God is always at work. He is an active God because He is a redemptive God He is often at work in ways I cannot see. He is often at work in places I do not expect.   GOD'S INVITATION . . . God invites me to join Him where He is at work. (Acts 8:26-29) God saves me so that I might join Him in His redemptive Not to help Him in His redemptive work; He doesn't need my help. Not to do...

Acts:  Beyond the Comfort Zone Acts 8:3-25 The gospel is advanced in the midst of persecution, not destroyed by persecution. Persecution has never, and will never, eliminate the gospel; it only elevates, illuminates, and advances the gospel.   We need to view persecution as an opportunity for God to advance the gospel in us and through us. Often God will use difficulties to take us places we would...

"Merry Christmas:  The Peace of Advent" Isaiah 9:6; Luke 2:14; Hebrews 11:6; Romans 15:13; Colossians 3:15 Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:6-7   Peace with God . . . You can have peace with God only by being reconciled to Him through Christ. " . . . and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  Isaiah 9:6   "Glory to God in the highest, and on eart...

The Joy of Advent . . .   "To be rescued from sin's death grip brings ecstatic joy.   Only when a person recognizes and understands his hopeless spiritual condition apart from Christ, can he fully know the joy that comes with such a great rescue."    The advent of Christ gives great joy to a heart in need of rescue. That's why the angel said to the shepherds, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you goo...

"Merry Christmas:  The Hope of Advent" Isaiah 8:14; Isaiah 8:16-9:7   The Need for Hope . . . Hope is essential for the human   Our hope rests in the advent of Christ. "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you as sign.  Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel."  Isaiah 8:14   "I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob, and I...