CrossWalk Church

Some wonder, does God even hear me calling? And even if he does, will he actually consider helping? In this week's lesson as we continue our Investigating Jesus message series, a person calls out to Jesus for help. More specifically, a blind man calls out to Jesus for mercy, repeatedly. He makes such a scene that people tell him to be quiet. But Jesus hears and stops and answers. Jesus asks, “...

We live in a turbulent economy. And with an election coming up, it is hard to determine what the markets are going to do. So how do we keep our investments safe? Gold salesmen would have us believe that buying gold will help us stabilize and control and safeguard our assets. Maybe they're right. Others believe that in a time of political uncertainty, we should use bitcoin. Since bitcoin is dec...

Are you a good gardener? Have you ever thought of God as a gardener? God is an expert gardener. He knows exactly what he wants to grow in our lives and how to make it happen. He knows the weeds and rocks, and wants to remove. In Luke 18:1-17, he records two parables Jesus taught and a real life event where Jesus welcomes and blesses little children. He uses these opportunities to point out what Go...

We are at a point in the Gospel of Luke where Jesus reveals important information about his kingdom and the future. He does this so that no one will miss out. Many people misunderstood Jesus and his kingdom. They thought it would be a political movement or a social program or possibly a new dynasty. For that reason they thought they were missing out. But Jesus' kingdom is not of this world. It...

Perhaps one of the most fundamental teachings, and yet the hardest to master, is forgiveness. The reason why Jesus' plea to forgive is so striking is because of the cost of forgiveness. Consider how much it cost Jesus to forgive you. It cost him his life. In order to forgive us he needed to make the payment for our sins and wrongs and shortcomings. The cross of Jesus is the reminder of the cos...

God's Word is permanent. It doesn't change. God's Word is sufficient. It's all we need. God is not my opposition. He put us on his team. He's on our side. He offers forgiveness and grace. At CrossWalk Church in Phoenix we are continuing our Investigating Jesus series by learning how God's immovable truths are for our benefit. Jesus tells important, immovable principles abou...

Jesus spoke about money more than any other topic. Why do you think he did that? In the parable of the Shrewd Manager we learn that God entrusts us with HIS wealth. And he wants us to use it wisely. God owns everything he has given me. Believing that frees me to use money and love people. Jesus warns us that Money and God can't both be masters of our hearts. Either we will hate the one and lov...

This weekend as we continue our walkthrough the Gospel of Luke, we read chapter 15 and the three parables Jesus teaches. Each parable talks about loss; the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Parable of the Lost Coin, and the Parable of the Lost Son (The Prodigal Son). Please join us this Sunday either our Midtown or Laveen location and how Jesus longs for the lost. He leaves the 99 for the one, who is...

In Luke 14, Jesus talks about what it takes to be his disciple. He is upfront about the cost. Luke 14 verse 33 says "In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." The cost seems ludicrous. How can he expect me to give up everything? At CrossWalk Church this weekend, we will talk about the cost of being Jesus' disciple. We'll see tha...

In Luke 14, Jesus goes to a party. And while he is there, Jesus does a little people watching. In verse 7 Luke writes, "he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table." We all want a place at the table. We want a spot. We want a good spot, where we can be included in the conversation and be part of the important crowd. This weekend at CrossWalk Church we're continu...

"Lord, are only a few going to be saved?" Someone asked Jesus this question as he was on a gospel teaching tour, making his way Jerusalem. Instead of trying to appease the person or deflect the question, Jesus goes right to the heart of the matter. You could always count on Jesus for never beating around the bush. After all, this is one of the most important questions a person could ask....

In this week's lesson, Jesus deals directly with the subject of untimely death. Jesus addresses two incidents that happened in his day. One group of individuals was killed by the governor at a religious festival. Another group died in a tragic accident when a tower fell in Jerusalem. Jesus doesn't answer the "Why?" question. Although he does make it clear that dying young is NOT...

Jesus spent almost all of Luke chapters 11 and 12 warning against the dangers of greed. Are you blind to greed in your life? Maybe when you think of greed you think of the cartoon of Scrooge McDuck swimming in his safe full of gold, or a Wall Street executive making insane amounts of money. But you don't need to be rich to be greedy. At CrossWalk Church in Phoenix we continue our Investigating...

Jesus was pretty harsh on church people, especially the leaders. They annoyed him for probably the same reasons they annoy you. You know the type, right?!? You have the self-righteous people who think that they are better than everyone else. Or maybe the "rules people." They are the ones that are in everyone else's business and are self-proclaimed experts on how everyone else should...

Have you ever prayer for a sign from God? This weekend at CrossWalk Church in Phoenix as we continue our Investigating Jesus series as we walk through Luke's gospel, some "less than sincere" individuals ask Jesus for a sign. Jesus calls out the fickle people who ask for a sign. The problem was that no sign would ever be enough for them. They were like Pharaoh in Egypt at the time of...

How is your prayer life? Your answer to that question most likely depends on how you view prayer and if you think it "works". There are times when the power of prayer is clear. Someone prays and things change! Then, there are times when a whole bunch of people are praying for a person and it seems like nothing changes. If you struggle with prayer, you are not alone. The good news is that...

What do you do when a homeless person approaches your car at a stoplight? Do you roll up your window as quickly as possible? Do you keep looking straight ahead, refusing to make eye contact and maybe even bow your head and pray for a green light? Do you look at the cup holder in your center console and try to find some loose change to help the person out a little bit? Maybe you've done all thr...

If you were to google "stressful occupations", your search would reveals jobs like surgeon, firefighter, nurse and police officer. What do all these jobs have in common? They deal with life and death issues every day. So why does anyone want to perform these jobs? Maybe the first answer would be "money", but not all of these jobs pay all that well. Perhaps deep down individuals...

The words of Jesus in Luke 9:23 are pretty bold. You could even call them an ultimatum. "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:23, NIV Jesus is saying, "In order to say "Yes!" to me, you need to say "No!" to yourself." And it even goes deeper that that. There is a part of each of us that nee...

Do you feel like you can go to God when you need help? Some might answer, "Of course!" In their minds they have images of Jesus. A smiling Jesus seems very approachable. Jesus playing with little children reminds them of how tender he is. Of course Jesus wants to help me. Another might answer, "There is no way I would go to God when I need help!" In his mind linger images of Go...

Good news can change your mood, and even your day, in a moment. Imagine taking your car into be fixed. You wait patiently to find out how much the repairs will cost. But when your mechanic discusses your bill he says, "I have some good news. All your repairs are going to be under warranty." You go to your doctor for an annual checkup. They draw some blood and ask you to come back for res...

Expectations. We all have them. We expect certain things from our spouse or significant other. Most people expect their job to give them certain things. When we go on vacation we expect to have a good time...well, most of the time :) But, what happens when our expectations don't line up with reality? The difference between our expectations and our perceived reality is the amount of emotional p...

Witnesses. Luke wrote his gospel using eyewitness testimony. He did the legwork. He did the research. He wanted the truth. And from his research we have accurate, raw witness statements like: "He saved others, but he can't save himself!" Luke 23:35, NIV "There was a written notice above him, which read: This is the king of the Jews." Luke 23:38, NIV "Aren't you the...

Witnesses. Luke wrote his gospel using eyewitness testimony. He did the legwork. He did the research. He wanted the truth. And from his research we have accurate, raw witness statements like: "He saved others, but he can't save himself!" Luke 23:35, NIV "There was a written notice above him, which read: This is the king of the Jews." Luke 23:38, NIV "Aren't you the...

There is a striking scene in Luke 19. Jesus is standing on a hill overlooking the city of Jerusalem and he starts to cry. He says, "“If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes." Luke 19:42, NIV We can all relate to having bad days, maybe even days that we have shed a few tears. We would like some peace. We want the pain to...