Crossway Christian Church

Everyone likes to be complimented, to know that the job they are doing is being appreciated and seen. Last week, Paul started his comments by commending the Corinthians for their willingness to stick to the traditions. This gives the issues raised there a minor feel, as though they were a blip. This week however, no such commendation was given; Paul explicitly denies that he is doing anything of t...

Tetris is one of the best-selling games of all time, and was ubiquitous for the people of my generation worldwide. The point was to arrange blocks as they fell into complete rows, making them disappear. This is not unlike biblical theology, where we take texts and problems and try to arrange them rightly. Sometimes, however, the blocks fall so fast and their arrangement so complicated, that we can...

Some things in this world are complicated because they need to be. MRI machines, the internal combustion engine, and the space shuttle are all tremendously complicated because they must be to do their job. There are, however, some things that are more difficult than they should be. Windshield wipers, IKEA furniture, and online recipes all seem needlessly complicated. So it is with Paul’s argument...

Our nation has sprung up from a declaration of rights. We are a people who love to claim their rights, to fight for their rights, even to say that we would gladly die for our rights. What if, for the good of others, God might be calling you to lay down your rights? Would you? Paul pleads with the Corinthians to see the good in setting aside their rights that others might flourish in the Lord.

Doctrine has gotten a bad reputation in some segments of the church. For many, seeing the fights that have split the church over every jot and tittle in the Bible, doctrine is just a divisive force; one that divides but can never unify. We think differently. Yet, we must know the limits of our theology and our doctrine. Even when we get them right, we can be very wrong.

Christians uphold marriage as a foundational part of the culture in which we live. We rightly understand how important marriage is financially for individuals, not to mention for the quality of life of children. 1 Corinthians 7 is the longest straightforward treatment of marriage in Scripture. What Paul has to say is both helpful and surprising.

Each year, we prepare for the Christmas season through Advent. But what do the individual candles mean, and how are we to think of them as a collective whole? Today, let us consider the Advent season in full, and grow in our appreciation of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, come in the flesh.

Christianity, in its most basic form, is quite an easy thing to understand. God, out of love for us and pleasure in his justice, became a man so that he might die in our place, taking our sin and death and defeating them forever. We proclaim this, so that anyone who trusts and believes in that might have eternal life in him. See, easy! But how are we to live here and now? Do we follow the law? Wel...

There are many things in this life that we simply do not associate with one another. Pickles and ice cream; power and modesty; Christmas sweaters and class. These things simply belong in separate categories in our heads. Yet, there are many things that people generally feel do not mix well that are necessarily related. Discipline and love would rank high on that list. Discipline, even formal disci...

When diphtheria or scarlet fever hit a home in older days, simple disinfectant procedures were not good enough. No detergents were strong enough nor scrubbing sufficient enough to remove the harmful bacteria. The only tool left was fire – not to purify, but to destroy. In Paul’s desire to destroy the pride and arrogance of the Corinthians, he has appealed to the cross and Scripture. Still, if thes...

When most people consider the meaning of the cross, they think of it in terms of salvation: forgiveness for sins, cleansing, being made right with God. This is good! Such things are true and form the foundation of all Christian preaching of the cross. Yet, the cross has more for us than salvation; it is the very wisdom of God distilled, able to help and guide through all parts of life. This is Pau...

We don’t place a great deal of worth on unity and community in the modern church. While this might be chalked up to many different influences, it nevertheless seems quite true. But what is also true, from even a cursory glance through the New Testament is that Paul doesn’t share that view. For him, unity is hard-baked into the gospel, as sure to be present among those who believe as the Spirit, as...

Today, we start a new study looking at Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian congregation. This was a congregation built out of new converts, ignorant of many of the right and good practices of God before Paul came, and slow to move in the right direction at times. They were split into factions, had immoral sexual practices, seeking honor and power in the world. Yet Paul is so certain of their rig...

In this text, we see judgment pronounced on six specific nations for the sins that they’ve committed. As we look at this verdict, we get a glimpse at the character of God, specifically how the almighty Lord of the universe carries out judgment. The main idea of this passage is this: The LORD will judge the world in righteousness and justice. As we work through this text, we will see eight aspects...

WWJD bracelets were all the rage at one time. Their intent was to get the wearer to ask themselves, “What would Jesus do?” The problem with this is that one’s answer was totally subjective. Two people could have two radically different views as to what Jesus would do in any given situation. A better question to ask, and one that drives us to the gospels rather than our preconceived notions, is “Wh...

There are a number of things to point to when asking why the western Church is in the state that it is in. Many could point to the lack of quality leadership, preaching of Christ, love, or the insistence on drawing crowds. One of the factors in all of these things is the simple idea of repentance. People like to be forgiven, but hate repentance. It can be a distaseteful and ugly thing. Why ought w...

Black holes are widely known and somewhat understood by people now; such was not the case 100 years ago. A completely unexpected outcome of a famous theory, they are monstrous in effect, crushing anything that comes to close to nothing, and stretching out that death forever. A better picture of sin could hardly be imagined. Today, we see how the Kingdom fights against this gravity, and the fate of...

Last week we considered how our interpretation of the law impacted our view of God. This week, we have a chance to see how our view of prophecy effects our understanding of Jesus. Many throughout the ages have been called to serve God’s people, both inside and outside the Scriptures. But only one is God’s chosen servant, sent to bring all his promises to fulfillment. There is only one Jesus.

Controversies are unfortunate things. We are strongly warned to not dip our toes into such streams carelessly, lest we be swept away with envy and deceit. Yet, we cannot always avoid such things – sometimes we must take up the word and fight. So far in his ministry, Jesus has avoided such contentious confrontations, but he can no longer. What is at stake is not merely an interpretation of the Sabb...

We are indeed grateful for the beautiful gift of salvation. But we often lose sight of the importance of salvation really and truly being a gift. We still judge people as being closer or further from the Kingdom based on their deeds, as though salvation was somehow dependent upon their goodness. Jesus forcefully reminds us that salvation is not for the good, the great, or the go-getters, but for t...

Doubt is a persistent thing in most human lives; it can be good, sometimes bad, and often irrelevant to our lives. But for those of faith, whose entire life and salvation hang upon belief and trust, doubt is not only a source of anxiety and vexation, but can become a crisis and put people on the edge of devastation. What can we do to battle such doubts? Jesus is here, as always, to help us. Let us...

Jesus is kind to us, even in the giving of difficult news. While the sermon on the mission opened with some encouraging notes, Jesus quickly and surely turned to the bad news, making certain that the apostles knew what was facing them. Yet he doesn’t leave them without some hope – hope that he places before them today. What can we hold onto, what can we pursue, to help us endure to the end?

While Matthew and Jesus have already spoken to us about the nature of missions, there is much more ground to cover. In this second part of our study through the Lord’s instructions about missions, we have placed before us the stark nature of what we are sent out to do, and the faith that is necessary to see us through.

Why do Christians spend so much time speaking about, giving to, and engaging in missions? Can not the word of God spread, like rain from the heavens, the message on its own, naturally and organically. Yes, indeed it does. But it happens naturally through the disciples of Jesus, not through a mystic movement of God’s word. Today, Jesus summons his disciples to engage in missions, and we would do we...

Today, as we finish our brief study about apologetics, we review the material we have discussed over the past 6 weeks, and field any remaining questions.