Crosswind Church

Have you ever had an experience that changed your life? Maybe it changed how you reacted to certain things or how you look at the world. That is how we should be as a Church when we experience the forgiveness of Christ. A community of forgiven and healed people who then turn to the world and become forgivers and healers.

What is the Church here for? Is it here to compete with the other churches in town? Is it here to get the biggest numbers in the seats every Sunday? In Luke 22, Jesus shows us that to be His followers, we must become servants. As the Church, we are the Body of Christ, and as such, we too must exist to serve the needs of others.

As the Church, we are the Body of Christ, and as such we are reminded constantly throughout the New Testament that we are to be unified. How does this work? In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul tells us that we are to be one, united together in the same Spirit, and pressing toward the same goal.

As the Body of Christ, the Church is hopeful community. Having heard the good news, we are called to spread to the hope of Jesus to the world. Sharing our faith is an essential part of being the people of God!

As Christians we are called to live in the world, but not of it. The same goes for the church. The Church as a community is countercultural movement of people bound together by Jesus Christ.

Pastor Mike Ferrante talks about one of his favorite passages in the Bible, Malachi 4:6.

Pastor Herb Reisig talks about one of his favorite passages in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 2:9.

Pastor Chris Kaskel talks about one of his favorite passages in the Bible, Matthew 19:25-26.

Pastor Mark Sparks talks about one of his favorite passages in the Bible, John chapter 9.

What does it mean to live in the Kingdom of God? How can we this out on a daily basis. Jesus tells us that we are to abide in Him and to do so, that means we have to make the right choices.

No one likes to be judged, but often times we enjoy being the one who is doing the judging. If we learn to see people and their problems the way Jesus sees them, we find ourselves able to stand in solidarity with them instead of judging.

In a culture driven by fear, how can we live without worry? It's a concept that can seem like it's easier said than done. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus directly addresses fear and worry, instructing us not to be anxious because God cares deeply for us and provides for all of our needs.

Material things bring a sense of happiness and joy. But not long after, we lose the elation we first felt. This is called avarice. It's an excessive desire for the the happiness money can buy us or secure for us. Jesus, in his sermon on the mount, teaches that true happiness and security come from serving God.

Outside of the Kingdom of God, there is no way to measure our worth other than what other people think about us. What Jesus teaches us is that our value and worth should come from God, who deeply loves and cares about each and every person.

Loving your enemies is not one of the easier or popular things Jesus talked about in the Sermon on the Mount. In a culture of revenge and enmity, how is there room for love? When we shift our thinking and start to see our enemies the way God sees them, we find that we are able to love.

Have you ever been caught in a lie? Have you ever caught someone else in a lie that directly effected you? If you look close enough, you will find that we all lie a lot more than we realize.

Let's talk about sex. Is sexual desire evil or good? How do we know when we have crossed the line? The truth is that sex is a gift from God, but many times, especially today, we have warped and twisted it into something else entirely.

**This week is the Blizzard of 2016! Along with our usual message is a full service for you to enjoy in the comfort of your own home with your family!** Why do we get angry? Is all anger sinful? Many times it stems from unmet expectations or our own selfish desires. This week we discover how Jesus sees anger.

#blessed. What does it really mean to live a blessed life? When we look at the beatitudes in Jesus' teaching, we see words of hope and healing to those who have been marginalized in our world. It is an invitation for the looked-over, left-out, lost, and left-behind people of our world.

One of the things that dominated the teachings of Jesus was the Kingdom of Heaven. This is not something that was a future blessing or some destination at the end of a long Journey. The Kingdom of Heaven is a present power that can be experienced now. It is established here on earth by His people coming together and living it out.

We all seek to live a good and beautiful life. We find pleasure in the the things of this world: money, sex, technology, entertainment, food and drink, etc. All of those things are great, but they can't truly create a good life full of peace. Only a life of virtue can do that.

When we look at the story of the wisemen, we see three men who were the academics of their time. They studied science and astrology, looking for answers and wisdom. The wonderful thing is that in the end, they were brought to the same Christ-child as everyone else.

The coming of Jesus was not without conflict. In Matthew's telling of the story, King Herod plays a major role in Christmas story. The conflict of Christmas brings to us a new fight, a new King, a new fallout, and a new humility.

In a lot of ways, the coming of Christ was the opposite of what was expected for a Messiah. One of the most memorable scenes in the entire Bible happens when the birth of Jesus is first announced to a group of Shepherds. These were people who were despised, outcast, lowly, and seemingly, unworthy.

In Joseph's story, we find a man who loved his wife-to-be, but found himself wrapped in controversy and fear over her pregnancy. On the edge of divorcing Mary quietly, an angel of the Lord speaks to Joseph and challenges him to have courage. So, what does the courage of Christmas look like?