CrossWords Ministry

At this time in his ministry, it is Jesus' disciples who approach him about prayer. They had observed Him praying, and they knew he had a special relationship with the Father. In the answer Jesus gives to their humble question, "Teach Us How to Pray", we see the building blocks required to emulate the kind of relationship Jesus wants us to have with the Father. It is about: 1. Relationship 2. Pers...

The question came from an "expert in Moses' Teachings. The Holy Spirit tells us this question was posed as an attempt to justify the person as to why he didn't need to love or be kind and merciful to those he didn't like. YT: https://youtu.be/lIdBgtlG2yY

Jesus is being tested again. How do you react when someone tests you? Do you get offended, or defensive? It is hard not to let your emotions get the best of you when you realize someone is putting you to the test. This is not the only thing we learn from Jesus' actions during this event. We also learn about judgment. Jesus' character is revealed as to what kind of judge is He. We should be gratefu...

To have faith in someone means you trust that person enough to obey them even if you disagree with them. You have the assurance of their words because you are convinced of their character. You have been persuaded by their life choices. You are convinced of their reputation. If there is no obedience, there is no trust. Obedience is the manifestation of faith. I am of course talking about free will...

Confessions are an act of revealing the depths of our soul. Confessions require boldness, conviction, and faith. Today we will learn about the nature of true confessions. They cannot be coerced, demanded, or faked. Some people have preconceived notions and try to "test" someone with no intention of changing their minds. They are biased. This is what a hypocrite is. These people tend to be intolera...

Thanksgiving, opening Christmas gifts, birthday parties, graduation celebrations, sweet 16s, quinceañeras, wedding ceremonies, receptions, etc. All these things have one thing in common: they are traditional things we do and celebrate.  Jesus spends some time discussing traditions with his disciples. He will tell us when traditions can become a bad thing, but for the most part, they are good, depe...

Today we are covering another incredible event, one that personally affected Peter. It affected all the apostles, but Peter found himself a sort of protagonist in this one. I bet that when Peter remembered this event, he remembered the epic feeling of walking on water. Many other things happened that led to that, but what stood out most in Peter's mind was the fact he walked on water. YT:   h...

Today we are covering a significant miracle, or sign, as John likes to call them. Signs because they are signs from Heaven that Jesus is the real deal, the Messiah, the Son of God who came into the world to save sinners. This sign is covered in all four gospel accounts. Other than the resurrection, it is the only miracle covered in all the accounts. John only chose to cover seven miracles and he d...

We tend to be very "cliquish". Perhaps it is due to insecurities and rivalries, or maybe it is just a human social phenomenon. It is not a spiritual trait, though, as Jesus didn't model that in His interactions. We see him frequently interacting with Pharisees, Sadducees, teachers of the law, scribes, tax collectors, prostitutes, and other "sinners". He interacts with the common folk, the fisherme...

Whatever the storms are, whether meteorological phenomena, or the personal/collective storms that hit us, they all have one thing in common: they are guaranteed to come into our lives. We will see them and experience them.  So how do we get ready for them? YT: https://youtu.be/ielplst0ypM

People remember songs very easily. We also tend to remember acronyms, which is why we usually use them to recall things that may not so easily be remembered otherwise, like the corresponding musical notes on the lines and spaces of the pentagram and other useful things. Jesus used something a little different to help us not only remember spiritual teachings but to also reflect on the depth of His...

Too often we think people don't understand what we go through. We look for validation, empathy, or even just a little sympathy. We don't get it. Really, there's only One who can totally empathize with you. There's only one who literally stood in your shoes - He gets you. He not only made you, he became like you and took upon Himself some serious suffering - suffering of the kind you can't even ima...

Judging others is frowned upon. People say, "don't judge or you will be judged," which is actually a quote from Jesus. What goes around comes around, and many other proverbs from yore. We make judgments every day, though. You can't make it through the day without judging. You judge for yourself what you must do and what decisions you must make just to make it through the day. Judging sometimes tak...

We want to be "seen". We crave attention. What is social media but the place where we can get an easy audience any time of the day or week; the satisfaction that we were "seen" by the number of likes, reposts, or comments generated. This is the world. Everyone wants to be seen and heard, but rarely does anyone want to listen and understand. https://youtu.be/hO5z566kl7c

Our judgment is fundamentally flawed. We are not good judges. We lack perspective, experience, and cannot shake our bias and prejudice. This is why God is the only one who holds on to the right to judge and has given judgment to the Son.  I want you to think about this as you listen to this account this afternoon. https://youtu.be/MYEY8mpIAYg

Where does faith come from and how is it that it saves?  For many, faith is akin to a wish, like “I wish, I wish upon a star”.  Some say faith is superstition or mythical, like believing in legends or bedtime stories. Today's episode reveals how true faith is forged in the account of the healing of a government official's son.  YT:   https://youtu.be/wKWTT96nYn8

Peter shows us what it really means to call Jesus Lord (Master) YT: https://youtu.be/o6JLZLXa5nQ

Some considerable time has passed since Jesus' birth. How old was Jesus when He started His ministry? Luke 3:23 tells us He was thirty years of age. Jesus enters the ministry at the age priests were eligible for service under Mosaic Law (Numbers 4:23; 4:47). It was customary to be considered mature by age 30. This event we're looking at today is what launches Jesus into His ministry, when He was b...

We are looking at some events that occurred after Jesus' birth. We will continue to do a character study of some of the people in these events. By studying their character we will also be learning about the evidence given that He was the Messiah to come. Their message is more important than their reputation. YT: https://youtu.be/tQC_98Vdtco

In reading the New Testament Chronologically, you will notice Luke has a lot to say before the actual birth of Christ occurs. As a thorough investigator (Luke 1:3), he gives us a backstory to consider before writing about Jesus Himself. YT: https://youtu.be/MFyLOn75p3U

When people suffer multiple shocks, or one trauma after another, you can feel numb and empty inside. This can be the start of a depressing episode in your life, or the beginning of learning to deal with anxious thoughts. PTSD may often raise its ugly head as you relive the events. The more you try to suppress them, the more anxious you feel, leading you to this empty and numb feeling - disconnecte...

Revelation teaches us that things may look chaotic and senseless to us but the fact is God reigns and Jesus is coming soon to do away with evil and this world order for good. The question every human being needs to ask themselves is: which side of eternity will you land on? The battle lines have been drawn, the stakes have been declared and the battle has been won. We need to make sure we chose si...

In a world where we tend to approach things from a rational, scientific, perspective, scientific nor philosophical thought has not been able to quantify, identify, or reconcile evil with their understanding of the world either. Evil is not rational and defies any kind of explanation we may give it, whether rational or spiritual. It is here and we are only taught how to deal with it in God's Word.&...

The Gospel of John is a personal gospel. An invitation to come and witness the Creator made flesh, dwelling among His creation. John writes hoping that we may believe this is God's Son, who gave Himself as a ransom for our sin that we may believe and have life in His name.  YT: https://youtu.be/m74SqkeTiwc You can subscribe to GOD'S WORD Chronological Reading Podcast here: https://anchor.fm/g...

The Holy Spirit, through the Hebrew author, helps the Jews understand what they have received from God. He helps them interpret the use and purpose of the Law which was good, but now we have something better, the new covenant, ushered in by His Son, to get us what is best: to be with Him forever in Heaven!  YouTube: https://youtu.be/lnku2sKXst8 You can subscribe to GOD'S WORD Chronological Re...