How would you describe a faithful follower of Jesus Christ? I would love to hear your thoughts....

We have a renewed emphasis in our church on small groups. We don't want small groups to be just one thing we do, but one of the best things we do. Our adult bible fellowships (ABF's) meet every Sunday morning. I encourage you to join one of the groups. This group becomes your spiritual community. This is where you can connect with other Christians, share together, care for one another, serve and pray for one another. We are excited about the potential of ABF's and hope you will take the step to become part of one of these groups.

We have started a new series in the book of Ephesians. Ephesians has so much to say about "who we are in Christ." Our identity comes not from the things of this world, but from Christ Himself. He loves you, forgives you, and has made you His child. I don't know what you are facing this week, but the best way to approach your week is to celebrate who you are in Christ. You have been chosen, adopted, forgiven, redeemed, and sealed by the Holy Spirit. Nothing and no one can ever take that away from you. So got out and attack your week, knowing that you are a child of the King!

Just a reminder to be praying for people who are out serving somewhere on mission trips this summer. It is exciting to see 75 people from CrossPointe going on short term trips. We are always strengthened and blessed when we obey God's command to "go and make disciples."

Most people have an opinion about what is wrong with churches today. Some of them are people outside of the church and many are those inside the church. Despite it's critics, the church is the Bride of Christ and has always been God's primary agent for doing His work in the world.

Simon when asked who Jesus was by Jesus in Matthew 16 declared "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God" Jesus then pronounced him "Peter" and said "upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (verses16-18). The church will always endure and prosper because Jesus is the Head of the church and it is God's will for the church to make an impact in the world.

There certainly are no perfect churches, but we serve a Perfect God who has designed the church to prevail and prosper in the world we live in. Become part of a good church and be part of what God is doing in our world.

Hebrews 10 is such an encouraging chapter. Becuause of the finished work of Christ we have great confidence and a Great high priest (v.19-21). We are encouraged to draw near to God in faith (v.22) to hold tightly to our hope (v.23) and to encourage one another in love (v.24-25). We get the idea that church is not about being a spectator but a participant. We have the opportunity every week to encourage someone, to serve the body, and contribute to our local church.

Certainly there are no perfect churches out there. However, as we worship and work alongside one another, we find great joy in the family of believers at our church. We have been created for community. Don't get discouraged and allow the Enemy to steal the fellowship God formed you to enjoy in a local church. Get involved and watch how God uses you in the lives of others!

A quick reminder from Sunday's message of the 5 activities this great church committed to:

1. Telling people about Jesus - v.19-21

2. Encouraging people in their faith.22-24

3. Teaching people to follow Jesus v.25-26

4. Sharing with those who are suffering v.27-30

5. Sending people to tell others about Jesus 13:1-3

Since we are the church each one of us should periodically evaluate how we are contributing to the church. Are we telling others about Jesus? Are we encouraging people in their faith etc?

It was so exciting to commission 75 short term missionaries yesterday. Let's keep making a positive impact for God's glory!

On Sunday I shared my conviction that God loves the church. The Bible calls the church "the bride of Christ." Here are the lyrics and the song by Lecrae called "The Bride." The Bride: The Church

This passage shows us a number of good reasons to give sacrificially:

1. God promises to provide for us and bless us

2. Needs are met

3. God is glorified

4. The church is unified.

Of all the reasons that stand out in this passage I think the primary point is that we glorify God when we live sacrificial lives. The whole point of our lives is to glorify God. We do this best when we act towards others like He has behaved toward us. When we love, extend grace, practice hospitality, and generosity; we are God-like in our behaviors and are glorifying God. Think about how you can bring glory to God this week - and then put that into practice!

"You have to spend money to make money," "What goes around comes around," "she got what was coming to her!" Our society understands the biblical principle of reaping and sowing. We might call it something different (karma, consequences etc) but the principle is understood by all. You got out of something what you put into it.

This principle is true in our living and in our giving. When we give generously God rewards us and honors us in proportion to what we have sown. This is not some heavenly "get rich quick scheme" but a solid principle for our giving. God sees our hearts and knows our motives. We do not sacrifice because we have to but because we want to. We don't give in order to get something in return; we simply give because people are needy and God commands us to meet needs.

As you go through this week, think about what you are sowing. Hopefully you are sowing a deep walk with God, quality family time, self-discipline, service to others and generous giving.

Sunday's message from 2 Corinthians 8 was about giving and receiving. I shared that sometimes it is harder to receive than it is to give. I experienced that early in my ministry. I was working as a youth pastor in Portland and we had one car. Sonya was working a full time job and transportation issues were difficult. One of our youth workers went visiting with me every Monday night. Once when we were out, he told me that he was going to buy a new car and wanted to give us their old one. At first, I declined. Then, I realized I was being proud and robbing him of the chance to do what God laid on his heart. I learned a valuable lesson that day - it takes faith to give and it takes humility to receive. As you pray about what God would have you sacrificially give, let God guide you and be a cheerful giver and a humble receiver!

If you were in church yesterday, you heard me repeat this transforming truth from 2 Corinthians 8:9 dozens of times. Jesus was rich and became poor for our sakes that we through His poverty might become rich.

As another new week begins how are you planning on living a sacrificial life? What can you do to advance God's kingdom and make an impact in the lives of others? Our tendency is to be selfish, but the Holy Spirit within us calls us to live sacrificial lives. Who will we listen to? The choice to follow the example of Jesus and live a sacrificial life is one we face every day. The more we fall in love with God and recognize His grace in our lives, the more natural it will be for us to live sacrifically.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that He was and is Who He claimed to be. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is working in our lives too. We are more alive than we realize. Live in resurrection power each and every day. Claim your position in Christ and walk in victory each day.

The command is simple - "Go." The harvest is ready and God is looking for people willing to go. You can go to your neighbors, people you work with, family members and friends. You can go overseas or on a local missions trip. The key is to be missional in your mindset, to think and act like a missionary at all times.

In addition to going, we need to all be praying for God to send out (literally "push out" or "drive out") workers into the harvest fields. Ask God to send laborors out. Be willing to go yourself, because God often will send the people who pray as answers to their own prayers(see Matthew 10)! We can do it. We must do it. God has no other plan for reaching the world. We are His ambassadors, His witnesses, His fishers of men. Let's do it now for the glory of God!

I love that Jesus tells us what we are not what we should be. We are the salt of the earth, we are the light of the world. The foundation for living is to know who we are in Christ. Jesus is not inducing guilt, He is encouraging His followers to shine their light and influence their corner of the world. Is God using you to shine a light and spread a little salt? I would love to hear about it. Take a moment to reply and let us know how you see God working in and through your life.

The Great Commission commands all of us to "go and make disciples." Going means that we are intentional about sharing our faith with people around us and that we participate in expanding the good news all over the world.

So, when you think about the circumstances God has placed you in (family, friends, work, etc) be intentional about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with them. Also, step out of your comfort zone and go somewhere to share the gospel. We would love to help you find a place to go for a short term trip. We also encourage you to use your skills to serve in a mission setting. Pray and ask God to direct you as to where He would have you to go.

The youth group did a great job sharing Sunday. Obedience is so critical to growing in Christ. We can talk all about the Bible but if we don't do what it says we have deceived ourselves (James 1:21-25). We can even study, meditate, memorize, and gather in small groups to interact with the Bible and miss it's value by not applying scripture.

As we continue reading the word each day, lets make sure that we are applying it's teachings to our lives. A good habit to get into is that of writing out one application from every chapter of scripture we read. For example, yesterday I read Luke 15, the daily reading for the Radical Experiment. The chapter is all about the joy that results when lost things are found. One application I wrote out from that chapter was to be more involved in helping lost people come to know Christ.

I would love to hear how you are trying to apply scripture to your daily life. If you are reading this, take a moment to reply and let us all know. Blessings on you! Pastor Jim

James 1:19 encourages us to be "quick to listen." That is good advice for life in general, but in the context it refers to "listening to the Word." In order to grow from reading the Bible, we have to be active listeners. Find a quiet time and place to read God's word every day. Look into the Bible as if you were looking for treasure. Always find one principle or application for your life.

Whenever you are in church, look beyond the messenger to the message God has for you. Pay attention, have your Bible open, take some notes, be engaged with the message. Remember you are not just listening to a preacher preach, but to a God who greatly desires to communicate with you.

Sunday in church, I shared 7 benefits of Bible reading from Psalm 119. One that we did not talk about is in Romans 10:17: faith development. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God."

Faith in God is not achieved by osmosis or emotion. It comes from reading and responding to the teachings of the Bible. The big challenge we have laid out for everyone is to make daily Bible reading and prayer a priority in your life. I am curious to hear how that is going for you. I am also very interested in hearing your stories of how God is working in your life as you read His word. Take a few moments to hit reply and share. Have a great week.

Our March focus for the Radical Experiment is "The Bible." One of the ways we grow in Christ is to read and apply God's Word. Someone has said, "the Bible is the only book whose author is present when we read it." Indeed, the HOly Spirit who is God meets with us every time we read from the pages of God's Word.

The Bible contains the will of God. The clear teachings, principles, and examples of the Word, all reveal to us God's will for our lives. They give us insight into who God is and how we can know Him better.

We have made a commitment as a church to read through the New Testament together in six months. I would love to hear some of your stories of what you are learning and how God is teaching you through that experience. Just hit "reply" and let me know. It will be a great encouragement to everyone!

We are 3 weeks into our Radical Experiment and it has encouraged me to hear people's stories of what they are doing and how it is affecting them. Your story can be an encouragement or a practical idea for someone else to try. Would you take a moment this week and share how the RE is going for you or anything else God is teaching you? It will be an encouragment to everyone. Thanks!

In church we have been talking about a practical goal of praying every day; both in a structured "time of prayer" and spontaneously throughout the day.

I know that most of us resist discipline almost as much as we resist death! Yet, we know that often we must start with a discipline before any activity becomes a desire (think jogging, eating right, tithing, going to church before it became a habit etc).

For me, I don't really like to think of prayer as a discipline. I do set aside the first 20-30 minutes every morning to pray and read God's Word. It is usually accompanied by breakfast or at least a hot cup of tea. I typically sit in a comfortable chair in a quiet room (at home or in my office at church) and try to focus completely on God. If I am at the church, I will often prayer walk in the worship center with just the side lights on. It is a very peaceful place and is easy to sense God's presence for me in our worship center. This traditional kind of "morning devotions" has been my friend for decades now. I sometimes miss my time with God and I try not to feel guilty about that, but I really do miss out when I don't have this "appointment" with God.

I am curious to hear what you do, where you do it, and what you are learning about connecting with God through prayer. Please share!

This is the video we showed in church yesterday.Prayer Video

The biggest thing to me that came out of Jesus' teaching on prayer in Matthew 6 is that we don't have to pray long or try to impress God with our prayers. We can just be who we are and enjoy getting to know God in a personal way. What are you learning about prayer and how are you enjoying praying for a different country in the world each day? I would love to hear your thoughts. Just hit "reply" and let me know.

The Radical Experiment begins February 1st here at CrossPointe. One of our activities is to pray for a different country each day. Here are 3 ways we offer people to be involved praying each day for various nations of the world.

Go to Operation World and sign up for an email to be sent to you each day.

Second, purchase the Operation World book from the church for $10.

Third, you can pray once a week for a specific country. See our newsletter for more information.

The Radical Experiment begins for us on february 1. I am excited to see what God is going to do in our lives as we seek Him together as a church over the next 6 months. In addition, to doing 6 activities together, I am making an effort to actually update this blog each Monday. I hope you will check it out and use the space to share what you are learning, how you are growing and what God is doing in your life. Have a great week!

Our church is going to work together to do 6 activities in 6 months (February - July, 2011). The idea comes from Brook Hills Church in Birmingham, AL where David Platt is pastor. You can read about their Radical Experiment at Radical Experiment

Our experiment will include the following 6 activities:

1. Pray for the world every day

2. Read through the New Testament

3. Go on a mission's trip

4. Sacrifice money for a specific purpose
5.Commit to the local church
6.Focus on your family

Keep coming back to our web site for more information as we get closer to the start of The Radical Experiment.

CrossPointe Church raised over $1,000 at our world hunger auction last night. Thanks everyone for your contributions and commitment to this very important offering.

Jesus is serving, the disciples are arguing about who the greatest one of them is, and Judas is plotting to betray Jesus.

Selfishness is not only an epidemic in our day and age, but it was when Jesus walked the area of Palestine. Selfishness is the enemy of serving. We will never serve God or others if we are busy serving ourselves. It is certainly not wrong to do things for ourselves (see Philippians 2:3-4) but it is wrong if we live for ourselves to the neglect of others. Christians are not immune from the disease of selfishness. I wonder what we could do if we fully surrendered ourselves to God and put aside the selfish pursuits we chase after?

Selfishness will always be a temptation in our culture. Each day we need God's help to live for His kingdom and glory and say "No!" to the selfishness that surrounds us and is in us.

In our day, as in Jesus', serving and humility were looked down upon. No graduating high schooler puts down that her career plans are "to serve as many people as possible." Most of them want to get a good education, a good job, find a good spouse, and have good children someday. There is nothing wrong with ambition or desiring any of these worthwhile pursuits.

Yet Jesus was clear that to be Christ-like we must be willing to serve. In fact, He said the greatest among us are not those who get served but those who do the serving. So, who are you serving? How are you serving? What motivates you to do what you do each day? Is it a desire to serve others or advance you own cause? Just something for us to think about.

Every day is an opportunity to be serving others or to be self-serving.

Every day is an opportunity to be lukewarm and lazy or to live a sold-out and surrendered life.

Every day we can go through the motions and do what we have always done or we can live on the cutting edge of what God wants to do in us and through us to touch the world.

I pray that today will be a day that all of us live under the Lordship of Christ and make a difference in our world!

It was great to see everyone at the recent work day. 35 people on a Saturday in July is pretty impressive. Our next big event is Compassion Vancouver coming on Saturday August 7th. It will be awesome to work with other churches to provide some basic needs for lower income families in our community. I hope many of you will be able to participate. For more info on Compassion Vancouver or to sign up, go to click here It is great when we work together to do things that are part of God's agenda for the world!

Jesus tells us in Luke 9:23 that "if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." As followers of Christ there is a daily denial of self and a daily commitment to carry our cross. What does that mean? It is more than saying some particular frustration is "my cross to bear." It is more than just having a time of prayer and bible reading. It is a yielding of our wills to His will. It is a readiness to stand up for Christ and even to suffer for Him. It is a willingness to go against the crowd and do what is right - every day, in every situation. It is a prerequisite for following Jesus.

On Sunday we will be commissioning our mission team that is "going" to Israel and our Vacation Bible School team that is "going" into the community to share the love of Christ. The key word for Christians to know is the word "go." God wants us to always be "going." Whether we "go" around the world or across the street, God's message is clear - "Go." The Great Commission occurs in all 4 gospels and the Book of Acts. The GC tells us to "Go." We are not called to stay to sit or to simply soak up good Bible teaching and preaching, but to "Go." As we "go" we are told to make disciples. It is impossible to make disciples without "going." It is unlikely we will ever be the godly people we ought to be if we don't "go." So, where are you going to "go?" How are you going to fuilfill God's clear command to "go?" In order to grow you must "go." The more you know, the more you will "go." So, I encourage you... No.. I challenge you - "GO!"

Romans 13, 1 Peter 2, and 1 Timothy 2 are quite clear. We are to support, submit, and pray for our governing authorities. As far as I can tell, we are not called to tell jokes about them, run them down, or engage in controversial debates about them. We are about something so much more than politics. Revival will take place in our country, only when we who call ourselves followers of Christ, beging to pray for those we disagree with and ask God to change them. True change will not take place in a cabinet meeting, but in a prayer meeting. Renewal won't be initiated from the White House, but from the church house. When God's people care deeply enough to really pray and seek His face, then and only then lasting change will occur.

Most people know that 7 members from Westboro Baptist Church came to Heritage High School this past week to protest and hold up signs communicating God's hatred for sinners of various kinds. The action hit a nerve in our community and over 200 counter protesters showed up to voice their displeasure at Westboro's rantings.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, I am appalled at this church. Their message seems to be "You are a sinner and God hates you." Our message is that "we are all sinners and God loves us in spite of our sins." The worst part about their coming, is that is solidifies the opinions many people have about Christians. The fact that they call themselves "Baptist" makes it even worse. We cannot stop people like the Westborites from coming our way, but we as Christians can talk and live a life that reveals the love of God for others to see. Let's be faithful at shining the light of Christ for all to see. Let's show the community that the love of God is what changes lives, not hate-filled rhetoric.

Today is Memorial Day. We often enjoy the day off but forget to remember what the day is all about. We honor those who have given their lives for our freedom. As believers we also honor the One who gave His life so we could live forever. Take some time today to remember the sacrifices others have made for your freedom; both as American citizens and as citizens of the kingdom of heaven.

I enjoyed the message today from Mark Bradley, Director of the Pacific Northwest Campus of Golden Gate Seminary. I especially enjoyed hearing his testimony and the visual he gave us when he laid on the communion table.

I think it is critical for all believers to see each day as another day that we report to duty as "living sacrifices." If Jesus stretched out on the cross to die for us, certainly we can lay down our rights, agendas, and selfish lifestyles to live for Him. I hope the visual impacts you this week as you for Jesus each day.

I have been doing little message summaries, but I want to try and do the more traditional - "what I am thinking, feeling" type blog. I still don't want to write too much and hopefully some of you are occasionaly reading.

Lately my thoughts have been occupied with the tremendous potential young believers have to impact the world. Many of our youth and younger adults are greatly committed to Christ and live in a world (high school, college) where they can have great impact. Be praying for them and find ways to encourag them and get involved as mentors in their lives. If you do, you will have a great part in shaping godly men and women for future generations.

We had a great Mother's Day service on Sunday. Matt and Melody did a great job with their "Momisms" skit. We looked at the opportunity we all have to influence the next generation for Christ. King Lemuel's mom taught him to watch out for women, wine, and the weak. When we get self-focused we are unable to minister to those around us. The tendency in our culture is to be a consumer and not a contributor. My goal and prayer for my life is that I learn to be just as focused on the needs of others as I am my own. How about you? You might take a minute or two to read this passage and see how God might speak to you.

In this passage we see how much God cares for people. He has arranged for people to hear the good news(14-16), to believe it (17), to be drawn to Him through His creation (19) to understand the good news (20) and has given people time to respond to the good news (21). His love for us is so amazing. Have you responded to His love? Have you given your life to Him? There is no better choice you can make than to give your life to Him and live your life for Him.

In this passage we see that not only is God righteous, but we can be too. Righteousness with a holy God comes only by faith in Jesus Christ. Any attempt to work hard or be good will only result in failure. God is righteous and holy; meaning He is sinless. He cannot allow sin in His presence. It is only through the death of His Son on the cross that we can be forgiven and made righteous. Romans 10:9-13 is a great passage to read. Becoming righteous is not hard. It is obtained by simply believing that Jesus Christ died for you and wants to live in you.

In this passage we see that God is not only fair to us, He is merciful. We all desire mercy rather than justice. God gives us what we don't deserve - His love, grace, and kindness. In addition, we see that God is sovereign. We really have no business questioning the fairness of the God of the universe. God is not accountable to us, but we are answerable to Him. The clay cannot complain to the Potter. The art cannot be critical of the Artist. Thank God that He is in control of this world. Without His direction, we would certainly make a mess of things.

We started a new series - Big Questions about God from Romans 9-11. The first questions deals with the faithfulness of God. These three chapters are difficult because they deal with the doctrine of election (see v.11). The scriptures teach that God chose us to be His children. Yet, at the same time there are many references urging people to choose God. I believe this is one of several mysteries in scripture. What I mean by that, is you cannot understand this concept (God chooses us and we choose Him) with human logic. It is similar in that regard to the trinity or the two natures of Christ (He is both God and man). The doctrine of election shows us that God is faithful to us. It humbles us and should cause us to live extremely grateful and dependent lives. We may not understand all of God's ways, but we can rejoice in His great love and faithfulness to us!

What a great Easter celebration we had at CrossPointe yesterday. I want to thank the drama and worship teams who did a great job in helping us appreciate the reality of the resurrection.

I posed two questions on Sunday - Why would we search for the living among the dead? Why would we just assume the miraculous is nonsense? It seems to me people are looking for life, but looking in places that only lead to death. It also appears that many people will simply write off the miraculous as nonsense. Fulfilled and content are the ones who come to know Jesus, the Living Savior who was miraculously raised from the dead. Do you know Him? Has He changed your life? If you want info on how He can, be sure to contact me.

The great news is this; nothing or no one can ever separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. We did nothing to gain our salvation, we can do nothing to lose it. God is at work in our lives, He is for us, He loves us, and He protects us for eternity. Victory is ours, because we are His. Praise the Lord! Live in the power and security of the love God has for you each and every day. Blessings to you all!

The youth group led our worship on Sunday and did a fantastic job. They reminded us what worship really is all about. It is not about "getting our personal needs met," (loved the McChurch skit) or going through the motions of religion. True worship is all about adoring God for Who He is and what He has done in our lives. May we all learn to be true worshipers of our Great God!

Our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation groans, the Christians groan and the Holy Spirit groans as He prays for us. All of this groaning ultimately culminates in the glory of God being revealed in us. Celebrate the fact that your future is bright. Hang on for the best is yet to come!

"The mind set on the Spirit is life and peace." This is what people long for - life and peace. How does one attain these blessings? Romans says life and peace are a result of a mind set on the Spirit. As we focus on God, His Word, worshipping Him, and thinking about His kingdom and how to advance it, we find our lives filled with life and peace. Hopefully, you know the God of peace and the One who gives abundant life. If not, contact us - we would love to share Him with you!

What a great truth! There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Our past, current, and future sins will never be held against us, because God sees us through the eyes of His Son Jesus. This is the great message we have to share with our world. This is the great hope we have as we live from day to day. You are not what the world says you are - you are so much better! In Christ you are eternally secure and wonderfully transformed.

Although there is some debate, we believe Paul is describing his on-going struggle with sin after his conversion in this passage. The passage shifts from the past tense to the present and mentions desires and loves that a nonchristian would not have (see v.19,22,25).

We know that we struggle with sin too. There is no level of spirituality we achieve in this life that eradicates the conflict within us. We have within us both a new spiritual nature and an old sinful nature. They will always be at war with each other. Ultimately, we must learn to feed the new nature and starve the old nature. This will not cause us to be sinless, but will help us sin less and less and live and walk in the victory God has given us. Romans 8 will teach us more about that.

Since Paul has pointed out some of the inabilities of the law (condemns, cannot save, can multiply sin - see 3:20, 4:15 and 5:20) he could be accused of being against God's law (God's law = the 613 commands of the Old Testament). In this passage we are urged to learn 4 lessons from the law:

1. The law is not sinful - v.7,12,14 - rather it is good, holy, spiritual and righteous.

2. The law reveals our sin - it is like a mirror that reveals the dirt on us. The mirror is not dirty, it just reveals the dirt in us.

3. The law stimulates sin - the example of coveting is given throughout this passage. Sometimes the rule causes us to desire to break the rule. Smokers don't like seeing a "No Smoking" sign because it reminds them of smoking.

4. The law shows us that sin is our biggest problem. Verse 13 uses the word "sinful" to describe how bad sin is. The worst word for sin is the word sin. We don't tend to look at it that way. We think everyone sins so it is no big deal. The truth is, sin is what has ruined every good relationship you have ever had. Sin is what put Jesus on the cross. Sin is our biggest problem.

If you are not yet a Christian, put your faith and trust in Jesus who loves you so much. If you are a believer, daily surrender to Christ and begin to have victory over sin. It is a daily struggle and it requires a daily surrender. Blessings!

Not only have we been set free from sin (chapter 6) but now we learn we are set free from the law as well. Believers are not "under the law" because we have died to the law. This does not mean we are "lawless" but rather law-fulfilling free people. We can obey God because we want to and choose to. As we yield to His leadership in our lives, we become less sinful. Never sinless, but we can sin less and less. God gives us His Spirit (The Holy Spirit) to enable us to live a life that honors God. Our part is simply to yield and let the Spirit live the life of Jesus out from us. What an amazing and transforming truth!

Verse 23 is one most Christians know - "for the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." We often use the verse in sharing the gospel. Although it is a great verse to use for that purpose, that is not really the original context for the verse.

The verse ends the section from v.15-23 that encourages believers to make a choice as to Whom they will serve. If we serve sin, we end up with shame and separation from God. if we serve God, holiness and eternal life are the result. I don't know about you; but I am opting for door number 2!

WE are slaves to the one we obey. Romans makes it clear that we are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24 that we cannot serve two masters. The great thing about being a believer is that Christ can be in control of our lives. We don't have to live for the things of this world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life (1 John 2:15-17). We can chose to surrender and allow Jesus to be in charge of our lives. Much of our frustration and futility comes from trying to make life work without Christ. Would you surrender today and allow Jesus to make you into the person He wants you to be?

God's grace not only saves us, it sanctifies us or helps us to live a holy life. The keys in this section are realizing who you are in Christ and living like the victorious believer that you are. Some Christians don't know of their position in Christ and the potential they have in Him. Others know, but don't appropriate what they have in Christ. A key concept in these verses is to offer the parts of our bodies to God as instruments (or tools) for Him to use. The grammar and context of the text shows us that this is both a one time offering and a daily kind of committing or yielding our lives to God. We need His presence and power every day to live godly lives. Make sure to live each day as a surrendered vessel that God can use.

Romans 6 reveals the union and identification we have with Christ, in Christ. The main thrust of v.5-10 is to reiterate that reality. Every verse from 2-11 points out thatwe are dead in Christ. We are not free to sin but from sin. As followers of Christ, our union with Him means that we will also die only once (as He did) and be resurrected (as He was). Oh how great is God's grace and how marvelous His mercy!

Grace can be dangerous from a secular point of view. If the flood or our sin is always overcome by the tidal wave of God's grace, isn't it possible for Christians to live however they want to? That is the big question about grace that is raised in Romans 6.

The answer given in verse 2 is "by no means! We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer?" As followers of Christ we died to sin at salvation. Our position is "in Christ" and God sees us without the sin that so markedly stains us. The goal of the Christian life is for our practice to match our position. We are dead to the penalty of sin, but not the power of sin. We struggle daily to live a holy life. A good prayer to pray today is to ask God to help you understand how He sees you (clean, pure, forgiven, without sin) and then to help you live that way today. We will never be sinless this side of eternity, but we can sin less as we allow the reality of what Christ has done for us to motivate how we think about ourselves and how we live our lives.

Jesus was born so we could be reborn and live life to the fullest. Galatians 4 teaches that Jesus was born at the right time, of a woman, and under the law. He was born so we could be redeemed, adopted, given the Spirit and made an heir of all God's riches. His birth, like His death was far from comfortable. We may sing "Silent, Night Holy Night" but it was most likely a noisy night. The smell of manure from the animals and soiled swaddling clothes from Jesus would have been a reality in the barn in which He was born.

We have made the story cute for the holidays, but in reality Jesus' birth was the greatest humiliation of all. God became a man. He humbled Himself, lowered Himself, allowed Himself to be subjected to a sin stained world. What great love Jesus has for us! Don't take His love lightly. Surrender yourself to the One who came into this world to change lives. Let Him change your life!

The mission statement of our church tells us to "Reach across cultures and generations to develop faithful followers of Jesus Christ." A faithful follower is a Disciple. I love the fact that 2 Tim. 2:2 lays out a process for developing people as disciples. It begins with Paul who transmits truth to Timothy who in turn imparts it to reliable men who then relay it to others qualified to teach still others.

God's plan for growing His church was a multiplication plan. Growth happens quicker with multiplication than addition. As our church and others focus on developing people as faithful followers (disciples) of Jesus, we will grow both numerically and spiritually. It is God's plan to fulfill the Great Commission. Are you growing as a follower of Jesus? Are you discipling others so they too can grow?

The last two verses in James 1 are fascinating to me. The word "religion" does not appear much in the New Testament (five times). 4 of those occasions are in these verses. It is obvious from v. 26 that real religion involved itself in meeting needs. Widows and orphans are mentioned as examples of people in distress who need a practical hand of help.

Verse 27 warns us against being polluted by the world. The emphasis seems to be the old adage - "being in the world but not of the world." Help the hurting, influence the distressed, be the hands and feet of Christ for those who are hurting; but do not become polluted by their behavhior. God loves the people of the world, but not the ways of the world (John 3:16, James 4:4). As we serve people and seek to influence them for Christ, we must maintain our purity and holiness as representatives for Christ.

True religion is not just what we beleive, but how we behave. As followers of Christ, we should desire for the love of Christ to flow through us in service to others.

I like it when people tell me exactly what they expect of me. God is very clear in telling Israel what He wants them to do here in Micah 6:8 - "to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."

It seems to me that 2 out of 3 of these requirements are externally focused activities. Yet if we examine the emphasis of most churches, it is inward rather than outward. For example, how much of a churches time and money are spent on reaching out with justice and mercy to those outside of the congregation? Churches focus much more inwardly than they think. Hopefully, as we have gone through this series (The Externally Focused Church) you have seen some changes you can make in your life. I know I have seen some areas that need addressing in mine. Take a moment and think through how God would have you to:

1. Act justly

2. Love mercy

3. Walk humblly with Him

The New Testament is clear that we ought to be not only sharing the gospel, but serving others so they are open to hearing from us. Some Christians/churches focus on service alone and never share Christ with people. Although they may have helped the body, they have neglected the soul. Others are vocal and telling others about Christ but are negligent in serving people. I think people need to both see and hear the love of God. As we serve others, the door often opens so we can share (see 1 peter 3:15). So, how are you doing with this delicate balance? Do you need to serve more or share more? God help us to be positive influencers for those who have yet to come to know Him.

1 Cor 12 uses the metaphor of the human body to picture the body of Christ. Most of the time this passage is preached, the emphasis is on using spiritual gifts to build up the body or the church. Although that emphasis is scriptural, is it not also true that spiritual gifts are to benefit those outside of the church? 1 Peter 4:10 says we should use whatever gift we have received to serve others. Certainly we want to serve those both inside and outside of the church.

The myth most Christians believe is that Bible Study alone will cause a Christian to grow. The truth is Bible Study without application (serving, obeying) will produce an exerciseless Christian - one who is weak and spiritually unhealthy. The Saducees and Pharisees of Jesus' day were perfect examples. They knew the scriptures but did not practice the scriptures. Eph. 2 is clear about two things: (1) We are not saved by our works (2) We are saved in order to work. James 2 makes it clear that the kind of faith that does not work, is not true faith at all.

The Good Samaritan story is pretty well known. This week I spoke to the man who led me to Christ 31 years ago. He lives in Toledo, Ohio. He is planting a church and working part time at a bookstore. He is 62 years old and has a great passion to reach out to his community. I became a Christian because he reached out to me. He invited me to lift weights with him and another guy in his garage. Pretty soon he was inviting me over for pizza (which of course worked well for me)! Eventually he invited me to church and shared Jesus with me. I became a follower of Jesus because he reached out to me. I don't talk to Ed Young much anymore. But every time I do, I cannot help but get choked up. I thank him for sharing Jesus with me. I thank him for serving me when no one really cared about me. At the end of October, I will be celebrating my 31st year of being a follower of Jesus. Almost every year in October I call and thank Ed Young for sharing Jesus Christ with me. Just think; God has someone out there for you to serve and share Christ with!

Jesus said we are "salt and light." This text teaches us to "be who we are." We don't have to try and be salt and light, we already are. We need to make sure our lives create a thirst for Jesus and find ways to shine the light within us. Someone has accurately stated "we are like the moon and Jesus like the sun. We have no real light of our own, we simply reflect the light of Jesus." So, shine your light - intentionally do good works, not to call attention to yourself but to glorify Jesus.

Welcome to my weekly blog, based on the Sunday messages at CrossPointe Church in Vancouver. For those of you in our church, you can read the devotionals to follow up on what you heard Sunday. Others of you may choose to listen to the message online CrossPointe Messages

The problem in Isaiah 58 is the people of God had external religion but did not have internal righteousness. They spent more time being together than taking care of people outside of their worship arenas.

I can't help but think we have the same problems. Christians tend to exist in holy huddles away from the community. Our calling and challenge is to build bridges to our communities and not walls from our communities. God has created us to serve. We grow spiritually when we look outward - at the needs of people instead of inward at our own needs.

Welcome to my weekly blog, based on the Sunday messages at CrossPointe Church in Vancouver. For those of you in our church, you can read the devotionals to follow up on what you heard Sunday. Others of you may choose to listen to the message online.CrossPointe Messages You can also find them on I Tunes.

In this familiar passage Jesus teaches us that wise believers are those who not only hear the word, but also put it into practice. These wise men and women build a foundation for their lives that can withstand the storms that are going to come in our lives.

The Pharisees and Saducees knew the Word - they could quote it and they toted it all over the place! Many people today know the content of God's word, but they have yet to really apply it to their lives. The Great Commission teaches us not only to know the teachings of Jesus, but to live them out in our lives. A simple practice I have done for many years is to pick one application point from each day's reading of the Word and seek to live it out during that day. I would recommend it to you as a great way to get God's word into your daily lives. Happy foundation building.

Welcome to my weekly blog, based on the Sunday messages at CrossPointe Church in Vancouver. For those of you in our church, you can read the devotionals to follow up on what you heard Sunday. Others of you may choose to listen to the message onlineCrossPointe Messages You can also download them from I Tunes

We know from this passage that not everyone who claims to be a believer is actually a true follower of Christ. We are called to be discerning and to recognize the "fruit" of those who claim to be "prophets" or "teachers" for Christ. If their lifestyle does not match up with their teaching they are probably false. If they use manipulation or focused on money they are probably false. If they down play the cross of Christ and talk about "self esteem," "good works," or various ways to be right with God - their fruit reveals their falseness.

This passage is a wonderful reminder of grace. We are not right with God because of what we say ("Lord, Lord") or what we do ("prohecy, perform miracles or heal the sick") but rather becasue we are known by God. True followers of Jesus do the will of God, not because they are better than anyone else or because they are religious, but because they have surrendered to the One who then chooses to use us for His glory. Amazing Grace Indeed!

Welcome to my weekly blog, based on the Sunday messages at CrossPointe Church in Vancouver. For those of you in our church, you can read the devotionals to follow up on what you heard Sunday. Others of you may choose to listen to the message online. You can also download them from I Tunes. CrossPointe Messages

While preparing Sunday's message I heard a Christian radio personality urge people to pray about all their diseases and problems. He constantly stated that "God obligates Himself to answer our prayers." Although, I like his confidence in God, I don't like the way he presents what prayer is.

We tend to think of prayer in terms of "getting what we ask for." God views it more as relationship and communication. Matthew 7:7-8 urges us to keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. But remember, this is in the context of kingdom living. 6:33 tells us to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.

Let me encourage you to be committed to building your relationship with God. Spend time with God, listen to Him, talk to Him, seek Him in your daily activities. Let His agenda and His kingdom guide your life.

This week I have made a resolution. I am going to do a weekly blog based on the Sunday message. For those of you in our church, you can read the devotionals to follow up on what you heard Sunday. Others of you may choose to listen to the message online at CrossPointe Messages You can also download them from I Tunes.

Jesus clearly tells us not to judge others in verse 1. That verse may be the best known and most misunderstood verse in the Bible. The command to "not judge" does not mean we do not point out sins in the lives of others. It simply means we do not make decisions about people's motives based on outward appearances.

Part of our Christian responsibilty is to help one another grow as faithful followers of Christ. One way we do that is to lovingly confront people who have acted in ways that bring reproach to the name of Christ and the church. It is not judging someone to point out their behavior or attitude needs some fine tuning.

Jesus wants us to be careful about writing people off because of the way they look or because we think we know their motives. We should work at guarding ourselves in that area. At the same time, we should not shirk from corrective confrontation in one another's lives. That is how we grow to be all that God has designed for us to be.

Vacation is right around the corner for me. I am looking forward to taking a "mental break" from being a pastor. I really love my job and everything is going well, but I still need to get away on a regular basis. When you work with people, you need breaks! Even the Tokyo Zoo closes down annually. I think the animals need a break from people too!

So let me encourage you to take time to recharge your batteries. Take some time to have fun. If you cannot afford a vacation, try a stay-cation. Just stay home and do a lot of fun stuff you normally don't do. When you are all finished you will feel better. You will have a new perspective and new energy to do what God wants you to do with your "regular life."

Some of you are aware of the 3rd places concept. Simply put, the first two places in our lives are occupied by work and family. 3rd places are where we chose to spend our discretionary time. Many believers spend most of their 3rd places time with other believers. I certainly love to be around other Christians. However, I think if all of us who name the name of Christ would intentionally get involved in the lives of people who don't yet know Christ, we could make a major difference for Christ and His kingdom.

For me, coaching has always opened up the door for ministry in 3rd places. What about you? What are you interested in that could be used of God to help people discover the truth of Christ? What if all Christians began to intentionally chose to hang out in 3rd places in order to fulfill the Great Commission? Just something to think about.

I want to invite all of you to join me for the Day of Prayer at the Vancouver city hall Thursday May 7th at noon. We as a nation need God more than ever before and yet we turn to so many lesser things to provide the satisfaction we crave.

We have become a culture that is more concerned with saving trees than saving babies. We are more interested in "not offending someone" than clearly and lovingly proclaiming absolute truth that can set people free. We desperately need to pray for a revival and a renewal. I hope you will join me this Thursday at the National Day of Prayer.

Here are seven evidences for the resurrection of Jesus:

1. The Empty Tomb

2. The inability of the Jewish authorities to ever produce the body of Jesus

3. More than 500 witnesses to the Living Jesus after His death

4. The existence and growth of the Christian church in and around Jerusalem right after the death of Jesus

5. The refusual of 10 out of 11 disciples to recant their belief in the resurrected Jesus- even though it cost them their life.

6. The change in the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday, the day Jesus arose.

7. The changed lives of the followers of Jesus - both then and now.

Christianity, like all religions requires faith. However, it is not blind faith - there is plenty of evidence for the resurrection which is the cornerstone of our faith. It is not a leap into the dark to embrace Christ, but rather a step into the light. Would you allow God to open your eyes and change your life?