CrossWay Fellowship Church

Jesus was not the king the Jews were looking for - born in a stable to poor parents and destined for a life of humility and servitude. Today, He's not the God some people are looking for, either. Nevertheless, the King is coming and we don't want to miss the hour of His visitation!

God did a lot to prepare the way for Jesus, making plans from the very beginning and sending prophets along the way. We did nothing to prepare for His first coming but sin. Pastor Dennis reminds us of the importance of preparing for His second coming.

“If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good of the land.” God's blessings cannot be earned, but they are conditional upon our obedience to Him, our faith in Him and our willingness to humbly comply with His will.

Emotions are good in their proper place - God wired us with them to enhance our lives. Our emotions are not intended to lead us, though. Emotions are always changing and are impossible to tame. Devotion, on the other hand, is a more permanent thing - we will remain devoted to something tomorrow that we are devoted to today. Devotion is required to make the world operate and it's required to be married to your faith if you are to truly serve God!

No matter who we are and what our past is, God is seeking us out to fill us with His Spirit, turning these worthless earthen vessels into great treasures!

Indecision is the wrong decision. This is a must-see, as we choose sides in today's world.

We have all become accustomed to spending time apart due to the very necessary practice of quarantine. We must be careful not to become accustomed to growing apart - physically and spiritually. We need each other, we need to be gathered together!

Pastor Dennis Walton, Associate Pastor Jeff Conger, Brother Steve Russell and Brother Matt Knapp each share about how God's people can work together to become more than just a collection of people with a common cause, becoming an effective body of Christ.

When the plague of darkness fell upon the land of Egypt, the Egyptians were struggling to make it through three days of total, oppressive darkness. The Israelites in the land of Goshen, however, had light in their homes. God provides for us in the darkness!

When the temple was consecrated, God sent fire down from Heaven to light the fire for the altar of burnt offerings. The priests were to keep that fire burning all the time and any fire for sacrifice or for burning incense in the temple was to be taken from that fire God had initially started.Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu got fire from their own source, strange fire that God had not ordained and they were destroyed by fire from Heaven. Nadab and Abihu had the idea that they would worship God in their own way, but God wants us to do things His way - with our whole heart, in spirit and in truth.

An expression is the process of taking something you think or feel inside and making it known. Worship is the expression of honor and adoration. There was a time when the worship of God occurred in the temple and there were years of hard work put into having that place prepared for that purpose. Today, the temple of God is in the body of the believer! Let your body and mind be a temple of praise and worship to God!

The message of the Bible is extremely simple but we have a way of making simple things difficult. In Jesus' day, the Pharisees made serving God harder than it needed to be.While Jesus dealt compassionately with people - he was kind to prostitutes and tax collectors - but He dealt harshly with the Pharisees. He called them hypocrites because, while they held religiously to their ritual traditions, the love of God was absent from their hearts.Let us live our lives in a way that honors God and deals kindly with people, because that is the heart of the gospel.

The Earth is in the perfect position to support life. At the perfect moment, a baby's heart begins to beat, supporting the child's life. A seed contains life that sprouts out at the perfect moment. Why? Because God set it into motion and sustains it! God brings light and life to everything He touches!

Fear God and keep His commandments. We know that's what we are supposed to do, but it sounds kind of rough. We fear spiders and snakes, but that's not the way we fear God. We honor God's authority and power, understanding that He alone stands in judgment of the way we have lived our lives. Our future is in His hands, so to be a God-fearing Christian is to have respect and reverence for Him.

Satan is very real and is in the world to cause as much pandemonium and chaos as he possibly can. As much as God wants to be in your life, the devil wants to be in your life, too! The child of God need not be afraid, however, for God has prepared for you a secret hiding place!

We hear a lot of voices - there are always people who are eager to provide advice, there are the desires of our fleshly bodies, and there are also spiritual voices guiding us to what is good and what is evil. In a world full of voices, we want to exercise discernment and tune in to the voice of God. Listen to find instruction in discerning the spirit of God among the voices of influence we hear every day.

Everyone gets discouraged sometimes. The more discouraged we are, the less effective we’re going to be for the Kingdom of God. However, God can take our discouragement and turn it into encouragement, putting us back on our feet again!

It takes some work on our part to figure out where we’re going to abide. We choose a town, and then a neighborhood, and then we find the right house. Our spiritual life requires a thoughtful approach to where we will abide, too. We have to choose the belief systems where our thoughts are going to live, where our mind is going to abide. Where we vacation is not where we live. If we’re only spiritual on Sunday morning, then that’s not where we abide, it’s where we vacation! If we choose to allow God to be in control of our lives and our thoughts, we need not fear anything that the world can bring against us!

This message should be a comfort to us - God has given us a peek at what eternity is going to be like! We’re not going to be floating around on clouds plucking harps - there will be a new heaven and a new earth on which we will live. The word pictures painted for us by John in the book of Revelation are not necessarily a detailed, complete description, but they do demonstrate that there will be a future for us that is beautiful and so much better than what we have now!

We all have good intentions, but we are weak... fortunately God doesn't give up on us because of our failures or weaknesses! He mends and heals us and gives us new life and purpose. He holds off His wrath against our sin, extending His grace instead. There is never a time when God withdraws and doesn't care anymore. There is always hope!

If God has been able to preserve His plans over all these years and all of the actions of the enemy, then we should be assured that anything negative that arises in our life is not going to be able to derail Gods plan, either! God is the same yesterday, today and forever, from cover to cover!

In the beginning, the world was formless and void… and then God applied His vision and creativity and it was very good! He has a way of taking something empty and filling it with joy and purpose. He did it in the universe and He will do it in your life!

At times, we get a hole in our spiritual bucket and the joy and fulfillment seems to leak out of our life. Let God refill you today!

Have you noticed that Jesus sometimes would say, “He who has ears, let him hear?” That’s always a clue something important is about to be said! This week, brother Steve Russell shares how the parable of the sower and the messages to the churches of Revelation are food for thought for the modern Christian. Do you have ears to hear?

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on land. Water flows down into this depression and evaporates, leaving behind the salt and minerals it carried, making the sea completely devoid of any life. Sometimes, when we’re in our low points where we are feeling tormented, confused, feeling the pain of guilt and regret, we feel like our lives are devoid of any life, any joy. In Ezekiel 47, God gave the prophet a vision of a river flowing into the sea, bringing a refreshing and life to the Dead Sea. Jesus is the fountain of living water that refreshes us, bringing life to our dead existence, giving us purpose and joy!

If we compare ourselves to other people or measure ourselves with some metric of our own, we may come out looking pretty good. Compared to God, however, we are despicable, evil people. God is good and, created in His image, we ought to be good, but instead, we are bad… how can that be? That’s where the “ugly” comes in - the sin within us is ugly. None of this is a problem or a surprise to God. He seeks out broken people, pays full price for us, and fixes us.

Often, we feel small and insignificant. We have just a little money with big bills to pay. We have just a little strength and so much to do. We have just a little faith with which to serve a great big God… The Bible is full of examples of people who had only a little. Little David versus the giant Goliath, the widow lady with only a little flour and oil and three mouths to feed, five little loaves and two fish with thousands needing to eat. Those accounts are in the Bible so that we can understand God still, our day, can do much when we have only a little! He prefers it that way because He gets all the credit for the gain! Bring the little you have to God today, yield it to Him and see what a mighty God He is!

Our carnal (fleshly) minds are wired to think a certain way - to fret over things that are of constant concern to the body. Though we know we are follow Jesus' example, we all must consider how much your minds have been influenced by the sinful world around us. Sin has an allure to it - it pulls us in and makes us think we still have control, but it tends to reshape us.

Animals operate on a purely carnal mind - what can I do to benefit myself? It's easy for us to default to that mode of thinking as well, but Jesus taught us to think and act as He did, a selfless servant.

When Moses revealed God’s law to the people, he told them he was presenting to them both a blessing and a curse. A blessing if they chose to follow God and His commands, a curse if they chose their own path. Even though the people said they chose God’s blessings, the choices they made in their lives indicated that they preferred the curse. The curse of sin brings pain, tragedy and countless difficulties into the lives of every living creature on this planet. Fortunately, Jesus removed the sting of the curse from us by redeeming us on the cross. This broken world will continue to groan under the weight of the curse, but one day God will destroy it and make a new one free from the effects of sin!

We have our own definition of “blessed.” It might include things like having money, good health, an enjoyable career. Gods definition of “blessed” is much different… In Matthew 5, Jesus said we are blessed when we are selfless and merciful, when we are lied about and taken advantage of! We live in a society that teaches us to take everything we can get, but Jesus teaches it is a greater blessing to give than to receive! Often, by the decisions we make, we choose the curse rather than the blessing because the things God considers a blessing are counterintuitive. What we know is that God will never lie to our or fail us - if He says it’s a blessing, then we can take that to the bank. Listen to this week’s message to learn what blessings you should seek this year!

The term “incarnate” means “in flesh.” Jesus became incarnate, God in flesh, the only begotten of the Father. God knows what if feels like to be sick, to be betrayed, to be angry, to be disappointed, because He has been in our skin. It is no small thing that the all-powerful God of the universe, the author of creation, stepped down out of timelessness, out of omnipotence, to be one of us so that He could save us!

King David was a man after God’s own heart and during his time as leader of Israel, the nation saw great prosperity. Even though enemies were on all sides and their king was the handsome runt of the litter, even though David made grave mistakes and sinned greatly, God blessed him and the people. King Solomon had a kingdom at peace, had more wisdom than any other man to ever live, and had God’s temple to build. Even though Solomon had everything going for him, the nation was broken at the end of his rule and his own household fell apart. What made David successful while Solomon failed? Ultimately, the issue is the heart. Is your heart and mind where it needs to be - are you seeking the path God has laid out for you? Whatever in your life stands between you and full devotion to God has to go! Sail away from your old life and then burn the ships so you never go back.

In this third entry in the series, we’re going to look into the virgin birth. We have all heard about that our whole lives, but it’s a deep concept and it’s very important to the special nature of Christ’s birth. In this message, Pastor Dennis delves into three fundamental questions surrounding the virgin birth. How do we know Jesus was born of a virgin? Why did God choose a virgin? Why did God choose Mary?

Last week, we looked at the reliability and authority of scripture. So, if the Bible is reliable and has authority, then what does that mean? Recognizing that the Bible is valuable, that it is profitable and that it has been given to us by God for our benefit, each Christian person must bring themselves under the authority of the Bible and align their lives with its words. When we commit to do that, we receive the blessings of God, and the rest that is provided by the peace that comes with knowing we are in submission to God’s authority.

If we don’t know why we believe what we believe, then what we believe doesn’t matter.Like vaccinations that help defend you against diseases, knowing God’s truth will help you defend you. What you believe matters. Knowing WHY we believe what we believe, matters.This week we look at some "proofs" that the Bible is real and true and trustworthy.

Dedication is defined as “committed and devoted to a particular task or purpose.” There’s a difference between being dedicated or just participating in something. Jesus said that people had to be willing to take up their cross to follow Him. Following Jesus, we die to ourselves so we can live for His purposes.

Veteran Anthony Smith shares a word about not complaining!

The term “communion” has become a religious term that we use to associate with grape juice and crackers. Communion, though, is a word that means “relationship.” When we commune with God, we know Him and He knows us on an individual level. Every action of God from the moment of creation to the triumph of the cross to this very day has been to have a relationship with us, to draw us closer to Him!

Trust in God, not chariots and horses.

Brother Matt answers some big questions such as: Where does life come from? How do cavemen and dinosaurs fit into the Bible?

The purpose of the law was to establish a state of perfection for man, but it is a standard that we cannot meet! In Galatians, we learn that the whole purpose of the law that we could not keep was as a “schoolmaster,” preparing us for a life lived in the grace that Jesus offers us! We cannot be perfect, we cannot earn salvation, but we don’t have to! Because we could not do it ourselves, Jesus did it for us - because He loves us, because God loves us, He made a path for us to be redeemed and made perfect in His sacrifice!

In this "science and the Bible" segment, Brother Matt explores the probability of the Big Bang and weights this against the Biblical account.

There are times when our struggles are so deep, so impossible to express in words that we cannot share them with another person. In that moment, we are completely alone - but we are not alone! God is there with us through those difficulties! Jesus experienced every kind of pain, temptation, and loss that we do and He can carry us through those difficulties.

A look into how the Bible was written and preserved over time that will build your confidence in the authenticity and reliability of scripture. If the Bible cannot be accepted as trustworthy, then no book can!

Despite Moses’ weaknesses, God was able to use him to do mighty things. Eventually, Moses died and a new generation was going to have to be in place to pick up the mantel and move forward. It was God’s choice to raise up Joshua to be the next leader for Israel. Moses helped prepare Joshua for this calling by telling him three things:Don’t be afraid… the Lord fights for youKeep God’s word fresh in youThe presence of God is where you hear from God

A run-down of the logical arguments for the existence of God - the teleological (designer) argument, the cosmological (cause/effect) argument, the axiological (moral) argument, and the metaphysical (logical proof) argument.

The opposite of “adversity” is “easy.” Adversity is God’s university - the hardships and trials of life apply to all people and it’s God’s way of shaping us into who He wants us to be. And we all ask the same question, “Why is this happening to me?”Adversity is more precious than gold which perishes. Our nature is to seek the easy path, though. Any time God is preparing to do something in our lives, He is going to require an act of faith on our part.

Plumb is an important word in a construction project. If something is perfectly straight up and down, then it is said to be plumb. When you’re building something, you want to make sure, right from the very start, that the structure you’re putting up is plumb and level because it will affect the entire building and will ultimately determine if the structure will stand or fall.Our lives are like that. We have to make sure we get started the right way. Proverbs 14:2 says that there is a way that seems right to man but ends in death. We can’t set our own sense of what is plumb. We can’t plumb our life against someone else’s life, either! We can all benefit from examining ourselves to see if we’re plumb with God’s standard and, if we find we are not, allow Him to straighten our lives out.

When you come home from a good vacation, you say, “It was an experience!” God wants us to have experiences with Him! Thinking of an “experience with God” conjures visions of physical things, but a great experience with God may be a moment of prayer where your heart and soul cry out. And that’s no small thing!Experiences with God take you from knowing about God to really knowing God, from just liking Jesus to being like Jesus!

When crowds gathered around Jesus, there were children among the people. Perhaps some people brought their children, hoping to get a blessing for them from Jesus. When his happened on one occasion, the disciples tried to send the children away, but Jesus became upset and said He wanted to have them brought to Him.Jesus said, “Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” What did He mean by that? There are 5 things in the nature of children we can emulate. Listen to find out more!