There is Always a Warm Welcome for Those Who Come to God by His Son Jesus Christ.

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!" – Luke 15:17 (NKJV)

My brothers & sisters in Christ, the story of the Prodigal Son is one of the more popular parables and describes us all, as children of God.

So often we are all unfaithful children of our benevolent God. We all have squandered the abundant
inheritance he so graciously has given to us. And we all —at one time or another— have known what it is to finally “come to ourselves”.

Sin is insanity. It is an unreasoning, illogical, self-destructive way of life. It ignores the plain hand of our heavenly Father and follows after the hallucination of worldly pleasures and fulfillment. But we do it anyways. We curse another drive who has cut us off. We envy our neighbor's new promotion at work. We desire a colleague or friend. Then we sin some more to try and obtain those self-destructing goals.

But when we finally come to ourselves, when we see the light, (often times it takes a smack to the back of the head so-to-speak), we realize that starving out in the pigpen is not what our Father planned for us. We are the God’s children! No one in his house is hungry or wanting, and yet here we are in the mud pit of sin because we walked away from the house of our Father. When we finally come to our senses, we finally come back to him. We take the long walk back home to His loving heart. We give up the miserable quest for self-gratification and begin to seek the abundant life that is found in God alone. We come back humbled by his ever-lasting love and forgiveness.

Have you come to yourself yet? Have you turned your feet back to the Father? If so, know that there is always a warm welcome for those who come to God by his Son Jesus Christ.

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Praying Can Make a Difference

Confess your trespasses[a] to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. – James 5:16 (NKJV)

After pondering the perfect sovereignty of God, many have asked the question “Why should I even bother praying then? If God is always going to do his will, and his will is always perfect, then why should we ever pray?”

The answer, it is important to recognize, comes from the same God who tells us that he “works all things after the counsel of his own will.” This very same God informs us that effectual, fervent prayer on the part of his people avails — not just a little bit, or for a little while, but much!

How can this be? How can an immutable, all-knowing, eternal God listen to our prayers and allow them to influence the outcome of events great and small? Frankly, we may never know or understand. But this we do know: God tells us that our prayers make a tremendous impact.

So then, how should you respond to temptation or trial? Pray. What should you do on behalf of sick, or wayward, or feeble loved ones? Pray. What is your responsibility toward those that have authority over you? Pray for them. How can you make a difference in the world around you? Pray.

The hard work of sincere and fervent prayer gains much ground, does great good, God says. Do you believe him? Do you pray like it makes a difference?

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Brothers and sisters in Christ, NOTHING lasts forever...

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away – Matthew 24:35 (NKJV)

“Nothing lasts forever.” We have become so used to the reality of this cliche that we have many times, even as Christians, unconsciously applied this earthly maxim to eternal things.

But Jesus would have us remember that, yes, heaven and earth shall pass away; nothing in this world lasts forever. Cars and carpet, bodies and bank accounts, hobbies and holidays — all eventually break up or break down. The things we strive for and try to obtain mean nothing when we are finally called to the Lord. Egyptians used to want to be buried with their belongings in the afterlife. Are we that different these days?

Even nations and world powers rise and fall over time. Did you know there is not a single world government still in power today that existed when the United States was formed? As young as this
country is, it is already the oldest living government on the planet!

Heaven and earth shall pass away, Jesus says, but my words shall not pass away. God’s words and God’s works will still stand when the earth is on fire. You perhaps will agree to the point Jesus is making, but does the reality Jesus is highlighting infuse your decision-making with an eternal perspective and priority? In other words, do you live as if everything in this world is momentary and God’s promises are everlasting?

If your joy, fulfillment, or comfort is found in your youth… what about when you get old? If it comes from your wealth… what happens when you become poor or too sick to enjoy it? What if your happiness comes from popular? When you friends move on will you  turn to the Lord? Have you turned to Him throughout your life for happiness?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, NOTHING lasts forever, except everything that I do and say, Jesus reminds us. May this reality be reflected this day in everything we do and say.

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The ABC’s of Salvation

How Can I Be Saved?  

So often we present salvation as something very complex, but God never intended it to be that way. God's plan of salvation is simple enough for everyone to understand. It is as easy as ABC.

Admit
Admit that you are a sinner an in need of salvation.    Each of us has a problem called sin.    The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.”   Sin is a refusal to acknowledge God's authority over our lives, and the Bible says that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

Believe
Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He is the only way to obtain salvation—to get to heaven.  Although we have done nothing to deserve His love and salvation, God wants to save us.  John 3:16 tells us that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  Jesus said,   “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

Confess
The Bible teaches that “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”   (Romans 10:9-10).

Please Pray

“Lord Jesus, I am a sinner in desperate need of a Savior.  I cannot save myself, and I believe that You died upon the cross for me.  I believe that You shed Your precious blood on the cross for the forgiveness of my sin.   I accept You now as my Savior, my Lord, my God, and my Friend. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and set me free from my sin. And because You are my Savior, I will not die an eternal death, but I now have everlasting life in You.  Thank you, Jesus for saving me today!”

Contact Us—We would love to have the opportunity to celebrate your new life in Christ with you!

If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior please contact us so that we may share in your joy. We would like to provide support and resources to help you grow in your Christian walk.

Cross Pointe Baptist Church strives to Love God, Love people, Share Jesus and Make disciples. There is a place for you at Cross Pointe, come join us!

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What We Believe at Cross Pointe Baptist Church

1. We believe in one God, maker of heaven and earth, and eternally existent as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

2. We believe the Bible, composed of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is God’s inspired and infallible Word. It is inerrant and is the authority for conduct, belief, and practice.

3. We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His death on the cross; that He rose bodily from the grave, ascended into heaven, and will return to earth in power and glory.  And, that through His substitutionary death on the cross, His shed blood for mankind has paid for the sins of the world.

4. We believe in the deity of the Holy Spirit, that His present work is to reveal Jesus Christ to people, to regenerate those who believe, and that He indwells Christians to mediate the life of Jesus Christ in them.

5. We believe people were created in the image of God. Through Adam all people obtained a sin nature which produces sin. Because of sin, all people in their natural condition are separated from God and are under the wrath and condemnation of God.

6. We believe people may be saved from the wrath of God, be forgiven of sin, be justified by the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and be reconciled to God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and are eternally secure in Him. This salvation is a free gift of God’s grace to all who believe.

7. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and lost: they that are saved to the resurrection of life in Heaven, and they that are lost to the resurrection of damnation in Hell.

8. We believe in the spiritual unity of all believers in Christ. We believe the church, as a local body, was commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ to make disciples of all nations. We believe the two ordinances of the church are baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper; they are representations of the Lord’s death and resurrection for the believer.

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God Is Willing and Able to Bless His People.

He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; And with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you. – Psalm 81:16 (NKJV)

There are great lessons to be learned even from the failures of God’s people recorded in the Scriptures. God says if his people had obeyed his voice he would have subdued their enemies and fed them with honey out of the rock. But they rebelled and walked in their own counsels.

How sad that a people who that could have enjoyed the richest of blessings from their gracious God were instead given up to their own desires and suffered the consequences of their disobedience.

How often have you neglected the place of blessing? There is counsel and comfort in God’s Word but you have spent little time reading it. There are rich mercies to be found at the throne of grace but you have neglected prayer. There are joys and blessings to be found in God’s house but you have been attracted by the empty promises of the world.

Churches sometimes mourn the loss of spiritual fervor enjoyed in former days. But instead of being brought to repentance for sin and neglect, the excuse is made that we live in difficult times. The lack of power in preaching is a concern but still messages to make people feel good take precedence over sound biblical exposition.

The next time you are facing temptation to sin or to squander God’s blessings, remember this: God is willing and able to bless his people. Today, heed his call to return. Call upon him, knowing he is willing to hear and ready to bless.

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When Times Are Tough.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you. Isaiah 43:2 (NKJV)

I pray brothers and sisters that your life is going just as the Lord has planned AND that you are free of any trials or perils. But perhaps you are experiencing the drowning, crushing, burning power of a trial right now. Perhaps you are just overcoming one or for whatever circumstances you know of one coming. If so, then you need to know, first of all, that this is part of life.

I recently was told a story about a young girl whose mother had just passed. It was unexpected, unplanned, and devastating to say the least. Where was the hope for this little girl? Where was God for her? What great sin had she commmitted to be punished by God like this? She had not!

No matter who you are, or where you come from, or what decisions you make in life, you will face illness and pain and loss. No human lives forever and no one is perfect. Sickness and mistakes are part of the human experience. Embedded in the promise of this text is the reality of suffering: when you pass through the waters, when you walk through the fire. God’s children are not exempted from tragedy.

This is not bleak, this is God's plan for us. But there is hope friends. When you do face life’s difficulties, here is the promise for every child of God: He will be with you, the trials will not overcome you, and you will not be harmed.

For this reason, you need not fear no matter what obstacle or heartache you may be facing. “Fear not,” God says, “for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name, you are mine” (43:1). He knows exactly what is going with your situation and has already dedicated himself to YOUR salvation; you belong to his heaert, and therefore will not let anything or anyone harm you.

If you have given yourself to Christ then you have been redeemed by God and he will not let anything happen to you that is not for your good (Romans 8:28). No difficulty will drown you, no trial will overwhelm you, no sorrow will destroy you. It is this knowledge that we take into our darkest times.

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In Your Darkest Times, Strive to Help Others

And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad. Genesis 40:6 (NKJV)

Let's think about this: how unlikely was it that Joseph would notice the sadness of his cellmates? He had plenty of problems himself, without taking on any more. His brothers had sold him into slavery and then his boss had fired and imprisoned him on false charges. Yet, Joseph noticed and cared about others.

Brothers and sisters, there is hope and the quickest way out of a dark pit of discouragement is to think of and serve others. The surest way to deepen your dark times is to draw into, and think more about, yourself. Joseph is perhaps the best example in the Old Testament of a selfless, servant-spirited saint and it is no coincidence that, in every situation in which he found himself, he continually rose above his trial and glorified God.

The old saying of walking a mile in someone eles's shoes most certainly applies. How often on social media do we see a heartwarming video of someone overcoming a deficit or tribulation? People post or comment on how "lucky" they are to not be in the same situation. So let us be thankful for what we have including our dark and difficult times. The Lord is teaching us something even though we might not see it right away. Reach out a hand to your neighbor; help a stranger; forgive a debt or friend.

Are you going through difficult times? Have others wronged you? What has been your response? Do you think of others and how to help them, or only about yourself and your own problems? Look around you: there is a world of opportunities to help, and they are all open doors that lead out of your darkness. Helping others through the darkness will bring you to the light as the Lord intended.

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We all have a lesson to learn from Noah...

By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household... – Hebrews 11:7 (NKJV)

We all have a lesson to learn from Noah, whether we are fathers, husbands, brothers, or sons. Noah trusted God, believed his warnings, and obeyed his commands… as a result, he was able to save his entire family from the destruction of the worldwide flood that came as promised.

Notice that Noah was warned by God, but he was warned about things that he, himself, had not yet witnessed — he was warned “of things not seen as yet.” This is where faith comes in. When we are able to trust what God has told us in his Word—even when it contradicts what everyone around us is proclaiming or what our own experience has been thus far — it is then that we are able to truly walk by faith.

What about you? When you look at the many instructions and warnings in God’s Word, do you believe him and act accordingly or do you ignore his Word and keep on walking in your own way? Husbands, are you loving your wives sacrificially? Fathers, are you nurturing your children in the Lord? Children (of any age), are you honoring your parents?

Those who listen to God’s Word and obey it by faith prepare for the destruction and judgment that are coming upon this world. As a result, those around them are positively affected, being influenced by the faith that they see.

May you, like Noah, be moved by a healthy fear of God to a determined, faithful preparation of your own life and your own house, in obedience to his Word.

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