Wasting the Blessings of the Lord

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.

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He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee – Psalm 81:16

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 is it that a person could have enjoyed the richest of blessings from their gracious God, instead they choose to give in to their own desires and suffer 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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Be a Man of Faith

Be a Man of Faith - Cross Pointe Baptist Church
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By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house – Hebrews 11:7

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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The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way Psalm 37:23

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Death is the Door to Salvation

Cross Pointe believes that even death is yours, to serve you for your good and for God’s glory.
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Whether…the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come -- all are yours – 1 Corinthians 3:22 (NKJV)

What a strange thing to say. How can Paul claim with a straight face that everything—even death—has been given to God’s people and belongs to them?

It certainly does not feel as though the world belongs to us, that our present life is completely under our control, or that the future is ours for the taking. Least of all, death does not ever feel to be mastered or owned or tamed; more than anything else, death reminds us of just how frail we are and what little power we have over our surroundings.

And yet Paul claims that they are all yours, if you are Christ’s (3:23). Even death has been made a servant to the people of God. How can this be?

The truth is that we, in ourselves, do not have autonomous control over our life or our death; but the truth is also that Christ has—through his death and resurrection—brought even our greatest enemies into subjection and made them to serve us for our good.

Death, for instance, has been subdued; instead of acting as the jaws of fate to consume us, it has now become the door of salvation to renew us. Whereas death was once to be greatly feared, as the result of sin entering into the world, it is now made an occasion for rejoicing, as the vehicle that brings us into the presence and likeness of Christ.

Life, through Christ, is yours, dear believer. And, yes, even death is yours, to serve you for your good and for God’s glory. Rejoice today, then, in the possessions that are yours in Christ.

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There is a Place for You

Cross Pointe wants you to know that there is a place for you in our community.
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There are many ways you can serve at Cross Pointe and we encourage you to find a point of ministry at Cross Pointe; to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community.   There’s a place for you.  Come and join with us in the work of reaching a lost world for Jesus.  Together we can make a difference in the lives of others

Vessels of Honor is an extension of our church ministry both within the church and in the community.   We recognize the distinguished position held by the Seniors of the faith in our church family.   Many may not be able to attend church services due to age-related health or transportation issues.  Through this ministry we want to engage our most Senior members, and to assist them in their daily lives as needed.   This ministry is not exclusive to Senior members, but serves as a central point of outreach to those Seniors in our community.   Outreach includes but is not limited to:  providing food, transportation, hospital visitation, hospice, and assisted living ministry.


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The God-Given Talent for Music

Cross Pointe encourages you to use your talent to be a part of a dynamic, high-impact musical service.
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Do you have a God-given talent and love for music? Join our dynamic adult music ministry team,  United Voices of Praise,  in presenting the glorious message of our Lord Jesus in song!  Be prepared to use your talents to glorify the King through the praise and worship ministry at Cross Pointe as an instrumentalist or vocalist. Plan to be a part of a dynamic, high-impact musical service. There is a place for you at Cross Pointe; come join us! www.cpbchurch.com

Being a part of our church family is so much more than finding a place to be served and fed. Fellowship at Cross Pointe involves finding a place to be of service to others, and to share the gospel of Christ with the lost.   We find our greatest calling is in service to others; leading a lost world to Christ and making disciples of those who trust Him as Lord and Savior. www.cpbchurch.com

We encourage you to find a point of ministry at Cross Pointe; to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community. There’s a place for you. Come and join with us in the work of reaching a lost world for Jesus. Together we can make a difference in the lives of others. www.cpbchurch.com

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You Are Uniquely Gifted by God

Cross Pointe provides opportunities for vibrant and exciting explorations of faith and empowered ministry to those that are uniquely gifted.
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At Cross Pointe Baptist Church, it is our sincere belief that everyone who is a born again believer in Jesus Christ is uniquely gifted by God to be a part of the local ministry. www.cpbchurch.com

Being a part of our church family is so much more than finding a place to be served and fed. Fellowship at Cross Pointe involves finding a place to be of service to others, and to share the gospel of Christ with the lost. We find our greatest calling is in service to others; leading a lost world to Christ and making disciples of those who trust Him as Lord and Savior. www.cpbchurch.com

We encourage you to find a point of ministry at Cross Pointe; to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community. There’s a place for you. Come and join with us in the work of reaching a lost world for Jesus. Together we can make a difference in the lives of others. Opportunities for ministry include:

Fired Up

Fired Up ministry focuses on teens and college-aged students. These students are entering a world that is eager to challenge their Christian worldview. It is our goal to create champions for Christ who are fired up for taking on the world with great confidence in who Jesus is and what He has done for them. Opportunities for vibrant and exciting explorations of faith and empowered ministry are found here at Cross Pointe. www.cpbchurch.com

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We Are Children of God

Cross Pointe wants you to know that there is always a warm welcome for those who come to God by his Son Jesus Christ.
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“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. www.cpbchurch.com

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. www.cpbchurch.com

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. www.cpbchurch.com

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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Make a Difference in Your Community

Cross Pointe believes that together we can make a difference in the lives of others through our local ministries!
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We encourage you to find a point of ministry at Cross Pointe; to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community. There’s a place for you. Come and join with us in the work of reaching a lost world for Jesus. Together we can make a difference in the lives of others. Opportunities for ministry include:

Embers

Like a warm ember that leads to a flame, our infant and baby ministry is open to women of God who want to nurture our youngest family members into a loving knowledge of Christ Jesus through salvation. This is the threshold ministry of the church. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”  From nursery services to toddler and pre-school education, this ministry needs workers just like you. www.cpbchurch.com

Children learn through play.  They’re naturals.  It’s us adults that sometimes need help!  We’ve forgotten how.  Plus it’s difficult to know how much babies and toddlers understand anyway.

Next time you serve with Embers at Cross Pointe, play with your own little tikes, or take care of children this age, use these developmental ages and stages as a guide to know how to play with them. www.cpbchurch.com

0-6 months: Sensory Learners

Infants absorb the world around them.  Their visual and auditory skills are developing quickly.  They love black and white contrasts, their parents’ voices, and reaching and grasping items.  Tummy time is beneficial, as is flashlight or mirror play, and singing favorite nursery and church songs.

6-10 months: Little Explorers

Babies this age learn to impact their environment.  They develop an understanding of cause and effect.  “If I shake this rattle, it will make noise.”  They also begin to understand object permanence:  the realization that just because the ball is under the blanket doesn’t mean that it ceases to exist.  Peek-a-boo games, texture exploration, ball play, and singing are some of their favorite activities.

10-16 months: Budding Communicators

Children this age are mobile.  They crawl, stand, cruise, and walk. They learn to communicate with hand movements, sounds, and words.  Baby signs are helpful at this age to reduce frustration levels.  You can also support growing language development with songs. Favorite toys may include jack-in-the boxes, instruments, and push and pull toys.

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Pray, It Makes a Difference

Cross Pointe Baptist Church wants to know, do you pray like it makes a difference?
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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! www.cpbchurch.com

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. www.cpbchurch.com

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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How Can I Be Saved? The ABC’s of Salvation

God has a plan for your salvation.
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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! www.cpbchurch.com

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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God's Word is Eternal

Do you live as if everything in this world is momentary and God’s promises are eternal?
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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. www.cpbchurch.com

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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Learn About What We Believe

Learn more about what we believe here at Cross Pointe Baptist Church
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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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Learning From Scriptures

Cross Pointe encourages you to learn the lessons from the failures of God's people in the Scriptures.
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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 to take precedence over sound biblical exposition.

The next time you are facing the 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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Become a Part of the Local Ministry

Born again believers are uniquely gifted to be a part of the local ministry.

www.cpbchurch.com | (386) 232-8704

At Cross Pointe Baptist Church, it is our sincere belief that everyone who is a born-again believer in Jesus Christ is uniquely gifted by God to be a part of the local ministry.
Being a part of our church family is so much more than finding a place to be served and fed. Fellowship at Cross Pointe involves finding a place to be of service to others and to share the gospel of Christ with the lost. We find our greatest calling is in service to others; leading a lost world to Christ and making disciples of those who trust Him as Lord and Savior.
We encourage you to find a point of ministry at Cross Pointe; to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community. There’s a place for you. Come and join us in the work of reaching a lost world for Jesus. Together we can make a difference in the lives of others. Opportunities for ministry include:

Potter’s Wheel

Join the Potter’s Wheel ministry team; our local church-based point of service ministry team. Be a part of the welcoming family culture of hospitality and graciousness that exists at the Cross Pointe. Establish fellowship times, church greeters, and all elements of local church-level ministry
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Overcoming Trials Through Christ

When Times Are Tough

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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 committed 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 heart, 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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Offer Compassion in the Most Difficult Times

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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. That is the definition of compassion for 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 else'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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God's Plan of Salvation

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!”

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Giving Thanks Always For All Things

Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ – Ephesians 5:20 (NKJV)

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We are here admonished to give thanks for all things. We know we should give thanks for our daily provisions and for the mercy of God in saving us, but sometimes we don’t take the time or make the effort to truly thank him, or to consider all the things for which we should be grateful.

The apostle Paul frequently expressed his thanks to God for the faith, love, and work seen in the churches where he had labored. He acknowledged that these godly fruits were because of God’s blessings on them and therefore gave thanks to God. He constantly expressed thankfulness for his godly fellow laborers, but consistently expressed thankfulness to God for even their faithfulness (Romans 1:8; 1 Corinthians 1:4; 1Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:3).

Astonishingly, Paul also expressed appreciation for tribulations (Romans 5:3) and even acknowledged that he took pleasure in “infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake” because God’s strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:10). If God’s sufficiency is displayed in my insufficiency, Paul said, then I am thankful for each opportunity for his strength to be shown in my weakness.

And above all, the apostle gave thanks for the Savior. He wrote, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15). Words are inadequate to describe the glory of our Savior Jesus Christ, but we should continually give thanks for him and his love for us.

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Do Not Give in to Temptation

Do Not Give in to Temptation
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He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee – Psalm 81:16

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 is it that a person could have enjoyed the richest of blessings from their gracious God, instead they choose to give in to their own desires and suffer the consequences of their disobedience.

How often have you neglected the place of blessing? There are 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 takes precedence over sound biblical exposition.

The next time you are facing the 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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Becoming a Man of Faith

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By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house – Hebrews 11:7

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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The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way Psalm 37:23

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Death is Not the End

Death and Dying
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Whether…the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come -- all are yours – 1 Corinthians 3:22 (NKJV)

What a strange thing to say. How can Paul claim with a straight face that everything—even death—has been given to God’s people and belongs to them?

It certainly does not feel as though the world belongs to us, that our present life is completely under our control, or that the future is ours for the taking. Least of all, death does not ever feel to be mastered or owned or tamed; more than anything else, death reminds us of just how frail we are and what little power we have over our surroundings.

And yet Paul claims that they are all yours, if you are Christ’s (3:23). Even death has been made a servant to the people of God. How can this be?

The truth is that we, in ourselves, do not have autonomous control over our life or our death; but the truth is also that Christ has—through his death and resurrection—brought even our greatest enemies into subjection and made them serve us for our good.

Death, for instance, has been subdued; instead of acting as the jaws of fate to consume us, it has now become the door of salvation to renew us. Whereas death was once to be greatly feared, as the result of sin entering into the world, it is now made an occasion for rejoicing, as the vehicle that brings us into the presence and likeness of Christ.

Life, through Christ, is yours, dear believer. And, yes, even death is yours, to serve you for your good and for God’s glory. Rejoice today, then, in the possessions that are yours in Christ.

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Lend Your Voice to Praise Our Lord Jesus!

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Do you have a God-given talent and love for music? Join our dynamic adult music ministry team,  United Voices of Praise, in presenting the glorious message of our Lord Jesus in song!  Be prepared to use your talents to glorify the King through the praise and worship ministry at Cross Pointe as an instrumentalist or vocalist. Plan to be a part of a dynamic, high-impact musical service. There is a place for you at Cross Pointe; come join us!

Being a part of our church family is so much more than finding a place to be served and fed. Fellowship at Cross Pointe involves finding a place to be of service to others and to share the gospel of Christ with the lost.   We find our greatest calling is in service to others; leading a lost world to Christ and making disciples of those who trust Him as Lord and Savior. www.cpbchurch.com

We encourage you to find a point of ministry at Cross Pointe; to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community. There’s a place for you. Come and join us in the work of reaching a lost world for Jesus. Together we can make a difference in the lives of others.

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Join the Local Ministry at Cross Pointe

Cross Pointe Baptist Church has several local ministries for you to take a part in.
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At Cross Pointe Baptist Church, it is our sincere belief that everyone who is a born-again believer in Jesus Christ is uniquely gifted by God to be a part of the local ministry. www.cpbchurch.com

Being a part of our church family is so much more than finding a place to be served and fed. Fellowship at Cross Pointe involves finding a place to be of service to others and to share the gospel of Christ with the lost. We find our greatest calling is in service to others; leading a lost world to Christ and making disciples of those who trust Him as Lord and Savior. www.cpbchurch.com

We encourage you to find a point of ministry at Cross Pointe; to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community. There’s a place for you. Come and join us in the work of reaching a lost world for Jesus. Together we can make a difference in the lives of others. Opportunities for ministry include:

Fired Up

The Fired Up ministry focuses on teens and college-aged students. These students are entering a world that is eager to challenge their Christian worldview. It is our goal to create champions for Christ who are fired up for taking on the world with great confidence in who Jesus is and what He has done for them. Opportunities for vibrant and exciting explorations of faith and empowered ministry are found here at Cross Pointe. www.cpbchurch.com

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Choosing the Path of God

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“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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Opportunities for Embers Ministry

Cross Pointe Baptist Church offers many opportunities for ministry.
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We encourage you to find a point of ministry at Cross Pointe; to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community. There’s a place for you. Come and join us in the work of reaching a lost world for Jesus. Together we can make a difference in the lives of others. Opportunities for ministry include:

Embers

Like a warm ember that leads to a flame, our infant and baby ministry is open to women of God who want to nurture our youngest family members into a loving knowledge of Christ Jesus through salvation. This is the threshold ministry of the church. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”  From nursery services to toddler and pre-school education, this ministry needs workers just like you. www.cpbchurch.com

Children learn through play.  They’re naturals.  It’s us adults that sometimes need help!  We’ve forgotten how.  Plus it’s difficult to know how much babies and toddlers understand anyway.

Next time you serve with Embers at Cross Pointe, play with your own little tikes, or take care of children this age, use these developmental ages and stages as a guide to know how to play with them. www.cpbchurch.com

0-6 months: Sensory Learners

Infants absorb the world around them.  Their visual and auditory skills are developing quickly.  They love black and white contrasts, their parents’ voices, and reaching and grasping items.  Tummy time is beneficial, as is flashlight or mirror play, and singing favorite nursery and church songs.

6-10 months: Little Explorers

Babies this age learn to impact their environment.  They develop an understanding of cause and effect.  “If I shake this rattle, it will make noise.”  They also begin to understand object permanence:  the realization that just because the ball is under the blanket doesn’t mean that it ceases to exist.  Peek-a-boo games, texture exploration, ball play, and singing are some of their favorite activities.

10-16 months: Budding Communicators

Children this age are mobile.  They crawl, stand, cruise, and walk. They learn to communicate with hand movements, sounds, and words.  Baby signs are helpful at this age to reduce frustration levels.  You can also support growing language development with songs. Favorite toys may include jack-in-the-boxes, instruments, and push and pull toys.

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God's Plan of Salvation

How Can I Be Saved? The ABC’s of Salvation
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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! www.cpbchurch.com

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

Before you join our church, it's important to know to know what we believe in as a Baptist Church.
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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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Find Your Home Within Our Ministry

Find a home in our family and share the love of Christ through service
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At Cross Pointe Baptist Church, it is our sincere belief that everyone who is a born-again believer in Jesus Christ is uniquely gifted by God to be a part of the local ministry.
Being a part of our church family is so much more than finding a place to be served and fed. Fellowship at Cross Pointe involves finding a place to be of service to others and to share the gospel of Christ with the lost. We find our greatest calling is in service to others; leading a lost world to Christ and making disciples of those who trust Him as Lord and Savior.

We encourage you to find a point of ministry at Cross Pointe; to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community. There’s a place for you. Come and join us in the work of reaching a lost world for Jesus. Together we can make a difference in the lives of others. Opportunities for ministry include:

Potter’s Wheel
Join the Potter’s Wheel ministry team; our local church-based point of service ministry team. Be a part of the welcoming family culture of hospitality and graciousness that exists at the Cross Pointe. Establish fellowship times, church greeters, and all elements of local church-level ministry

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Overcome the Fire to be Reborn Anew

When Times Are Tough
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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 committed 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 heart, 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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Selflessly Helping Others

Cross Pointe Baptist Church implore you to selflessly help others.
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And Joseph came into 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 else'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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Lessons From Stories of Faith

There are many lessons to be learned from the stories of faith from others.
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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. www.cpbchurch.com

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? www.cpbchurch.com

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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The ABC's of Salvation - Cross Pointe Baptist Church

The ABC's of Salvation - Cross Pointe Baptist Church
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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 on 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!”

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Give Thanks For All Things - Cross Pointe Baptist Church

Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ – Ephesians 5:20 (NKJV)

Give Thanks For All Things - Cross Pointe Baptist Church
www.cpbchurch.com | (386) 232-8704

We are here admonished to give thanks for all things. We know we should give thanks for our daily provisions and for the mercy of God in saving us, but sometimes we don’t take the time or make the effort to truly thank Him or to consider all the things for which we should be grateful.

The apostle Paul frequently expressed his thanks to God for the faith, love, and work seen in the churches where he had labored. He acknowledged that these godly fruits were because of God’s blessings on them and therefore gave thanks to God. He constantly expressed thankfulness for his godly fellow laborers, but consistently expressed thankfulness to God for even their faithfulness (Romans 1:8; 1 Corinthians 1:4; 1Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:3).

Astonishingly, Paul also expressed appreciation for tribulations (Romans 5:3) and even acknowledged that he took pleasure in “infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake” because God’s strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:10). If God’s sufficiency is displayed in my insufficiency, Paul said, then I am thankful for each opportunity for his strength to be shown in my weakness.

And above all, the apostle gave thanks for the Savior. He wrote, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15). Words are inadequate to describe the glory of our Savior Jesus Christ, but we should continually give thanks for him and his love for us.

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