Sermon Content Warning

As we teach through books of the bible on Sunday morning, we occasionally hit passages that address mature topics and themes.  Tomorrow is one of those moments.  In Matthew 5:27-32 Jesus addresses lust, adultery and sexual immorality.  I pray God will give me the grace and wisdom to preach these verses with both clarity and sensitivity.  

I wanted to make you aware of the topics in the sermon so you are not caught off guard and so you can shepherd your family/kids and plan for tomorrow in the way you feel is most appropriate.  All of scripture is beneficial for us...even the parts that are challenging to preach!  Looking forward to being together tomorrow morning.     

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Matt

HUMAN LIFE IS SACRED - Day#5

Devotional Thoughts from Chris Magruder

At this very moment, I sit here at my desk staring at a picture on my phone of my first grandson.  This perfect little boy is now almost 2 weeks old.

Could life get any better?

But wait! 

Hold on!

How did I get here and how so quickly? 

Sure I’m well into “middle age” but there’s no way I’m old enough to have a grandkid. I don’t like to dwell on it too long, but the reality is I am getting older.  The days turn into years and the speed at which this happens seems to increase with each day.  I am reminded of just how sweet and precious life is, how fleeting and “vapor-like” it truly is.

It is a good thing to remind ourselves of how special… how sacred is the time we get on this Earth.  We deliberately focus our time this week on the sanctity or sacredness of human life.  

Due to the working of God in creating us in His image (Gen. 1:26) our lives are sacred no matter how long we live.  From a newborn like my grandson to a centennial, or even someone like me stuck in the middle trying to press pause on middle age, our lives are sacred.

God has given us an opportunity to fight for these sacred ones that don’t have a voice, like the unborn or those who are treated like property and cast into slavery.  I would submit there is a particular category of image bearers who often get overlooked.  Those that aren’t young enough to blaze a new trail and don’t quite have the same energy to maintain what they used to do, but image bears of the Almighty with value and purpose all the same.

DID YOU KNOW?

■ Some 20 percent of all people who have ever lived past age 65 are alive now!2

■ In 1860, half the population of the United States was under age 20, and the vast majority of the population was not expected to live to age 65.3

■ From 1990 to 1996, the number of Americans 65 or older increased elevenfold (from 3.1 million to 33.9 million). The overall percentage of the population 65 and older increased from 4.1 to 12.84

■ In 1940, just 7 percent of those age 65 would survive to age 90; by 2050, the number will climb to an astonishing 42 percent!5

■ In recent years, the number of people in the United States over 65 has more than doubled reaching 70 million people!6 Such growth means that nearly 1 in 5 Americans fit this category, up from 1 in 100 in 1900.7

In many ways growing older returns us to how we began.  The majority of people, over time, become more dependent on others and it can feel unfamiliar and result in feeling lesser.  However, growing older doesn’t mean losing value.

In the Bible, God places a high value on the vulnerable…littles ones, orphans, the fatherless and widows.  Exodus 22:22, Deut. 27:19 and Matthew 23:14 are all examples of this.  James emphasizes the role of protecting the vulnerable in this way:

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” James 1:27

This call to obedience is an active step, which demonstrates our love for God through our love and care for others.  Caring for our families, our Church, little ones, those who are enslaved and yes those who are aging allows us the opportunity to show God’s love through our obedience to Him.

Today, join us as we pray these specific ways:

Growing older can often feel isolating. 

Pray for those in the Crossway family that might feel this way and for ways that they would be included.

Growing older means new opportunities.  As we age, we often think of the things we can’t do anymore.  

Pray to see the new opportunities that your maturing is making available.

Growing older means lessons learned.

Pray for ways to learn from those that are older.

Pray for ways to share with those that are still “young”

Footnotes

1Most figures and statistics address the United States’ population, but this ‘graying of society” applies equally to the populations of most developed nations.

2Resources in Social Gerontology, “Social Gerontology and the Aging Revolution,”1. Find at

www.trinity.edu/~mkearl/geron.html.

3U.S. Bureau of the Census. Current Population Reports. Special Studies, 23–190, 65+ in the United States (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1996), 2:1.

4Profile of Older Americans: 1997, 2. Found at http://www.aoa.dhhs.gov/aoa/stats/profile.

5U.S. Bureau of the Census, 65+ in the United States, 3–4.

6Profile of Older Americans, 3.

7U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Special Studies, 23–190, 65+ in the U.S., Government Printing Office, 1996, 1. Find at www. Trinity.edu/~mkearl/over65.jpg.

HUMAN LIFE IS SACRED - Day#4

Devotional Thoughts from Mike Scheffel

$150 billion dollars!

That’s right, $150 BILLION!!  If I told you that was the annual revenue produced, one might think of a major league sports team such as the NFL!  Well you would be wrong!  According to the International Justice Mission (IJM) and Five14 Revolution, this staggering amount of money is actually the annual revenue of human trafficking! This is way more than the NFL, actually more than the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL combined!!!  Two-thirds of that $150 billion are coming from commercial sexual exploitation!  It’s unbelievable to hear those statistics.  Not to mention, there are an estimated 50 million people held in slavery today!  Millions of men, women, and children are trapped in modern-day slavery around the world.  

My older sister and her family live as missionaries in Myanmar.  Traffickers in Myanmar, known for their labor trafficking, prey on the poor who are looking for work. They lure the poor with false advertisements offering job opportunities, and then sell them to China or remote places in Myanmar as slaves. Imagine showing up for your first day on the job excited to provide for your family, to discover you would not only be unable to provide but would likely never see your family again!  

We actually can’t even begin to imagine.  Everyday across the world human beings…children, women, and men are forced into slavery and a life of abuse. We may very well feel a lack of proximity to this global problem, but then come to find out, it’s happening just around the corner.  Five14Revolution is a local ministry that exists to respond to human trafficking and sexual exploitation by bringing God’s hope, healing, and freedom in places of vulnerability. Over 70 new women walked through their Wilmington doors in 2022, each one of them suffering from trauma associated with their sanctity of life being violated.  One of which, called from a local hotel room right on Market Street with her trafficker in the other room.  They were able to successfully obtain a security escort to pick her up and bring her to safety. 

When considering the sacredness of human life, the topic of abortion and the fight to preserve the lives of unborn children is understandably a primary focus.  However, these brief examples and the heartbreaking statistics of those enslaved and oppressed are a reminder that there are vulnerable people in need everywhere…from Wilmington to Myanmar.

In Luke 4:18, Jesus quotes Isaiah 61:1 when He says

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”

Sin brings about great damage! Sin oppresses its victims, but Jesus brings liberty to the oppressed.  Jesus came not only to preach this message of deliverance, but to be the deliverance for us!  We were once slaves ourselves, but for those in Christ we have been redeemed and set free. Praise be to God! And it should be our desire to continue in the path that Jesus set out for us!  A desire to shine Jesus into the darkest places of our world and community through the gospel message and through “gospel people” like you and I who are filled with His Word and His Spirit and who, compelled by Jesus’ example, live noticeably different in the way we care for the vulnerable, oppressed, and enslaved people of our world.

As we are commanded in Romans 12:12, let us:

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer”. 

Join us today and pray through these specific items:

PRAY FOR Five14 Revolution: 

• That the cycles of trauma and addiction be broken this year

• That Five14 can locate a property to house these women for a place of rest while they are healing from trauma

• That they can identify and hire 2 part-time house mothers for the Restoration House — They are currently looking for a rental property ($2,500/month) and the two part-time house mothers ($30,000 per house mother)

PRAY FOR International Justice Mission (IJM) and other organizations like IJM that are actively fighting for and rescuing those enslaved and mistreated around the world.  

Pray that they would rely on our all-powerful God to do what is only possible with and through Him.

As we pray, may the Lord remind us the gospel message of Jesus Christ is not only for the oppressed but for the oppressors.  The story in Sunday’s sermon about the radical transformation of Dr. Robinson and Dr. Johnson (40 days for life), reminds us that God brings life out of places where death used to flourish!  Pray that God would continue to radically change, restore, and heal both the oppressed and the oppressors! 

HUMAN LIFE IS SACRED - Day#3

Devotional Thoughts from Adam Lee

A girl sits in a corner with her hand on her belly. An unwanted, unplanned embryo growing inside. Her father, having given up on her in shame, her mother, begging her to abort - or else. No job. No money. All hope seems lost. How can bringing this life into the world possibly be good?

We have many things to tell her, don’t we? We sit in the privileged comfort of our homes with those thoughts swirling in our heads. We ought to say this, we ought to do this. But how? How do we find that girl?

The overturning of Roe v. Wade is only a step towards winning for life. While the battle in the states and in the courts rage for years to come, we have another battle to fight, the fight for life outside the womb. Pro-life is not just about birthing a live baby. It’s about supporting and caring for life outside the womb just as we do about life inside the womb.

Many women choose abortion because they don’t see a hopeful way forward for their baby. As Christians we have the opportunity to share hope for life by caring unconditionally for the afflicted. Those afflicted in their darkest hour should be overshadowed with the love of God’s people. 

James 1:27 says, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

Two ministries to support and pray for:

1. The Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO, www.cafo.org) a joint initiative to inspire and equip Christians to effectively live out the Bible’s call to care for orphans and vulnerable children. 

2. Life Line Pregnancy Center (www.lifelinewilmington.com) a local organization equipped to help pregnant women considering abortion.

Pray:

• That the Lord will burden His Church to care for the afflicted, especially pregnant women facing unplanned pregnancies, to load them up with love rather than load on shame and guilt.

• That our hearts will yield to compassion rather than judgement, remembering that we are all desperately needy for God’s mercy and grace.

• That those suffering will be connected with believers who can share the love of Christ with them and that they will see hope in the Gospel.

HUMAN LIFE IS SACRED - Day#2

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Last week (January of 2023), the Lancet, a 200-year-old medical journal from the UK, began a series on One Health.[1] One Health is a World Health Organization-sponsored initiative that is gaining acceptance in academia as well as in the regulatory functions of governments. In December of 2022, the G20 nations were asked to fund One Health in an amount of over $10 billion.[2]

The aim of One Health is to advocate an equality-based approach to health, with equal attention given to humans, animals, and the environment. Part of a movement called deep ecology, one of its eight principles states “The flourishing of human life and cultures is compatible with a substantial decrease of the human population.”[3] Lancet disapprovingly notes that humans have been the center of concern for the medical field, and advocates that equal concern be given to non-human animals and plants.[4]

The root problem with One Health is not medical or scientific: it is theological. The uniqueness of humans over other forms of life is profoundly tied to being made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-28). It is not original to me, but humans being made in God’s image means that they are righteous, regal, rational, and relational.

That means that humans are unique because they have a capacity for morality (righteous). They can do good or they can do evil; they are not simply creatures of instinct. Humans are regal, meaning they have the capacity to rule. They were given the mandate to responsibly subdue the earth. Neither animals nor plants have this capacity for ruling; they do not produce governments or schools, nor do they build airplanes or skyscrapers.

Humans can rule because they are rational; they have complicated thought processes that involve complex reasoning. It is evident that the capacity is completely different in kind from the animal and plant kingdoms. Neither animals nor plants write books or blogs. Furthermore, humans are relational; whatever camaraderie animals may portray, it is nowhere near the complexity of human interaction. Our ability to communicate and convey thoughts to another human is not just slightly “advanced.” It is categorically different than the ability of animals.

What is happening at the World Health Organization through One Health is an attempt to reverse the Garden of Eden. There are merits to taking care of both animals and our environment; subduing the earth does not mean pillaging it. However, trying to obliterate a distinction between humans and the environment is not an advanced scientific approach: it is a fundamental denial of God as Creator. Once he is jettisoned as Creator, there is no need to follow His commands to be kind and compassionate.

If deep ecology states that human flourishing is compatible with a reduction of the human population, who is going to decide how that reduction will occur? And who will decide which humans will be eliminated? Or who gets to decide whether we will preserve a plant form or a human?

The emphasis this week is on the sacredness of human life, from babies to the elderly and everyone in between. As part of our praying, we should pray that elite academics and governments who try to erase God find themselves confronted with the realities of human life. It is easy to dismiss humanity as a whole; it is a whole lot harder when you hold your newborn baby or when you interact with your family that you love.

So how should we pray?

1.    That initiatives such as One Health would fail in the attempt to make humans no different than plants and animals.

2.    That God would raise up scientists and medical personnel who responsibly care for the environment, but who are also courageous enough to challenge the desacralization of humans.

3.    That God would restore the gentleness and compassion towards humanity that comes with an understanding that we are made in His image.  

[1] The Lancet, “One Health: A Call for Ecological Equity,” The Lancet 401, no. 10372 (January 21, 2023): 169.

[2] “One Health in G20 Countries,” accessed January 24, 2023, https://www.who.int/news/item/23-12-2022-one-health-in-g20-countries.

[3] Hanna Ollos, “Deep Ecology: Defending the Earth,” European Wilderness Society, September 10, 2020, accessed January 24, 2023, https://wilderness-society.org/deep-ecology-defending-the-earth/.

[4] Lancet, “One Health.”

HUMAN LIFE IS SACRED because we Reflect GOD'S IMAGE

“Then God said ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.  And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  And God blessed them…”  Genesis 1:26-28a

Man bears the “image of greatest likeness” to God…what a miraculously wonderful gift!

Being an “image bearer” means every human being has inherent worth and value. Every human life is sacred, because God Himself is sacred. Every human life is Holy (Set Apart) from the rest of creation, because God Himself is Holy. Every human life is special, because every human life has been fashioned in the image of God!

Almost 40 years ago, on January 22, 1984, President Ronald Reagan instituted National Sanctity of Human Life Day. President Reagan’s proclamation was made 11 years after the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade and in response to the extreme loss of life that followed that decision — the murder of 15 million pre-born babies.

Today we can reasonably estimate that every minute in the United States a pre-born baby is killed through abortion.

Estimates of the number of abortions range from 600K to 1 Million per year, because it is difficult to quantify the use of abortion through oral drugs that are not authorized by a doctor and some states don’t report abortion statistics to the CDC. 

That is just in the United States.  There are millions of unborn babies murdered every year across the world.

But the tragedy isn’t only found in the genocide of the unborn. As President Reagan observed in 1984, the increasing dismissal and devaluing of human life leads to an increasing erosion of our culture’s “...sense of the worth and dignity of every individual.”

Human worth doesn’t rise and fall with the number of impairments we do or don’t have, it isn’t dependent on our productivity or someone else’s subjective sense of our benefit to society. Our worth is calculated by the infinite value of the one who’s image we are made in! 

Even someone with legitimate disabilities and impairments has inestimable value. The image and the power of God are uniquely displayed in their lives.  

The vulnerable & those with disabilities – Their lives are SACRED!

The orphan & fatherless – Their lives are SACRED!

The isolated and elderly – Their lives are SACRED!

The unborn — Their lives are SACRED!

Each life is a life created by God and for God.  Made by His hand, to reflect His image!

“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him.”  Col 1:16

please join us in praying today!

• Pray for supernatural change and brokenness in the hearts of government officials, policy makers and in the Oval Office.

• Pray for boldness and effectiveness in the promotion of life for organizations such as LIVE ACTION, 40 Days for Life and Pro-Life Action Ministries.

• Pray for Lifeline Pregnancy Center here in Wilmington. Pray for the Lord to use their staff and their services to save babies and assist moms and dads facing unplanned pregnancies.

• Pray for your own heart to maintain firm biblical CONVICTIONS surrounding the promotion and protection of life, while remaining COMPASSIONATE to the men and women facing unplanned pregnancies.

HOLY WEEK 2022 - Good Friday - Psalm 117

“Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!” Psalm 117

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“PRAISE THE LORD” has been a steady command this week during our devotional series in Psalm 113-118. It is appropriate to constantly PRAISE God, because He is constantly faithful and his steadfast love is an unquestionable source of joy and security for His people.

A “paradox” is defined as a seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition. In other words, when you look at it, it doesn’t make sense, it seems inconsistent…that is, until it’s NOT!!! Such is “GOOD” Friday! After all it seems absurd that the day an innocent man was executed would be considered “GOOD”. It seems contradictory to look at Jesus being falsely accused, wrongly condemned and then crucified as anything but a tragedy. Maybe Psalm 117 can help us understand this?

Throughout the ages, the Israelites had boundless reasons to “Praise the LORD”, because they consistently observed and benefitted from God’s faithfulness. The steadfast love of God was like the ground beneath their feet as they walked through seasons of enslavement, wandering, disobedience and discipline, and as they experienced God’s blessing as a nation. But is there an “ultimate” evidence of God’s faithfulness? Is there a supreme depiction of His steadfast love? Looking through the lens of the New Testament it seems we find the answer:

“…God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God showed his matchless “good”, His unthinkable “love” toward us when Christ died for us. Not for the righteous, not for the worthy ones, not for the clean and presentable, but for sinners. The greatest demonstration of the steadfast love of the LORD is the sacrifice of His Son for sinners. Jesus also pointed to this reality when he said:

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Jn 15:13

In the Gospel the invitation and command to Praise the LORD floods to the nations, because God has not only demonstrated His faithfulness and love to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles. ALL nations, ALL peoples are invited to taste and see the LORD is loving, to taste and see the LORD is faithful and His faithfulness through the person and work of Jesus will endure FOREVER! Praise the LORD!

Take time today to think back on the moment when you first understood the magnitude of God’s love for you. Consider the full weight of your sin and guilt being heaped upon Jesus on the cross. Thank God for the enduring nature of His love for you, which from beginning to end finds its stability and staying power in God Himself. Praise the LORD!

Look forward to being with you TONIGHT at Crossway, 6:30PM as we remember the cross of Christ through song, hearing God’s word and taking communion together.

HOLY WEEK 2022 - Thursday - Psalm 116

We have all had the experience of calling someone and not getting an answer. It’s likely most of us have had the experience of calling someone in a moment of distress and not being able to get an answer. It is a discouraging and disheartening experience.

Unlike the idols from Psalm 115:4 who “…have ears, but do not hear…”, we have a God who hears our cries, our pleas and our calls!

“I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.” Psalm 116:1,2

I LOVE THE LORD…BECAUSE HE HEARS! BECAUSE HE HEARS…I WILL CALL! What a wonderfully simple and biblical equation!

You may feel darkness is close at hand today. Distress and pain will often be our companions in this life. But our response should remain…GOD HEARS, SO I WILL CALL!

“O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” Psalm 116:4

As we call to the LORD, we must continually anchor our security in His WAYS and His WORKS:

HIS WAYS (v.4,5): He is gracious. He is righteous. He is merciful.

HIS WORKS (v.6-8): He preserves the simple. He saves us when we are low. He deals bountifully with us. He delivers our soul from death. He delivers our eyes from tears. He delivers our feet from stumbling.

In the face of such wonderful works, there is a necessary response from the people of God. But what is it?

”What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me?” Psalm 116:12

We should “…lift up the cup of salvation…” as our greatest delight and treasure and our only source of hope and righteousness. We should also continue to call on the LORD and fulfill our “vows” as covenant people, as His bride, offering our very lives as a living sacrifice to Him.

Jesus was LIFTED UP on the cross for our salvation, so we LIFT HIM UP in praise. Our soul can rest, even in the restless nights of this life, because of the finished work of Christ. In Him we have been given the most bountiful blessing we could ever receive (v.7). So with His people and in His “courts”, we praise the LORD together!

WE LOVE THE LORD…BECAUSE HE HEARS!

BECAUSE HE HEARS…WE WILL CALL!

BECAUSE HE SAVES…WE WILL PRAISE!

HOLY WEEK 2022 - Wednesday - Psalm 115

One of the things we are reminded of when we think about the gospel is we GET THE GRACE and GOD GETS THE GLORY!

In the salvation story, the rescue plan of God, the Father determines from eternity past to send the Son to die for the people He created, and through His death our debt is paid, our punishment exhausted, NOT ON US but on JESUS. So the glory, fame, honor and praise is NOT TO US, but TO JESUS!

“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!” Ps 115:1

Throughout history people have been engaged in counterfeiting. We can’t see God (v.2), so in response we make our own gods, and those idols are ”the work of human hands” (v.4). These counterfeit saviors, can’t see, can’t hear, can’t smell, can’t feel, can’t walk, can’t speak…and they CAN’T SAVE! Isn’t it interesting that those who MAKE and TRUST in idols become like them (v.8)! But we don’t trust in IDOLS…

“[We] trust in the LORD! He is [our] help and [our] shield.” v.9-11

Determine today, and on this special week of remembrance to RENEW YOUR TRUST IN THE LORD! Salvation is from Him, all the glory belongs to Him, He is steadfast and faithful…TRUST HIM! The LORD remembers His people, The LORD blesses His people…TRUST HIM!

Determine today, and on this special week of remembrance to PRAISE THE LORD! The dead do not praise the LORD (v.17), but we who are ALIVE (physically) and ALIVE TO GOD (spiritually) bless and praise the Lord right now, tomorrow and forevermore!

Spend time praising God for his great faithfulness and steadfast love. While you have breath, give Him glory!

HOLY WEEK 2022 - Tuesday - Psalm 114

“Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water.” Psalm 114:7,8

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In Psalm 114 we get a poetic look back at the supernatural rescue, protection and provision of God for His people, Israel. As God brought them out of Egypt, the sea “fled” and became a roadway to their deliverance. As they entered the Promised Land the Jordan river turned to the side by the hand of God.

Seas, rivers, mountains and hills obey the hand of God. All of creation is an instrument directed by the supreme “conductor” of heaven and earth, and the assumed natural response is to tremble in reverent fear.

As the poem finishes, we are told that God “…turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water.”

If you are thirsty, I am going to assume you don’t go outside to find some rocks or a piece of flint! The reason is we don’t expect water to come out of rocks, because life doesn’t flow out of things that are not alive.

In Exodus 17:6 God provided water to his people through a rock. Out of something that had no life, God provided the very thing they needed to live.

So what in the world does this have to do with Jesus? Why would this Psalm help the Jewish people get ready for the Messiah?

In 1 Corinthians 10:4 the Apostle Paul looks back at the way God provided food and water for the Israelites after they came out of Egypt and he says this:

“…our fathers…all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.”

No one ever would have ever expected the DEATH of Jesus to be the ultimate source of LIFE! Just like God quenched the thirst of His people long ago through a rock, He now satisfies every thirsty soul who drinks from the Rock of Christ! Tremble before Him…He has done great things!

HOLY WEEK 2022 - Monday - Psalm 113

Yesterday, on Palm Sunday, I encouraged us to take time this week to prepare our hearts for the special weekend ahead, as we celebrate Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday.

Every Sunday as we gather as a church, Pastor Chris and the worship team put together a “set” of songs for us to sing, which help lead us to praise God rightly and “prepare the soil of our hearts” to hear the Word of God as it is preached. In a similar way, on the week of Passover the Jewish people would recite (sing) a particular “set” of Psalms each day. Psalms 113-118 were the “song set” for Passover week, and this week I am encouraging each of us to read those Psalms (one a day) leading up to Resurrection Sunday. Today we will look at Psalm 113.

“Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD!…From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!…Praise the LORD!” Psalm 113:1,2,9

Some instructions bear repeating! It is always important to sit up and take notice when God’s word repeats something…especially commands.

Psalm 113 begins and ends with the command to “Praise the LORD!” and nestled in between those bookends of our responsibility to praise God, are some of the many reasons God deserves our praise.

GOD’S PRAISE IS TIMELESS! In other words, there has never been, and never will be, a time when God’s name isn’t BLESSED…from the time the sun comes up until the time it goes down…from the first moment of life, until our last breath…”the name of the LORD is to be praised!” (v.3)

GOD’S NAME IS MATCHLESS! The expanses of heaven and earth sit squarely under His feet and under His good rule. His endless worth extends “up and out” farther than we could ever comprehend. There is no one like our God!

Although God is supremely high above us, seated in the heavens, he “looks far down on the heavens and earth” (v.6). He looks down, He sees, He cares and He knows. In the gospel story we see Jesus not only looking down to the earth, but coming all the way down to earth. He raises the poor from the dust (v.7) by becoming poor Himself, so that through His poverty we might become rich! He lifts the needy (v.7) by becoming needy himself, stricken with sorrows and acquainted with grief…all of it was laid upon Him so the needy can experience wholeness and healing! Even the barren woman is given a home (v.9), by her inclusion in the family of God through the work of Jesus — Joy now fills her home as she becomes the joyous mother of biological children and/or the joyous mother of spiritual children she disciples in the family of God.

Today, ask yourself the simple questions…

What reasons do I have to praise God?

How can I connect this Psalm to the work of Jesus in my life?

Let’s praise the name of the LORD together this week!

Week of Prayer (Day #5) - "One Big, Scattered Family"

“Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved fellow worker and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier; and the church in your house: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philemon 1-3

This greeting in the book of Philemon is one of many New Testament pictures of the people of God as a united family, in various places, using a diversity of gifts for the benefit of one another and the expansion of God’s Kingdom. One Big, Scattered Family!

This Sunday night, May 23rd, 6:30-7:30PM we will finish off our week of prayer with a night of prayer and worship. As we round out the week, we want to ask you to join us in praying for our church plants and missionaries:

PARKVIEW COMMUNITY CHURCH

• Pray for the unity and spiritual health of the leadership team: James & Wendy Larrabee; Connor & Crystal Joselyn; Hunter & Ashley Hopkins

• Pray for wisdom as they steward the 30,000 square foot facility they were given, much of which is in a state of disrepair. Pray James will have the vision and faith to know exactly how God is calling them to use their space to meet the needs in their city.

• Pray for God to raise up and bring to Parkview additional servants and key leaders for the season ahead.

• Pray for revival in Gloversville…mass conversions, as people see the glory of Christ in the gospel.

CAMINO DE LA CRUZ

• Pray for Nathan & Julissa Cedarland and their children — that God will grant them wisdom for the future as they consider how long to remain in Mexico. Pray for strength, endurance and joy on the mission field of Puerto Escondido, Mexico. Pray for them to have a refreshing trip to the US this summer, that they will get replenished for the season of ministry ahead.

• Pray God would grant a unique amount of grace to the group of men Nathan is training. Pray these men will become pastors within Camino De La Cruz for the years to come, and also go on to train other men to plant and serve churches in the region.

• Pray for community to continue to strengthen and develop as the church grows.

CROSSWAY BURGAW

• Pray for fertile spiritual soil in Burgaw and the surrounding area, that will result in people coming to faith and many who are not involved in a local church plugging into Crossway Burgaw.

• Pray for the unity of the core team we will be sending out from Wilmington. Pray God will grant them deep friendship and partnership in ministry that will strengthen the team and serve as an example to those they serve in the community.

• Pray for God to bring 5-10 additional committed families over the next year, following the send off of the Burgaw team this Fall.

AVANT MINISTRIES (Individual Information Replaced with “Our Missionary”)

• Pray for meaningful relationships in muslim contexts through the multi-media ministry of our missionary.

• Pray for meaningful connections to be made with local churches as the gospel is shared and people respond.

• Pray for vision and creative thinking as our missionary continues to use multi-media to reach closed countries.

VIGILANT HOPE (Urban Missionary, Greg Graham)

• Pray for Greg to have an increasing platform with men and women as he provides them with employment through construction projects.

• Pray for people to respond to the word of God as Greg has opportunity to preach and point them to Christ.

• Pray for the ongoing fruitfulness of Vigilant Hope as they seek to reach, serve and equip those in our city who have (are) stuck in cycles of poverty and addiction.

Thanks for praying along with us. May the Lord be pleased to work through our prayers, for His great name!

Week of Prayer (Day #4) - "Don't Talk to Strangers!"

It felt safer years ago when I was a kid… I could ride my bike through the neighborhood, play in a new friend’s backyard or even walk to the store to get a snack or rent a movie without the fear of something bad happening. Maybe you can relate or maybe I sound ancient because I said something about renting a movie from a store but either way it was a different time. As I reflect, I find those times were different but somehow the same as today.

Many of us have heard the sage advice from loved ones, “Don’t Talk to Strangers!” There is great wisdom for children in this warning. However, as we grow and mature this direction becomes less imperative.

Several times in the Scriptures we are actually told to engage with strangers, to be purposeful and attentive to the strangers around us. The word often used to demonstrate how we should engage with strangers is “hospitality”.

“and having a reputation of good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality…” 1 Tim 5:10

“Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality”. Romans 12:13

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrew 13:2

“Show hospitality to one another without grumbling”. 1 Peter 49

In the Bible, hospitality is presented in 2 ways: ATTITUDE & ACTION

In I Timothy we read of details to the church concerning widows in the first century church that is applicable to us today.  Direction is given about the ATTITUDE or demeanor with which we should approach “strangers”.  The word used, translated hospitality says we are to deal with others in a way with an attitude of intentional willingness.  

“Hospitality” (Xenodocheo)(Gr.) - with willingness receiving and engaging

A different Greek word is used in the Romans, Hebrews and I Peter passages above, but is still translated into English as hospitality. The meaning of the original word used reveals the ACTION with which we should be involved with “strangers”

“Hospitality” (Philoxenia)(Gr.) - with love and generosity to others, to those that aren’t yours.

We, You and I, are called to engage with strangers with an attitude of willingness receiving them with love and generosity as if they were “your” people.

Seems easy when it’s written but proves to be difficult when putting into practice.  This is the case for me and may be the case for you.  So, we pray…

…for an attitude of willingness.

…for love and generosity for others.

So that, in these relationships:

• Physical needs will be met

• Spiritual lives will be changed by the Gospel

• “in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” (I Peter 4:11)

If you were told “Don’t Talk to Strangers” when you were younger, be gracious with your parents — They didn’t ruin your Christian life! 

Pray and Choose now to pursue those that are not known to you with love and generosity for the sake of the Gospel and and to glorify God through Christ.

Week of Prayer (Day #3) - Fear God, Not People

“And (pray) also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Ephesians 6:19-20

Why is it scary to talk to someone about being completely forgiven, thoroughly loved and spiritually renewed? Why is it so easy to talk about our favorite show we are watching? This is what life is like for people like us: fallen, imperfect, frail and faltering. When faced with someone who clearly does not believe in Jesus and we know, cognitively, that we possess the words of the Gospel that can give life to this person, we become greatly self-conscious, dry mouthed, nervous and unsure. 

For me, and I would submit for all of us, what most consistently brings about this timid quietness when I have the opportunity to proclaim the Gospel to someone is fearing man and not fearing God. I am overly averse to risking the esteem or respect of the person with whom I will talk about Jesus. And at the same time I fear too little, the awesome person of Jesus of whom I have opportunity to speak. I value too much the admiration of people. I value too little the glory of God. Below are three items of good news for people like us: 

1. We are in good company.  We all deeply need to be reminded and to believe that we are all in this together. All of us are growing, none of us is now what we will be in the end.  Another element of fearing evangelism is the shame, “I bet other people can do this better.” We must not give in to the lie that because we are afraid unto silence sometimes that it means we will do so every time. If the Apostle Paul was able to be transparent with the Ephesians (see above) that he needed them to pray for HIM to be bold, how much more should we do the same with one another? 

2. I can change. The Gospel we are afraid to share with others is the same Gospel that is at work in us to help us grow to not be afraid to share with others. In other words, And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6).  God is at work in all of us to grow and change us. If we have a sincere desire to grow and be less fearful of people and to have more of a right fear of, desire for and love for God, then we can be sure that God will fulfill that desire. 

3. God is worthy to be feared. This last item of good tidings, is the root of the first two. Through Jesus Christ, we are reconciled to a God who is truly, not theoretically, the one and only God who alone is worthy to be adored. As I seek to increase my fear of God, that is my estimation of God as awesome, worthy of my obedience and worship and supremely captivating, then I can be sure that my fear of people will diminish. Both of these, fearing God more and fearing people less will come about in us by degrees and it will take a long time. In fact, it will take a lifetime. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 10:14

It has been said that if you’re never scared you’re not growing. Let us increase our esteem and fear of God, obediently step out into situations that scare us, and see God show himself to be worthy of this effort. Amen. 

WEEK OF PRAYER (Day #2) How is My Life?

“In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” 1 Peter 3:15-16

Peter is writing to a group of believers who were trying to figure out the right way to live and the right words to say in a society that was marginalizing them. The truth they held was out of step with what many people wanted to hear. The believers were being accused of many things in an attempt to discredit them.

Peter encourages the believers to ready themselves by honoring Christ as holy in their hearts. As the verses indicate, there is a direct link between the holiness in our hearts and the gospel we are giving: “Honor Christ… be prepared to give a reason.” We can summarize the verses like this: “Be holy…be ready… be gentle.”

Be holy: if we are honoring Christ as both holy and our Lord, then our lives will be like his. We can always say that we are not perfect, and we prove that often. But we should never underestimate the intention of God to make us clean: He will complete the work He has begun. He fully intends to make us eager to do what is good.

According to Titus 2:11-12, grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness and yes to godly lives. That godliness leads people to ask us about our hope. Godliness is a means to giving the gospel.  

Be ready: We are likely quite sure that unless Christ makes us holy, we won’t be. And we can be ready with that answer: “I was sinking in sin, but Christ died for me, and then resurrected, in part, to make me love what is good. I don’t do that perfectly, but I am not what I once was. Grace saved me and is making me clean.”

A life cleaned by God has some good news to share. A life cluttered by sin, Peter later described, is one that is near-sighted and blind, and has forgotten what grace does (2 Pete 1:9). It is hard to declare the gospel when we have forgotten its power.     

Be gentle: If we are being holy, our lives will be different from those around us. But true holiness is always accompanied by deep humility. If we cannot be gentle to sinners, we cannot consider ourselves holy.

Respectful kindness is an identifying mark of all true saints. Too many assume holiness gives license to berate people. But that is only arrogance masquerading as holiness.

So how should we pray about this?

Pray that we will love what is good and hate what is evil. This is a divine work, but one which God himself sets out to accomplish within us. He intends to make us eager to do what is good. Praying for that is praying according to his will.

Pray that we will be delivered from temptation. The simplest way to avoid falling into sin is to never be confronted with it in the first place. Sometimes we fall into what we are playing around with. Praying that God will deliver us from the opportunity to sin is a preemptive strike against the deceit of sin.

Pray that our lives are clean enough to make people wonder. Peter indicates that the cleanliness of our lives causes people to question our motives: a clean life invites people to conversations. Pray that we will be clean, approachable, and ready with good news.

Holiness is not something we adopt as a methodology. It is something we are to be at our core; and when we are, people will wonder at the power of the gospel.

WEEK OF PRAYER (Day #1): What is my ministry?

As we progress through life, one of our most common questions is…What am I going to be when I grow up?

And it may well be that one of our most common question as we mature spiritually is…What am I going to be when I grown up? We may not ask the question like this in spiritual terms, but instead it may sound like: I wonder what my gifts are? How is God going to use me? What is my ministry?

These are all legitimate and good questions, because every believer is filled with the Holy Spirit for unique purposes and with unique abilities. However, there is a common purpose every believer shares throughout the global church and with those Christians who are part of the same local church family.

In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul speaks to the nature of our individual and collective ministry as believers. At the heart of our “spiritual job description” is the word RECONCILIATION. Reconciliation can be understood as the restoration, or “bringing back together” of two (or more) parties who were estranged from one another.

“…through Christ [God] reconciled us to himself…” (2 Cor 5:18)

Such sweet news to the wayward! Through the work of Christ, God has brought us back into fellowship and relationship with him…there is no more strife and enmity…hostility has been exchanged for harmony! Praise God!

Reconciliation isn’t only a beautiful way to describe our own salvation, but this same text actually helps us answer the question “What is my ministry?”

“…through Christ [God] has reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor 5:19-20)

It is a marvelous work of grace that God reconciled us to Himself! It is “grace upon grace” that God also GAVE US the ministry of reconciliation and ENTRUSTED TO US the message of reconciliation.

We are representatives of reconciliation…what has been done for us (to us) we now declare! You may not work in an embassy, but you are an ambassador for the King of Reconciliation! God is making an appeal through us, to the nations, to our neighbors, to our co-workers, to people he places in our path...”BE RECONCILED”!

As pastors, we are asking everyone to spend 30 minutes a day this week praying through the daily content we provide, which will all be focused on our COMMISSION to make Jesus known in our world. Below are some questions to consider and pray through:

• What words in these verses should give us a sense of “urgency”? PRAYER: Ask the Lord for help to walk with biblical urgency in this ministry of reconciliation.

• How do 2 Corinthians 5:19,21 help us understand the content of the “MESSAGE” of reconciliation? PRAYER: Pray for boldness to speak clearly about Jesus as the source of reconciliation for all men.

• Who are three people God wants you to consistently pray for this week who don’t know Jesus? PRAYER: Take time to pray for them and for opportunities to share Jesus with them.

UNITED IN PRAYER: Sanctity of Human Life (Day #5)

Everyday across the world human beings…girls, boys, women and men are forced into slavery and a life of abuse. We may very well feel a lack of proximity to this global problem, but a lack of proximity can not be an excuse for apathy.

God’s people are described as a family who, in our relationships with one another, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Rm 12:15. This posture of empathy, sympathy and entering into the sufferings of others should define us as Christians; after all our Savior did just that for us! Jesus became proximate to our grief, He entered into our suffering and He bore our sorrows.

Today we want to invite and ask you to pray for God to intervene and use His people throughout the world to put an end to modern-day slavery. Human trafficking, in it’s various forms, is a profoundly widespread evil so lets plead for God to work on behalf of those who are suffering, and pray through how we can be involved.

International Justice Mission (IJM) is actively fighting for and rescuing those enslaved and mistreated around the world. You can find stories and resources on their website in order to become more informed.

Five14 Revolution is a local ministry that exists to respond to human trafficking and sexual exploitation by bringing God’s hope, healing, and freedom in places of vulnerability.

The goal of Five14 Revolution is to meet the practical needs of women as they walk out of a life of addiction and sexual exploitation. They help to provide stabilization through connections to safe and sober housing, job training, medical care, and more. After these needs are meet their focus shifts to supporting the emotional and spiritual needs of their clients through mentoring and support groups.

Please join us in praying for Five14 Revolution in these specific ways:

• Favor with grant applications

• Wisdom and discernment as we look towards establishing a housing program

• Growth for Board of Directors

• Ability to re-start weekly jail visits. This is something that was tremendously successful prior to COVID because it enabled them to engage with women before they were released back onto the streets and help them find safe and sober housing. They have not been able to go back into the jail because of COVID restrictions and that makes it difficult to connect with women over the phone.

May the light of Christ shine into the darkest places of our world and community through the gospel message and through “gospel people” who are filed with His word and His Spirit and who, compelled by Jesus’ example, become proximate to the people in those dark places.

UNITED IN PRAYER: Sanctity of Human Life (Day #4)

As we pray for the orphan, it is good for us to realize those needs we prayer for are not merely “general and distant” but they exist right here where we live and serve.

Today we would like to invite you and your families to take some time “meeting” the children in NC who are actively waiting to be adopted: CLICK HERE

This list of 192 beautiful kids is a sobering reminder of the immediate need there is for families to consider adoption, and this doesn’t include the hundreds of children in the foster care system right here in New Hanover County.

As you look through this list of children, take time to pray for them by name. Pray for the various adoption agencies in NC. Pray for God’s people to take action to give these kids a forever family. Pray about how God would have you be involved. Pray big prayers…pray for all of these kids to be adopted…pray the church, including Crossway, would be able to meet needs in tangible and significant ways!

Maybe God wants you to adopt! Maybe God wants you to start an orphanage! Maybe God wants us all to be more informed so we know what it looks like to be actively engaged in caring for these children.

As we pray, let’s be mindful that we know the blessing of adoption. We know the profound blessing of being chosen by a father who wants us included in His family, and who has done everything needed to make that happen!

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba [Daddy!]! Father!" Romans 8:15

UNITED IN PRAYER: Sanctity of Human Life (Day #3)

Today is the second day we will utilize a prayer resource from the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) . This PRAYER GUIDE outlines 24 groups of people involved in various ways in the foster care system. Today we would encourage you to read about and pray for the second 12 groups of people (13-24) outlined in the booklet. I would also encourage you to learn more about CAFO and the work they are doing around the globe to care for the orphan.

“FOR THE LORD YOUR GOD IS GOD OF GODS AND LORD OF LORDS, THE GREAT, THE MIGHTY, AND THE AWESOME GOD, WHO IS NOT PARTIAL AND TAKES NO BRIBE. HE EXECUTES JUSTICE FOR THE FATHERLESS AND THE WIDOW, AND LOVES THE SOJOURNER, GIVING HIM FOOD AND CLOTHING.” DEUT 10:18

As we turn our “eyes” toward praying for orphans and the various systems, structures and organizations that support them, take some time to remember and praise God for being the Father to the fatherless. Additionally, as those who bear His name and His character, pray for us individually and collectively to feel the joyful weight of the call to care for the orphan.

As we devote time considering the needs of orphans, not just in general but in our community, I am asking God to help each one of us honestly ask the question…”HOW WOULD YOU HAVE ME BE INVOLVED?”

May the Lord move through the prayers of His people, and through increased awareness and engagement may He care for the orphans through our efforts!

UNITED IN PRAYER: Sanctity of Human Life (Day 2)

“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.” Deut 10:18

Throughout the Bible we see God’s heart for the orphan, the fatherless. In the book of Deuteronomy, where God is giving his law a second time to His people, he constantly makes them mindful of the orphan, revealing tender compassion for the marginalized and those who lack the support they need to flourish.

As we turn our “eyes” toward praying for orphans and the various systems, structures and organizations that support them, take some time to remember and praise God for being the Father to the fatherless. Additionally, as those who bear His name and His character, pray for us individually and collectively to feel the joyful weight of the call to care for the orphan.

Over the next two days we will use a prayer resource from the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) . This PRAYER GUIDE outlines 24 groups of people involved in various ways in the foster care system. For today (Tuesday) I would encourage you to read about and pray for the first 12 groups of people outlined in the booklet. I would also encourage you to learn more about CAFO and the work they are doing around the globe to care for the orphan.

As we devote time considering the needs of orphans, not just in general but in our community, I am asking God to help each one of us honestly ask the question…”HOW WOULD YOU HAVE ME BE INVOLVED?”

May the Lord move through the prayers of His people, and through increased awareness and engagement may He care for the orphans through our efforts!