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It’s All in the Family

16 May

cross at baptism

(The following is a re-post, with revisions, of a devotional written after our 2012 Baptism Celebration. Consider the words that follow and how they might prepare your heart for this year’s Baptism Celebration.)

Scripture Reading: Romans 8:12-17

…the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. (Romans 8:15)

When I was fifteen, I was baptized. Like all those who stepped into the waters at The Crossing on Sunday night, I had decided to go public with my decision to follow Jesus. I wanted everyone to know I was His. Unlike the celebration we experienced on Sunday night, however, there was no worship band or crowd at my baptism, no one to hug me as I came out of the water. Mostly, I remember an organ playing in the background and my white robe floating precariously to the top of the water, threatening to reveal the swimsuit I had on underneath. I went home the day of my baptism with two things. One was a white coffee mug (with the church’s logo and phone number on it). But more importantly, I left with a deep, deep sense of God’s pleasure.

The folks who were baptized Sunday night experienced God’s pleasure too. You could see it on their faces as they came up out of the water. They were drenched in it. It was beautiful. I know that look because I’ve seen it over and over again. It is the look of relief, a relief and a joy I know from my own experience. We’ve figured out that we can’t do anything to earn God’s love. Love and grace are offered to us as a gift, and His gift changes us. We are now a people of hope. Our confidence comes from knowing we are deeply, deeply flawed, and yet we are loved beyond our comprehension.

When we are baptized, we are following the example of Jesus Himself. We are identifying with Jesus and declaring that we are with Him and for Him (just as He declared He was with us and for us). But I believe that we identify with Jesus in another way as well. You see, as Jesus came up out of the water from His own baptism, His Father spoke these words over Him, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). In the book of Romans, Paul explains to us that when we trust in Jesus, we are adopted into God’s family—through His Spirit, we become sons and daughters of God (see the passage from Romans 8 above). Because of this, I truly believe that something like what was said of Jesus at His baptism was also said of me on the day of my baptism, as well as to all of the 360 people who were baptized on Sunday. By being baptized, we, along with Jesus, declare that we are part of God’s family. We are the beloved sons and daughters of God. And when we choose to take steps toward Him and His will for our lives, we can and do sense His pleasure. We can be figuratively drenched in it.

As I drove home Sunday night, I replayed the day in my mind. I saw so many “radiant” faces: faces of people who have looked to Jesus to lead their life…looked to Jesus because He is the only One who could take on their sin and shame…and it showed on their faces. Our Baptism Weekend isn’t just to celebrate the commitment of those being baptized; it’s for all of us to remember that we are the beloved of God and that we have opportunities every day to do what those who stepped into the water did: point others to a loving, majestic King who took on our sin and shame all because of His great love.

Go Further:

1. No matter where you are on your journey, can you articulate what you believe to be true about Jesus? How would you describe your relationship with Him to someone else?

2. If you are a follower of Christ and have been baptized, in what other ways can you point others toward our loving, majestic King? In what other ways today can you show that you’re with Him and for Him?

3. In the Great Commission of Matthew 28, Jesus instructs His disciples to make other disciples, with baptism being a part of that process. If you consider yourself a baptized disciple of Jesus, what are you doing to make more disciples? 

Father, let us never get over how much it cost You to demonstrate Your love for us. Though we will undoubtedly fail and fall, remind us to constantly turn our faces toward Jesus, who endured the cross and ignored the shame of death for us. May we soak up the moments of celebration during these weeks leading up to baptism. And help us never forget this is our call every day of our lives: to follow You because You are worthy of all praise and honor and glory. Amen.

Lisa Farrar
Pastoral Associate
lisaf@wcrossing.org

 
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Posted by on May 16, 2013 in Current Series, God With Us

 

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“All the Believers Were Together…”

15 May
White gold (palladium gold alloy) ring with rh...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:41-47

All the believers were together and had everything in common. (Acts 2:44)

There’s a little bit of a debate going on, but according to Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimensions (no, there won’t be a quiz after this devotional), most people think we live in the most individualistic country in the entire world. Well, with the possible exception of Great Britain. As Americans, we love our rugged individualism. We love to “pick ourselves up by our bootstraps” and “go our own way.” Historically, the American Dream has been to have my own house with my own family complete with a white picket fence so that I could clearly differentiate my yard from your yard. What is important is not whether this is a good thing or bad thing (it’s probably a little bit of both). What is important is that we have a different approach to life than many other parts of the world. It affects how we think about everything–including baptism.

I’ve talked with many folks before who have said something along the lines of “my relationship with Jesus is really private. It’s just between Him and me.” I understand the sentiment. Faith and religion can be extremely personal and intimate subjects. However, eventually…at some point…our relationship with Jesus cannot be JUST personal. As this passage in Acts shows us, there is a communal aspect to this faith thing that we are called into. We were meant to experience our faith in the context of a believing community, not only for our own sakes, but for the sake of the others around us. Something powerful can happen when we celebrate something like baptism together.

When I think about how baptism affects a community of believers, it reminds me of how a wedding ceremony affects the others in attendance. If you look around the room, you’ll start to see husbands slowly put their arms around their wives, or wives quietly slip their hand into their husband’s hand. Whenever we see someone else make their vows, those of us who are married are reminded of that day in our own lives. For those of us that aren’t, it’s not hard to imagine how that day might affect us if we get married in the future. That’s why we throw such big celebrations whenever someone ties the knot. We’re not just celebrating those two people getting married–we’re celebrating marriage itself. Together, we remind each other of all the multiple facets of this beautiful diamond that is marriage. The 80-year-old couple at the reception is a reminder to the newlyweds that it really is possible to grow old together. The newlyweds are a reminder to the 80-year-old couple that marriage is fun and exciting and passionate.

It’s the same way with baptism. For those of us who have been baptized as believers, when we see someone else come out of that water, we’re reminded of the exciting transformational work of Christ in our own lives. When they see us, they know we are standing in solidarity with them, that they are not alone, that we will mature in this life in Christ together. That’s why we make such a big deal about baptism around here–it’s worth it to go to great lengths to celebrate the beautiful things that God is doing in the lives of others among us.

Go Further:

1. Do you wrestle with American individualism when it comes to your relationship with Jesus? What are some ways you can make your relationship more community-oriented? (Hint: For some of you the answer is “sign up to be baptized.” For more information on how to do this, check out our baptism page. And if you missed Greg’s message on baptism from this past weekend, we’d encourage you to spend a few minutes to check it out.) 

2. If we all represent unique facets of the diamond of redemption, what is your story? What do you bring to the table? What is your reminder to the rest of the community?

3. What do you need to be reminded of as we head into baptism season around here this year?

Father God, thank You so much for saving us. As we head into baptism season around here, I pray that You would help us remind each other of the story of redemption that You are writing in our community. For those of us that are wrestling with the individualization and privatization of our faith, I pray that You would help us take steps toward growing in community. I pray that You would give us the courage to sign up to volunteer, join a small group, or get baptized. We love You. And we pray all of this in the name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.

Eric McClerren
Youth Creative Arts
ericm@wcrossing.org

 
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Posted by on May 15, 2013 in Current Series, God With Us

 

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Going from “Good” to “Grace”

14 May
Firm flame

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:36-41

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)

I remember vividly the grand total of two times I got in trouble in elementary school. The first time, I stopped to wipe the snow from my mother’s station wagon windows in a blizzard and was tardy. The second was because a cooty-covered 4th-grade boy sitting behind me in music class tickled me. I squirmed, giggled, and got UNFAIRLY busted. Seriously, though, I was a good girl…about 90% of the time. You see, I had been taught that there was a formula for getting to heaven. I had to be a faithful churchgoer, which meant an infant baptism, religious instruction, and a variety of hoops to jump through. And I had to be good. No sweat, though. I’d get in easily. I saw the formula as “5% Me + 5% Church + 90% Good = 100% Me-in-Heaven.”

The problem was, I was misinformed. There really was no formula. In the passage above from Acts, the Israelites were “good” kids, too, who knew and followed the “formula” laid out for them. And here was Peter telling them that there really was no formula–and that they were all guilty of sin. We read that they were “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37); and then Peter graciously offered them truly good news: “Repent and be baptized…and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” And 3,000 new believers were baptized that very day. For me, it took a little longer than a day. I discovered the fallacy of the “formula” when I was just eleven, and at first, the knowledge that my own “goodness” wasn’t sufficient was troubling for me. But here was this new information, this undeniable new truth, straight from the Bible, which I’d just begun to read for myself. I read that “… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And I read that God loved me enough to “send His only begotten son” (John 3:16, KJV) so that if I believed in Him I’d be saved. So in time, I did believe…I trusted Him…and received Him and the gift of His grace.

In the years that followed, my understanding of grace and my need for it gradually deepened. As I stumbled through my teens, my overestimation of my own “goodness” became clear to me. Temptation was everywhere, and even though I’d made a clear and firm decision to follow Jesus, my propensity toward sin and the need for repentance and rescue–for grace–was indisputable. And all the while, His Spirit within me was at work, transforming me, changing my heart and causing me to desire the life that He held out to me. This led me to the next step in my journey. I was eighteen years old when I knew that I wanted every single thing He wanted for me. I wanted everyone to know about my rescue and my Rescuer. Through the ancient rite of baptism, I stepped into the water and showed a watching world that the self-righteous, so-called “good girl” in me had died and been buried, and that I had been reborn to rest in His grace. Paul says beautifully what I had come to believe: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

There is no formula. There is only grace. And His grace is enough.

Go Further:

1. What hoops have you jumped through in the hope it would get you into heaven? How does it feel to know that God doesn’t rely on a checklist of do’s and don’ts to qualify us for life with Him?

2. Some of you, like me, were baptized as infants, before we believed for ourselves. However, Scripture is clear in every instance that people believed, and then were baptized. Belief always comes first. Have you been baptized since you believed? If your answer is yes, reflect on the experience and what it meant–and what it still means to you today. If your answer is no, is there a question or concern that causes you to hesitate? We’d encourage you to visit one of our baptism stations and talk with someone about your baptism questions or email baptism@wcrossing.org. 

3. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to the next step in your spiritual journey, and then pay close attention. God speaks in all sorts of ways: through Scripture, through people, and through our circumstances (but remember that He will never contradict His Word; Scripture is always home base).

God, thank You for the gift of grace. Thank You that there are no hoops to jump through, no to-do lists, no formulas. Our formulaic brains have a hard time understanding a gift so extravagant, one that we can never earn. Help us to believe in it, to rely on it, and share the good news of Your grace with anyone who will listen. Holy Spirit, teach us to live well now, in this world, while we rest in Your promise of heaven. We love You and we pray in Jesus’ all-sufficient name. Amen.

Chrissy Stergos
Youth Events Coordinator
chrissys@wcrossing.org

 
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Posted by on May 14, 2013 in Current Series, God With Us

 

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Delivering Us from Evil

09 May

Handcuffs

Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:5-15

“…how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?” (Matthew 12:29, ESV)

Earlier in the Gospel of Matthew, Satan (or the devil) comes to tempt Jesus, to thwart Him from the path that ultimately saves humankind. At one point, Satan offers Jesus all the power in the world if Jesus would fall down at his feet and worship him. But Jesus shouts back, “Be gone, Satan!” (see Matthew 4:10) and the devil leaves Him, defeated. With the sheer power of his words, Jesus commands Satan to leave. Sometimes I miss the reality that in the life of Jesus, God Himself is storming the gates of darkness and seizing the Evil One; what was accomplished on the cross causes the entire world to shake, and Jesus succeeds on the most daring rescue mission ever attempted: to free us–to reclaim His Bride–once and for all.

Jesus can do this amazing thing because He has authority over everything. He has defeated sin, death, and the devil, and He has proclaimed that the Kingdom of heaven has come to Earth, where we are offered true freedom and eternity with God. Jesus says that this Kingdom is upon us, but its fullness is not yet realized. We live in the in-between time, the time when we have to decide as human beings whether to serve God, follow Jesus, and enter His Kingdom, or settle into the world the way it is, run by corruption, violence, and injustice. The tension is real, and the stakes couldn’t be any higher. The world is sick and in need of a Physician; we are fallen and in desperate need of a Redeemer.

As we discussed over the weekend, just after healing a demon-possessed man who was both blind and mute, Jesus is accused of using the powers of darkness to perform such miracles (Matthew 12:24). In response, Jesus makes it very clear that there is a war going on, and He is fighting against Satan. He says that “no city or house divided against itself will stand.” Instead, in a verse we didn’t have time to discuss during the message (v. 29), Jesus says that He is breaking into the “strong man’s” (a.k.a. Satan’s) house and binding him head to foot. How’s that for a graphic image? But I think it’s exactly the kind of image we should find encouragement from. Just think of this: when Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray, he closes with, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:13)  Or, as it is sometimes translated, “deliver us from the evil one.” Jesus teaches us to pray for freedom from evil because He can actually grant it. Do I believe that? Do you? If we truly believed that Jesus has the authority and the power to conquer all that is evil, I wonder how that might change the way we see the world in our day-to-day lives. Would we still be defeated by that temptation or sin with which we struggle? Could we pray for light to shine in dark areas of the world that desperately need freedom from the evil one–and believe that God can move in close in those places? I mean, seriously: if we really had faith that God wins and the “strong man,” Satan, is bound and defeated, how would that change the way we pray?

Go Further:

1. The passages above reflect what is often called “spiritual warfare.” What do you think of this idea? Have you heard of it before? Do you believe that such conflict exists?

2. Are there areas in your life where you feel stuck or bound? Have you considered asking Jesus to free you? If you are willing, pray right now that God would help you find your best next step toward freedom in Him.

3. Consider the words of today’s Scripture reading (Matthew 6:5-15), the prayer Jesus teaches His disciples. This time, read it in light of this battle between good and evil. What does it mean for His Kingdom to come? What might it look like for His will to be done on Earth as it is in heaven? 

Jesus, You are more powerful than anything, and I ask You to rule over my life. When I am tempted, cast all that is evil far away from me. Bind up the so-called “strong man” of this world, that I may live without fear in the freedom of Your will for me. Jesus, give me strength. Fill me with Your Spirit, and guide me in the everlasting way. Amen. 

Chris Nation
Pastoral Resident
chrisn@wcrossing.org

 
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Posted by on May 9, 2013 in Current Series, God With Us

 

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Could It Be…?

08 May
Lake Michigan and the beach, Harbert, Chikamin...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 7:8-16

The crowd was amazed and asked, “Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah? (Matthew 12:23, NLT)

Ever have something turn out different from what you expected? It seems like it’s a normal part of life, doesn’t it? Sometimes things turn out worse than we’d hoped. Sometimes they’re just different. And then there are the sweet moments when things turn out better than we ever expected. I had one of those moments last summer. I was asking my now-fiancé to marry me. The day before asking her, I had scouted out a secluded section of beach. It was the perfect spot. The only problem, however, was that apparently I was not as good at geography as I prided myself on being. When I went to take her there the next day to pop the big question, the spot had moved. No really, I think it literally moved. I couldn’t find it. I broke into a deep sweat as we would come upon different portions of beach, asking myself, “Could this be where I was yesterday? It doesn’t look quite the same. And it doesn’t seem as nice…”  But then the sweet moment happened. We found a spot. Turns out it wasn’t exactly like the spot I had scouted out the previous day and been expecting. It was even better!

The Jewish people of Jesus’ day had expectations too. Based on a promise recorded in 2 Samuel 7:16, one of the most dominant and widespread expectations was that the Jewish Messiah, the Jewish King, would be a descendent of David. And just as David fought on Israel’s behalf and defeated her enemies, like when he fought Goliath (see 1 Samuel 17), the people expected this coming King to fight and defeat their present-day enemies. First and foremost of these was Rome. But when Jesus healed the blind and mute demoniac in Matthew 12 (a passage we mentioned this past weekend), He was fighting a battle. The people even recognized this. And it caused them to ask, “Could this be the Son of David?” After all, He was engaging in warfare and freeing people from bondage. But it didn’t quite look like the sort of battle they had expected. So they weren’t sure.

Jesus was fighting a different sort of battle. It wasn’t against Rome per se. It was a battle that ran much deeper than that. Jesus knew who the real enemy was and what God’s people really needed. He was waging war with Satan and the powers of darkness. He was going straight to the root of the problem. Rome was only a symptom of the true ailment. God’s people had been deceived into thinking that powering up against Rome was the answer. But it wasn’t. And in the verses that followed in Matthew 12, Jesus continued to redefine expectations about the true King and Kingdom. It is a Kingdom breaking into this world, but it is not of this world. It’s a Kingdom that comes not by the sword, but through self-sacrifice. It is a Kingdom far bigger and better than our worldly expectations. And the King has come to deliver us from what is really ailing us. He has come to heal us just as he did the blind and mute man afflicted by evil. He may not have been exactly what most of the folks from the first century expected from their Messiah. But He was exactly what all of them–and all of us–needed.

Go Further:

1. When you put aside your own assumptions, is Jesus what YOU expect him to be? Why or why not?

2. In what ways today are we deceived into mistaking false enemies for our true enemy, Satan? What do you think some of those false enemies might be? 

3. What battle do you need Jesus to help you with?

Jesus, help us to always be conscious of the fact that the true enemy and problem with this world is Satan and the powers of darkness. Remind Christ followers everywhere that we are all on the same team. May we never forget that the most powerful weapon for changing the world and ushering in Your Kingdom is the faithful prayers of Your people. You alone have the power and authority to defeat darkness and change human hearts. And give us the strength to trust in You to help us fight the battles we all face in life. For You are the world’s true King, the promised Son of David. Amen.

Matt Lybarger
Pastoral Associate
mattl@wcrossing.org

 
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Posted by on May 8, 2013 in Current Series, God With Us

 

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There Is No Middle Ground with Jesus

07 May
Tree

(Photo credit: Adnan Yahya)

Scripture Reading: Matthew 12:33-37

“For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34, ESV)

This is a passage that always haunts me when I really spend time meditating on it. Right from the beginning it pierces me to the heart: “…for a tree is recognized by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33, NIV). It also raises a plethora of internal questions. What kind of tree am I? If I didn’t tell anyone I was a Christ follower, would they know I was one by my words and actions? What kind of “fruit” am I producing for Jesus in my life? Who saw me do something incredibly selfish and dumb recently and knows I’m a Christ follower; do they doubt my love for Jesus? The questions could go on and on forever if I let them; but I don’t think that’s what Jesus desires for us to take from this passage. Yes, self-reflection is good and necessary at times, but walking with Jesus isn’t supposed to be a lifelong guilt trip. It’s a lifelong journey of freedom with our Lord that begins now.

What Jesus is really getting at isn’t guilt but simply, “Are you with me?” Just before this section of Scripture, Jesus told the Pharisees (in the passage we looked at this past weekend), “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” (Matthew 12:30). The religious leaders of Jesus’ day said they were good and that they loved God, but they only hurt the people around them with their words and the heavy burdens they put on them. Their words revealed to everyone what was really in their hearts: selfishness, greed, envy, spiritual pride, elitism, and a whole lot more. And as they confronted Jesus, their words continued to reveal the condition of their hearts as they rejected Him as the Son of God, even though Jesus’ words and actions revealed the Spirit of God at work. These men couldn’t say that they loved God and yet reject Jesus.

But those words weren’t just for the Jewish religious elite. Jesus says words like these to us too: “For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). We who are Christ followers will profess it with our mouths. The overflow of joy in our hearts that Christ is our Savior cannot be contained, and so we must speak it. But we will also show it. The words and the actions will line up. This is what Jesus is being really clear about here. His words seem to imply something like this: “Either you’re with me or you’re not–there is no middle ground.” If we are Christ followers and we confess with our mouths that we are with Jesus, then our lives produce “fruit” that reveals the condition of our changed hearts. But make no mistake: this doesn’t mean we attain perfection, because of course we never will this side of heaven. However, by His grace and through His Spirit, I believe He can empower us to follow Him more and more closely throughout our lives. And He can do that by working in every area of our lives. The fruit that reveals that we are “all-in” with Jesus may sometimes be a humbling act like asking for forgiveness for our mistakes and shortcomings. It may be speaking the truth to someone else in love. It may be something as simple as changing the way we drive; but always, always, always, it will mean that we profess with our mouths that Jesus is our Lord (see Romans 10:9).

Go Further:

1. Are you “all-in” with Jesus? If not, what is holding you back? 

2. Professing Jesus as our Lord doesn’t mean we all have to go out and knock on doors tell others about Him. What are some practical ways you can share Jesus with others in your life?

3. What kind of fruit is your life with Jesus producing?

Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus I come, thanking You for Your Word. Father, help all of us as we read it to really hear what You are saying to us and to not become legalistic and bogged down by the words that You intended to give life. Help us to have open hearts and minds that grow more and more each day in the knowledge of You, so that the abundance of our hearts would always overflow with words of praise, honor, and glory to You. Thank you again, my King! Amen.

Stephanie Ehmke
Pastoral Resident
stephaniee@wcrossing.org

 
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Posted by on May 7, 2013 in Current Series, God With Us

 

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Who Is This Holy Spirit, Anyway?

06 May

Dandelion wind
If you were with us for services this past weekend, then you know that Greg spent some time discussing the “unforgivable sin”–what it is and what it is not. If you could not join us, please catch the message online, and consider a difficult topic: what it means to “blaspheme the Spirit” (Matthew 12:31).

But some of you may be wondering what this Holy Spirit is that we talk about so often. Or rather, Who? Some of us know that He is the Third Person of the Trinity, but our knowledge may not stretch much past that. If you’re still trying to check out what Christianity is all about, then let me tell you: the Holy Spirit plays an important role. Learning more about Him may just answer some of your questions. And if you are a follower of Jesus, you really should take some time to get to know the Holy Spirit better. He gives us access to the very power and presence of God. Here are just a couple of resources that might get you started. And if you stop by one of our campus bookstores, our trained volunteers can help set you up with resources that answer your specific questions.

1. Message from “When the World Changed [Acts] 10/4/2009–5/2/2010:”

A Real Source of Power

“Hybrid cars. The iPhone. Those really nasty energy shakes. These are some things that empower us to tackle whatever it is the big bad world throws our way. But what happens when the world throws something that is so big, so dangerous, that it has the potential to overpower us? Paul faced something like that. But instead of running, Paul stood strong on something Jesus said about a real source of power that He made available to all that believed.” *This message is available at the link above, or you can purchase a hard copy at any of our campus bookstores.

2. Message from “Jesus Through A Different Lens [John] 2/1/2009–5/17/2009:” 

The Trinity

“This weekend we jump into the idea of the Trinity – the idea of 300% wrapped up in 100%. Are we crazy? Maybe. But this idea is paramount in our understanding of who God is.” *This message is available at the link above, or you can purchase a hard copy at any of our campus bookstores. 

3. The Trinity 

This pamphlet sold in our campus bookstores includes important Scriptural references that reveal the reality of the Trinity and clears up some common misperceptions about the Trinity.

Kyle Oesch
Pastoral Fellow
kyleo@wcrossing.org

 
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Posted by on May 6, 2013 in Current Series, God With Us

 

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