Crosspoint Fellowship Messages

The story of Joseph changes drastically once he is freed from prison and made second only to the pharaoh. Next to his blessing, we see his brothers in the middle of trouble. In this passage we learn that, in the midst of the battle, we need to be looking beyond the “now”, learn from our circumstances and work with others to receive the blessing on the other side. Don’t let the battle leave you brainless. If we only have integrity when people haven't caused us offense, then we have favoritism. Treat those who have offended you with the same favor as those who have not. The midst of a battle is no time for an “I told you so.”See past the now, so you can get to the wow. 

Joseph wanted to be remembered by those that he interpreted dreams for. He could have lied to Pharaoh's baker in hopes that they would have mentioned him to the pharaoh quickly, or to spare the baker's feelings. But in the end we see that it was his integrity, his desire to be truthful and the events playing out as he said they would that broke him out of his prison. Don't lie to protect people’s feelings.Doing what's right is always better than doing whatever it takes.Faith allows for integrity in the face of trials.

In Genesis 39, we read the story about Joseph, Potiphar and his wife. Potiphar’s wife tried to sleep with Joseph but he never spoke ill of her or of Potiphar, his master. In fact, Joseph was given additional responsibilities because of how faithful he was to him. We can learn a lesson from how Joseph treated others - trash talking and coarse language should never be a part of a Christian’s demeanor. We should be content with whatever the circumstances - if we have a good boss or a bad one, likable co-workers or unlikable, if we’ve been treated fairly or unfairly.

Genesis 37 starts the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob. Joseph was clearly Joseph’s favorite son but there’s a problem with favoritism - it sets up its object for failure. Joseph was given unrealistic expectations and it caused his brothers to resent him and stop caring. In our relationships, it’s important to not show favorites (or revel in it) and so much of that comes from our words. Holding our tongue and being humble is the best way to fight favoritism. 

How do we deal with differences in opinion in our team environments?1) We all need to be in agreement that disagreements are okay.2) Everyone on a team has the right to express their opinion.3) Team Members must give each other the benefit of the doubt.We have to see, know, understand, and have faith that our teammates are seeking to make us better - we can’t take disagreements as an attack. Encouraging differences in opinion brings success to the team - and when the team finds success, we all succeed.

The Book of Proverbs teaches us that humans can make goals, but God has the final say. Successful goal construction and completion takes God's Sovereignty into account. The goal must be flexible because God’s purpose will sometimes be different than our plans. That said, here are some goals that we’ve set for Crosspoint Fellowship:Always have someone to minister to Children and Youth, to make them a priority.Second to have a strong presence in our small group settings.To regularly lead people into relationships with Christ.

Romans 14 instructs believers everywhere to encourage one another and keep each other accountable. Successful teams buy into the idea that they are responsible for each other’s success and rely on one another to stay on course. In order to succeed at mutual accountability, we need self-introspection, selflessness, and the desire for mutual edification.

God gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. A team has a hierarchy - there is a leader (Christ) and those who fill certain defined roles. But a hierarchy does not mean monarchy. Good leaders listen to those they supervise and therefore keep the momentum of the team going. Clearly defined roles provide purpose, pave the way for successful outcomes, and help set and maintain expectations. 

When we don’t receive a blessing from God, we assume that it’s because God didn’t want to give it but oftentimes it’s because we didn’t take the risk. When Jesus called Peter out of the boat and to walk on the water, it took a risk from Peter and a miracle from Jesus - and Peter reaped the blessing. Too often in our lives, inside the church, and out, we let fear petrify us into inaction. God calls us to do the extraordinary but if we don’t take a leap of faith, we just end up being ordinary.

Communication is the key in any and every relationship. We have to be Open, Honest, and Free with our communication if we hope to become and remain a strong team. And that starts with being honest with God. David in the book of Psalms was honest in his complaints to God just as he was in his praises. It’s so important to hear others’ opinions and to be heard so that changes can happen as they are needed. Successful teams work with one another and for one another. 

When a bunch of “I”s become a “we”, everyone brings their talents and gifts for the common goal of the team. What is the clear direction of the Church? God is CrossPoint’s team leader - He is the shepherd and His sheep listen to His voice. We must follow the path that He is leading us down and the way we get that direction is by getting into the Word of God. His direction will always look like us choosing second so that He can first and others won’t be last. 

On July 4th, Americans celebrate the freedoms that we enjoy in our nation but Christians have a reason to celebrate beyond that - freedom from sin and death. "Who the Son sets free is free indeed" means that we have the freedom to live our lives the way God designed us to live and we can only do that with His help. It also means not living according to the way others live their lives around us. We must be set apart from the world and stand with Christ in order to live in freedom.

In Joshua 23, we read Joshua’s final words to the Israelites. In his speech, he warns his people against complacency and encourages them to remain faithful to God even during times of peace (times when we think we’re good on our own). When we are on the mountain, we can’t forget who helped us out of the valley. Remaining faithful isn’t just about our mindset, but the actions that accompany our thoughts.

In Joshua 7, we find the Israelites after the battle of Jericho. God’s people were told not to touch the sacred things but Achan disobeyed and stole some of them. There is never a more dangerous time for a Christian than on the backside of a victory. We have to change our view of success from doing and getting what we want to getting and doing what God wants for us.

Joshua 6 tells us the story of the Battle of Jericho. Joshua led his troops into Jericho not (at first) with swords and shields but with trumpets. But this whole thing could have possible been avoided if the people of Jericho had repented before the attack. If you are aware that something is not right in your circle of influence, speak up! Not taking action when God is clearly opposed to the situation you are in causes collateral damage. Don’t wait to take action if the spirit is telling you to act - do something!

In Joshua 2, we see that Joshua’s men made a promise and then in Joshua 6, they kept that promise. If you say you will do something, then do it. Our words hold power in that they represent who we are, which represents who God is. If we want people to trust us when it comes to the big things, then they need to be able to trust us with the little things. That means being specific with our language and following through on our promises. 

In Joshua chapter 1, Joshua tells the Israelites to prepare for battle. Does that mean they weren’t trusting in God to fight in battle for them? No. Preparedness isn’t a sign of lack of trust in God. Too often Christians take the approach that God will provide as an excuse to skirt responsibility and then we end up in battle without the things necessary to win the fight. Faith is not an excuse for foolishness. We must prepare while we can so that we can be ready when we have to be.

In our new series, we’re going to be taking a look at Joshua from the Old Testament. Staying true to our faith requires us to be strong and courageous. They are important if we are to finish our race and remain true to God, a continual theme of Joshua. God will stand by you while you work towards completing it and he won’t leave you a hostage to the outcome. But in order to have this experience we must exhibit strength and courage.

Even a moment with Jesus can change a person. In Acts 9:1-20, Saul was fundamentally changed from a man who persecuted by the Church to one of its greatest leaders. This teaches us that it doesn’t matter how far you’ve fallen, Jesus can always raise you back up. No matter what your past is, you can still be forgiven and you can still be changed. If you’ve already been changed by Jesus, it’s your job to be the vessel by which Jesus brings change to others - even if you’re a new believer. 

In Matthew 28, we get the “Great Commission” from Jesus. What is he commissioning us to do? To spread the good news - that God loves them at died for them. And failure doesn’t look like the world not believing - failure comes when they don’t hear the gospel at all. This isn’t an optional or “when you fee like it” command. It’s something we are to be doing all the time, as we go. But we don’t have to feel alone when we share our faith with others - Christ gives us the assurance that he is always with us.