CrossWalk - Cross Culture Church RDU

Series: Growing in the Garden (Part 1)

It’s Summertime and people’s gardens are growing and producing. As followers of Jesus, we’re called to produce fruit in our lives. So, how are you growing?

Today, we’re kicking off a brand new summer series entitled: “Growing In The Garden.” Over the next six weeks or so, Pastor Clay is going to take us to passages in the Bible that involve a garden, to see what lessons we can learn to help us produce more fruit in our lives, as followers of Jesus.

We’re kicking this series off by going to perhaps the most famous garden in all of history, the Garden of Eden. In Genesis chapter 2 we’re going to find some important truths that can help us grow as a follower of Jesus Christ, and produce the fruit that honors God.

 

Survivor (Week 13) - Surviving Guilt (Psalm 38)

Guilt, that’s a word that nobody really wants to hear, because all of us have experienced guilt. It’s not pleasant, but is guilt necessary for our lives? Are there different types of guilt? What do we do with guilt?

Today we come to the conclusion of our Survivor Series by taking a look at the subject of guilt. In Psalm 38, King David is feeling the effects of guilt on his life. Pastor Clay is going to take us to that psalm to see what we can learn about guilt and its effects on our lives.

 

Survivor (Week 12) - Surviving Persecution, Part 4 (Acts 17:22-34)

Have you ever been in a situation where you were afraid to share the truth with someone, because you didn’t know how they would respond? Probably most of us have, but when it comes to the truth of the Gospel, can the person we’re talking with really afford for us to hold back the truth?

As followers of Jesus in a lost world, we have to begin to engage with people in the hopes that God will use us to reach them. That can open the door for ridicule and rejection from those we share with, but, as we will hear Pastor Clay say in this week’s message, there’s simply too simply too much at stake to be afraid to share the truth with those around us.

 

Survivor (Week 11) - Surviving Persecution, Part 3 (Acts 17:22-34)

What does it mean to be persecuted for your faith in Jesus Christ? In different parts of the world, it means different things. In some places in the world, being persecuted for following Jesus can mean rejection by family and friends, prison, even death, while in our culture in the United States, it primarily means being ridiculed or rejected; being made fun of for your faith. As followers of Jesus, how should we respond to persecution, whatever form it takes?

A couple of weeks ago, Pastor Clay took us to Acts chapter 17 and the story of the Apostle Paul in Athens, where we’re learned some do’s and don’ts when it comes to persecution. In this message, we’re continuing on into Acts 17 as God has opened a door for Paul to proclaim Christ there on Mars Hill. Let’s discover a few more do’s and don’ts when we face persecution.

Survivor (Week 10) - Surviving Persecution, Part 2 (Acts 17:16-21)

Have you ever been made fun of for your faith in Jesus Christ? Have you ever been called names because you took a biblical position on some social issue? Persecution is not new to the church, and even today in America, we can face persecution for our beliefs.

Last week Pastor Clay took us to Acts chapter 17 as we dove into the subject of surviving persecution. The persecution that followers of Jesus face in America is nothing compared to many parts of the world. But in our culture today, many followers of Jesus are ridiculed for their beliefs and moral convictions. In today’s message Pastor Clay is picking up where he left off last week, giving us some do’s and don’ts for handling persecution.

Survivor (Week 9) - Surviving Persecution, Part 1 (Acts 17:16-21)

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me." True, being called names and being made fun of usually doesn't break any bones, but it can still hurt!

Christians in the culture we live in today in the United States, often are the ridiculed, called names and made fun of, but as Pastor Clay explains this week, in many parts of the world, persecution for followers of Jesus Christ is much more severe. While in comparison, our persecution make seem as if it's not even worth mentioning, being made fun of can still hurt.

Whether it's on Facebook, in a classroom, work, or a social setting, being ridiculed for your belief is never fun. And, many followers of Jesus are unwilling to speak up about their faith, because they don't want to be made fun of. That's why Pastor Clay is taking us to a story in Acts chapter 17 where the Apostle Paul faced persecution similar to what we face today. From his example, we're going to learn what we should do when we are persecuted for our faith.

 

Survivor (Week 8) - Surviving Stress (Matthew 11:25-30)

It’s a crazy, busy, hectic world that we live in today. Schedules are full, budgets are tight, workloads are heavy, and all of it can lead to a little something called, stress. The question is, does God want us to live our lives stressed out? And, is there anything that can be done about it?

People often feel overloaded, overwhelmed, and under equipped for all that life brings them, so this week, we’re taking on a subject that afflicts a lot of people. STRESS! Jesus Christ has some advice on how to handle stress in your life and Pastor Clay tells us all about it in this week’s message in “The Survivor Series”

 

Survivor (Week 7) - Surviving Depression (Psalm 42)

Millions of people suffer from some form of depression. Depression is real and one of the major contributors to depression can be our circumstances. Life events can have a profound effect on our emotional state, even followers of Jesus.

In our "Survivor" series, we're taking a look at some of the obstacles and trials that life can bring and looking to God’s word to see how we can have victory over them. God's idea of surviving is actually thriving. God wants us to have victory over the obstacles and trials we sometimes face in life and this week, Pastor Clay is taking us to Psalm 42 where we will discover the prescription for overcoming depression when adversity comes into our lives.

Survivor (Week 6) - Surviving Marital Conflict – Part 3 (Ephesians 5.18-33)

No one gets married intending to get divorced. But with nearly one in two marriages ending in divorce, marital conflict needs to be addressed. Is there a way for a marriage to survive marital conflict?

This week, we’re in part three of Pastor Clay’s message from Ephesians chapter 5, and how to survive marital conflict. There will be conflict in marriage, but if we choose to do marriage God’s way, we can find victory over the conflicts that arise. We can have a marriage that honors God, and gives us love, peace, and joy; a marriage that is fulfilling and rewarding. It’s not easy. But, it is worth it.

 

Survivor (Week 5) - Surviving Marital Conflict – Part 2 (Ephesians 5.18-33)

Life throws a lot at us, doesn’t it? Sometimes it feels like we’re just trying to keep our head above water; just trying to survive. That’s why we are spending a few weeks in a series entitled: “The Survivor Series.” This week, we’re returning to a passage of scripture that is critical for surviving marital conflict.

In Ephesians chapter 5, the Apostle Paul lays out some critical actions that married couples need to take when marital conflict comes. Anyone who is married, or has been married, knows that conflict occurs in marriage. God’s word shows us how to reduce the number of conflicts we have and reduce the consequences that can occur as a result of marital conflict.

 

Cross Culture Church Message - May 6, 2018 (Guest Speaker Bob Machen, Gideon's)

Pastor Clay is away this week.
Guest Speaker Bob Machen from The Gideon's International
Pastor Clay returns with the "Survivor" Series next week

 

Cross Culture Church Message - April 29, 2018 (Guest Speaker Paul Fleming)

Pastor Clay is away this week.
Guest Speaker Paul Fleming
Pastor Clay returns with the "Survivor" Series May 15th

Survivor (Week 4) - Surviving Marital Conflict (Ephesians 5:8-33)

Marriage, when it’s good, there’s nothing better. But, when your marriage is struggling or there’s conflict, home sweet home feels more like home in a war zone.

This week, we’re continuing our Survivor Series by diving into Ephesians chapter 5 to find the strategy we need to employ to survive marital conflict. Anyone who is married, or has been married, knows that marital conflict is going to happen. But as Pastor Clay is going to explain, God lays out a strategy for not only surviving marital conflict, but thriving in marriage.

Survivor (Week 3) - Surviving Success (Joshua 7)

There are all kinds of television shows on these days where people are challenged to survive in some type of difficult environment or circumstance. Survival in a jungle, on a deserted island or frozen tundra, can all be incredibly difficult circumstances to survive but another incredibly difficult circumstance to survive can be, success.

Last week in our “Survivor” series, we looked at what the Bible has to say about surviving failure. This week we’re looking at surviving the opposite; surviving success. It may seem strange to think of success as something that you need to survive, but, as we’ll hear this week, if you’re not careful success can get you in trouble.

Survivor (Week 2) - Surviving Failure (Jeremiah 1:1-10)

Have you ever been asked to do something, but you were afraid of failing?

The truth is, the fear of failure can keep people from succeeding. Our new series is entitled, “Survivor,” and we’re looking what God’s word can teach us about overcoming some of the obstacles and challenges we face in life.

This week, Pastor Clay is taking us to the book of Jeremiah, where we will find that Jeremiah faced some very challenging circumstances. God wanted Jeremiah to be a prophet to proclaim God’s coming judgment on the nation of Israel. As you can imagine, that was not going to be a popular message to bring and Jeremiah was afraid of failing. As we’ll see today, it’s impossible to fail when you’re doing what God has called you to do.

 

Survivor (Week 1) - Surviving Death (Resurrection Sunday Message) (John 3:1-21)

Today is a special day not only for Cross Culture Church, but for all churches. Today is Resurrection Sunday. Most people know it as Easter Sunday, but many people have lost the true meaning of Easter; the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. That’s why we’re kicking off this brand new series today. The series is entitled, “Survivor,” and over the next several weeks, Pastor Clay is going to walk us through God’s word and show us how to survive things like, marital strife, financial crisis, and depression, just to name a few.

We thought the best place to kick off this series, given that today is Resurrection Sunday, is by looking at surviving death. Because, as you’ll hear Pastor Clay say in this week’s message, surviving the challenges of life won’t really matter, if we’re not prepared to survive death.

 

Fear Factor (Week 2) - The Sickness of Fear (Deuteronomy 1:20-46)

Have you ever experienced physical symptoms that made you fear that something was wrong? Maybe pain, swelling, or some kind of indicator that something just wasn’t right? It can be pretty scary, can’t it? When something like that happens, most of us go to the doctor, tell him or her our symptoms, and then trust that he can prescribe what we need to get better. Well, as we will learn this week, we can do the same thing with the spiritual symptoms that come from fear.

Last week, Pastor Clay took us to Deuteronomy chapter 1 and the story of how the nation of Israel refused to go into the Promised Land because of fear and we looked at four symptoms of fear that keep us from moving forward with God in our lives. God doesn’t want us living in fear because fear keeps us from discovering the life God wants for us and it keeps us from being able to glorify God in our lives.  Listen in this week as Pastor Clay gives us the prescription for overcoming fear in our lives.

Fear Factor (Week 1) - The Sickness of Fear (Deuteronomy 1:20-46)

Fear, we’ve all experienced it. Whether it’s fear of heights, fear of snakes, or fear of something else, we all know what fear feels like. But what about a fear that keeps you from being all that God wants you to be? Now that’s scary.

This week on Crosswalk, we’re beginning a short but very important series entitled, “Fear Factor.” As Pastor Clay is going to explain in this week’s message, spiritual fear is a sickness that has symptoms that you and I need to recognize. And, even more important, we need to understand what God says is the prescription for overcoming the fear that keeps us from experiencing all that God has for us.

Forgiveness: Mission Impossible? (Week 5) - Forgiving God (Job 38)

Have you ever felt hurt because of something God allowed to happen or felt mad at God because of the ways something turned out? If so, you’re not alone. Most of us would have to admit that there have been times when we have wondered why God allowed something to happen and maybe even gotten mad at God. So, how do we overcome those feelings?

Forgiveness: Mission Impossible? (Week 4) - Forgiving Others (Matthew 18:21-35)

All of us have been mistreated at some time in our life. All of us know what it is to experience hurt, pain, and injustice. For some people the pain of that experience can last for years. So, how do we move past those experiences? We have to learn to forgive. But, the truth is, forgiving someone who has wronged or wounded us deeply can feel like, mission impossible.

Our current sermon series here at Cross Culture Church is "Forgiveness: Mission Impossible?" and in this week’s message, Pastor Clay is taking us to Matthew chapter 18 where Jesus is teaching on the importance of forgiving others.

Forgiveness: Mission Impossible? (Week 3) - Receiving God's Forgiveness (John 21:15-19)

We've all sinned, right? That's what the Bible tells us, and the Bible also tells us how to be forgiven by God when we do sin. But what about forgiving ourselves; is that even possible? Many people struggle for years with guilt and shame from mistakes they've made in the past. They understand that God forgives us when we turn to Him, but struggle with understanding how they can forgive themselves.

In today's message in our series "Forgiveness: Mission Impossible?" Pastor Clay is going to teach us three steps to take on the road to forgiving ourselves. If you, or someone you know, struggles with forgiving oneself, this message is for you because, forgiving ourselves is not mission impossible.

 

Forgiveness: Mission Impossible? (Week 2) - Receiving God's Forgiveness (Psalm 51:1-15)

Forgiveness, does it ever feel like mission impossible?

Over the next several weeks in our series "Forgiveness: Mission Impossible?" we're going to tackle some of the various aspects of forgiveness such as forgiving others and forgiving yourself. This week, we're diving back into an aspect of forgiveness that, as Pastor Clay said last week, ties into all of the other aspects of forgiveness; receiving God's forgiveness.

We're back in Psalm 51 this week, David's famous prayer of repentance that came as a result of being confronted with his sin with Bathsheba. Receiving God's forgiveness, and discovering how to get back to where we were with God is what this week’s message is all about.

Forgiveness: Mission Impossible? (Week 1) - Receiving God's Forgiveness (Psalm 51:1-15)

Forgiveness can be hard to talk about and even harder to do. Whether it is forgiving someone else, forgiving yourself, or being forgiven, sometimes forgiveness feels like, Mission Impossible.

This week, we're kicking off a new series entitled, "Forgiveness: Mission Impossible." Pastor Clay is going to tackle some of the various scenarios where forgiveness needs to be applied and we'll look to the word of God to show us how forgiveness is applied.

We're starting with the most important forgiveness of all, God's forgiveness. Why do we need it and how do we receive it? As Pastor Clay is going to explain, all other aspects of forgiveness have to start with understanding and receiving God's forgiveness.

"Pray18" Pt 4: Message - "'Getting A Hold Of God' Prayer - With a Capital ‘P’" (Daniel 6)

For followers of Jesus, prayer is part of our relationship with God, right? But when we pray, is it more important for us to get what we want or for God to do what is best?

Today is our last message in our “Pray18” series, a four week study in Daniel chapter 6, discovering some of the parts of Daniel’s prayer life that should be a part of ours as well. Today in our last message in the “Pray 18” series, Pastor Clay is going to challenge us to think long and hard about the question “is it more important for our prayers to be answered the way we think they should be or the way God knows is best.”

The obvious answer is that we get what God knows is best. But when we in the middle of a trial or circumstance, accepting God’s authority and His will is not always that easy.

"Pray18" Pt 3: Message - "'Getting A Hold Of God' Prayer - With a Capital 'P'" (Daniel 6:5, 10)

Have you noticed that people pray in many different ways, especially in a group setting. Some like to pray out loud while others pray quietly. Some people like to verbally confirm what others are praying and some people like to repeat God's name throughout their prayer. The truth is, our manner of prayer does not what really matter but there are certain components that are vital to a vibrant, powerful prayer life.

This is part three in our four-part series entitled "Pray18," looking at a circumstance in Daniel chapter 6 that can teach us a lot about prayer. While you and I hopefully will never find ourselves thrown into a lion's den, the trying circumstances and trials in our lives can leave us feeling hopeless and afraid. Daniel's prayer life teaches us how to overcome those things, and how to experience God's power in our lives.