On CrossWalk from Cross Culture Church in Raleigh-Durham, NC, Pastor Dan Johnson opens the Bible and brings out it's exciting and practical truths to apply to our everyday lives.
Episodes
Sunday Jul 02, 2017
Sunday Jul 02, 2017
There’s an old saying that has been heard in churches for years: “God is good, all the time. And all the time, God is good.” Whenever that is voiced in a church service it is usually followed by multiple, “Amen’s.” So, if that’s true, why is there evil in the world?
Today, we’re in part 2 of a message Pastor Clay started last week discussing the problem of evil. How an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-benevolent God could allow evil to exist in this world? Last week we looked at three possible solutions for the problem of evil and Pastor Clay showed us why all three of those possible solutions come up short. Today, we’re going to take a look at two more, and hopefully, learn more about the Great I Am.
Sunday Jun 25, 2017
Sunday Jun 25, 2017
Perhaps you remember a prayer you were taught to say as a child before a meal: "God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food. By His hands we all are fed. Thank You God for daily bread.” Certainly it’s a classic, recited by probably millions of children through the years. But, is God good? Is He great?
As followers of Jesus, questions like that seem ridiculous. But to some people, asking whether God is good or loving or great seem like valid questions to ask. “After all,” someone might ask, “how can God be good and great, and there be so much evil and suffering in the world?" "Why would an all-powerful, all-knowing God allow children to starve to death in Africa?" "How can He allow injustice to go on?" "Why didn’t He heal my loved one of cancer?"
Today, in our series, "The I AM Series," Pastor Clay is going to take on a subject that men and women have struggled with for thousands of years; it is the problem of evil. This is not an easy subject to take on, but it’s an important one if we’re going to know and understand our God more clearly, and if we’re going to be able to share with others who have experienced great pain and loss in their own lives.
Thursday Jun 22, 2017
Thursday Jun 22, 2017
In our series, "The I Am Series - Exploring the Mysteries of God," we’re looking at some of the concepts about God that can be hard to understand or are mysterious to us and for the last two weeks, we've been exploring the mystery of the doctrine of the Trinity. If you grew up going to church, or have been around church much at all, chances are you’ve heard the word “Trinity” used. Maybe you’ve even heard it defined as, “God is three in one.” But, what does that mean? We could spend the rest of our lives exploring and discussing just that one subject and never understand it completely. "God is three in one" is a concept that may, on the surface, sound like a contradiction, but as Pastor Clay explains this week, the doctrine of the Trinity is no contradiction at all.
Sunday Jun 11, 2017
Sunday Jun 11, 2017
Who is God? What do we know about Him? What can we know about God? Knowing about God matters very much. That’s why Pastor Clay is taking a few weeks to explore some of the mysteries and attributes of God in The I Am Series. We’ve looked at arguments and evidences for God’s existence, and last week we began to explore the mystery of the doctrine of the Trinity. We can never fully comprehend all that it means to say that God is one and three, but the pages of God’s word are filled with passages that build a strong case for this doctrine that has been a part of orthodox Christianity from the beginning.
Today, Pastor Clay is picking up where he left off last week, summarizing some of the points from last week’s message, and looking at religious groups that don’t believe in the doctrine of the Trinity, why it’s important to know who does and doesn’t believe in it, and why the doctrine of the Trinity isn’t a contradiction.
Sunday Jun 04, 2017
Sunday Jun 04, 2017
What is the Trinity? That’s probably not a question you get everyday, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the foundational doctrinal beliefs of the Church. But, exactly what do we mean when we say that God is one, and God is three? Is that a contradiction? And, why does it even matter?
In our current "The I Am Series," we're looking at ideas and concepts about God that can be hard to understand. And right at the head of the class is the doctrine of the Trinity. Men and women have been discussing and debating the concept of God three in one, practically since the beginning of the church. As you’ll hear Pastor Clay say today, in one sense this is a subject too great to ever fully understand. But just because something is hard to understand and may never be fully understood, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t explore it. So put on your thinking caps, have a copy of God’s word handy and let’s dive in.
Sunday May 28, 2017
Sunday May 28, 2017
Does God exist? Honestly, most people answer that question without giving it much thought at all. “Of course God exists.” Or, “No, there is no God.” But, is there actual evidence we can look at? We’re in week three of "The I Am Series." These first three weeks, we're looking at the arguments for God’s existence. God is not trying to prove Himself. He has nothing to prove to anyone. God is revealing Himself and wants everyone to have the opportunity to know Him, and has given evidence of His existence that can lead any person toward a relationship with God. Many in our culture today would say that it is not reasonable or rational to believe in God. But, as Pastor Clay is going to point out, it’s actually unreasonable to not believe in God.
Sunday May 21, 2017
Sunday May 21, 2017
It seems that new discoveries are being made every day in a wide range of areas. But, no area of discovery is more important to us Does God really exist? Most of us would answer that question without hesitation; “Yes, God is real.” But, have you ever thought about the evidence of God’s existence? Our current series is entitled "The I Am Series," and it’s a little different from many of the series we do here at Cross Culture Church in that we’re taking a few weeks to look at subjects about God that people sometimes have questions about. What is the Trinity? Why does God allow evil? Does man have any part in his salvation, or is it something God has already decided for each person? We started a couple of weeks ago by looking at some of the arguments and evidences for God’s existence and today, Pastor Clay is going to dive into a few more of the arguments and evidences of God’s existence.
Sunday May 14, 2017
Sunday May 14, 2017
If you started a list of all the people that have been an influence in your life you might come up with a pretty extensive list. The names might vary for each of us, but almost all of us would have one name that would be the same, Mom. Today we honor Moms with a special Mother's Day Crosswalk. This week's lesson takes the opportunity to teach children a valuable lesson about obeying their parents. Pastor Clay is going to be in Ephesians 6:1-3, a passage that instructs children on their relationship with their mom and dad. And, as Pastor Clay is going to explain, there is no greater way to honor your mother and father, than to obey them.
Sunday May 07, 2017
Sunday May 07, 2017
It seems that new discoveries are being made every day in a wide range of areas. But, no area of discovery is more important to us than to explore the mystery of God. All over the world, different ideas about God have developed among various people groups.
Over the next several weeks Pastor Clay is going to walk us through some of the mysteries of God based on God's general revelation to us in His creation, and His special revelation to us in the Bible, the word of God. Obviously, there are people who deny that there even is a God at all. Atheist claim the idea of God is outdated and unnecessary for an advancing culture and world. But is there actually evidence and arguments for God’s existence? As you’ll hear Pastor Clay say in today’s message, the first in our New Series, "The I Am Series - Exploring the Mysteries of God," God isn’t trying to "prove" Himself to anybody, however God is more than willing to "reveal" Himself to those who would seek to know Him; proving Himself to man isn’t God’s intention.
People who come to God must do so by faith, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t evidences and arguments for God’s existence for men to consider. So, we’re going to start this series with a look at a few of the arguments for the existence of God. Our prayer is that this series will encourage and equip you as you move forward in discovering more about your relationship with the Great I Am.
Sunday Apr 30, 2017
Sunday Apr 30, 2017
Pastor Clay and his family are away this week. Bringing our Crosswalk message this week is Steve Pierce. Steve is picking up from last week's message, The Secret of Contentment, with a lesson on the CORE of contentment.
Sunday Apr 23, 2017
Sunday Apr 23, 2017
Pastor Clay and his family are away this week. Bringing our Crosswalk message this week is Cross Culture Church member, Dr. Steve Pierce.
One dictionary defines contentment as "the state of being mentally or emotionally satisfied with things as they are." Today it's rare to find anyone who is truly content with his or her condition in life. How about you? One of the great mysteries of Christianity is contentment and today, Steve Pierce shares God's secret to contentment.
Sunday Apr 16, 2017
Sunday Apr 16, 2017
If the cross is the place where salvation was purchased, the empty tomb is the place where salvation was proved. Last week, Palm Sunday, we looked at Calvary, the place where Jesus paid the sin debt for all who would put their trust in Him. Three days later , Jesus’ followers discovered the victory that Jesus’ sacrifice brought. The tomb was empty 2,000 years ago and men have been trying to explain away the empty tomb since the day it happened.
As you’ll hear in this week's message, everything hinges on the resurrection; if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then Christianity is a sham, and Jesus is just another religious leader among the many there have been throughout history. The evidence is overwhelming, the empty tomb is a reality, and the reality of the resurrection has implications for all of our lives. We’re glad you’ve joined us as we reflect on the glorious good news that three days after the cross, there was a dead man walking.
Sunday Apr 09, 2017
Sunday Apr 09, 2017
Today is Palm Sunday, the day that commemorates Jesus’ final triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and the events leading up to the crucifixion. Much went on that last week of Jesus’ life before His betrayal and arrest, but as you’ll hear Pastor Clay say in a moment, there isn’t time to look at those events today, so we are going straight to event that changed the world forever, and gave hope to billions. Thanks for joining us as we dive into Luke chapter 23 and take a look at the three crosses of Calvary.
Sunday Apr 02, 2017
Sunday Apr 02, 2017
Yesterday was April Fools’ Day, a day when many people pull pranks and jokes on their unsuspecting friends and family. For hundreds of years, people have been taking advantage of others’ gullibility and making "fools" of them. All of this might be harmless fun, but the Bible says that the person that does not believe in God is the real fool.
Today, Pastor Clay is taking us to Psalm 53, a passage that speaks of the foolishness of rejecting God and the eternal consequences of such a decision. In an age when mankind is advancing dramatically in areas such as science, technology, and medicine, there is a temptation for people to reject belief in a supernatural God. But, as we’ll hear today, that is a very foolish decision.
Sunday Mar 26, 2017
Sunday Mar 26, 2017
We’re in the middle of March madness and it’s down to just a few teams. Virtually everyone knows is that it takes a team effort to win; selflessness and a spirit of cooperation, working together to make a great team. Not surprisingly, it takes the exact same thing to make a great church. Today as we come to the end of our series "Making the Grade as a Great Church," Pastor Clay points out the spirit of cooperation that existed in the early church, how although they weren’t perfect, they worked together in an amazing spirit of cooperation, and watched God move in a great way as a result.
Sunday Mar 12, 2017
Sunday Mar 12, 2017
What is it that makes a great athlete great? Is it raw talent? Is it work ethic? Maybe it’s a little bit of both. Well, what about a church? What makes a great church great? Today we come to the end of our series entitled, "Making the Grade as a Great Church," a study of the first two chapters of the book of Acts from which Pastor Clay has been pointing out certain characteristics of the early church that made it a great church. As we'll hear this week, the early church wasn’t perfect. They had their issues and struggles, but managed to keep the main thing, the main thing. And as we’re going to hear in this message, any church can be a great church if we will make the grade.
Sunday Mar 05, 2017
Sunday Mar 05, 2017
What is a great church? Does the size of a church make it great or is it the programs or how wonderful the worship may be? Or, is it something more? This week in our series "Making the Grade as a Great Church," Pastor Clay is taking us to Acts chapter 2 where we will discover characteristics of the first-century church that made it a great church. The great thing for us is that those same characteristics can be a part of the church today.
Sunday Feb 26, 2017
Sunday Feb 26, 2017
When you were in school, if you brought home a “C” on your report card, would your parents be happy? Probably not. But, for a church making straight “C’s” would be great! We are in a series entitled "Making the Grade as a Great Church" and Pastor Clay is taking us through the first chapters of the book of Acts to discover what the first-century church had that made for a great church. We are looking at characteristics that each begin with the letter "C," that were evident in the early church. So, if the Church today can get straight "C’s," we will be a great church; a church used by God to build His Kingdom by growing fully-devoted followers of Jesus.
Sunday Feb 19, 2017
Sunday Feb 19, 2017
What makes a great church? Is it the music? Is it the children’s program, or the preaching? Or is it something else? Last week in our "Making the Grade As A Great Church," we heard how in a great church, there is the presence of the Supernatural Catalyst, the Holy Spirit, who empowers the church to accomplish great things for the glory of God. Today, Pastor Clay is picking it up where he left off last week in Acts chapter 1, looking at two more important pieces in the making of a great church; the Calling and the anticipation of The Coming.
Sunday Feb 12, 2017
Sunday Feb 12, 2017
When you're in school, the message you hear over and over again from your parents is "get good grades!" Our parents pushed us because they loved us and probably nothing would please them more than to see straight "A’s" on our report card. Our heavenly Father loves us as well and believe it or not, He wants to push us to get straight "C’s."
This week, we begin a brand new series entitled "Making the Grade as a Great Church - Aiming for straight C’s." That may sound strange but as Pastor Clay is going to explain in this series from the book of Acts, God has expectations for His Church, so over the next few weeks, we’re going to take a look at each of those expectations that start with the letter "C." We're living in a time where there is great uncertainty in our culture and more than ever the Church needs to be fulfilling the purposes God has for us. More than ever, the Church needs to make the grade and be a great Church.
Sunday Feb 05, 2017
Sunday Feb 05, 2017
We have a real spiritual enemy. His name is Satan. And, he has a strategy for defeating us. So the question is, do we have a strategy for defeating him? Picking up where we left off in our last message, we're in Matthew chapter 4 and the account of Satan’s temptations of Jesus in the wilderness. Last week we saw that the enemy has a strategy to defeat us, a strategy he has employed many times throughout history, but when tried it on Jesus, Satan was no match for the Son of God. This week, Pastor Clay is going to show us from Jesus’ responses to the devil’s temptations, a strategy we can develop so that, in the power of God, we too can be victorious against the enemy. We are conquerors because of Jesus’ victory. Now, it’s time to start living like one.
Sunday Jan 29, 2017
Sunday Jan 29, 2017
On the spiritual battlefield we all face an enemy who wants to destroy us. And, as you’ll hear today, his strategy may surprise you. We're nearing the end of our series entitled, "Alone." We’ve been looking at biblical characters and the situations they faced alone. As we near the end of our "Alone" series, this week we come to the last character in our series and there is no one better to finish with. Jesus faced Satan alone in the wilderness where the devil tried to tempt Him to sin. The enemy Jesus faced is the same enemy we face today and as Pastor Clay is going to explain in this week’s message, the strategy that Satan uses isn’t anything new. Next week we’re going to finish this series by looking at the strategy we need to employ to defeat our enemy, but let’s start by understanding our enemy’s strategy against us.
Sunday Jan 22, 2017
Sunday Jan 22, 2017
Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like you weren’t being utilized as well as you thought you could be? It might be at a job where your boss won’t let you handle something that you know you are qualified to do. It might be an athletic team sport where you knew if you could get a chance you could be successful. All of us want to succeed, and accomplish as much as possible in life. God wants us to succeed as well, and, as we’ll hear today, He knows, better than anyone, how to make that happen. Interested?
We’re picking up where we left off last week, looking at the life of Gideon and God’s purposes for his life. Gideon was still uncertain about whether he could do what God was asking him to do. But God was going to teach Gideon, and hopefully us as well that He not only knows us better than we know ourselves, but He can use us better than we can use ourselves. Let’s dive in and see what we find.
Sunday Jan 15, 2017
Sunday Jan 15, 2017
Most of us would agree that life can be pretty tough at times and as followers of Jesus, we're not immune from that. But what happens when it appears that it is God who is making things hard?
Gideon was a farmer living in Israel during a time when the nation was being persecuted. The people of Israel had brought these tough times on themselves by turning away from God and allowing idols and false gods to be worshipped in their land and God called on Gideon to help restore Israel. It would be a difficult task and as Gideon was going to learn, God was going to make sure that it was impossible for Gideon to accomplish, in his own strength. But, God always has a purpose in what He does and Gideon was going to learn that God knows exactly what He is doing.
Sunday Jan 01, 2017
Sunday Jan 01, 2017
Suffering is never easy, especially when we're suffering seemingly for nothing we have done. Why God would allow us to suffer? In the Old Testament, Job must have felt the same way at times; why me, Lord? As we embark on a new year, none of us knows what 2017 will bring but we can probably count on some type of suffering in our future. As Pastor Clay is going to explain, it’s just part of living in a sin cursed world. We’re in the book of Job this week, exploring the subject of feeling alone in our suffering.