CrossWalk - Cross Culture Church RDU

Building on the Basics, Week 41: Love - Walk In It (Part 9)

Many people get caught up in false teaching that sounds spiritual, but as Pastor Clay is going to explain today, just because something sounds spiritual doesn’t mean it’s spiritually sound.  We’re living in a culture today where almost everyone it seems has their version of “truth” and differing ideas about spiritual truth, eternity, heaven and hell, and salvation. But with so many voices out there and so many different ideas and beliefs, how can you know who is telling the truth? False prophets were as plentiful in the apostle John’s day as they are in ours and in 1 John chapter 4, he gives us a test for determining whether something we are being taught is truth or a lie. 

Building on the Basics, Week 40: Love - Walk In It (Part 8)

We're picking up where we left off last week as Pastor Clay explains, having an attitude of gratitude for what God has done, not only honors Him, it also keeps us moving in the right direction.  In today's message, the Apostle John has something to say about our attitude toward God, and our attitude toward the world, and the difference it can have in our daily lives. Thanks for joining us as we continue in our series, "Building on the Basics."

Building on the Basics, Week 39: Love - Walk In It (Part 7)

Attitude, Winston Churchill said, “It’s a little thing that makes a big difference.” In life, your attitude can effect pretty much everything about your life. And, your attitude can be effected by so many things in your life. So, how’s your attitude?  As we continue our study in 1 John, and the basic of love, we’re in chapter 3, where as Pastor Clay is going to explain, the Apostle John has something to say about our attitude toward God, our attitude toward the world and the difference attitude can have in our daily lives. 

Building on the Basics, Week 38: Love - Walk In It (Part 6)

In our "Building on the Basics" series, we're looking at the overarching theme of the books James, First and Second Peter, First through Third John, and Jude, and how we build those themes into our lives while and building our faith in Jesus Christ.  For the last couple of weeks Pastor Clay has been in First John chapter 2, looking at more of the tests John laid out for determining what a true follower of Jesus Christ looks like.  In today’s message, we're going to walk through one more test, and it is what Pastor Clay refers to as the "rest test." The Apostle John encourages believers to “abide" in Christ. Just exactly what does that mean, and what does it look like in our lives?

Building on the Basics, Week 37: Love - Walk In It (Part 5)

It seems as if we live in a culture that plays fast and lose with the truth, particularly the truth about God.  Truth has an inseparable connection with love and as Pastor Clay is going to explain today, love has to be based on truth or it isn’t real love. If you don’t know the truth about who God is, you can’t worship Him as the true God.  We’re building on the basic of love and what it means to walk in it. Thank you for joining us for this week's message from the second chapter of 1 John.

Building on the Basics, Week 36: Love - Walk In It (Part 4)

The world is a beautiful and fascinating place and it’s easy to fall in love with that beauty and God’s creation, but that doesn’t mean that we should love everything about the world.   We're continuing our study in 1 John, with three important verses.  As we’re going to hear in 1 John 2:15-19, there is a danger in loving the world;  that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t love God’s creation, however we shouldn't,  as John warns followers of Jesus, get caught up in the things of the world or it's satanic influences.  And that struggle with the pull of the world is something that we all face at times .

Building on the Basics, Week 35: Love - Walk In It (Part 3)

This week, Pastor Clay picks up where we left off in chapter 2 of 1 John.  John, disciple of love, he has something to say about our actions as followers of Jesus Christ and how those actions become the evidence that we really do KNOW Jesus. 

Building on the Basics, Week 34: Love - Walk In It (Part 2)

There people who would say they know Jesus Christ, but in reality do they really KNOW Jesus Christ?  This week, we’re in chapter 2 of 1 John and as we make our way through first, second, and third John, we’re building on the basic of love and learning what it means to walk in it. John is known as the disciple of love because he has a lot to say about it, both in his Gospel account and in these three letters written near the end of John’s life. But before John takes us too deeply into the subject of love, he has something to say about our actions as followers of Jesus Christ and how those actions become the evidence that we really do KNOW Jesus Christ.

Building on the Basics, Week 33: Love - Walk In It (Part 1)

Love, it’s a word that’s thrown around a lot in our culture, but does our culture really know what true love is?  Today in our series, "Building on the Basics," we're in 1 John where the theme is love and how to walk in it. As we make our way through 1st John, and later 2nd and 3rd John, we’re going to find that true love, from God’s perspective, is inseparable from truth. The John's and each disciples life was changed as a result of their witness to Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection.  The same should be true for us.

The Perfect Storm (Isaiah 28:2)

The scriptures are full of storms, from Genesis to Revelation.  Our lives are full of storms and whether we realize it or not, when God sends a storm it is always a perfect storm.  Listen as Steve Pierce, who is substituting for Pastor Clay today, shows us how those perfect storms are sent to perfect us and prepare us for Heaven.

Building on the Basics, Week 32: Hope - Live In It (Part 19)

We're picking up where we left off last week in 2 Peter chapter 3, where Peter closes out his second letter to the church with a message about mockers. Peter forewarns that there will be those who make fun of Christians so today, we’re going to see what fundamentals should be built into our lives as believers, whether people make fun of us or not. Fundamentals that Pastor Clay says will communicate the message to those around us that our God empowers us and gives us a life worth living.

Building on the Basics, Week 31: Hope - Live In It (Part 18)

It’s not fun to have someone make fun of you or mock you for something, but have you ever had someone make fun of your belief in Jesus?  This week in our series, "Building on the Basics," Peter closes out his second letter to the church with a message about mockers. Peter says that in the last days, there will be those who make fun of our belief, specifically because the return of Jesus Christ has been promised by the church since its earliest days, and He hasn’t returned yet. Today, we’re going to see what fundamentals should be built into our lives as believers, whether people make fun of us or not. If we practice the fundamentals that Pastor Clay points out today, our lives will communicate a message to those around us that our God empowers us and gives us a life worth living.

Resurrection Sunday Message: Complete Forgiveness (Luke 23:33-49)

When looking at the crucifixion, we often talk about what it cost Jesus Christ on the cross.  Have you ever thought about what Jesus Christ offered at the cross? That’s what today's Resurrection Sunday message is all about. What started on Friday with the crucifixion of Jesus and what probably appeared to be the end of the Jesus movement ends triumphantly early Sunday morning when Jesus Christ came out of the tomb and showed all of the world that sin, death and Satan were defeated.  Today we’re taking a break from our current series and Pastor Clay is going to walk us through Luke’s account of the death of Jesus Christ found in Luke chapter 23. 

Building on the Basics, Week 30: Hope - Live In It (Part 17)

Political ads fill the television and radio, news and talk shows discuss it constantly and the late night hosts are having a field day with the candidates. Those running for office all seem to talk like they have the solution, but can you trust them? Knowing the difference between truth and lies is important, but no where is it more important than when it comes to the focus of your life.  Today in our series "Building on the Basics," Pastor Clay is taking us to Second Peter chapter 2, where Peter has some sobering words about false teachers and those who follow them. 

Building on the Basics, Week 29: Hope - Live In It (Part 16)

The search for truth has been written about by philosophers, poets and theologians for centuries. But today, there appears to be little emphasis on truth, at least not absolute truth. Our culture today seems to be moving steadily toward a position of relative truth; each person is free to live however they choose with no one having the right to say that they are wrong.  Today, as we continue our series, "Building on the Basics," Peter takes the opportunity to emphasize what is truth, why it’s important and why it's not open to debate.

Building on the Basics, Week 28: Hope - Live In It (Part 15 Continued)

This week, we continue with our study of 2 Peter. It’s part of our overall series "Building on the Basics" and we're building on the basic of hope. We're picking up the message where we left off two weeks ago as Pastor Clay explains how God does His part in providing salvation for us and what we need for this life, but that God also has some expectations on our part that will give us the life we're meant to have.

Obedience and A New Ministry for The Rhodes Family (2 Kings 5)

Pastor Clay is away this week.  Today's message is from 2 Kings Chapter 5.  Student Pastor Ivey Rhodes speaks on our obedience to what God asks of the great and the small. He'll also be talking about a new and exciting ministry opportunity that the Rhodes family will begin this September.  

Building on the Basics, Week 27: Hope - Live In It (Part 14)

Is it possible to live a perfect life as a follower of Jesus Christ? The answer may surprise you.  This week we start our study of the book of 2 Peter, part of our overall series "Building on the Basics" and we are currently building on the basic of hope. In his second letter, the Apostle Peter is nearing the end of his life and he opens his letter by reminding followers of Jesus that there is a sort of a partnership between God and His children. As Pastor Clay is going to explain in today’s message, God does His part in providing salvation for us and what we need for this life, but God also has some expectations on our part; in fact, Peter says “as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble.” Exactly what that means, and doesn’t mean is the topic for today’s message.

Building on the Basics, Week 26: Hope - Live In It (Part 13 Continued)

We're picking up where we left off last week, "Building on the Basics." Pastor Clay is taking us through four expectations that God has for His sheep, found in 1 Peter 5:5-14. 

Building on the Basics, Week 25: Hope - Live In It (Part 13)

A shepherd expects two things from his sheep; wool and more sheep. Interestingly, the Bible often refers to God’s followers as sheep. So, the question can be asked, what does God expect from His sheep? This week in our series "Building on the Basics," we find Peter turning his attention to the people who profess faith in Jesus Christ and make up His church, the sheep. Pastor Clay is going to take us through four expectations that God has for His sheep, found in 1 Peter 5:5-14. As God’s sheep, there’s certainly plenty in this week's message to chew on. 

Building on the Basics, Week 24: Hope - Live In It (Part 12)

Some people look at the pastor as an employee that works for the church, and follows the will of the people. Some people look at the pastor as a CEO type, running the operation from on top. But what does God say is the role of the pastor? In our last message in the series "Building on the Basics," the Apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 4:17 that it was "time for judgment to begin with the household of God.” It is in that context that chapter 5 opens with a look at the role and responsibility of the pastor, or pastors of a local church. As you’ll hear Pastor Clay say today...if a church is going to be biblical and if it is going to be what God intends it to be, then the judgment of the household of God must begin by looking first at the pastor.

Building on the Basics, Week 23: Hope - Live In It (Part 11)

Trials, hardships, suffering, most of us understand that they are part of living in this world, but is it possible to be joyful about our trials?  As we continue in our series "Building on the Basics," we come to Peter’s admonition to rejoice not only in our trials, but because of our trials. It would be easy for us to think that Peter was a little crazy, but as we’ll see today it really is possible to have joy in our trials. Pastor Clay is going to show us today from 1 Peter 4:12-19, what we are to do with our trials, and how we find joy in the middle of them. 

Building on the Basics, Week 22: Hope - Live In It (Part 10)

More than 40 percent of Americans set New Years resolutions but 1 in 3 will ditch them by the end of January and less than 10 percent will reach their goals.  Most people's resolutions are of a material and temporal nature.  Shouldn't followers of Jesus look to making resolutions that are spiritual and eternal?  And how can you resolve to maintain your changes not just until the end of the month or the end of the year, but for the rest of your life?  This week, Pastor Clay is picking up where we left off last week as the Apostle Peter challenges us in some very practical ways to commit to answering the calling as a follower of Jesus.

Building on the Basics, Week 21: Hope - Live In It (Part 9)

For followers of Jesus, thoughts of beginning a new year with improvements or changes in our lives should always start with the spiritual. So, have you made any spiritual new year’s resolutions?  The timing couldn't be better as we jump into chapter 4 of 1 Peter.  Pastor Clay is going to show us how the Apostle Peter challenges us to answer the calling as a follower of Jesus and he challenges us in some very practical ways. Following Jesus is not easy in this world but as we’re going to hear today, it’s vitally important that we understand clearly and respond obediently to God’s call on our lives.

Building on the Basics, Week 20: Hope - Live In It (Part 8)

We live in hope because of Jesus Christ and the third chapter of 1 Peter comes to a close with Peter focusing in specifically on the hope we find in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Peter never lets us get far away from the anchor of our hope which is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The empty tomb is the proof that your salvation has been obtained, if you have trusted Christ.  Now let's open our Bibles to 1 Peter 3 verses 18 through 22 as our Building on the Basics series continues.