Archive for the 'This Week at Cross Church' Category
This Week at Cross Church | What God Is Doing
I am often asked, “What is God doing in your church?” I want to take an opportunity for fellow Pastors and Christian Leaders, but also for our Cross Church family to talk about what I believe God is doing.
God uses people, yet God alone gets all the glory. Therefore, all I share with you has to do with God’s movement to extend His glory through His people called Cross Church.
God is Getting Us Ready
I believe God is getting us ready for His mightiest move yet through Cross Church. His leadership for us to walk through the book of Acts in 2013 is all a part of getting us ready. He is creating an appetite through this powerful study for us to see Him do great and mighty things.
This coming Sunday, we continue our series on Acts with a mini-series from Acts called, “When Jesus Comes To Church”. This coming Sunday, we will preach our 18th message from Acts since January. As I teach through an extended book like Acts, along the way we lift up a section, categorizing it as a mini-series.
For example, as the “When Jesus Comes To Church” miniseries is communicated, our people will learn this is a basic study on the work of God through the Church at Antioch. While much was done through the Antioch church, for five weeks we will look at the movement of God and what happens through the Antioch church. This will be a study on Acts 11-15, understanding these chapters are not related to Antioch alone.
As God continues to put upon me the need to create and release a new prayer ministry here at Cross Church, this is all part of God getting us ready. God is moving cross-generationally. God is getting us ready for His mightiest work through us in the history of our church.
God’s Movement in These Days is Supernatural
Through a seven-day period of time, we saw 175 people baptized to the glory of God. Part of this movement was day-to-day movement through our church. Part of it was a very supernatural movement of God at our High School Student Camp in Florida, where sixty of these baptisms occurred. This is highly unusual compared to camps before. Additionally, the 101 people baptized at the foot of the Crosses on Sunday night at our “Fireworks At The Crosses” is amazing. Only God could do all of these things.
This means that our church, in the first 45 weeks of our Church Year, has already baptized over 1,095 people. This is only seven people less than our all-time record year of baptisms in 2012. Therefore, if the Lord does not come back before Sunday, Cross Church will see a second consecutive record-breaking year in baptisms, all to the glory of God.
Some would say it is not about numbers. I would agree, except for one thing: each number represents a person, and each person represents a story. You see, each time you hear us mention a number, we are talking about a person; a person who has a story about the power of the Gospel in their life.
One other note which I could never minimize: last week, God called fourteen of our people to full-time ministry and missions! Wow, this is exciting and supernatural. They each had leanings about their future or career, but now everything has changed. God has altered their future to extend His glory globally.
Cross Church is Healthy
Those who know me well realize I have a pretty strong commitment to health and fitness. There are seasons of life where fitness may exceed your emphasis over health, and at times, it is the other way around. As any church or family, Cross Church has gone through the ups and downs of health.
Let me report to you in case you happen to be wondering: Cross Church is healthy. We are not perfect, but we are healthy. The fellowship is strong and unified, and our mission is clear and compelling. The healthier we become, the more we are seeing the movement of God increasing. Pray for Cross Church to be healthy. The healthier we are, the more fruitful we will become.
What is God doing through Cross Church?
One Thing . . . God is extending His glory throughout the world.
One Final Thing
An estimated 10,000 people were at our “Fireworks At The Crosses,” celebrating an amazing country called America. People still love America.
Don’t forget that. They are still moved to tears during the National Anthem and any recognition of our veterans of the armed forces.
Happy 237th Birthday, America! On July 4, we celebrate you!
Father, thank you for America and for letting me live in this great nation.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
This Week at Cross Church: It’s a Big Day on June 30th, “When Jesus Comes to Church” miniseries from Acts, and Cross Church School of Ministry
Fear Not, America: Sunday morning, June 30
Be sure to join your Cross Church family and me on Sunday, June 30, for our annual Summer Freedom Celebration. During this time of worship we will honor America, our service men and women, and celebrate the hope we have in Jesus Christ. For this special Sunday, your ministry team has prepared a message called “Fear Not, America…There is Hope!”
There are times when we all deal with uncertainty – but all too often many experience uncertainty with great frequency. But, thankfully, as believers we can rest in the promise that God’s faithfulness provides us HOPE for all aspects of life. This June 30 message will, prayerfully, encourage us all to remember the HOPE we have for our world, our nation, our church, and our lives through Jesus Christ.
Fireworks at the Crosses: Sunday night, June 30
Also on Sunday, June 30, our Pinnacle Hills campus will host the 6th annual Fireworks at the Crosses event. This phenomenal evening is full of live music, outdoor baptisms, and an outstanding display of fireworks at sundown. I encourage you to invite your family and friends to this special evening of fun and praise. Last year, an estimated 7,000 people were on our campus, plus people watched the event from along the interstate, the Promenade and other nearby places.
Baptism at the Crosses: Sign up and be here
As part of our “Fireworks at the Crosses” celebration, many of you have the opportunity to take part in a highly spiritual time of commitment. Those of you who have not taken part in Believer’s Baptism can be baptized in the beautiful outdoor baptistry located at the base of the three soaring crosses on our Pinnacle Hills campus. Each year I have the pleasure of baptizing many of my Brothers and Sisters in Christ at this phenomenal event. You will experience true joy when you obey your Lord’s command to be baptized, and what better way to celebrate our country’s independence than by celebrating the personal and spiritual freedom that only Christ can give us!
If you have trusted Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, but have not been baptized, the time is NOW to follow the Lord’s commandment and make your commitment public. Click here for more information and to register for Baptism at the Crosses. Please report to the Pinnacle Hills Worship Center at 6:30 p.m. and we will prepare you for baptism. You can bring additional clothing or we have what is needed for you.
“When Jesus Comes to Church:” a new Acts mini-series begins on July 7
On Sunday, July 7, as a church family and across all campuses we will dive into a new mini-series called “When Jesus Comes to Church.” I’ve been working for the past three days on what I will teach on July 7 and I am fired up NOW about it! I promise you, this mini-series will take us up personally, adjust our thinking, change our lives, and make us a much healthier church in every way. Do not miss it!
I hope you have enjoyed the time we spent studying the great men of iNFLUENCE from the Book of Acts. If you missed a Sunday or wish to review any of the messages from our iNFLUENCE mini-series, find video files here.
Cross Church School of Ministry: We are equipping the next generation to share the Gospel around the world
We are mere weeks away from welcoming the inaugural class of Cross Church School of Ministry students. The Lord has been kind and blessed us with seven students thus far! Cross Church family, please continue to pray over this new initiative and the young men and women that will comprise our first class of students.
During this one-year residential ministry experience, our students will learn how to become spiritual leaders for life from me and many of the Cross Church staff team. This is a totally new, innovative concept in training the next generation of spiritual leaders, so be in prayer for our Cross Church School of Ministry President, Dr. Jeff Crawford, and the men and women that will be pouring into these students.
The Supreme Court’s June 26 decision
Dr. Russell D. Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, commented on the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage rulings from June 26. Click here to read Dr. Moore’s statement in its entirety.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.