The Legacy of a Church in America
AS WE ENTER INTO THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF CROSS CHURCH, IT IS IMPORTANT TO REFLECT ON WHAT GOD HAS DONE with the church He began in the small town of Springdale, Arkansas, on February 19, 1870. Six men and seven women met in a home in Springdale, calling their church The Liberty Church. These thirteen people had no idea about the miracle that would unfold and the legacy they would leave for Northwest Arkansas.
ON FEBRUARY 19TH AS WE ENTER OUR 150TH YEAR AS A LOCAL CHURCH here in Northwest Arkansas, each person who has been part of Cross Church since then has played a part in the miracle story God has written. Thousands upon thousands have been reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ through Cross Church, and hundreds have given their lives to full-time ministry because of this legacy. Millions and millions have been given to the advancement of the gospel and the making of disciples all around the world.
IN 2001, WE BECAME ONE CHURCH IN TWO LOCATIONS WHEN WE LAUNCHED THE CHURCH AT PINNACLE HILLS IN ROGERS FOR THE PURPOSE OF EXPANDING THE GOSPEL IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.
As we began to look toward adding a campus in Fayetteville, in 2010, we changed our name from the First Baptist Church of Springdale to Cross Church. The Fayetteville location now has a beautiful campus and we have added another location in Neosho, Missouri. Through this growth our local impact has expanded, our nationwide impact has grown, and we have advanced the gospel and helped send missionaries throughout the world.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR CROSS CHURCH? ONLY GOD KNOWS. But what we do know is that the decisions we make today impact our future, and we can pray toward our future and what God has for us. We have set goals for ourselves, including becoming debt-free by the end of 2020, which will free up resources and allow us to focus even more on reaching Northwest Arkansas, America, and the world for Jesus Christ. As we enter our 150th year on February 19, let us pray toward the future of Cross Church, the lives that will be impacted, and the legacy we all leave to God’s glory and honor. Yes, the miracle continues at Cross Church!
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
3 Components in My Daily Time with God
I believe one of the most essential parts of Christian discipleship is teaching people how to have a time with God daily. When my sons were elementary age boys, I taught them these things.
If we can teach our son to throw a football or our daughter gymnastics, we can teach our children how to have a daily time with God. If we can teach our friends how to close a business deal or how to decorate a home, we can teach our friends how to walk with Christ daily.
I will stay brief today even though there is so much more to share.
Component #1: Practice Prayer
Prayer is a conversation with God. Prayer is not just you talking to God, but it involves you listening to God. Daily, I begin my time with God in prayer. Practice prayer.
Whether you are a rookie or a seasoned veteran in your spiritual life, prayer is one of the great disciplines in the life of the believer. Develop your prayer life. Learn how to pray.
While I am no authority on prayer, I do pray and believe in the power of prayer. Prayer built upon the Scriptures takes it to another level.
Take the time to organize your prayer life. When you do, you will find your prayer life becoming much more meaningful and perhaps even extended.
Interweaving with prayer is the second component in my daily time with God…
Component #2: Read the Bible
The most transforming discipline in my walk with Christ is the daily reading of the Bible. Nothing is more powerful than the Holy Scriptures. When the Scriptures speak, our God is speaking to us.
From my youngest years, I was taught the value of the Bible and its impact upon my life. Read the Bible daily.
The increasing impact of the Scriptures happened to me when I began to read the Bible through each year and since 1990, I have read the Bible through at least one time annually. In this last decade or so, it may be closer to one and one-half times per year.
The point is this: The more I read the Scriptures, the more I want to read the Scriptures. Faith is built upon the Word of God, not upon the words of others. In this noisy world filled with voices that amplify negativity and forecast constant doom, I must have the Bible, God’s Word, consume me daily.
It is the Bible that anchors my faith. It is the Bible that sustains and ignites my prayer life. It is the Bible, the Word of the Living God, that serves as my filter to separate all untruth from my life.
Component #3: Keep a Journal
In 1990, God led me to not just read through the entire Bible, but to daily begin one of the most meaningful practices I have done in my walk with Christ. When I have completed my daily prayer and Scripture reading time, I close my time with God by writing no less than a one-page prayer to God.
This prayer to God that is written down in a journal daily often becomes a documentation of God working in my life. I have volumes and volumes of these prayer journal books that go back to this daily discipline that I began in 1990. Still to this day, I do this. The only change is that on most days, the letters exceed a page or two.
There is something powerful about transferring your greatest burdens and most special moments with God on to the pages of a journal.
Back to the Basics
How is your daily time with God going? Maybe today is a reminder that it is time to go back to the basics of walking with Christ daily.
Now is the Time to Lead,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
President, National Day of Prayer
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Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the Senior Pastor of Cross Church, President of the National Day of Prayer, and founder of the Cross Church School of Ministry.
To request an interview with Dr. Ronnie Floyd
contact Gayla Oldham at (479) 751-4523 or email gaylao@crosschurch.com.
Visit our website at http://ronniefloyd.com
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Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.