This week’s devotions are based on Week 2: Grateful Hearts GROW Together (WATCH HERE)
Ephesians 4:11-16 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Have you ever prepared for company to come over? You clean the house, make sure there is enough food, arrange the chairs, and get everything ready to welcome your guests. You don’t go through all that effort simply because you enjoy having a clean house. You do it because someone is coming, and you want them to feel welcome. Preparation is an expression of anticipation. It says, “We’re expecting someone, and we’re getting ready!”
As we think about the future of Crosspoint and our building project, that is an important perspective to remember. We aren’t simply planning for more space or a nicer facility. We are preparing for opportunities to welcome more people, share the Gospel, and help others grow in faith. But there’s something even more important than the physical building: the people who make up the church.
In Ephesians 4, Paul describes the church as a body in which every member has a purpose. God gives different gifts to different people so that the body of Christ can be built up and strengthened. Notice that Paul doesn’t describe a church where a few people do all the work while everyone else watches. He describes a body in which every member matters and every member contributes.
That’s an important reminder as we look toward the future. A building can provide classrooms for children to learn about Jesus, gathering spaces for families to connect, and rooms where people can study God’s Word and grow in faith. It can provide opportunities to welcome visitors, serve our community, and equip people to share the Gospel. But walls and rooms cannot create faith. A beautiful building cannot replace a welcoming heart. More space doesn’t automatically mean more ministry. It takes people willing to use the gifts God has given them to serve others.
And here’s the wonderful thing: God has already given us everything we need to get started. He has given us his Word, the forgiveness of sins through Jesus, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and one another. We don’t all have to do the same things. Some teach, some encourage, some organize, some give, some welcome, and some serve behind the scenes. Every act of service matters when it is done in love.
As you think about Crosspoint’s building project, consider what you are really helping prepare. You’re helping create opportunities for someone else’s child to hear about Jesus, for a struggling family to find encouragement, for a neighbor to discover a church home, and for another person to grow in the faith that gives eternal hope. That’s a much bigger purpose than simply adding square footage.
We don’t know exactly who God will bring through our doors in the years ahead. But we can prepare with grateful hearts, willing hands, and eyes fixed on the mission he has given us.
The building is a tool for the mission. The people are the ones who carry it out. And Jesus is the reason we do it all.
Reflect: What gifts, abilities, or opportunities has God given you that you could use to help others grow in faith? When you think about Crosspoint’s building project, how does focusing on the people who will be reached and nurtured through it change your perspective?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for making us part of the body of Christ and giving each of us a place in your family. Bless Crosspoint as we prepare for the future. Guide our building project so that it provides opportunities for more people to hear the Gospel, grow in faith, and experience the love of Christ. Keep us from thinking that the building itself is the mission. Instead, unite us in the greater purpose of reaching people with your saving grace. May everything we do together point others to Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.