GROW Together: Preparing for the Harvest
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.
GROW Together: Don’t Wait Four More Months!
This week’s devotions are based on Week 2: Grateful Hearts GROW Together (WATCH HERE)
John 4:28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.
Have you ever put off doing something because you thought there would be a better time? Maybe you wanted to make a phone call, reconnect with an old friend, invite someone to church, or have a conversation about faith. You told yourself you would get around to it. Maybe when things slowed down, when you felt more comfortable, or when the opportunity seemed just right. Sometimes we spend so much time waiting for the right moment that we miss the opportunities God has already placed in front of us.
That’s exactly what Jesus was addressing with his disciples in John 4. The disciples were thinking about the physical harvest, which was still months away. But Jesus wanted them to see something much more important. A spiritual harvest was already taking place right in front of them! The Samaritan woman had just met Jesus, and her life had been changed. She went back into town and told others about the man who knew everything about her. Her simple invitation brought people out of the town to meet Jesus. While the disciples were thinking about food and waiting for the future, Jesus was pointing to people who were ready to hear the good news.
Jesus’ words are a challenge for us, too: “Open your eyes!” It’s easy to become so focused on our own schedules, responsibilities, and plans that we overlook the people around us. We see neighbors, coworkers, friends, and strangers, but do we see the opportunities God gives us to share his grace? We sometimes assume that people aren’t interested in spiritual things or that they already have everything figured out. Yet we don’t always know what is happening in someone’s heart. A person who seems to have everything together may be struggling with loneliness, guilt, or uncertainty. Someone who rarely talks about faith may be longing for hope.
The good news is that we don’t have to create the perfect opportunity or have all the answers. We simply need to be willing to take a step. The Samaritan woman didn’t have a theological degree or years of experience. She simply shared what Jesus had done for her. Her invitation was simple: “Come, see a man…” And God used her words to bring others to Jesus.
As we look around Georgetown, we see a growing community filled with new families, new neighbors, and new opportunities. We can spend all our time preparing for what might happen someday, or we can open our eyes to what God is doing today. Our building project may create more opportunities in the future, but we don’t have to wait for a bigger building to start reaching people. The harvest is already around us!
You know someone who may need an encouraging word, a listening ear, an invitation to worship, or simply need to hear that Jesus loves them. Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Don’t assume someone else will do it. Take a step of faith and trust God to use even the simplest words and actions.
The harvest isn’t always somewhere down the road. Sometimes it’s standing right in front of us. Don’t wait four more months!
Reflect: Who has God placed in your life that might need to hear about Jesus or experience his love? What might be keeping you from reaching out? What is one simple step you can take this week to open your eyes and recognize an opportunity to share your faith?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for placing people in our lives who have shared the good news of Jesus with us. Forgive us for the times we have been too busy, too comfortable, or too hesitant to share that same good news with others. Open our eyes to see the people around us who need your love, forgiveness, and hope. Give us courage to speak, compassion to listen, and willingness to reach out. Use us today to plant seeds of faith and invite others to know the Savior who loves them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
GROW Together: Serving Something Bigger Than Ourselves
This week’s devotions are based on Week 2: Grateful Hearts GROW Together (WATCH HERE)
John 15:12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command.
Today, we pause to remember and give thanks for the men and women who have served our country in the armed forces. Veterans Day is an opportunity to recognize those who were willing to put aside personal comfort, leave familiar surroundings, endure hardships, and accept great sacrifices for the sake of something bigger than themselves. Many served far from home, missed important family moments, faced difficult circumstances, and carried responsibilities that most of us will never fully understand. Their willingness to serve reminds us that some things are worth sacrificing for.
There is something important about living for something bigger than ourselves. Our natural tendency is to look inward. We think about our schedules, our comfort, our preferences, and what we want out of life. But Jesus calls us to a different way of living. In John 15, he tells his disciples, “Love each other as I have loved you.” Then he describes the greatest expression of love: laying down one’s life for another. Jesus wasn’t simply giving his disciples a noble example to follow. He was preparing them for what he himself was about to do.
The greatest act of service in history took place at the cross. Jesus willingly gave his life, not for people who deserved it, but for sinners who needed rescuing. He didn’t come to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. His sacrifice wasn’t motivated by duty alone, but by his extraordinary love for us. Through his death and resurrection, we have forgiveness, life, and the assurance that we belong to him forever.
As we think about growing together at Crosspoint, this is an important reminder. The church doesn’t grow simply because people show up. It grows as people grow in God’s Word, love one another, serve one another, encourage one another, and look beyond themselves to those who need to hear about Jesus. Sometimes that means giving up time, sharing our resources, welcoming someone new, or stepping into a responsibility that isn’t necessarily convenient.
Today, thank a veteran for their service. Remember their sacrifices with gratitude. And as you do, remember the Savior who made the ultimate sacrifice for you. Then look for an opportunity to reflect his love by serving someone else. We grow together when we stop asking only what we can receive and begin looking for ways to give.
We honor those who have served us, and we follow the Savior who gave everything for us.
Reflect: How does remembering the sacrifices of our veterans help you appreciate the importance of serving something bigger than yourself? What is one way you can put someone else’s needs ahead of your own this week as an expression of Christ’s love?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the men and women who have served our country and sacrificed so much for the freedoms we enjoy. Bless our veterans, comfort those who carry difficult memories, and encourage their families. Above all, thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ, who willingly gave his life to rescue us from sin and death. His love is greater than we can comprehend. Forgive us when we become focused on ourselves and our own comfort. Give us hearts that reflect the love of Christ. Help us see the needs of others, willingly serve those around us, and work together to share the good news of your grace. May our lives be a reflection of the love we have first received from you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
GROW Together: God Makes It Grow
This week’s devotions are based on Week 2: Grateful Hearts GROW Together (WATCH HERE)
1 Corinthians 3:5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
Have you ever planted something in a garden, watered it faithfully, and wondered if anything was ever going to happen? You put the seed in the ground, give it water and sunlight, and wait. For a while, it seems like nothing is happening. Then one day, you notice a little green shoot pushing its way through the soil. Something was happening all along, even when you couldn’t see it.
The apostle Paul uses a similar picture to describe the work of God’s kingdom. The church in Corinth had begun dividing itself into groups, some claiming loyalty to Paul and others to Apollos. They were placing too much importance on the people doing the work and losing sight of the One who makes the work fruitful. Paul reminds them that he planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. The servants had different responsibilities, but the results belonged to God.
What a freeing reminder for us! We sometimes measure success by what we can see. We count attendance, evaluate programs, measure progress, and look for immediate results. Those things can be useful, but they are not the ultimate measure of God’s work. A conversation about faith, a child’s question about Jesus, a prayer offered for a struggling friend, or an invitation to worship may seem like small things. We may never know what God accomplishes through them.
The same is true when we think about the future of Crosspoint. We can make plans, plant seeds, build facilities, develop ministries, and invite people into our church family. All of those things are worthwhile, but none of them can create faith. Only the Holy Spirit can do that through the powerful message of the Gospel. We don’t build because we think we can manufacture spiritual growth. We build because we trust that God will continue to work through his Word and want to provide opportunities for more people to hear it.
That takes some pressure off our shoulders. You don’t have to produce results every time you share your faith. You don’t have to convince someone to believe. You don’t have to make everything happen. Your calling is simply to be faithful with the opportunities God gives you to plant the seed of the Gospel. Plant the seed. Water the seed. Speak the Word. Show the love of Christ. Then trust God with the results.
God has been faithful to you and his people through many generations, and he isn’t finished working yet. The same Gospel that brought you to faith is still powerful today. So keep planting. Keep watering. Keep trusting. God is still making things grow!
Reflect: Where have you seen God bring growth from what seemed like a small or insignificant beginning? Is there an area of your life, your witness, or Crosspoint’s future where you need to stop worrying about the results and trust God to provide the growth?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for being the source of all growth in your kingdom. Thank you for the people who planted and watered the seeds of faith in my life, and for the Holy Spirit who worked through your Word to bring me to faith in Jesus. Bless Crosspoint as we look toward the future. Use our efforts, our gifts, and our building project to create opportunities for more people to hear the Gospel and grow in faith. Remind us that the work is yours, the power is yours, and the glory belongs to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
GROW Together: Someone Planted the Seed
This week’s devotions are based on Week 2: Grateful Hearts GROW Together (WATCH HERE)
Psalm 78:4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.
5 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, 6 so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.
Have you ever stopped to think about how you came to know Jesus? Perhaps it was a parent who brought you to the waters of baptism, or read devotions to you at bedtime. Maybe you had a grandparent who faithfully took you to church, a Sunday school teacher who patiently taught you Bible stories, or a pastor who shared God’s Word at just the right time. For some of you it was a friend who invited you to church or someone who took the time to listen when life was difficult. However it happened, God used someone to plant the seeds of faith in your life.
Faith is a gift worth passing along. Every generation who has been touched by the power of the Gospel and the wonderful grace of God wants the next generation to know. How many generations have passed since Psalm 78 was written, I don’t know, but what I do know is that each generation took the time, invested the energy, and ensured the grace of God was communicated to the next generation.
What does your “faith family tree” look like? It may be your biological family tree, but it may be very different. The reality is God used people in your life to pass along the good news of what God has done for us. We tell them about Jesus, who came to rescue sinners, carried our guilt to the cross, and rose again so that we might have forgiveness and eternal life. Seeds were planted and faith grows where that good news is heard.
The people who planted Gospel seeds in your life maymay never know the full impact of their words, prayers, invitations, or encouragement. They probably didn’t see all the ways God would use their faithfulness. But God did. He used ordinary people and ordinary moments to bring his extraordinary promises into your life.
Now consider the people God has placed in your life. Children, grandchildren, neighbors, friends, coworkers, and even people you haven’t met yet. What seeds are you planting? You don’t have to have all the answers or be an expert in Scripture. You simply have the privilege of sharing what God has done for you. A conversation, an invitation, a prayer, or a simple word of encouragement can become an opportunity for someone to hear about Jesus.
Collectively, the history of Crosspoint is filled with people who planted seeds before us. We give thanks for their faithfulness and trust that what they planted God would cause to grow. But we also recognize that the story isn’t finished. The same Gospel that brought us to faith is the Gospel we want future generations to hear. It’s why we exist: to bring the Gospel to the next generation.
May God use us to plant seeds for tomorrow!
Reflect: Who planted seeds of faith in your life, and how did God use that person to bring you closer to Jesus? Who has God placed in your life today with whom you could share the good news of Jesus?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the people you placed in my life who shared your Word, encouraged my faith, and helped me grow in your grace. Thank you especially for Jesus, whose death and resurrection have given me forgiveness and the promise of eternal life. Give me courage to speak, patience to encourage, and faithfulness to plant seeds of your Word. Bless the generations who will come after us, and use us to pass along the wonderful story of your grace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.