When it came to how we did church, CrossHope Chapel held to the following four church purposes and seven governing values that guide our practices and focuses as a church. Biblical Purposes 1. We seek to be a church where one can safely, without denominational bias, “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 … Continue reading →
At CrossHope Chapel yesterday we opened to Revelation 6 and talked about John’s vision of the opening of the 7 seals. Only the Lamb — the Resurrected Jesus Christ — was worthy to open the scroll by removing the seven seals, and as He did we got a glimpse of the prophetic unfolding of His church in conflict. We spent … Continue reading →
Last Sunday at CrossHope Chapel we had a rich time in the 21st chapter of Matthew, partly because it was loaded with differing accounts and partly because it was the beginning of Jesus’ final week. We enjoyed so much interaction as we looked through this chapter that it is kind of hard for me to pull together one or two … Continue reading →
I have had at least three conversations in the past two weeks with individuals who have told me that when their church goes back to regular in-person worship services, they will not. All three of these people were from different congregations representing Southern Baptist, Pentecostal, and Nondenominational but all three cited a similar reason as to why they are not … Continue reading →
The church I serve as pastor, CrossHope Chapel, does not have an official sign on the dotted line type of local membership. You can’t sign anything that says you want to be a member of CrossHope Chapel or you can’t sign any commitment to be a member of CrossHope Chapel. One becomes a member of CrossHope Chapel by being a … Continue reading →
The COVID-19 crises is changing the ways we do life in America, and it is yet to be seen how much of those normal ways of doing life will return. I suspect a good deal of what was normal a few months ago will come back, but I also suspect a lot will not. I also suspect that it won’t … Continue reading →
In Romans 11:26, Paul says “And so all Israel shall be saved” but doesn’t he mean spiritual Israel and not literal Israel? This is a key verse for those who believe all Jews will be saved by virtue of their being born into a Jewish family or literal Israel, because they also further believe that the Jews will be saved … Continue reading →
Dear Church Friend in Mobile, Alabama, Have you ever invited the guy you work with or the lady at that office or the couple in your neighborhood to attend your church but they just haven’t? Maybe you have great Bible conversations with someone who doesn’t attend church anywhere. Maybe you’ve heard the same excuses as I have for not attending … Continue reading →
In the morning, thousands of people will wake up and get ready to attend a church of their choice. Some will put on their best clothing, some will happily re-wear something from the day before, and some will be more concerned over their toddlers and children keeping their cloths clean at least until they are checked into their Sunday School … Continue reading →
There was once a time while I was serving as a hospital chaplain that my family and I attended a new and growing Baptist church. We loved the fellowship, the church, the vision for growth, but there was one thing that use to drive me nuts…the pastor would often say “Why do you get so excited about your favorite sports … Continue reading →
A few weeks ago I posted on 2 Corinthians & God’s Word and got into a bit of a rant on my observations on the waywardness of today’s church with a trend away from preaching from the Bible. You can read about that at https://www.crosshopechapel.org/2-corinthians-gods-word/. Sunday I shared about a comment in our pastors’ Facebook Group from a new minister who … Continue reading →
The word church comes from the Greek word ekklesia which is defined as “an assembly” or “called-out ones” so according to the Bible, the church is the body of Christ—all those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Our society has benefited from the traditional brick and mortar church building as a beacon of light in its presence and mission. However, … Continue reading →
Here is another video clip from Francis Chan on “How to hear from God” where he deals with comparison between the American Church and Jesus, with a godly balance speaking the truth in love. There are many speaking against the modern institutional church without love, which is why I so appreciate Francis Chan addressing these issues. This is a good … Continue reading →
John 4:1-45 was a big chunk of teaching and afterwards I found myself wishing I had invested more time on Jesus’ words “true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:23, ESV). I have been feeling that I may have given it too much of a simplistic spin when I tried to illustrate the issue as two … Continue reading →