Does This Sound Familiar?

Dana and her team walk on stage to begin the music, I get excited because I love music, I love to worship, and the worship team do an excellent job. I stand to my feet and listen as an exhortation is made about worshipping the One True God. The first notes begin to be played or sung and my heart begins to rise as I recognize the song. I love this song I think to myself and lift my voice in worship, trying to get lost in His presence. Whoever is receiving the offering for the day comes up and encourages us to give. I am ready, my check has been written, envelop filled out, my offering descends into the soft velvet bag and will hopefully be used by God and I’ll get blessed because I obediently gave it…

I could go on but you get the idea. We all have our own things going on in our heads when we arrive on Sunday mornings. Mostly our thoughts are good. We want to worship, we want to give, and we want the word. We honestly want God to move and be glorified in our midst.

The problem is subtle. It creeps into our mind practically unbeknownst to us. This worship service has become about me. I want to be fed. I want to receive from the Lord. It is certainly not wrong to feel this way, in fact, we are encouraged to hunger after God. However, Luke records an interesting teaching by Jesus:

Luke 17:7 "Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come immediately and sit down to eat'? (8) "But will he not say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink'?

The Master eats first. Who is the Master? Why Jesus, of course. The mindset of the believer coming into the service is so often centered on what they will get out of the service. Let me stress again that it is completely appropriate and critical that we do receive from the Lord in a worship service. The issue is etiquette. The Master is served first. Our worship and giving, our attitude in whatever we do shouldn’t be in what we expect or like, rather we should be focused on serving our Lord, pleasing Him. Once He has been served then we may eat.

-John Spraker
Rock Club Director

What are we supposed to do?

It seems like the whole world has gone crazy. Everywhere we look there is evil going on it seems. There has never been a time such as this. We truly are heading toward the end of time as we know it. It is exciting and scary at the same time. We are not just to live for today—but for tomorrow as well. What do I mean by that? We should live like we are eternal now and live in a way that pleases God. When we have communion, do we leave the table and go out and betray our Lord by our lifestyle? What would Christ say about what we read, see, say, play, and do? Oh—it is just a game, a movie, a book or a habit. If it is against God’s word, it is against you and will harm you. Jesus said we cannot serve two masters; we will either love the one or hate the other (Matthew 6:24). How are you in your walk? Is Christ the focus of what you do each day or is He just to worship on Sundays? The priests in the Old Testament had to purify themselves from sin before entering the temple. This is not a bad idea for us. What would happen if each one of us asked God to convict us of the sin in our personal lives, cleanse us, and deliver us from every stronghold of the enemy? That would be so powerful! There is nothing stopping us from doing that—or is there? Have a blessed week in Christ.


- Pastor Connie Shinn

The Body of Christ...

The summer has all but passed, the air is taking on the familiar feel of Fall and another great opportunity for ministry is in the books. Our annual Summer program at the New River Valley Detention center finished well, with over 15 salvations and an incredible opportunity to invest daily into the lives of incarcerated teens. We at Crossroads would like to thank all those who donated their time and resources to the cause of reaching these young people for Christ.

A question that is often asked of me and others who are involved in the same type of ministry is “Do you ever see any of the people you minister to on the outside?” or “Are you ever able to do any follow up?” and I have to confess this is one of the toughest aspects to this type of ministry. The people we minister to are from different localities, they often do not have a phone, and usually have no reliable transportation. So, to say that it is a challenge is an understatement and just when I might be tempted to be discouraged God reminds me we are only one small part of a whole body that God desires to use. There is a complete body to fulfill His purpose.

In the book of 1 Corinthians Paul writes;
(1Co 12:4) There are different spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them.

(1Co 12:5) There are different ways of serving, and yet the same Lord is served.

(1Co 12:6) There are different types of work to do, but the same God produces every gift in every person.

Because of the different parts of this body God is using at the Radford Worship Center, we are given the awesome opportunity to minister to people at their point of need. As a result, every month people we minister to on the inside (Jail or Detention Center) are ministered to through one of the ministries at the Radford Worship Center. What an awesome privilege it is to work with a church where I can refer someone who needs counseling or someone who needs food or medical assistance. We have parents whose kids attend the Rock Club and teens that are involved in LifeChange. What an awesome demonstration of His love! It is truly an honor to be a part of a ministry where, even in the depths of a Jail or a Detention Center, the practical love of Christ can be seen through the working of His Body.

-Pastor Ted Farmer
Director Crossroads Ministry