CrossPoint Newsletter

Thirteenth Edition 5/6/2024

If you have been in “church life” for any amount of time you have probably heard about the great commission. This commission is a command from Jesus to make disciples of Jesus. It’s a “co”mission because it’s not something Christians do FOR God rather it’s something we do WITH God. God invites us into his loving and adventurous plan to bring the whole world into a relationship with Him. Sounds fun! Yet, many of us struggle with the “how” of making disciples. It sounds fun but feels scary and we often don’t know where to start. I’m convinced the majority of believers would make disciples if they were taught how to make disciples. With summer just around the corner let’s pause for a moment and get practical when it comes to making disciples this summer. 

First, a little bible study. The great commission is found in Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

To help us understand this, let's look at it in another translation. The Message translation says it this way: 

“Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”

Let’s focus on each part of this passage and give you some handles for living it out this summer. 

First, “Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life,”

This is all about intentionality. The call to make disciples is not an “add on” to your life. It’s a reorienting of your life. Look at your summer schedule and apply this intentionality. Are you working all summer? Ask your coworkers if they want to do a 4-6-8 week Bible study with you. Just pick a time (before work, lunch time, after work) to read a passage and ask a couple of questions. Ask them what this passage means and how we can live it out? Start in one of the four gospels. Maybe, the kids are home this summer and your schedule is full. Start with a prayer. Ask God to show you how to help the people you encounter at the pool, baseball games, vacation, etc. You can live with intentionality even without a game plan. In fact, simple intentionality IS the game plan. 

Second, “marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

It would be awesome if you get the chance to baptize your friends, family, and coworkers! That would be a great pool party! However, even if you don’t here’s the big idea; Give them God! Being intentional is the engine but pointing them to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the steering wheel. Consider how you can incorporate spiritual conversations into your normal conversations this summer. Instead of simply asking a coworker how their weekend was, ask them if they go to church. Instead of simply asking them if they have read a good book lately, ask them if they have read the Bible. Ok. I get it. These sound like big scary steps. Maybe they are. But at some point you have to cross that line. You have to talk about Jesus in order to make disciples of Jesus. Be brave. God is with you! You will be surprised to find that most people are not going to reject you and run away. 

Third, “Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you.”

Get practical. Don’t overthink it. Following Jesus is simply a relationship and call to obedience. Spend time studying the commands of Christ and talk to your kids, family, friends, and coworkers about them. The command to love like Jesus. To forgive like Jesus. To give like Jesus. To submit like Jesus. To sacrifice like Jesus. To empathize like Jesus. The list goes on. If you are married, practice these conversations with your spouse. Get comfortable talking to those closest to you about Jesus so you can help others to follow him. Remember, a disciple is a follower. If we don’t help people obey Jesus we aren’t making disciples of Jesus.

Last, “I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”

You are not in this alone. God is doing the heavy lifting. God saves the soul. God changes the heart. God opens the spiritual eyes. God is guiding you. Trust Him. Ask the Spirit for guidance. Ask the Spirit for the right words at the right time and believe He will give them. Ask the Spirit to make you a listener. God is with you. This is what makes the adventure of disciple making so fun! You will experience God in ways you never would otherwise. That will make this summer one to remember!

Ryan Booth

Lead Pastor

At Crosspoint Ellsworth we are celebrating how Jesus is calling people into worship with us each week! We are currently averaging 50-60 people each week and have had to open another room for Kids Ministry. We are also seeing Grow Groups bursting at the seams along with new people serving in Kid’s Ministry & the Worship Team. These are outward signs of inward changes as people are both reconnecting to church after extended absences or checking it out for the first time. Jesus is moving in Ellsworth!

Join us in prayer:

• For Jesus to draw people into serve teams. Specifically Grow Group leaders, Kids Ministry and Worship Team. 
• You can also pray for wisdom on our next steps towards a permanent worship space. It's easy to be both grateful for our current space but also longing for where Jesus is taking us to. Ellsworth is currently in a temporary space that requires us to set up & tear down each week and will be very hot over the summer without A/C.

We are all grateful for what Jesus has been doing in our midst and looking with eager expectation towards the future!

Lane Mills

CrossPoint Ellsworth Pastor

To the 2024 Graduating Class: Congratulations! You made it. You get to celebrate and be celebrated. You get to honor and be honored, but make no mistake, this isn’t the finish line, it’s simply the ending of one chapter and the beginning of another. As I considered words I would want to share with my four kids on the day they graduate, this is what came to mind:

“The love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Cor. 5:14-15)

My family lives in an old farmhouse built in 1900. We have chickens, cats, a dog, and we had pigs but that was a disaster. It was a tasty disaster, but definitely not a repeat experience. There are many projects and things that need to be done around our house and throughout our property. Last spring the church graciously gave me a four week sabbatical. It was a gift! During that time we spent a good chunk at home. We lived like we were in early retirement for a few weeks. I removed tree stumps, moved cattle panels, and made a new fenced area for our dog. I worked hard with my hands which was a nice change of pace, but I didn’t work our fingers to the bone. I took breaks, watched movies, ate good food, and slept in if I wanted to. Life was slow, quiet, and pretty easy.

You may be thinking, “That sounds like a great life. I wish I had that!” Can I tell you something? It’s not. It was a nice break after 14 years of ministry, but even in the middle of my break I thought, “This would be a miserable life.” The quietness, minimal interactions with other people, physical rest whenever I wanted it is all a gift but not how I want to spend the whole of my life. I don’t want to make it to heaven’s shores just to say, “Lord, thank you for a nice, comfortable, easy life. Here’s what I give you: a house and property that I cared for.”

Graduates, don’t you want your life to count for something more than rest or an easy retirement? Rest isn’t bad. Retirement isn’t bad (in fact it’s wise to save for it). It’s just not what God wants you to live the whole of your life for. You were made for more. You were saved by Jesus for more. 

If you want to make a difference in the world for God’s kingdom, and I hope you do, it’s not going to come as a result of your looks or intelligence level, picking the right school, finding the right spouse, or landing the right job, it’s going to come from being gripped by the right things, ultimately the love of Christ. When Christ’s love grips your life, He gives you a new purpose to live for. God’s love transforms us into everyday missionaries to take Christ’s love into the places we live, work, learn, and play. If you go to trade school, a university, or take a gap year, if you remain single, get married, or desire one day to be a mom or a dad, if you own and operate your own business, or go overseas as a missionary–whatever you do, let the love of Christ grip you to leverage your life for his glory.

C.T. Studd, was a missionary in the late 1800’s who’s life was gripped by the love of Christ and lived for His glory. I want to leave you with four lines from a poem he penned:

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be,

If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.

Graduate, make your life count for Jesus. We are praying for you and cheering you on! Parents, our children are not ours to raise and keep, but to raise and send out to make a difference in the world for Jesus. Church, encourage the graduates and graduate parents in your life to continue in the love of Jesus and to keep living for Jesus.

Jason Waller

Lead Pastor