WELCOME Welcome to The Crossing Church, Thank you for joining us today! We hope that during your visit today, you experience what it means to be part of our family. Pastor Tim Ingram, our Campus Pastor, will be bringing us will be bringing you a very special message today. I am confident that you will leave inspired to become a follower of God in every aspect of your life. If you came alone or brought the whole family, please know that Tamara and I pray you experience something special.
Pastor Greg & Tamara Dumas Lead Pastor
Your Pastor, Greg and Tamara Dumas, Lead Pastor
UPCOMING EVENTS First Wednesday Celebration Celebration On Wednesday, November 3 at 7pm the Celebration Campus is invited to attend a celebration in your honor! We will be renting 2 buses that can hold 104 people. Once we arrive at the Tampa Campus, we will be greeted as new brothers and sisters. If you would like to attend this very special event designed just for you please pick up a free ticket at the Infomation Center.
Giving Online If you would like to give securely online simply go to https://members.crossingonline.org/ and follow the links located on the left side of the page. For further information call our church offices at 813.626.0783.
Lifegroups LifeGroups are underway, and if you haven’t signed up yet, it’s never too late! Please e-mail your interest and information to Ministry Assistant Shayla Yancey at: syancey@crossingonline. org and we will make sure to get you connected!
Celebration Campus Welcome Booklet Online Are you interested to hear more about The Crossing Church – Celebration Campus? We now have the welcome booklet online at www.crossingonline.org/celebration-campus.
Student Ministries (6th - 12th grade) The Youth Fall retreat will be on November 12-14 at The Crossing Church-Tampa campus. Cost is $75 per person, or $65 for the first 20 people who give a $35 deposit. Bus transportation will be provided. Please watch your mail for more information.
Men’s Breakfast Join the men of The Crossing Church – Celebration Campus for our next monthly breakfast which will be at 8:30am, on Saturday, Nov. 6 at at Market Street Cafe (701 Front Street, Celebration.) No advance registration required.
Fit Body Boot Camp at The Hub Want to lose weight, tone up FAST, and get in the best shape of your life ... all while having a blast doing it? Finally you can with JC & Stephanie Cuilty’s “Fit Body Boot Camp!” Guaranteed to build lean muscle and melt the fat off permanently. Take the Fat Loss Challenge every Saturday at 7am for FREE at The Hub (65 Riley Rd., Celebration.)
For more announcement details: www.crossingonline.org/announcements-celebration-campus
Sunday, October 24
WELCOME TO THE
CROSSING CHURCH
Is It In You? The Crossing Core Values: Authority Ephesians 4:1-12
Campus Pastor: Tim Ingram
SCRIPTURE Ephesians 4:1-12 (NIV) As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life “worthy” of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely “humble” and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the “unity” of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.” 9(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 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. 1
OBSERVATION • • • •
The covering of God produces manifold blessing and protection within your life: fathering, loving, encouragement, equipping, and a healthy church body. (Hebrews 13:17) Obedience and submission – there is a difference. Each individual may choose to stray from God’s covering which produces: guilt, demonic danger, loneliness, risk, an unhealthy church body. The body of Christ advances to fruitful ministry as the people within the body submit to the equipping of the appointed leaders of the church.
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APPLICATION 1. Willingly submit to the Shepherd. Our understanding of authority must come from the perfect picture of Jesus caring for us, His sheep. As the sheep submits to the Shepherd, the sheep lives. (John 10:1-18, Psalm 23 (NASB), Ezekiel 34:22-31) 2. Willingly submit to the delegated authorities God has placed in your life – home, church, work, nation. (Romans 13:1-5) 3. Once under authority, wield the authority God has given you to conquer every foe. (I Peter 5:6-11)
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PRAYER Father, we submit to you! There truly is no one like you who is able to save, to bring back, to redeem every hopeless, lifeless, dead-end situation. We come and fully bow down before you all of our gifts and abilities that you might bring your glory to your Church. Jesus, our submission to you is the greatest freedom we could ever imagine. We claim you as Lord of all – of humanity, of Creation, of direction and purpose. Nothing is outside the stretch of your loving power. It is our greatest joy to say as David said, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” Teach us how to be good sheep, to know your voice, to hear your command and obey willingly. You are our God, and we are your people.
LIFEGROUPS Use the following as a resource for your LifeGroup to go deeper with this week’s message. We hope this helps you as you “do life together”. Opener: Each and every one of us who have believed on the name of Jesus Christ for our salvation is a possessor of the authority of all heaven. Jesus said that we have the keys of the kingdom. Keys represent authority. I have on my key ring a key that will open every door in my house. Because I have authority in this place, I can come and I can go. A door is meant as a barrier, but once you possess the key, it no longer hinders you. Each person in the group needs to grab his or her own set of keys. Now, choose one key on the key ring, and share with the group what it goes to. Describe the authority it gives you to access the desired destination. Digging Deeper : This weekend we saw Pastor dissect Psalms 23 and learned that God has the authority to make us lie down, doesn’ t he? Share with your group the last time God made you lie down or rest. Sometimes we rush about, trying to meet this engagement & fulfill that obligation when God is saying, “ Be still and know that I am God” . David then says, “He leads me beside quiet waters.” When we look deeper into what a sheep is we learn that they are frightened of swiftly moving water. They are poor swimmers, and get bogged down with their heavy wool just as we would if we tried to swim wearing wool overcoats. So when the shepherd comes to a moving stream, he does not try to force the sheep to drink. Instead, a good shepherd builds a dam and makes a quiet little pool where his sheep can drink from still waters. Think about the last time when you felt the authority of God shifting you in his gentle way and share with your group how that made all the difference in submitting to him. God knows our weaknesses. He leads us by still waters. He promises to protect us from the temptations that we cannot handle. He never forces us into situations with which we cannot cope. Let’ s read 1 Corinthians 10:13. What does the Lord say His power has the ability to do when difficulty comes our way? Application: So is the Lord leading your life? We hope and pray that after the message this weekend, and the study tonight, that you understand God is the great Shepherd and His authority can be trusted. If you are struggling and feel you do not know the way, we encourage you to share it with your group; allow them to walk with you as you allow the Lord to take control once again. He will lead you back, and He will redeem you from all your sins. He will put you on the path of righteousness. He will cause your cup to overflow, and goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life. Share with your group one way you have felt the goodness and mercy of someone, and how did that affect your relationship with them? And one day, we will “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Are you ready for that? In closing share with your group how you believe submitting to the Lordship of God will deeply impact your life.