WELCOME Dear Friends and Guests, Welcome to another exciting weekend at The Crossing Church. We are beginning a new series called, “Community.� What do you think of when you hear that word? Some may think of the community swimming pool, others think of the TV show on NBC. For The Crossing Church, Community means a whole lot more! We are a relational church which means we need to spend time with one another, doing life together. That is what community means to us. We pray you find your own community right here this weekend.
Pastor Greg & Tamara Dumas Lead Pastor
Your Pastor, Greg and Tamara Dumas, Lead Pastor
UPCOMING EVENTS Help Our New Spanish Campus Pastor Dave and Alicia Murphy need items for their home. They sold all of their belongings to move from Ireland and are in need. Visit a Target store and ask for the “David Murphy” registry.
KP3 Enroll now for fall 2010 – 2011 school year. Application deadline Sept. 15. For more info Checkout www.crossingonline.org/kp3.
Job Position Available Part-Time Bilingual (Spanigh/English) Administrative/Ministry Assistant for the Spanish Campus. Contact Irma Colón-Ewing at icewing@crossingonline.org or (813) 626-0783 Ext. 132.
Blood Drive Florida Blood Services will be at The Crossing on Sept. 18 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm and Sept. 19, from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. Donors will receive free gifts and a free wellness screening from Florida Blood Services. For more information, visit www.fbsdonor.org.
For Zion’s Sake Bring your family and join us as we celebrate the Jewish Holy Days/Fall Festival with our local Jewish partner, For Zion’s Sake Ministries. Go to www.crossingonline.org/for-zions-sake for more information or call Beth O’Brien, 813-857-7818 for reservations.
Women’s Christmas Coffee Benevolence Event Interested in hosting a table? The event will be on Thursday, December 9. For more information on hostess responsibilities, please contact ashleysmith96@verizon.net.
Freedom Walk 2010 Walkers and volunteers are needed to support Operation Homefront-Florida’s Freedom Walk 2010 – an event that will be used to remember 9-11 as well as to show support for veterans past and present. For more information, visit www.crossingonline.org News and Events.
Daystar Faith Center Is looking for a lifegroup to sponsor the September end-of-month cookout (Sept 25) for the clients and their families. Bring food, fun and the joy of Christ to the people of Gibsonton. Contact Nickie Foxworth at nrf1292@gmail.com to sign up.
The 26.2 Discipleship Process is an 18-week process that will help you discover and apply Biblical truths in your everyday life and learn how God has designed you to connect, serve, grow, give, and reach. We encourage everyone to join in the race. Register for the 26.2 Discipleship Process at: www.crossingonline.org/262DP. Warm Up: September 19, 2010 Registration closes September 12, 2010
For more announcement details: www.crossingonline.org/announcements
Saturday, September 11 Sunday, September 12
WELCOME TO THE
CROSSING CHURCH
LIVING IN COMMUNITY: Connecting Hebrews 10:23; Acts 2:42-47
Lead Pastor: Greg Dumas
SCRIPTURE Hebrews 10:23-25 (NIV) Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 23
Acts 2:42-47 (NIV) They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. 42
OBSERVATION • • • • • • • •
It’s easy to be disconnected in any church. Churches have to grow smaller as they grow larger. Everyone needs a community in which to belong. The relationships you form in a church often exceed family ties. Doing life together is Biblical and extraordinarily rewarding. Everyone needs to know and be known. Life is better when we do it together. Life Groups provide structure, care, support and vital friendships.
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APPLICATION • Coming to Regular Services (Philippians 1:6, Jeremiah 29:11)
• Attending “Warm Up” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 MSG; Hebrews 12:1-17 MSG)
• Attending “On-Campus” LifeGroups ( Proverbs 18:24 MSG; Hebrews 13:7; 1 Corinthians 13)
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PRAYER Lord, thank you for the gift of community. Thank you for allowing me to connect and to grow in rich relationships. Thank you for new friends who love you and know you and care about others. It’s a little scary at first, but it’s worth the challenge to do life with others who are striving for the same goal – your grace and love. I am experiencing unconditional love for the first time in my life, and it is really nice to be able to be who I am with others and not feel fake or fear condemnation. I love the accountability and the nudge to continue following you. I am being exposed to some amazing people. I would like to emulate their actions and learn how to overcome some of my own issues. Thank you for giving me such a great picture and example of your care for me.
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: 1.
What is your favorite LifeGroup meeting ever? It’s okay if it is not with this current LifeGroup. What made it memorable for you? What outcomes from that meeting have changed your life? If this is your first ever LifeGroup meeting – share what brought you here in the first place.
Digging Deeper : 2. Hebrews 10:23-25 is the heart of today’s LifeGroup meeting. Read it three times through, pausing each time for God’s Word to seep into your soul. When you have heard God’s Word, proceed to these questions: 1.
Have you ever “considered” how to spur on your fellow LifeGroup mates? How can you truly challenge one another to a deeper level of love and good deeds?
2. Do you know how to encourage one another?
Perhaps what is an
encouragement to you is an annoyance to another. Dig deep with each other learning how each person needs to be encouraged. Referring to the Five Love Languages may help. 3. Without falling into sin, discuss why some are in the habit of not attending LifeGroup. How can each person avoid their own traps that would lead them to dropping out?
Application: 3. Come up with action plans based on your answers. This is a proactive LifeGroup meeting to ensure that each member remains part of your community. How are you going to stay together as a family? Also, what are some steps your LifeGroup can take to reach out to those who are no longer coming on a regular basis if at all?
Pray & Act 40 Day Prayer and Fasting September 20-October 30, 2010
Facts about Fasting Pastor Greg will be leading The Crossing Church through a corporate fast beginning September 20 through October 30, 2010 (prayandact.com). We wanted to share with you a few facts and suggestions about what fasting means biblically and how to apply it to our lives. What is a Fast? Fasting is a time to humble yourself before the Lord. Why Fast? We fast for individual and corporate freedom. When God’s people humble themselves God can bring spiritual freedom. How to Fast? beginners: Specific Food or Activity Fast This type of fast refers to omitting a specific item(s), activity or habit from your time of prayer and fasting. For example, you may choose to eliminate red meat, processed or fast food, or sweets. It could also involve fasting from an activity or habit, such as television watching, or social media. Intermediate: Daniel Fast The Daniel fast is a great model to follow that proves to be extremely effective for spiritual focus, bodily discipline and purification in the body and soul. It is probably one of the most commonly referred to types of fasts, however within the term “Daniel Fast”, there is room for broad interpretation. In the book of Daniel, we find two different times where Daniel fasted, once in Daniel 1 and again in Daniel 10. Daniel 1 states that he ate vegetables and water, and in Daniel 10, while the passage does not give a specific list of foods that Daniel ate, it does state that Daniel ate no rich (or choice) foods as well as no meat or wine. So based on these two verses, we can see that either of these, or any variations in between constitutes a fast. Again, there is nothing “inherently spiritual” about one type of fast as opposed to another. It is important to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do. Hardcore: Water Fast or Total Fast A water fast is eating no foods and drinking no liquids except water for a period of time. Extreme precautions should be taken with a water fast and should be done under the direction supervision and monitoring of your physician. A total fast is where nothing – neither liquid, solid food or even water is consumed for a period of time. We do not recommend total fasting as this can be very dangerous to your health. Attempting to go without water especially, for any period of time can be extremely harmful to the body.
Preparing To Fast
(by Bill Bright, Campus Crusade for Christ)
STEP 1: Set Your Objective Why are you fasting? Is it for spiritual renewal, for guidance, for healing, for the resolution of problems, for special grace to handle a difficult situation? Through fasting and prayer we humble ourselves before God so the Holy Spirit will stir our souls, awaken our churches, and heal our land according to 2 Chronicles 7:14. Make this a priority in your fasting. STEP 2: Make Your Commitment Pray about the kind of fast you should undertake. Jesus implied that all of His followers should fast (Matthew 6:16-18; 9:14,15) STEP 3: Prepare Yourself Spiritually The very foundation of fasting and prayer is repentance. Unconfessed sin can hinder your prayers. Here are several things you can do to prepare your heart: • Remember that God is your Father and He loves you and is for you. • Confess every sin that the Holy Spirit calls to your remembrance and accept God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9). • Seek forgiveness from all whom you have offended, and forgive all who have hurt you (Mark 11:25; Luke 11:4; 17:3,4). • Make restitution as the Holy Spirit leads you. STEP 4: Prepare Yourself Physically Fasting requires reasonable precautions. Consult your physician first, especially if you take prescription medication or have a chronic ailment. Some persons should never fast without professional supervision. Physical preparation makes the drastic change in your eating routine a little easier so that you can turn your full attention to the Lord in prayer. • Do not rush into your fast. * Prepare your body. • Eat smaller meals before starting a fast. Avoid high-fat and sugary foods. • Eat raw fruit and vegetables for two days before starting a fast.