Pastor Chuck's Blog

We’ve spent the last five Sundays talking about the cross in our worship services.  Our LifeGroups are doing a study on the cross.  We’ve said that one of our priorities as a church is to be cross-centered.  Are we talking about the cross too much?

I remember thinking early in my Christian walk that I had heard the story of the cross and was ready to move on to ‘deeper things.’  Oh man was I wrong!  I now believe, if done correctly, we can never talk too much about the cross.  All of existence is about Jesus and it’s at the cross that we see the blazing center of who Jesus is, what he came to do, and what was accomplished.  Chris Tomlinson posted something about this very thing recently.  I thought you would be blessed by it:

At the cross…

…We see God’s sovereignty—reigning with absolute control over humanity’s greatest sin.

…We see God’s purpose—making known the mystery of His will prepared before time.

…We see God’s plan—to unite all things, on heaven and on earth, in Him.

…We see God’s judgment—requiring recompense for guilt.

…We see God’s holiness—demanding the perfect sacrifice.

…We see God’s power—crushing the Son of God according to the purpose of His will.

…We see God’s wrath—punishing the wretchedness of sin.

…We see God’s sorrow—wailing as only a forsaken son can.

…We see God’s mystery—the Son, as God, separated from the Father, committing His Spirit to God.

…We see God’s compassion—pleading to the Father to forgive the ignorant.

…We see God’s gift—His one and only Son, bruised and broken on our behalf.

…We see God’s mercy—making unrighteous sinners righteous.

…We see God’s love—Christ dying for sinners.

…We see God’s rescue operation—delivering us from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of His Son.

…We see God’s proposal—pledging Himself to His bride forever.

…We see God’s revelation—the Word of God speaking His last so He might speak on behalf of many.

…We see God’s victory—disarming His enemies, putting them to shame, and triumphing over them.

…We see God’s glory—the name of the Father being magnified for the sake of all peoples.

Friends, the aim of life is to make much of God.  To do that, we must constantly be grateful for the cross and all the ramifications of Jesus’ sacrifice there.  I hope you are appreciating him more and more as we walk this journey together.  This coming Sunday, we will be exploring how bitterness and unforgiveness pull us away from the cross.  It’s a message you won’t want to miss.  I’ll look forward to seeing you there.

Also, if you would like more information on how to get involved at Church on Mill, how to join the church, what our priorities are as a communinty of Jesus-followers, and what opportunities exist for you to make a difference, please join me at 9:30am this Sunday in the worship center.  We’ll spend 1 hour walking through some material that could be very beneficial.  Hope you can make it!

Thankful for the cross,

Chuck