Crossway Baptist Church

Beginning Sunday, October 5th, we will begin meeting in a new location.  The address is 7488 Hwy 11 W, Lenoir City, TN, 37771.  For directions see below.

All of our services and studies will be conducted at this new location.  Also, we hope to add more opportunities for ministry in the near future.  Our service times are as follows:

Sunday School…………………………10:00am
Sunday Morning Worship………….11:00am
Sunday Evening Bible Study………..6:00pm
Wednesday Evening Bible Study….7:00pm

Please come and visit with us as we worship God together.

We will be located 1/4 mile east of the Justice Center on Hwy 11 in Loudon County.  From I-75 take the Sugar Limb Road exit 76 to Highway 11.  Take a left onto Highway 11 and continue 1/4 mile.  The Church meeting place is on the left.

From Lenoir City head west on Highway 11 all the way through town.  The last stop light in town is at G Street.  Continue two more miles on Highway 11.  Memorial Gardens is on the left and the Church meeting place is on the right.

For a map click here.

Brothers and sisters,

Why not take a moment and tell us how God has been at work in your life recently. This is an excellent way to encourage one another.

For myself, God has been powerfully bringing home the truth of justification by faith (see Romans 3-5). I’ve been studying this for an upcoming sermon. It’s so overwhelming: Christ paid my sin debt and my account is credited with Christ’s righteousness – and it is all of God. There is nothing I must do but receive it through faith. Praise God!

Blessings,

David

Brothers and sisters,

It’s very big in church planting to ask, “Who are you targeting?”

In other words: What kind of congregation do you want to attract? Cowboys? Bikers? Goths? Golfers? First decide that, and then focus your evangelistic efforts toward them. There’s a lot of literature written to help you do this. I was taught this idea in Bible college.

I think it’s silly.

I think I can confidently say that Crossway Baptist Church desires to reach one broad demographic:

Sinners.

No matter what statistical category the world may put us in, we are all sinners before a holy God and in desperate need of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Sinners are Crossway’s target. Let’s reach out to them all.

Blessings in Christ,

David

Very well, I think.

Some had concerns that the kids would be sitting there bored while the adults talked over their heads. But I think I can safely say that that is not the case. The kids are right there in it with the grown-ups; raising their hands, looking up and reading Scripture, participating in activities, and most importantly – learning the Bible.

Still others had concerns that the adults would sit there bored while we taught at an elementary level. But, I think I can say there too, that that is not the case. The adults are enjoying watching the kids learn and they’re learning too. You might think you know all there is to know about the Ten Commandments, but several grown-ups in the class have been pleasantly surprised to see there’s much more there than they’d first thought.

So, maybe you’ve wanted to visit with us, but you’ve been concerned the Sunday School class might be “wrong” for you or your family. All I can ask is give it a try. I think you’ll be happily surprised.

Blessings in Christ,

David

Brothers and sisters,

Hebrews 4:13 says:

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (ESV)

I think of this verse whenever I fly. I’ll sit in the terminal and just watch the hundreds upon hundreds of men, women, boys, and girls walk, run, and shuttle on by and I’ll think: “God knows each and every one of these people perfectly.” And then I think: “Wow.”

I mean, it just causes me to worship our awesome God.

Think of it: All those people and God knows everything about them. All their thoughts, hopes, and dreams. Every desire. Every sin. Every kind deed. What they do in secret. What they did the night before and what they’ll do five years from tomorrow. He knows their motivations and their hypocrisies, even when they do not. His knowledge of them is perfect.

What’s more, all those people are all going somewhere to do something sometime soon. And don’t forget the folks waiting to meet them where they’re heading. All those lives interwoven by the Master Weaver. Thousands of people in that one terminal alone all set on their plans, but not one purpose of God will go unfulfilled. Amazing! Incredible!

And then when I’m actually in the air and looking down on the city from which we departed – millions of souls all known by God. I’m not exaggerating when I say it staggers my thinking to consider the totality of the Lord’s knowing. And I cannot help but to worship Him.

Blessings in Christ,

David

October 31, 1517 is a day that is remembered by many Christians as Reformation Day.  That was the day that Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the Castle Church door in Wittenburg, Germany.  Those 95 Theses were a call for the Catholic Church to reform its teachings and practices concerning repentance.  Although Luther did not intend to spark a movement that would shake the established hierarchy of religious leaders to their core, and although he was not yet the Reformer that we remember him as now, that single action of calling for repentance from the established Church was the spark that engulfed the Western world in the fires we call the ‘Reformation’.

Crossway Baptist Church would like to commemorate that  bold action by Luther by remembering the formative principles of the Reformation.  These principles can be reduced down to six Latin phrases;

1. Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)
   
2. Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
   
3. Solus Christus (Christ Alone)
   
4. Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)
5. Soli Deo Gloria (For God’s Glory Alone)
6. Semper Reformanda (Always Reforming)

As a way of remembering these great truths of the Christian Faith, beginning on Sunday, September 21, 2008 and continuing through Sunday, October 26, 2008 we will be preaching each Sunday morning based on these foundational Christian truths.  The schedule and preachers are as follows;

• September 21, Grace Alone-Jeremy Weaver
• September 28, Faith Alone-David Rosati
• October 5, Christ Alone-Charles Henderson
• October 12, Scripture Alone-Jeremy Weaver
• October 19, To God Alone Be The Glory-David Rosati
• October 26, Always Reforming-Charles Henderson

Another Latin phrase that describes the results of the work of God in the Reformation is the phrase, Post Tenebras Lux (After Darkness Light).  The Middle Ages are sometimes referred to as the Dark Ages.  Against this backdrop of darkness the reformers were faithful to shine the forth the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The light of the Reformation is concisely stated today like this…Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed in Scripture alone, and for the glory of God alone.

But then the reformers also knew that their work was not ended.  They trained leaders to follow after them to continue the work.  And because we are fallen people we are in constant need of reformation.  We always need to be called back to both the simplicity and freeness of the Gospel and to the worship of our God as He has commanded us to worship Him in Scripture.

May God use His Word in these messages to keep calling us back to the light of truth.