Crossway Update
God is doing some amazing things for us! We have met in our new building for 5 weeks now. It is great to have our own place, but it sure has been a lot of work to get things ready.
First, here is a picture of our worship service from this past Sunday. I asked Dave Burch to preach. He did a great job teaching us how Christmas-the appearing of God our Savior-is the basis for all true godliness.
God brought us 8 first-time visitors! I would say we average 4 visitors each Sunday though there have been several weeks with no visitors.
The room that you see us meeting in is the Fellowship Hall. We have permission from the city to put 166 people in there. We decided not to meet in the auditorium for a couple reasons: (1) it is huge. It seats about 450, and that makes a group of 50 people feel really small. (2) it costs a lot to heat the auditorium.
I hope to give more frequent updates on this blog, so keep checking back. I have a lot to tell you – way too much for one blog post!
I want to leave you with a prayer request. Please pray for our Christmas Eve service. We will probably have many unbelievers. Pray that we give them a warm welcome. Pray for me as I give the Christmas message which explains the gospel. Pray for God to change hearts for His glory!
Craig
The Rage of Jesus’ Accusers
Just here to point out an insightful comment by John MacArthur on how stiflingly frustrated Jesus was able to make the scribes and Pharisees. In their usual fashion, they were following Jesus around in Luke 6, looking for a good reason to accuse him of doing something wrong on the Sabbath. Here is how Luke records the events in Luke 6:6-11.
Luke 6:6-11 – On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him. But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and came forward. And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?” After looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored. But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.
John MacArthur comments in his study bible:
Filled with rage. A curious response in the face of so glorious a miracle. Such irrational hatred was their response to having been publicly humiliated — something they hated worse than anything (cf. Matt. 23:6, 7). They were unable to answer His reasoning (vv. 9, 10). And furthermore, by healing the man only with a command, He had performed no actual “work” that they could charge Him with. Desperately seeking a reason to accuse Him (v. 7), they could find none. Their response was blind fury.