Remember the Poor

November 09, 2011

 "Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do." Galatians 2:10

The call to remember the poor did not fall on Paul as an unwanted duty but as an affirmation for the very thing he was eager to do!  How do we respond to the remembrance of the poor?  When the great multitude of five thousand men came to hear the words of Jesus did our God merely preach to them the good news and leave them to their hunger?  Of course not!  He fed them until they were satisfied.  In the very imitation of Christ, Paul did not dishonor the grace that was shown to him by merely preaching with his mouth, but he also ministered with his actions.  In the same way James teaches us if "a brother is without clothes and daily food" and we say to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," and we do nothing to supply for their needs our words are meaningless.  Jesus proclaimed both that the Kingdom of Heaven is near, and he sacrificed his life on the cross so that we could have an inheritance in Heaven. 

Have we forgotten that we were once poor and broken and that Christ redeemed us and raised us from the grave and into life?  Jesus pulled us out of despair and gave us joy, so praise, honor, and glory to his name!  Holy Spirit please continue to work in our hearts and let us see the joy in loving our neighbors well and supplying for those who are in need, because you God have provided for our needs.  By your power and for your glory God let us imitated our Savior.

It is easy to be blind to the needs of others; however there are many people in the Seneca, Central, and Clemson areas who are in need.  Crosspoint receives many phone calls a week from people who are in need.  If you wish to serve and minister to those in need, or would like more information regarding Benevolence and Mercy Ministries at Crosspoint please contact Sean Alford at salford@generation-link.org.

Soli Deo gloria,

Sean Alford

Hope for Clemson

October 31, 2011

"And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region."  Acts 13:49

Paul and Barnabas were not satisfied with merely sharing the gospel with one or two individuals but with entire regions.  They did not see the gospel as an interesting piece of news, but as being profitable for salvation.  They took this understand and with boldness went into cities proclaiming the name of Jesus and serving the people for his glory.  We also as Christians see the gospel as being more than gossip or an irrelevant fact, because we have experienced the redeeming and transforming power of God's words in our lives.  And we are commanded to take gospel to the entire world, from the Far East to our own backyards, so that the good news of Christ would impact and transform the world. 

Because of this calling Crosspoint Church has a vision to transform our communities for Christ.  One of the action steps for this vision is Hope for Clemson, which is an extended service partnership with various ministries and communities in the Clemson area.  Crosspoint's Connecting Point groups are leading these partnerships by linking their group with specific areas of service.  The goal is that each CP group would intentionally serve their partnership at least once a month for the remanding school year.  So far the CP groups have partnered up with various neighborhoods and dorms as well as many ministries such as Helping Hands and Haven of Rest.

We ask that you would please be in prayer for our CP groups as they go into the world to impact the culture, and if you would like to participate in or start a new Hope for Clemson partnership please contact Sean Alford at salford@generation-link.org. 

Soli Deo gloria,

Sean Alford