Crossway Baptist Church

Hear The Good News! - Praise (Luke 1:57-80)

Pastor Buffy Cook brings our 5th message in our new series "Follow Me: A Walk Through Luke's Gospel" in this message entitled "Hear The Good News! - Praise."  After Zechariah was struck mute in the temple, towns folk must have been abuzz with excitement & anticipation & wonder - will ole Zechariah EVER talk again?!  Zechariah did indeed talk again & when he did he had plenty of praise to go around!  As we hear The Good News of John's birth, we will examine The Scene & The Song and then find 4 things that are praiseworthy, applying them to our own lives today using the acrostic P.R.A.Z.

Hear The Good News - Rejoice! (Luke 1:39-56)

To connect the births of John the Baptist and Jesus together, Luke records Mary's visit to the home of Zacharias and Elizabeth. As a result of Mary's greeting when she arrived at Elizabeth’s home, her baby, John the Baptist, "leaped in her womb” and Elizabeth was "filled with the Holy Spirit.”  Mary’s response to everything that had been happening was to praise and worship God. The verses of Mary’s Song or the Magnificat may not seem like much from first glance, but they are deeply significant in the life of Mary and the Christmas story.  Remember, when Gabriel told Mary she was going to have a child who would be the Son of God, she responded with a question, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?”  Now that Mary's trusted God and traveled to talk with Elizabeth, and Mary witnessed the response of Elizabeth's baby still in her womb, Mary doesn’t needs any more confirmation. It's time to praise and worship! 

Hear The Good News! - Faith (Luke 1:26-38)

In this, our 3rd message in the series "Follow Me: A Walk Through Luke's Gospel," Pastor Buffy Cook preaches on "Hear The Good News! - Faith" (Luke 1:26-38).  Giving announcements in church is a regular part of the service.  Sometimes those announcements get all twisted around or just plain come out wrong!  Unlike our announcements, God doesn't make any mistakes, no bloopers!  Yet, God's people's responses to said announcements are often varied.  Mary's response to the announcement of Jesus' birth, one of faith, has much to teach us about our own heart & worship!  If we have truly experienced the birth of the Savior in our own lives, we should have & exemplify a heart that is humble, reflective, believing & submissive as well as worship that is acceptable not atrocious, motivated by love & grace not guilt & compulsion!

Hear The Good News! - Unbelief (Luke 1:5-25)

This is the 2nd message in our new series "Follow Me" - A Walk Through Luke's Gospel.  Ever heard the song "The Greatest" by Kenny Rogers?! Whatever it may be, it points out a common human experience...we've all dreamed of that ONE big moment in life, that once in a lifetime opportunity. Zechariah was no different. Yet, how would he respond when during not just the greatest day of his life but the greatest moment of his life, he heard the greatest news of his life?? Hit a HR?! Strike himself out?! Zechariah's story has much to teach us about our own faith!!!  So grab a Bible, notebook and pen and listen up as Pastor Buffy Cook takes us through this event in the life of Zechariah. 

An Orderly Account (Luke 1:1-4)

In this message, Pastor Buffy Cook begins our series "Follow Me" - A Walk Through Luke's Gospel. What if Jesus had a Twitter account?! His 2.2B "followers" would dwarf the Top 5 Most Followers on Twitter combined - 5x their 410.5M! Here's the BIG ? - those 2.2B "followers," are they truly followers or just fans?! Kyle Idleman in his book "Not A Fan" says "The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren't actually interested in following Christ." What's your delight, your desire (Ps. 37:4)?! If it's to truly follow Jesus then I invite you to grab a Bible, notebook & pen as we embark on a walk with Jesus through the Gospel of Luke, an intimate shared journey, an internship on foot. As we examine this man of God (Dr. Luke) and "An Orderly Account" he penned under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we will consider 5 aspects of his life that will help us truly heed Jesus' "FOLLOW ME"!!! 

A Meal To Remember - 1 Corinthians 11:23-34

#stewards - Week 11, G.I.F.T.E.D. (Stewards of Discipleship)

#stewards - Week 10, G.I.F.T.E.D. (Stewards of Discipleship)

#stewards - Week 9, G.I.F.T.E.D. (Stewards of Life)

In this, our 9th message in the series "#stewards," Pastor Dr. Buffy Cook teaches us how to be good stewards of the life with which God has gifted us.  Ever had a verse or passage just jump off the page & slap ya right between the eyes?!  Acts 13:36 is one - "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep..."  How does one do just that?!  We come to know more about what God wants from us, how He wants to use us to serve His purpose in our own generation, by reflecting on the gifts He has given to us!  Would you like it to be said of you at your funeral, on Judgment Day, that YOU had served the purpose of God in your own generation?!  Knowing your specific spiritual giftings is essential to understanding what the Spirit wants from your life!  It is essential to becoming a good steward of the life with which God has gifted you.  Grab a Bible, a pen & a notebook & listen up as we explore the 6 directives Paul gives us in 1 Cor. 12 to serving the purpose of God in our own generation by becoming good stewards of our spiritual gifts and thus our life!

#stewards - Week 8, G.I.F.T.E.D. (Stewards of Truth)

In this, our 8th message through the series "#stewards," Pastor Jimmy Hicks explores the marks of a good Steward of Truth.  Among the people who call themselves Bible-believing Christians in America today, less than one adult in six reads the Bible regularly. 35% of the adults in Bible-believing churches never read the Bible at all. That goes against everything we are as believers!  We're called to be stewards of the truth.. Grab your Bible, a pen & a notebook as we examine what makes one a good steward of truth!