On Easter Sunday we kicked off a brand new series called “Crazy Love” and it was awesome!  Here are some crazy things that took place…

• 15 people decided to follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
• 93 kids in Kidspoint!  23 were infants…Someone is reading the Song of Solomon!  Keep it up!
• 483 people in attendance and most of our college students were gone. (That’s 323 more people than last Easter.)

People are always asking, “What are you all doing to pull off Sunday mornings so well?”  One word…Volunteers!  They are the backbone of Crosspoint Church and there is no way we could pull off Sunday mornings with out them.  With that said, “Thank You” volunteers. Thanks for getting up early on Sunday mornings to set everything up.  Thanks for breaking everything down and being the the last ones to leave.  Thanks for all your help through out the week to make Sunday mornings unbelievable.  Thank you!  Thank you! Thank you!

Tonight we want to specifically say thanks.  We are going to be having our first ever “Volunteer Worship Experience” just for you!  We want to thank you, encourage you, and challenge you to continue to keep up the great kingdom work that you are doing.  The worship experience will last a hour and then all of us will go to China Star to eat.  This event is absolutely free and we are asking everyone who volunteers at Crosspoint Church to come and bring your family at 5:00pm to the Morehead Conference Center for a great time.

I hope to see you there!

My friend and mentor Perry Noble just posted on his blog why people fail morally. Though he is talking to pastors, it applies to everyone.  This post is timing because last week we talked about sex and this week we are going to be talking about “How To Have An Affair.”  Remember, Perry is pretty raw and blunt…That’s what I love about him!

Here is what Perry had to say…

‘Several months ago I did a post entitled, “Pastors, keep your penis in your pants” that generated a lot of interest.  One of the main follow up questions I received as a result of that post was, “Why do pastors (people) have moral failures.”  I believe there are four main reasons…

#1 - No Personal Boundaries

Call me legalistic…but I am a FREAK about particular personal boundaries…such as…

• I do not ride in a car alone with a woman other than my wife!
• I will not be on an elevator alone with another woman.  (I have literally gotten off on a floor that was not my destination in order to keep this value.)
• I will not counsel a woman alone.
• I will not share a meal in a restaurant with a woman with it being just the two of us…under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!  EVER!  (And PLEASE don’t hand me that crap about how it is “business!”)

Those are just a few of the examples…but the bottom line is this men…YOU CAN’T HAVE SEX WITH A WOMAN IF YOU ARE NEVER ALONE WITH HER (unless you are an absolute freak…which is another issue altogether!)

Too many men have sold their ministry down the river just to have an orgasm…it’s not worth it men–we’ve GOT to make tough decisions now and be willing to experience some “inconveniences” for the sake of the Gospel!  BTW…my wife absolutely LOVES the fact that she is the only woman I am ever alone with!

#2 - They Think That Temptation Will Never Overcome Them!

One of the Bible verses that has ALWAYS stuck out to me on the issue of temptation is I Corinthians 10:12!  Here Paul warns us to always be careful…because the minute that we think we have a particular sin mastered…we are in danger of that very sin actually becoming our master.

#3 - They Stop Pursuing Jesus.

One of the things I know is true about everyone of us is that we cannot pursue Jesus and sin at the same time…and if a pastor is trying to get in the pants of a woman who is not his wife…then he cannot claim that his eyes are on Jesus!

This is why I believe time in the Word of God is essential for anyone who wants to keep a pure heart!  Men…we are CALLED to pursue Jesus…and doing so will always lead us away from sin, not towards it!

#4 - Stress

When a man pastor experiences a time of intense stress and anxiety he is way more vulnerable to be lured into sin.

Pastors…we’ve GOT to take the fourth commandment seriously (that would be the one about rest!)  We’ve got to take care of ourselves emotionally, spiritually and physically…neglecting these things allows us to become an easy target of the enemy!

I believe that many times pastors and ministry leaders will allow the stress and anxiety of ministry to catch up with them so much that they see a “moral failure” as an escape of the life they feel enslaved to.

One of the things ALL of us need to keep in mind is that the church is HIS bride…not ours.  There is no need to stress if we believe He is completely in control!

My prayer is that there would NEVER be another pastor to choose to fail morally!  (I hate it when people say a pastor “fell into sin!”  THAT HAS NEVER FREAKIN’ HAPPENED–EVER!!!  Moral failure is NOT a sin that happens to us…we make it happen!

Men, I want us to make it…to keep our eyes on Jesus!  PLEASE, if anyone is struggling in this area and feel like you are about to sin…GET HELP!  PLEASE…talk to someone!  (Many pastors will not do this because they spend WAY too much time trying to BE the Messiah rather than leading people to HIM!)”

I told you he was blunt!  :)

That’s right…SEX!  We are going to be tackling this subject head on this Sunday and trust me, you do not want to miss it.  Make sure you bring everyone you can.  Anyone who thinks about sex, talks about sex, wants to have sex, or is having sex needs to be there. Yes, that even means you married couples (I am going to share how you can improve your sex life in your marriage).

I would like to stress that we have new people every single week coming to Crosspoint and the 11:30am Worship Experience seems to be the prime time.  With that said, I would personally like to ask that some of you all make the shift to the 10:00am Worship Experience.  This would help so much.  It would free up more seats and balance out Kidspoint.  The key here is to have empty seats, at optimal time, so that new people have an opportunity to hear the life changing message of Jesus.  With that said, this Sunday has the potential of being our largest attendance in the history of Crosspoint Church.  Regular attenders, please make the switch to the 10:00am Worship Experience.  Thanks!

Reminder:  Don’t forget to set your clock forward (Day Light Savings) this Saturday night!  And invite everyone you know to be at Crosspoint this Sunday!!!

Quick reminder, we have 25 tickets for the Unleash Conference in Anderson, SC this year.  The conference is on March 12th.  We will leave on Wednesday and be back late Thursday night.  Last year four of us went and this year we are going to take 25 crazy Crosspointers to be stretched and challenged.  If you are wanting to go, then take your $25 to the “information table” on Sunday morning and sign up.  Your $25 will cover your ticket and hotel.  You will be responsible for getting there and your food.  You better hurry, the conference is already sold out (2500 tickets) and we still have a few tickets left.  It’s filling up fast!  Trust me, you do not want to miss this awesome time at NewSpring Church!

Sunday was unbelievable!  Part of me wanted to shout and part of me wanted to cry.  I wanted to shout because a year ago 20 people gathered together and asked God to do a miracle.  We wanted to see a church that would exist to reach people who are far from God and help them become followers of Jesus Christ.  Looking back over the past 12 months we have seen 57 people make a decision to follow Christ and yesterday’s attendance was the largest in the short history of Crosspoint Church…478 people!  Yes…That is correct!  I know, it blew me away too! 

I also wanted to cry. Why on earth would God allow us to experience His blessing like this?  Why would we have the privilege to be a part of a miracle?  You see…Crosspoint did not make this wave…We are just riding it!  I have been praying for a long time for God to do something so great in the church that only He could get the glory for it.  Well, He answered that prayer!  However, I honestly believe that God is just getting started here in Morehead, KY.  He has so much more for us…To partner with Him and dominate a city/region for His glory.  So with that said, we are going to press on through year two and believe God has greater things planned.  I really believe the best is yet to come! (Eph. 3:20)

Can you believe that Crosspoint Church is getting ready to turn one year old?  A year ago 20 of us were sitting right here in the church office dreaming of a church that would reach people who are far from God.  And here we are living out that dream.

I believe this Sunday is going to be the best Sunday in the history of Crosspoint Church.  Do whatever you can to bring as many people with you to come and celebrate our one year anniversary.  Seriously…read Matt. 22:9!  It is going to be awesome.

Can’t wait…Wish it was already Sunday!!!