The Blog

A Piece of Art

Parents are interesting creatures. No matter how big or how small their child’s accomplishments are, no matter how short or tall, no matter what the situation is, they are always so proud of their child. I noticed this tendency even more working at Pa’s Pumpkin Patch. Every day I listened to the parents brag about their child winning at this or that sporting event or getting a good grade on a test. I noticed that they were so proud that they were sharing their children’s accomplishments with a complete stranger, and it made me begin to wonder, is that how God is with us?

Ephesians 2.10 says, “For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

This hit me hard because just as children look like their parents, I look like my Creator. As I thought on this verse, I realized that even with my bad hair days and brace-covered teeth, God created me to look like Him. He made me just the way I look on purpose. I’ve never heard a child complain to the parents or ask them, “Why did you make me this way?” Yet we are so quick to point the finger at God and criticize His artwork, when we are His workmanship. He took the time to number the hair on our heads, to decide if we would be short or tall, have blue eyes or brown, and all the little factors in between.

Think of the artist who works days and days to make sure that the colors are the perfect shade so that the painting will be as beautiful as possible. After all that hard work, the artist doesn’t look back and say, “Oh, I should have changed that,” or “I made a mistake here.” And neither does God. He is the artist that paints us together, and although we may not always want to believe it, God takes His time in the things that He creates and when He looks back at us, He is well please. Never once does He change His mind about the way He created us, and He is proud of the work He has done.

Every time I laugh and question why parents are sharing how proud they are of their children with complete strangers, I can’t help but remember how much more God is proud of us, not because of who we are or what we can do, but because He made us. So the next time you look in the mirror and begin to point out all your faults, mistakes, and everything that you think is wrong with you, remember that you have a painter who looks down on you and doesn’t see you the way you see you. He looks down on you and is very proud of His work.

-Ashley Ortiz

Class of 2012 / Crossfire Masters Commission / Michael Vincent / Second Year — No comments
30
Jan 12

A Servant’s Heart

When we hear the word servant, we tend to think of a waiter or waitress. We might also think of someone who does the ‘low’ work that may not seem as important. I always looked at myself as a servant, but over time, God has shown me that I wasn’t a true servant at heart. In a physical way, I could serve, but I also needed to have the heart of a servant.

Of course, people might say that there aren’t servants anymore. But the truth is, we are servants in our every day lives. When we have jobs and our boss tells us to do something like take the trash out, we are servants. And if we grumble or complain while we’re doing it, that’s not a servant’s heart. A servant doesn’t complain or grumble under his breath. A servant is always seeking to serve others before themselves.

John 13.14 says:

“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one anothers’ feet.”

Here is a great example of a servant’s heart; even though Jesus was the Son of God, King, Lord, and Teacher, He was willing to serve His disciples by washing their feet. He showed the true heart of a servant.

This past weekend, we had our International Weekend, and during that time, God taught me and showed me the heart of a true servant, how to serve others before myself. To have a true servant’s heart, I need to be humble. If I can serve with a humble heart, I will be able to serve anyone in life.

So I encourage you to serve others. Look for the opportunity to serve those around you. You never know who you will bless or who’s life you could change by your service. So will you agree with me to serve those around you?

-Michael Vincent

What are some things that are difficult for you to have a true servant’s heart in?

Class of 2012 / Crossfire Masters Commission / Devotions / Discipleship / Transformed Citizens of an Unshakable Kingdom / Vincent Modesto — No comments
23
Jan 12

Planted Seed

A few years back I went through a time of correction from my leaders where I was set down from ministry. At the time there wasn’t a single, specific reason given to me for it. It was more of a much needed attitude adjustment. To be honest, I didn’t really understand or even agree that I needed correction (who ever does?) but I was willing to submit and do what was asked of me. What followed was a season of discovering things in my life that were left ignored and unchecked. Within myself I began to see actions, attitudes and mindsets that were hindering both my ministry and my relationships with others. As time went on I became more and more frustrated. First, with myself for not seeing it. But mostly, with those that were around me that saw the junk in my life and allowed me to stay in it. I began to see them as fake, and not really there to help me grow.

Or so I thought.

As time went on, and my frustration grew, I finally approached some of those friends and asked them, “if you saw this junk in my life, why didn’t you tell me about it?” The general response from them led me to one of the most vital lessons I’ve learned. They all said, “Vince, we knew you would’ve never listened if we’d tried”. In that statement alone I discovered the biggest obstacle in my walk: I was UNTEACHABLE; I lacked the ability and willingness to truly receive the correction, and teachings that were necessary to my growth. Now if you look up the word teachable you’d find something like: “capable of being instructed as a person”. and, while that is true, that doesn’t quite satisfy the conviction that was in my heart. So just because I can sit in a class and take notes that makes me teachable? I think not.

Recently I read a passage of scripture that is often read and quoted but for some reason it stuck out in a new way:

“Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. (Matthew 13:3-8 NIV)”

As I read this verse, God began to show me the truth of being teachable. You see, Jesus is breaking down different levels of receptivity, or “teachability”. First, there’s those who completely ignore. Then, there’s those who listen but only receive on a superficial level; they don’t really apply it to their lives. There are also those that receive but don’t make the necessary changes in their lives to fully grasp and change the area of correction. But, then there’s those that take the lessons of God, and people, and soak it in completely and whole-heartedly. These people are willing to change on the deepest level. Notice the promise that’s made that those seeds that are planted on good soil would produce a harvest. It means that when we allow correction to truly change us there will be a blessing produced from that correction.

After reading this scripture, I had to ask myself: “Am I teachable?” not in the general, dictionary definition of teachable, but in God’s truth of what it really means to be teachable. When we begin to see things in the light of Christ and begin measuring things by HIS standards, we can be sure of two things: 1. It will be much harder and less comfortable, and 2. It will bring us to the best and most rewarding place we could be.

-Vincent Modesto

Class of 2012 / Crossfire Masters Commission / First Year / Karina Espinoza / Transformed Citizens of an Unshakable Kingdom — No comments
03
Jan 12

Jumping in the Jack-O-Lantern

It’s beautiful what God can show us when we choose to maintain a kingdom mindset, staying sensitive to His voice and keeping alert and ready when He calls. A couple months ago as I was working at Pa’s Pumpkin Patch in Seal Beach, CA, the manager asked me to work at a jumper for toddlers that looked like a jack-o-lantern. As I was sitting there watching the little kids jump, God showed me something. A father was standing directly in front of the door calling out to his son who was all the way in the back of the jumper, telling him to get out of the jumper.

The father would say, “Son, let’s go. Time to get out. Come on, let’s pick out a pumpkin.” But the little boy saw all the other children bouncing and wanted to jump with them too, so he kept jumping. The father continued calling him, but the son just kept having a good time… Until one of the other kids jumped on him and he fell and started crying.

Instantly, the father reached his arms in the jumper, calling him saying, “It’s okay, son. Come to me.” So the little boy gets up and starts walking towards him, but the kids in the jumper started bouncing right in front of his way and caused him to stumble and fall. His father knew he couldn’t jump in and grab him, so he continued to encourage him to get up and try again. Finally, the boy smiled, got up, looked back at the other kids, then to his father and ran into his father’s arms.

Now, let’s say the father in this story is God, and the kids in the jumper are the world, and you are the son. God’s calling you, and He doesn’t stop. He’s at the gate with arms wide open, waiting on you! It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve fallen, God is still calling you.

Sometimes we have to hit rock bottom when we choose to go down the path to the world so that we want come back to God, but God doesn’t want us to go down that road; in fact, He weeps when we use the free will He has given us to choose the world. Sorry, y’all; there’s no in-between; you can’t choose both Him and the world. And to see you fall hurts Him the most and what hurts the most is He can’t help you up if you don’t call out His name. But if you get up and keep going and running towards His voice, you’ll get to jump into His arms. And go choose your pumpkin with the ultimate Daddy, our Lord Jesus Christ!

-Karina Espinoza

Class of 2012 / Crossfire Masters Commission / Kaitlin Pederson / Third Year / Transformed Citizens of an Unshakable Kingdom — No comments
18
Nov 11

A Disciplining Dad

A few weeks ago, MC had a focus on discipline, and we were talking about how God will discipline His children the way a father disciplines his child. Many times that concept is difficult for people to understand because they have a wrong view of who or what a father should be.

Because of the culture we are in, I think that many times people hear the word father and they think abandonment. There have been so many fathers that have left their families to fend for themselves; or even if they don’t leave, they are distant from their children, and the children feel abandoned; so when God or a person in authority comes along and tries to discipline them, they don’t see it as love, but as abuse.

I was blessed to have a good earthly father who loved and disciplined me. My dad never disciplined me for nothing. It was always because I’d done something I shouldn’t have or failed to do something I should have. And after the discipline, he didn’t continue to punish me for whatever I’d just been disciplined for. If I got a spanking, the next moment, I was in his arms to cry it off. Or if I had to apologize, the instant I did it, I was back in his arms for a hug. For my dad, discipline wasn’t about hurting me or coercing me to do what he wanted. Rather, was an act of love toward me.

In Hebrews 12.5-7, it says:

⁵ And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

   “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
   and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
   and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?

Those of us who don’t have good earthly fathers often translate our view of our earthly father onto God and make Him out to be something He’s not. But that’s not a right view of God. A lot of times we walk through discipline and we wonder how God could love us when He disciplines us like He does. But just like for my dad, discipline is one way that God loves us and shows us that we are His children.

-Kaitlin Pederson

Is discipline hard for you to accept because you have a wrong image of God as your Father? If you would like prayer or to talk to someone about this, please comment or email us at info@crossfiremc.com.

Class of 2012 / Crossfire Masters Commission / Pastor Chris Cheek / Transformed Citizens of an Unshakable Kingdom — No comments
16
Nov 11

Transformed Citizens of an Unshakable Kingdom

We have commissioned the 12th year of Crossfire Master’s Commission students. Each year CMC has a theme that God has placed upon the leadership of Master’s Commission. This year’s theme is Transformed Citizens of an Unshakable Kingdom. This theme isn’t just some catch phrase, but rather it is the definition of what we, as disciples of Jesus, become.

In order for us to comprehend the fullness of this theme, we need to break it down, beginning with the word transformed. According to the dictionary, to be transformed means that we have changed in appearance or form, along with having a change in nature, function, or condition. In the Greek language, the word is metamorphesoo- meaning our nature has changed, like a caterpillar into butterfly. This deals with the exterior form, while as a born again believer of Christ, our nature is changed.

2 Corinthians 5:17 exclaims, “If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old is gone and the new has come.” In Christ, your nature has changed; you are now able to be led by the Spirit of God. Without this conversion or transformation, we are still dead in our sin. In Christ we are not only changed from the inside out, but we are transformed from the inside out, and because of this transformation, our way of living is different. We are no longer outsiders of God’s Kingdom, but we now belong to God’s household. As Ephesians tells us, ”Therefore you are no longer outsiders (exiles, migrants, and aliens, excluded from the rights of citizens), but you now share citizenship with the saints (God’s own people, consecrated and set apart for Himself); and you belong to God’s [own] household.” (Ephesians 2:19, AMP). As followers of Christ, we belong to Him and are considered to be citizens of heaven.

Citizenship is an interesting concept, especially with the western mindset that we have as US Citizens. We understand people dream to just get here as a point of destination, while many times we take for granted the perks and benefits that we are eligible for as citizens of the United States. In definition, a citizen is a person owing loyalty to, and entitled by birth or naturalization to the protection of, a state or nation; a resident of a city or town, especially one entitled to vote and enjoy other privileges there.

Many times as American citizens we do not always enjoy all of the privileges and benefits that we have the opportunity to enjoy. But when we take this concept to a different level and understand that we (followers of Jesus) are receiving a Kingdom that will never end (Isaiah 9:6-7), that’s where we can begin to ask ourselves if we are truly enjoying the benefits and privileges that we should be enjoying as we walk with Christ. According to Hebrews 12:28, we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. God is the King of this unshakable Kingdom, and we are the residents of this Kingdom.

I have said all of this in order to encourage you to live your Christian walk as a resident of heaven. Don’t forget that as a citizen of heaven, you have the opportunity to make your dwelling place found in Him. When you received Jesus as Lord of your life, you became a transformed citizen of an unshakable Kingdom. Now, therefore, GO and live as one!

Pastor Chris Cheek

Class of 2012 / Crossfire Masters Commission / Michael Vincent / Transformed Citizens of an Unshakable Kingdom — No comments
14
Nov 11

Fearfully and Wonderfully

Something that God has been showing me in the last couple of weeks as I’ve been reading Psalm 139 is the perfect knowledge He has of me. Seeing how God made me and knowing that I am fearfully and wonderfully made and that He knew me before I was born has been such an encouraging word. For the longest time, I’ve dealt with self-worth and how I was born into a less-than-ideal situation. Not knowing who my father was left me feeling incomplete and outcast in my younger days.

Psalm 139:

¹³ For You formed my inward parts;
         You covered me in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
         Marvelous are Your works,
         And that my soul knows very well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from You,
         When I was made in secret,
         And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
         And in Your book they all were written,
         The days fashioned for me,
         When as yet there were none of them.

When I read what God says about me in verse 14, I was like, “What? I am wonderfully and fearfully made in my Creator’s image.” That there is some good stuff. In verse 13, it says that God formed my inward parts. Hearing that has filled my heart with joy. I wasn’t born a mistake, but I was born with purpose. God loves me and made everything about me and knowing that He delights in me is far above me, but I’m glad He does.

Last, my favorite verses in Psalm 139 are 17-18.

¹⁷ How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
¹⁸ If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.

Someone has good thoughts towards me! And not just someone, but God, the God of all creation, is always thinking of me and will always be with me no matter what.

As you read this, if you feel alone, unwanted, unloved, or you feel like you’re nothing, here is a word of encouragement. God loves you more than you will ever know. His love is vast – His thoughts towards you are way greater and more than the sand of the earth. I urge you to read all of Psalm 139. This chapter is such a blessing upon my life. It gives me hope and renews my spirit and soul. Remember this: You are loved and born with a great purpose in life.

Jeremiah 29.11: “For I know the thoughts I that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

-Michael Vincent

If you would like prayer for this or anything else, please comment or email us at info@crossfiremc.com.

Ashley Ortiz / Class of 2012 / Crossfire Masters Commission / Transformed Citizens of an Unshakable Kingdom — No comments
09
Nov 11

Me, Forgive You?

In Colossians 2 and 3, Paul writes to show the church the way we should live, giving insight into what a Christian home (as well as the body of Christ) should be like. When I first read these chapters, my first thought was, “That’s nice. Paul is encouraging the church and sharing with them the ways they should live.” But then Paul began to talk about forgiveness, love, compassion, and grace. My first reaction to the word forgiveness made me think of a courtroom setting.

In a courtroom, you have the victim with his or her family, pleading with the judge and jury to find the suspect guilty while the suspect and his or her family is begging for forgiveness. Most of the time we see forgiveness as a one way street. We so easily expect to receive forgiveness when we have done something wrong, yet we deal so harshly with those who have hurt us. I know for me that I’m exactly like this; I expect forgiveness from others, yet it is very difficult for me to extend it to others.

For example, my dad left when I was young and it brings me a lot of pain, but Paul says that God wants me to not only forgive him but to show love, grace, and kindness to my dad, even after what he did in leaving me. Paul says that if I want to follow God, I need to show forgiveness, grace, and compassion to everyone, including my dad.

Colossians 3:13: Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Forgiveness is not an easy discipline for me. Neither is showing compassion, kindness, grace, gentleness, and patience. But one of the things I’m trying to do is step out of what I’m used to and step into the uncomfortable, and one way is to show all these things that are so difficult for me to show people. Because if I were the suspect in the courtroom, I would want the judge and jury to show compassion and find me innocent, granting me forgiveness.

-Ashley Ortiz

Is there anyone you find it difficult to forgive? Why?

Class of 2012 / Crossfire Masters Commission / Devotions / Discipleship / Transformed Citizens of an Unshakable Kingdom / Vincent Modesto — No comments
17
Oct 11

Outsiders and Oddballs?

This week our focus during our Element of Discipleship is “citizenship”. to be honest, the idea of speaking on citizenship made me a little nervous. As I prayed and prepared to speak on this subject the Lord brought me to two scriptures.

The first is Jeremiah 1:4-8:

“The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. “

The other is Psalm 139:13-17:

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!”

This isn’t the first time I’ve read these scriptures, but when I read them this time they stuck out in a specific way. In meditating on them the Lord revealed three things to me:

We were created BY God.  I think sometimes we forget the true weight of that statement. The truth that God didn’t just throw us together but carefully and intricately fashioned each one of us in a unique way that speaks of the beauty of creation. He SCULPTED us to be exactly what we are, and that alone is an encouraging thought.

We were created FOR God.  Our gifts, abilities, and even characteristics were given to us specifically for what He wanted us to become; to be in relationship with Him and glorify Him. In his book, “The Pursuit of God”, A.W. Tozer states that we were created to know God even through our senses. There are a myriad of scriptures that speak of “hearing”, “tasting”, and “seeing” the things of God. We were created with the ability to KNOW Him.

We were created with the DESIRE to know God.  We’re all searching for something. Just turn on the TV and that will become apparent immediately. Media bombards us with messages (both blatant and indirect) that create a feeling that true happiness is found when we look like, dress like, or have whatever we’re seeing. Why? Because they’ve realized one truth: EVERYONE is looking for “happiness”. In truth this is really the void that was created when man and God became separated by Sin. We have an inherent desire for “more”. And, while the world has spent ages trying to fill it with worldly objects, this void can and will only be filled be our Creator.

In realizing these three truths I began to realize the truth of citizenship: Christians are not the outsiders. We aren’t the oddballs. The reality is that we as Christians have found the place that we were meant to be all along; we’ve positioned ourselves where and what we were CREATED for. It’s the unsaved that are lost. We often take on a mindset that we as Christians are the exception to the rule of the world, but in truth we experience life as God intended! It is our job to bring those that are lost and separated from that perfect harmony of living rightly with God back to the place that they were MEANT for!

-Vincent Modesto

Class of 2012 / Crossfire Masters Commission / Karina Espinoza / School of Ministry / Transformed Citizens of an Unshakable Kingdom — No comments
13
Oct 11

Of This World?

Philippians 3.19-21: Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enabled Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.

Since I was young, I’ve known that the things we put before God would be as if we were of the world. Then when I was a part of the world, I understood what it was like to crave earthly things and how those things brought temporary joy. The joy doesn’t last long, and with time it turns to destruction.

Now, I’m learning that I have citizenship in God. I’m part of an unshakable kingdom that is everlasting and one day Jesus is going to come back for us. He has all power and that same power can transform us to be like Him, even though the transformation will be hard and take time.

We are part of a royal kingdom that owns the universe. We play a part in this; we can make a difference with God’s strength. He needs us to help his people come back home.

Since I am a transformed citizen of an unshakable kingdom, I have to start thinking highly about myself. I’m royalty! I’m worth more than anything the world offers me. I have higher standards that I will abide by and obey. I’m important to the kingdom; God needs my help. This world is headed for destruction; they’re set on these cheap lies and God needs us to bring them back home.

We are not of this world. We wait for Jesus to take us where we belong. The people of this world crave everything this world has to offer; they are set on things of this world and make them their God. But as for us we will be transformed by God to be like Him.