The Blog

Today Crossfire Masters Commission went to the State Capital with Pastors John Sutton and Aaron Auer of R.O.A.R. (Reviving Oregon's Amazing Roots) Ministries. We had a great time touring the State Capital Building and learning about some of Oregon's "lost" history.

We learned about the Circuit Riders, traveling ministers that would go from place to place throughout the territory preaching the Gospel. We learned about the Rev. Jason Lee, the "minister statesman", the made several trips back and forth, from coast to coast, in order to bring Oregon to statehood. We learned about the first college west of the Rockies, of how it used to be a christian institution, a mission even.

All those things, and it was only the beginning. The big question I was left with was, "How on earth did a place with such a rich, Christian heritage become so far away from God?" What happened to the Godly men and women of this nation that were willing to stand up for righteousness and truth. Where is the faith and the boldness that caused the Circuit Riders to take up such a difficult life that most didn't live past age 30? Why do the Christians of our day simply sit by and watch the people around them walk on the path to hell and not say anything!?

Do you know what complacency is? Complacency is a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements. Essentially, "We're saved, we've made it, we're good to go, so just enjoy the ride because you've met your personal requirements." How can we be so selfish! How can we receive such a selfless gift as salvation and still live a life content with letting others suffer in the name of our comfort? We need to get back to the heart of the Circuit Riders, the heart that is willing to endure any discomfort, any hardship, in the name of building God's Kingdom. Where is your heart?

There's always a certain level of excitement when we begin a new year of Masters Commission. There are new students coming in, last years students are either back again growing further as leaders in the program, or moving into new areas of life and ministry, and there is another whole year of ministry ahead of us.

Sometimes, however, it is easy to get too caught up in all the excitement and business of starting a new year and loose focus on the fact that, above all else, we're here to serve Jesus. And it's the same way in all of life, we can oftentimes get way too caught up in all the business that life offers. So caught up, in fact that many of us can loose sight of the mission that God has called us to on this earth, to build his His kingdom!

So I just encourage everyone to take a moment, stop thinking about what you need to get done, or what's coming up next on your calendar, and think about how you've done at fulfilling God's mission. How can you do better?

Recently I've been thinking about the idea of confession. I grew up as a child in very tradition Episcopal, and Catholic churches. Confession was something that happened between a person and a priest. As a child I knew there was a God, but it was always a man that told me my sins were forgiven. When I was 19, I heard for the first time that God wanted to have a personal relationship with me. This meant that I didn’t need a man to communicate to God for me, but I could have direct communication with God myself and I thought that was so cool. I could talk to God and share the deepest thoughts, sins, and fears of my heart with Him. This enabled me to confess my sins to God and no one would have to know what they were. It allowed me to maintain an image of righteousness, even if I didn’t live a perfect life. As I grew and matured in my relationship with God, saw a problem with both of these ways of thinking.

Confession is not for God. Psalm 94:11 says that "The Lord knows the thoughts of man." When we confess our sins to God, we do not come to tell Him what we have done because he needs to know; God already knows. Confession is not for God. Confession is for us. It is for our humility. Being involved in ministry here at Crossfire and in my travels all over this country with Master’s Commission, there is one thing that shines through in the face of the American church….Pride. Pride in the hearts of congregations who don't answer alter calls or ask for prayer. Pride in the hearts of people who live in fear of other people knowing who they are or what their struggles are. This pride often stems from fear and shame and even guilt, none of which are from God. God did not intend for us to confess our sins to Him alone, but also to one another so that the prayers of faith by the people of God would bring healing (physically, emotionally, & spiritually). James 5:15-16 says, "The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." I encourage you to be the change you want to see in your church. If you find yourself in that place of pride, fear, shame, or guilt; confess your sins to someone. Seek guidance. Seek accountability with people who have a solid relationship with Christ, and remember these words found in Ephesians 4:2 "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." May God encourage you as you seek Him in confession, and humility; longing to be the church of Christ that confesses to one another, prays for one another, and bears with one another in love.

-Audrey

Matthew is one of my least favorite Gospels to study, along with Luke, for the simple reason that genealogies are boooring. But that is what I began doing the other day. I started reading the book of Matthew.

I began with a grimace as I began to read the long list of names, but then I remembered something. "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." When I began to think about that I realized that God must have something he wanted to let me know even through the genealogy of Jesus.

And I as I began to read I started to realize what exactly it was. You see Matthew's genealogy includes some pretty interesting people from the Bible; Rahab, who was a prostitute, Bathsheba, an adultress, Manasseh, an evil king, and Mary, an ordinary godly woman. It showed me something pretty cool that I never thought I'd get out of a geanealogy. It reminded me that we have a perfect God who chooses to bring about his will on earth through imperfect people.

That is something that is amazingly important for us to remember, and for that reason I am glad that God brings it to my attention so often. Not that God needs us to accomplish his will or that he is dependant on us, but that he loves us so much that he has entrusted us with the mission that he's given us. Are you taking that seriously?