What are YOU Doing?

posted by Jason Motte, M.Div., Student Pastor, CrossPoint Church in Argo, AL

If I was going to bet, I would bet that by now that most of you by now know that Paris Hilton was in jail and has been released. Honestly how could you not? The story dominated every news station, website and television show and tabloid page for nearly the entire time she was in prison. But do you know that on the other end of the world a man by the name of Son Jong Nam is currently in prison? I doubt that any of us have even heard of him. He was arrested in North Korea over a year ago for preaching the gospel. I think hearing about this brave man demonstrates 2 things to us:

1. Do you realize that around the world we have brothers and sisters in Christ who are genuinely suffering and being persecuted (I mean real persecution, not just being embarrased) for the gospel and many who are actually losing their lives? Do you know that according to research in the last 100 years there has been more martyrs for Jesus than in the other 1900 years of Christianity combined? This is disturbing.



2. Do you realize that sometimes there are things going on that you don’t see or hear about? There are incredible things going on at CrossPoint that you probably don’t know about (Just One More stories if you will). I know personally that this is true in our student ministry. The last year has seen a huge turn in things in our student ministry and our students. God is doing and has done some incredible things. Do you know that within the last year we have had 4 students who feel a call to foreign mission fields? Do you know that we have several who are struggling with a call to various types of pastoral ministry? Do you know that many of our students are experiencing such a hunger for God’s Word that they are reading theological books that I am assigning them so fast that it is difficult to keep providing them the books at the rate they are reading them? Are you aware that the hunger for God’s Word is so heavy among many of them that I have meet with various groups of students to teach them how to study God’s Word throughout the week (there is such passion for it that some of these groups have met at 6:00 a.m which equals unbelievably huge commitment by teenage standards)? Are you aware that the hunger and passion is there so heavy that some of our students are starting their own home Bible studies outside of church? And speaking of passion, have you seen our students worship in the last year? If you haven’t you have missed a blessing and a personal challenge. I was shocked at our high school camp to have our speaker who travels the world (literally) tell me he has never seen a group of students anywhere worship with such passion and so unashamedly as ours do. I could go on and on, but God is doing HUGE things here with our students. You may never see it or hear about it, but it is happening. I am not saying that every student we have is like this because they are not, but I find it very telling that over and over in various situations that the vast majority of our students now repeatedly demand Bible study, worship and prayer in everything we do over any form of “church entertainment.” That is amazing and in most places, an unheard of dream. To God be the glory!
   

Two questions to leave you with today:

1. Are you being obedient to God’s Word and praying for people that you don’t always hear about but who are being persecuted around the globe?



2. Are you praying for things and maybe even considering giving your time to things at CrossPoint you don’t always hear or see, but where God is moving? The Bible teaches us that “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” What will your role be at CrossPoint and around the world where God is moving?