CrossWay Community Church

Yesterday we worshiped at Crossway Community Church, 109 Davis Road, Valencia, PA 16059, 724.898.4600, www.crosswaycommunity.org, Mike Santistevan, Lead Pastor.

 

Scripture – Galatians 2:11-16 (ESV)

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

 

Bob’s thoughts:

We were welcomed by a member and engaged in conversation along with an update on the church. These are things we haven’t been able to enjoy for quite a while.

I appreciated the opening Scripture/prayer. I do wish the side screens were above the emergency lights. I was not able to stand and most times my vision was blocked from all three screens.

It was good to hear one praise song that I was familiar with from youth worship years ago, albeit modified, leaving off the powerful part “My God is an awesome God.”

Really enjoyed the prayer by the pastor; it was well done. The pastor showed a passion to preach. I liked the anecdote about the man going through the windshield in an accident. When I went through a windshield, I only got a headache; there were no seat belts then. But I think God was getting my attention.

The message included context which is frequently left out. We are distracted easily as believers and are led to believe the slight temptations won’t hurt. I thought the sermon’s action points were good ones, especially touch and support each other.

The only thing I would add would be to strive to find the opportunity to pray for others. No one has ever turned down my offer of prayer and it does wonders to strengthen my faith.

I remember visiting this church some years ago for a Father’s Day program. I ended up in the nursery with some of my grandchildren. A special moment for me was when the women wanted to see part of the program and stood at the window, trusting me with all the children. An honor and a joy.

We appreciated the time with the pastor after the service and the members outside.

 

Jan’s thoughts:

Our last visit here was in 2016, when the world was a different place. Life in general has changed dramatically but God is the same, and it was a blessing to worship in community.

I appreciated the signs of welcome such as the gentlemen waiting to open the doors when we arrived, people milling around talking in the foyer, coffee available, and members who stopped to introduce themselves and extend a warm welcome. That’s one of the things I’ve missed most about the last year and a half is general friendliness. There has been so much fear and distance. I hoped churches would be where some sense of normalcy might again be found, and so far, that’s been the case.

We were welcomed warmly, and several folks stopped to introduce themselves. These greetings and conversations felt like a treat, along with the delicious coffee.

We chose seats in the back, as usual, expecting the music to be on the loud side, but the lovely arrangements were soft and pleasant.

The sermon series was focused on Galatians and the sermon title was “Jesus + Nothing = Everything.” The pastor spoke of how we can be out of step with the truth of the gospel and what we believe and what we can do about it when we find ourselves in that situation. He pointed out that social pressure and fear of others’ reactions/responses can cause us, like the Apostle Peter, to forget what we believe and having someone who cares remind us of the truth can help us get our bearings again and remember who we are.

I know at times I have been the one who needed help regaining my bearings and other times I was the one who did (or should have) reminded someone else of what they believe. I was grateful for this reminder that the Good News is for unbelievers and Christians and that Christ’s blood covers my sins before I became a believer and the sin I committed today. This is true for every believer. Praise God.

 

Our prayer for this church:

Heavenly Father, we pray for Your continued blessings on this Your church and its leaders. Help them truly be a beacon on the hill. Amen.