Hearing God Though the Bible: Maintaining the Connection

A couple of days ago I had the pleasure of spending some time with an old friend.  The two of us had not had sat down to visit for a couple of years, yet when we met, it was just like old times. I easily remembered why I liked him so much. However, I realized that as life caused us to drift apart, our relationship had changed. Even though I still enjoy this friendship, we are no longer as close as we once were when we connected daily.

This weekend at Crossroads Church in Cranberry we are concluding our Hearing God Though the Bible series by looking at how we can maintain a close intimate connection with our Creator. God longs to know us intimately and for us to know him daily through the study and reflection of scripture. On Sunday we will look at how we can maintain this close connection with him; so he will never feel like an old friend who we see from time to time but rather a close partner that walks with us daily.

Take some time this weekend to read and reflect on John 15: 5-8 and join us Sunday as we seek to hear God through Bible together.

Hearing from God: Understanding What You Hear

The other day, while I was driving down the road, I was singing one of my favorite 80’s songs. Rachelle stopped me in mid-sentence and asked “what are you singing?” I repeated the same lyrics that I have been singing for years.  “Those aren’t the lyrics,” she informed me. Of course, I had to check for myself. Sure enough, she was correct!

There are times in life when we miss out on a message because we misunderstand what we hear. On Sunday, we continue our series Hearing God Through the Bible. We will be looking at how, at times, we can miss out on the meaning of Scripture because we misinterpret what we are reading. We will look at how we can better understand the Bible with a few simple tools.

Hearing God Through the Bible: Acting on the Word

Imagine that a father goes away for a couple of days and leaves a note for his children. 

Kids, On Monday night, please take out the trash.Love, Dad

The kids see the note and decide to take some time to study it. One kid makes copies so that everyone can have their own copy. After reading the note, they all begin to study its possible meanings. One kid observes that kids could be a reference to us, or it could be are reference to a young goat. “Great insight!” the others comment.  Monday night, another kid says, could mean tomorrow or any Monday night! Finally another kid points out that trash could be either figurative or literal in the note.

Later in the week, the father calls home and asks his children if they took out the trash. They say, “well… no. But we had an excellent study on your note and we are going to meet again to discuss it next week.”

Sunday at Crossroads Church in Cranberry we are going to look at how we grow by acting on what the Bible says. Together we will see that acting on the scripture produces maturity, increases our sensitive to God and results in blessing for our lives. 

Take a moment to read through James 1:22-25 and join us Sunday at 10:30.

Audio: Get at Grip on Your Finances

Get a Grip on your Finances from Michael P Arnold on Vimeo.

"Get a Grip on Your Finances" is a weekend message I taught at Crossroads Church in Cranberry, a growing faith community in the north hills of Pittsburgh, PA. In this message we look at what scripture says about our stuff and how the things we own can end up owning us.

Why Can I Trust the Bible?

This weekend at Crossroads Church we are launching a 6-week spiritual growth campaign entitled Hearing God through the Bible. Through the years I have enjoyed partnering with people as they begin their journey with God. Often, one of the first questions asked is “how can I trust the Bible?” 

Many have sought wisdom and clarity from the Bible, but is it really trustworthy?  Is it really a word from God? On Sunday we will look at the amazing accuracy of this unique book. We will look at how its truths are compatible with science and how it is relevant to all cultures. 

No other book has impacted this world like the Bible and on Sunday we will look at why we can trust the truths in this amazing text.

What if We Could Hear God?

Have you ever been in a situation where you wish you could hear God? Maybe you had a difficult decision, and after asking all your friends and family for advice, you felt more confused than ever! All of us would like to hear God’s voice with a little more clarity from time to time. 

This Sunday at Crossroads Church in Cranberry we will be introducing this year’s spiritual growth campaign: Hearing God Though the Bible. We will look at the foundational discipline of reading Scripture and obeying God’s voice. We’ll also see how hearing God through the Bible can help us get to know Jesus in a personal way, reshape our character and spark our faith to new levels. 

Take some time this week to read through Matthew 7:24-27 and joins us Sunday as we start this new season together!

S.O.A.P.

At times I like to use the tool S.O.A.P. in my personal time with God.  This process of Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer often help me gain clarity and apply the Bible to my daily life.  Here are some thoughts from this morning.

Scripture: 1 Kings 18

Observation:

·      Elijah was at risk because of his belief in God.

·      Jezebel was killing people because of their faith. 

·      Obadiah was afraid to let Ahab and Jezebel know that Elijah was alive because the news of this put him at risk. 

·      Elijah had tremendous trust in God for his own provision and protection.

·      Elijah stood up for truth. 

·      God was faithful and strong enough to beat the profits of Baal. 

Application:

1.    The Lord is strong enough to protect us in times of trouble.

2.    Hold firmly to the truth and walk closely with the Lord.

3.    God has the power to do anything. 

4.    It is better to be one with God than 400 without him.

5.    God is source of strength.

Prayer: 

“Lord in moments of fear and trouble give me the courage to trust in you.  Your strength and your power are more than enough to meet the challenges of this day.  I trust in you.”