| | Spencerport Update
| A LETTER FROM OUR LEAD PASTOR
| Team,
| For any of us who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ and have walked with Him for some time, it’s hard to understand how someone could walk away from the faith. It’s not hard to understand why someone might question God’s plans and even His goodness amid severe difficulties. I get that. It’s hard to look at the world and not question God’s goodness. We know the biblical explanations, but let’s be honest, the short distance from our brain to our heart can be a long journey for truth to be firmly rooted in our soul. Such questioning, when it still reveres God and is accompanied by the donkey work of study, prayer, and counsel, can lead to a firmer faith.
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I recently received a message from a friend asking for prayer for a former student who was part of the student ministry he led back in the day. This former student is now an adult in his early forties. He had been a pastor. But now his faith is adrift. What happened?
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Some theologians say, “That guy was never truly saved.” Still others say, “He was saved, but decided to walk away.” I don’t know, but certainly he has not abided, remaining attached to the vine (John 15:1-8). Christ teaches us, as recorded in John 15, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” (v. 4). Jesus is the true vine, the source of all spiritual life for God’s people. Commitment to Christ is the only way to grow in Christian character and witness.
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I started my pastoral ministry as a student pastor. I enjoyed working alongside junior and senior high students. As I look at those students, as well as the students I have served as their lead pastor, who are still walking with the Lord, and as far as I know, most of them still are walking with Christ, I have observed some common indicators of lifelong abiding.
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The students who have come to Christ and continue to abide in Him had adults who knew them, were present, and genuinely cared about them. By the way, I have found this to be true for adults too. They had at least one person they could be transparent with. For students, they had someone outside their family who valued Christ and His way and could call for advice when needed. They were part of the church, serving, and didn’t just attend student ministry or church services. In short, if we don’t have authentic Christian community, a spiritual mentor, and growth in Christ as “part” of His church, as statistically affirmed by a Barna study I recently read, we won’t continue to abide. But if we do, lifelong abiding is exponentially more likely.
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This has been true in my own life. My Mom would share a story about me from when I was in high school. Apparently, she and I were having a disagreement, and I asked if she would take me to talk to my student pastor, Paul. She did so, and I returned calmer and, I would guess, a whole lot more Christlike. She liked sharing the story with other parents, in particular to say that I obviously still needed her and my Dad, but how thankful she was that I was part of a church and a student ministry with someone like Pastor Paul that I could go to, and that she could be confident He would lead me down the right path.
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I came to Christ when I was five. I have walked with the Lord for decades, and I still see the need for genuine Christian community, mentoring, a few close Christian friends I can be fully transparent with, and to continue walking as part of Christ’s church through a local Christian church family. These are nonnegotiable to me in my continuing to abide in Christ. I would argue they ought not be negotiable for any Christ follower wanting to go the distance in faith.
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Consider what it looks like for you personally, as well as how you can help another abide in Christ through a lifelong commitment to the Lord.
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Believing with you,
| Craig Cooper
| Lead Pastor
| Crosswinds Church
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| Thank you Carol McGowan for your continued loved and care for the Spencerport community as you gather items for Thanksgiving baskets. If you would like to partner with Carol in providing items to those in need, please reach out to her
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| | Let’s Connect
As we continue this journey together, we welcome your questions, thoughts, and conversations. If you have questions about these updates or would simply like to connect with us, please don't hesitate to reach out.
| Crosswinds Church | 585-394-5857 | office@crosswinds.church
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