Tom Allen

"As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” Sometimes people followed Jesus just to see what he could do for him.  Interestingly enough, Jesus never condemned them or rebuked them or told him their motives were wrong.  In this case, he healed the blind men.  In essence, he was saying, " I'm glad you realized I have the power and capacity to heal blind eyes.  You must have been listening to me and following me for a while.  Now, you actually BELIEVE enough to approach me and ask me to restore your eyesight.  Good for you...I'll do it!"   You may be following Jesus to see what value he can add to your life.  And Jesus says, " Come on.  I can add unbelievable value to your life.  If you're looking for a BMW, I'm not your guy.  But, if you're looking for a better life...come along".   Looking for something....someone who can add value to your life?  Jesus is th...

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’   But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.   “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you,   leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift."     Matthew 5:21-24      I'm sure Jesus had their attention when he spoke about the Law.  Especially that part about murder.  No murderers here!  We're good.      Then Jesus threw them a curve.  " But I tell you that anyone who is angry  with a brother or sister  will be s...

Jesus referred to us as "children of your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:45),  "sheep and a shepherd" (John 10:14), and "a vine and its branches" (John 15:5).  In other words, it's all about relationship.  It's all about intimacy.  It's all about coming close.   Jesus came to reveal God to man.  The religious of his day thought they knew God and His heart.  He was distant and was simply about rules and reward.  Follow His rules, he throws you a bone.  Fail to keep the rules and He'll slap you down hard, at best, or disown you completely, at worst.   Jesus exploded the myth and broke the mold that God refused to fit into.  God wanted to be a father that was closer than our earthly fathers ever were capable of being.  He wanted to be a shepherd to protect, guide and feed us, His sheep.  He wanted to be the vine out of which we grew, gained our life and sustenance and were able to live a truly fruitful life.   God...

" As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him" Matthew 20:29 There's " following " and then there's " following ".  If, when you refer to " following " , you mean drawing a crowd, a group of interested onlookers, then Jesus was both extremely successful and unbelievably disinterested.  He could draw a crowd at the drop of a hat.  Perform a miracle.  Heal a blind man.  Feed 5,000 with a box lunch.  The list goes on and on.  Instant crowd.  An instant following. Yet, as soon as the crowds gathered Jesus would say something that would turn them away as fast as they got there.  You and I would probably relish the crowds and strategize how to get past the next growth barrier.  But, not Jesus.  He wasn't looking for a crowd....for followers.   He was looking for people who would actually follow him. So, the question that faces each of us at the beginning of this journey is, " Am I a part of the c...

Q :  Why don't we have Sunday School? For years (and years and years) churches everywhere have had Sunday School.  If you grew up in church, you need no further explanation.  For those of you who didn't grow up in church, some explanation may be necessary.  Sunday School is simply age-graded bible study/discipleship programming that usually takes place right before or right after the Sunday morning worship experience. When I grew up, it was unheard of for churches to have more than one Sunday morning worship service, so it was, basically, 9:30 Sunday School & 11:00 Worship Service.  It was just assumed that's the way Jesus did it, so if it was good enough for him, it should be good enough for us too! So...why don't we do it that way?  Let me give you several reasons: 1.  We have chosen not to spend millions of dollars on adult educational space to be used only one hour a week.  That doesn't mean that any church that chooses to do that ...

Q :  Why don't we pass the offering plate? A few years back a survey was done that asked people who did not attend church why they didn't attend.  Here were their top answers: 1.  All they want is my money 2.  It's irrelevant 3.  I don't trust the childcare 4.  It's boring Guess what?  For the most part, they were right.  During the time this survey was taken, we were at the height of the televangelist craze, where far too many greedy charlatans were painting the church in the worst way possible. At Crosspoint, we've tried to address every one of those indictments of the church and build bridges rather than walls. As to the charge that the church is irrelevant, the truth is we can be and often are.  If you're lost, you're probably not sitting around wondering what that Greek word means or who Lazarus' sister was.  However, you do want to know how to be a better parent, have a better marriage, get your finances in order and l...

Q :  Why do we ask people to make videos before their baptism? Another good question.  Most people hate to make videos.  Many years ago a study was done of the greatest fear people face.  #1 Fear: Dying.  Years later, the same study was done, but this time the answer was surprising.  #1 Fear: Speaking in public  Times have changed and fears have changed.  So, the natural question arises, "Why would we make people do the thing they fear the most when they come to Christ and want to be obedient to him in baptism?  Are we just trying to make it as hard as possible on them?  Doesn't that seem to be a little contrary to our purpose?" So, why do we make people do what they most don't want to do just to get baptized?  I'll try to explain: 1.  First, we don't just sit them in a chair, put the brightest lights possible in their face and say, "OK, roll 'em.  Be good!"  A pastor always sits in with them, asks them questions...