WELCOME

Pastor Greg & Tamara Dumas Lead Pastor

Thanks for joining us today – We are moving into the giving season! We are talking today about a man named Nehemiah who mobilized his people to give of their time, talents, and resources. We learned last weekend that God is our source, but YOU are the resource. I pray that while you are with us this weekend you will find that The Crossing is a place for you to find a church family and be used for great things. Sincerely, Greg and Tamara Dumas

UPCOMING EVENTS

For more announcement details: www.crossingonline.org/announcements-celebration-campus

LifegroupsLifeGroups are underway, and if you haven’t signed up yet, it’s never too late! Please e-mail your interest and information to Shayla Yancey at: syancey@crossingonline.org and we will make sure to get you connected!

When Calling The CrossingWe are moving our church offices to a “virtual environment.” Although there will no longer be “office space,” you can still reach us at any time. As we become one church – The Crossing Church – we are consolidating many of our core functions which releases the rest of the staff to focus on ministry functions. In line with this philosophy, all phone calls to The Crossing Church will now be handled at the Tampa Campus. The toll free number is 888.977.9910.

Giving OnlineIf you would like to give securely online simply go to https://members.crossingonline.org/ and follow the links located on the left side of the page. For further information, call our church offices at 888.977.9910.

Fit Body Boot Camp at The HubWant to lose weight, tone up FAST, and get in the best shape of your life ... all while having a blast doing it? Finally you can with JC & Stephanie Cuilty’s “Fit Body Boot Camp!” Guaranteed to build lean muscle and melt the fat off permanently. Take the Fat Loss Challenge every Saturday at 7am for FREE at The Hub (65 Riley Rd., Celebration.)

Celebration Campus Welcome Booklet OnlineAre you interested in hearing more about The Crossing Church – Celebration Campus? We now have the welcome booklet online at celebration.crossingonline.org.

Nehemiah Project Special OfferingPastor Greg has been walking us through the story of Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the protective wall that surrounded Jerusalem. Through this series we have learned that we have a good work to be a part of, and that by putting our hands to this work, we can accomplish the impossible. On the weekend of December 11-12 we will be taking a special offering that will give us the chance to invest in what God is doing through the ministries of The Crossing Church. Please be in prayerful consideration on how you may give.

Saturday, November 20Sunday, November 21

Nehemiah Project

Nehemiah 4:10, 13-14; joshua 24:14-15 Lead Pastor: Greg Dumas

WELCOME TO THE CROSSING CHURCH

SCRIPTURE

Nehemiah 4:10, 13-14 (NLT) 10 then the people of judah began to complain that the workers were becoming tired. there was so much rubble to be moved that we could never get it done by ourselves... 13 So i placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. i stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows. 14 then as i looked over the situation, i called together the leaders and the people and said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your friends, your families, and your homes!”

Joshua 24:14-15 (NIV) 14 “Now fear “honor” the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the river and in egypt, and serve the LorD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the river, or the gods of the amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

• Nehemiah rallied the people to help those who were growing tired and weary from their work on the wall. they were all alone and the work was too great for their number.

• Nehemiah assigned armed guards and willing people to the areas of the wall that were most exposed first. the people were protected as they worked to repair their portion of the wall.

• Nehemiah called on entire families to respond in faith; they were asked to fight for their friends, and their homes.

• the Lord is calling our church to respond in faith. We are being asked to take our place and do our part!

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OBSERVATION

1. Exposed Place (Christmas weekend)

• First impressions

• children

2. Exposed Place (First Impressions for regular weekend services)

• Parkers

• café

• Ushers and Greeters

3. Exposed Place (Next Generation Ministry for regular weekend services)

• Pre-School

• emerge jV

Volunteer applications and background checks are required to serve with children at all campuses.

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Lord, thank you for blessing me with the ability and desire to serve you. You are the author and the perfector of my faith, and I will gladly give you my time, my talents and my treasures. You started your good work in me, and I know that you have promised to bring that good work to faithful maturity. I am proud to be a part of a family of faith that is moving in your mission on the earth. I will gladly do my part, and I will take my place for you. I will gladly serve you and your people. I am excited to see your sons and daughters come out of darkness to walk in the light of your life. My family is excited to serve you. We want to grow together and learn together; we want to walk together as a family who fight for one another in the faith!

APPLICATION

PRAYER

LIFEGROUPS

Use the following as a resource for your LifeGroup to go deeper with this week’s message. We hope this

helps you as you “do life together”.

Opener:

A common question many people ask is, “Why am I here? What is my purpose?” All we have to do to

answer this question in its most basic sense is to go back to the beginning of creation and see that we

were created to serve. Genesis 2:15 says:“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden

to work it and take care of it.”

We have high expectations of service, do we not? And are disappointed if we don’t get it. Remember the

last conversation you had with a company on the phone? How was their customer service? If it’s a good

one, share it with your group. So, I want to ask the question: What is your service plan like? If God were to

get surveyed on the commitment and service He gets from you, how would you be rated? And what backs

up your service? Your heart, or your lips?

Digging Deeper :

In Joshua 24 I really think Joshua is trying to shock the people. He is trying to shift their thinking from a

God who does stuff for them, to a God who is holy and jealous for their love and service. He is trying to get

them to see that if they are simply going to say, “Yup, we’ll serve God ‘cause He does stuff for us,” … that

won’t sustain them through difficult times, through times of struggle and testing and times when it looks

like God isn’t doing anything for them. What is the difference between having our service based on God’s

actions or God’s character?

Since God has created us to serve, called us to serve, then surely He has prepared us to serve. When we

receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, we become a part of the body of Christ and the local body of Christ, which

for us, is The Crossing Church.

The purpose of serving Jesus is to fulfill the Great Commission – to go and make disciples. We serve for

the benefit of others that they may know Christ personally, and in turn, they too will desire to serve Him

and obey Him. Then we will grow in unity and spiritual maturity individually and corporately. Is it possible

for the church to reach its potential without every person committed to serving?

There are many places to serve in this local body. We heard this weekend that help is needed in First

Impressions (Greeters, Ushers, Parkers and Café workers) and Crossing Kids. These are just two of the

many. And you, being part of the body, what piece are you playing?

Application:

Are you really committed to God? Are you sharing your faith, studying the Word, praying, being faithful

to church? Being faithful to serving? Are you living your life out loud? Today, God’s calling you to be fully

committed to Him. He can’t do what He desires in your life until you become fully committed to Him. He

never asks you to give up something that He doesn’t replace with something greater than what you gave

up. Wouldn’t it be nice as a LifeGroup to commit together to serve the Lord with ALL of ourselves?