Before God our faith is declared, before man our faith is demonstrated. Halloween is a wonderful night to express conviction without compromise. A night where death and suffering are animated especially among our young with a celebration mentality of all that is opposed to God’s  purpose and plan for our lives.  In a radically tolerant climate of this evening I pray that we might repudiate error with truth by Gods word in a humble loving manner. I know I need a reminder sometimes of something I have recently learned and that is, what makes are witness more effective is sharing out of our brokenness and not out of our judgement .

Seeking and Saving

Thomas Woodburn

Hi All,

Do you want to have the same “Marching Orders” that our team has? Well here they are! Check out the Producer’s Notes for the Halloween 2009 three-part series (about 4 minutes long.)

We’re running a repeat of our 2007 series, with a few production updates including our new theme music. We decided to do a repeat for a few reasons. Primarily so that I could be well prepared to write and produce the upcoming series on reaching those people who are part of Islam. We really want to actually help the Church reach these people for Christ.  Our secondary reason is because our main studio microphone isn’t working and that leaves us in a bit of a tough position to get the shows recorded. This is a “show stopper” immediate need, if you can help us get it replaced please email us at admin@thecrosscurrent.com

Thanks, and may God richly bless you as you share in the ministry of His Gospel!

Kevin

This past Tuesday October 20th, TCC Rep Chris Wood and I teamed up for a road trip to The Stream TV/Quick Study Studio 34 in Orangeville, Ontario. We were warmly welcomed by Program Director, Simen Solberg and his team, who hosted us for the day for the purpose of helping us professionally video record our 7-session Witnessing Workshop training program which is scheduled for release in the new year. The Cross Current reality television program will also soon begin production in preparation for a 2010 release on The Stream TV network.

This small group video version of our onsite Witnessing Workshop training is designed to help Christians and their churches leverage our experience in the local mission field to “normalize” sharing their faith in all personal relationships and beyond. The series will be available for purchase in the most affordable format possible and supplemented with a multitude of online tools and resources via a passcode protected witnessing website.

Special thanks to the entire production team at “The Stream” for your ongoing ministry and partnership in the Gospel!

PS: Keep checking back to our blog for more info on this series!

For His Glory,

Cory

As  we delivered the Gospel, the message of Grace Saturday, it is so heartbreaking to see individuals that know the bible very well but DO NOT know Jesus at all. If I see a stranger on the street, say hello and keep walking, do I truly know that person. I would have to stop and talk to and spend time with that person in order to know what that person is really like. Friendship and emotional intimacy would have to be estsblished by making that persons needs more important than my own. My prayer for our churches,our witness and our lives would be the focus of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, that we spend our entire lives getting to know, while living with and in the living person of Jesus Christ. The gospel must be the target and bulls eye that we aim for in every witness, and we shall not be ashamed to deliver that arrow right to the heart of those whom God has chosen. Praise God that he would trust any of us with his precous word and Gospel as a penetrating arrow that may plant a seed leading to repentance of sin and everlasting life.

Thomas Woodburn

Please click here to listen to “a conversation about Christ cut short” between Tom and Kim onsite at the London Psychic Expo

Cory McKenna, Chris Wood and I traveled to the London Psychic Expo this past Saturday, October 3^rd. The Psychic Expo was held downtown at a popular local event centre called Centennial Hall. We were, in a sense, “breaking new ground” for The Cross Current Ministry. No neutral turf here; we ventured right into an enemy stronghold: All three of us at the site acknowledged a feeling of some sort of demonic presence and resistance.

Our main objective, as always,  was to preach the Gospel, focusing on salvation and eternal life fulfilled only in Christ. In addition, our approach this time stressed biblical prophecy and its fulfillment of past and future events. All three of us had some interesting encounters and learned quite a bit about psychic phenomena and the occult. By definition, psychic/occult practices pertain to mental phenomena that go beyond normal sensory stimuli, using magical arts to help disclose secret or hidden realities. Seekers and/or adherents partake in occult practices to discover their own personal past, present, and future “realities”.

It was so tragic to see just a sampling of the vast number of people throughout the world today who are “seeking reality, direction and purpose in life in all of the wrong places”. Self-centeredness certainly blinds the eye, plugs the ear and hardens the heart to the reality of God, to the true sense and purpose of life and to the eternal reality to come: “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.” EPHESIANS 4:17-18 KJV.

The occult is such an abomination to God: “…There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch… For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord…” Please read all of DEUTERONOMY 18:9-14 KJV.

There continues to be a cycle of exploitation which traps the vulnerable, the ignorant and the hurting: It was sickening to see the promoters displaying their occult books and paraphernalia for profit and gain at the expense of others entrapped in this form of darkness. This reminds me of the two accounts in the book of ACTS: In ACTS 13:6-12, it tells of a Jewish sorcerer by the name of Barjesus. Barjesus (a.k.a. Elymas) sought to keep a local government official by the name of Sergius Paulus from coming to faith in Christ. Paul rebuked Barjesus and called him a “child of the devil” and an “enemy of all righteousness”. God blinded Barjesus which later was a factor in the government official coming to faith. In ACTS 16:16-20, a woman (who through “divination” and “soothsaying”; i.e., forecasting future events) was used by her masters for their monetary gain. Paul rebuked the evil spirit in her in the name of Jesus, and she was delivered (v.18). Through the power of God in me, I will more intentionally use that power to rebuke the enemy of all souls (1^st JOHN 4:4).

I was reminded once again at this psychic fair that there are so-called Christians who partake in occult practices. It is shameful to see “Christians” embracing their religious liberties, individuality and independent thinking over God’s will and purpose for their lives. Many seek charismatic leaders to help shape and expand their identity of self and of God (2^nd TIMOTHY 4:3-5). In the name of love, tolerance, accepting and being accepted, many are willing to please all people, compromise their faith, worship at different shrines and embrace worldly idols. This often takes many into the occult and far beyond. We see manifestations of this in the professions and practices of churchgoers who espouse “New Age” teachings, secular humanism, Universalism, various idols of materialism and a variety of other non-biblical teachings (MATTHEW 22:29; JAMES 4:4-7). Sadly, there is often no warning, correction or discipline from those who should love and be concerned the most; i.e., the family and the Church (EZEKIEL 3:18; JAMES 5:19-20).

My fervent hope and prayer for those reading this blog is of a two-fold nature: First, if you are at all involved with things of the occult, please flee from that which would bring you spiritual harm and jeopardize your eternal future (EPHESIANS 5:11-12; HEBREWS 10:26-31). Finally, if you are truly free in Christ, then please avail yourself to God in order for Him to use you as an instrument and work to reach out to those who are on “the broad road that leads to destruction” (GALATIANS 6:1-9).

Shalom in Christ,

Tom Briggs

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Welcome to our local missions field report for July and August of 2009! These brief, bi-monthly, Good News letters are specially designed to give you the bottom line on all the latest and greatest happenings, highlights, and Gospel glory stories we encounter as we serve the Church to keep the Cross current in Canada.

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A FESTIVAL OF “FIRSTS” IN BARRIE, ONTARIO!

2009 XTM Barrie Team (l to r): Derek Hunt, Tom Briggs, Steven Baptist, Dale Halldorson, John Gonciarz, Jeff Mardling, Chris Wood, Cory McKenna (not pictured: Randy Lutchman)

We praise God for providing us with an awesome day of Gospel outreach on Saturday August 15th in Barrie, Ontario. No less than ten witnessing warriors teamed up for our very first Xstream Team Mission (XTM) Barrie to crash a waterfront festival known as “Caribfest” in Christ’s Name!

Right: TCC Rep Jeff “SONshine” Mardling “breaks the sound barrier” by open air preaching for the very first time! (You’re a champ, Jeff!)

In addition to our own seed sowing army of seven, the Lord also allowed us to hook up with a few brothers from Barrie as well: Pastor Les and Hugh (Harvest Bible Chapel of Barrie) and Derek Hunt, who had joined us on the streets of Hamilton at an evangelism conference we lead in 2008.

Left: Randy Lutchman shares the Gospel at his very first XTM event.

Below: Tom Briggs hits his knees for a full hour to plead with a passerby about repenting and trusting in Christ.

Left: Cory “Rockstar” McKenna preaches about life, death, and the Gospel at sunset on the Barrie waterfront. BTW…that’s Randy “Lazarus” Lutchman under the sheet:)

Click here to hear an (unedited) audio clip of Cory’s open air preaching message!

Click here to view the entire XTM Barrie 2009 photo album

Are you and your church looking to become better equipped to take the Gospel “to the Xstream” in your community? Click here to contact us about onsite and offsite Gospel outreach training in your own hometown!

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FROM GLORY TO GLORY…WEEK TO WEEK!

Above is the army of witnessing warriors who teamed up with TCC to fight on the frontline on Friday, July 24th. We praise God for the faithful witness of these saints and also for the many people who heard the Gospel and received tracts in the heart of our hometown throughout this summer!

Envision this: what would our nation look like if every city and town across Canada had a similar army of sold-out soul-winners sowing and watering the seed of the Gospel each and every week? Wow!

Please continue praying that the Lord gives His true Church His burden for loving Him, each other, and the lost.

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GO TEAM Go!

Is the Lord moving you and your church to be “burdened beyond” sharing your faith with family and friends into also sharing the Gospel with those who need Christ in your community? Click here to contact us about helping you put together a Gospel Outreach team in your local church!

Also, we pray that the Lord uses the following message that Cory preached at his home church this past summer to touch your heart and mind with the power of sharing our faith together as Christ’s Body:

Faith Worth Sharing | Cory McKenna | Harvest Bible Chapel London

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UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL…with Randy Lutchman!

We’ve asked our newest TCC team member, Randy Lutchman, to share what preaching the Gospel in partnership with TCC means to him. In the picture to the left, Randy shares the Gospel with a passerby on the busy streets of Barrie.

Being out on the streets with The Cross Current on Fridays and various trips has “exposed” me in a couple of ways. First, I realized how little I really knew about how to share my faith. I could not even get started with friends, family, neighbours, co-workers, etc. but The Cross Current has provided me with training on how to get started and really step out of the boat. I used to think it was enough to be a good example and not say anything. When you look at Peter stepping out of the boat, it is easy to point the finger and say he failed because he started to sink. What’s interesting, is that there were eleven other failures in the boat who are afraid to even stand up, let alone step out. There are a lot of Christians who are failing quietly, not sharing the Good News of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. I now find myself sharing the Good News with confidence at the gym, with neighbours, even with fellow Christians who say they are saved, but have no outward change in them. The Cross Current has taught me that when you step out of the boat, the winds will start to blow and doubt will enter your mind. But if you keep your eyes focussed on Jesus and look straight at Him and there is a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on when you feel like you are sinking, Jesus is only an arms’ length away and you will get the privilege of being caught in His arms.

Secondly, being out with The Cross Current has caused me to read my Bible daily with a purpose. When out on the streets, even for only two hours, I now feel totally prepared. The Cross Current gets right into the Word, providing the biblical fuel to share your faith. Prayer is another big part of being prepared. My prayer life has increased, I now have greater view of God and what He can do, nothing is impossible with Him. He is not in a box! He just wants us to be His voice and a witness for Him throughout the world.

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EQUIPPING YOUTH IN APPLIED APOLOGETICS

For the third year in a row, Cory McKenna and the TCC Gospel outreach team had a privilege of partnering with the Christian Youth Worldview and Leadership (CYWAL) Conference to provide hands-on training in evangelism and applied apologetics.

Other speakers on the roster included: Rachel Tulloch (Ravi Zacharias Ministries), Daryl Molyneaux (Truth Matters), Dr. David Herbert (author and speaker), Brett Ullman (Worlds Apart), and Cal Smith (Creation Ministries International).

After a five days of  intense and interactive small group learning together, TCC took the Word to the streets to lead over 30 teens in a life-changing local mission to preach the Gospel and pray for the needs of the lost on the streets of Guelph, Ontario.

Here is a testimony of one of the teens who took the training:

“CYWAL was amazing for me. I learned so much about my faith and how to defend my faith more stronger I have ever been. The speaker I liked the best was Cory McKenna. The reason why I liked Cory McKenna, was because he explained things so clearly so I could understand them, he made me feel more confident to witness my faith towards other people, he also made me think of the way I should be living and made me start reading the Bible more often…”

WITNESSING WORKSHOP

Congratulations to all those who graduated from our special summertime Witnessing Workshop on Saturday, August 8th at Compass Community Church in London!

Witnessing Workshop Grads – August 09 (l to r): John Gonciarz (TCC), Cory McKenna (TCC), Chris Wood (TCC), Rebecca Coyne, Tom Briggs (TCC), Zander Ayton, Steve Everett, Dale Hallderson, Greg Sceviour, Randy Lutchman (TCC), River Ayton, Brian Arblaster, Skylar Sayers, Elias Baribeau, Steven Baptist, Len Ayton.

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CANADA NEEDS CHRIST.

May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth! (Psalm 72:8)

Though Canada was founded on Christian principles that clearly recognized the supremacy and sovereignty of God, our country has now been declared as having no official religion. While we praise God for overseas missionaries who are taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth, we all have the opportunity to be local missionaries to the world without even leaving our own backyard!

Canada needs Christ. If you have been following the ministry of TCC for any time at all, you will know that this three-word phrase has become the all-consuming cry of our hearts as we share the Gospel on the streets of Canada each week. In fact, we have recently secured www.canadaneedschrist.ca to develop a special website that will give Christ-following Canadians the opportunity to support local missionaries across our home and native land in partership with The Cross Current!

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TCC ONLINE STORE: GRAND OPENING!

After several months of hard work and technical troubleshooting, our online store is finally open!

Now all the radio programs and other relational/spiritual conversation starters you need to more effectively reach out and share the Gospel with all the loved ones and strangers in your life are just a mouse click away!

We trust this online catalogue will help equip you and your church with the field-tested evangelism training, tools, and resources you need to be Christ’s witnesses and train others to be as well.

Click here to take a little “Cross walk” through our new online store!

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TCC SEED SOWING STATS | July – August 2009

By God’s grace, The Cross Current continues to share the Gospel on the streets of Canada each week while actively equipping more and more other Christ-followers to do the same!

Here are the bottom line TCC seed sowing stats as of August 31st, 2009:

• Evangelism Training – TCC has equipped approximately 300 Christians to biblically share their faith with loved ones and strangers so far this year.

• Witnessing – Our local Gospel outreach team personally shared the Good News with over 600 lost souls and passed over 7000 Gospel tracts so far this year.

Access more information on how TCC can equip you and your church to more effectively share Christ

TCC RADIO REVIEW | July – August 2009

Special Broadcast | TCC Radio LIVE!

The Lord continues to break new ground for TCC to preach the Gospel in Canada week to week, and for us to equip His Church to more effectively do the same! For the entire month of August, we successfully broadcast TCC Radio LIVE both “in the studio and on the street” in a flexible new format. Not only was each episode of this  special “hot seat” series extended to one hour, but also featured was in-studio commentary with Cory McKenna and his pastor Norm Millar about equipping the Church to engage the culture PLUS a live, “wireless witnessing” Gospel encounter with a non-Christian…via cell phone! The shows were broadcast as part of our regular production schedule.

Click here to listen to a clip of TCC Radio LIVE

Click here to read our other blog posts related to TCC Radio LIVE

Super Series | Witnessing to World Religions

How can we all effectively share the Gospel in all our personal relationships and beyond with those of the various false religions of the world? This TCC Radio “Super Series” on Witnessing to World Religions will not only teach you how, but it will also show you how. The major world religions we will be covering include: Atheism, New Age Movement, Islam, Mormon, and Jehovah’s Witness…just to name a few!

On the horizon | Reality Radio “Extra” Specials!

Shining the Light on Devil’s Night. This coming October 30th, we will be shining the Light of the Gospel into the darkest night of the year in a Devil’s Night broadcast that promises to make the Devil Himself shake in His boots!

Keeping the Cross current at Christmastime. This coming December we will be “unwrapping” a very special Christmas series of TCC Radio LIVE that will “wrap up” with the most powerful Christmas Day reality radio episode you have ever heard!

Click here for the latest TCC Radio broadcast and podcast details.

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In closing, we will continue praying that the Lord uses these brief updates to impact your own personal life and witness for Him!

For His Glory,

The Cross Current Team