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This footage was recorded this past Good Friday (CLICK HERE for the full story)

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PREACHING GOOD NEWS ON GOOD FRIDAY

The 2012 Good Friday Extreme Evangelism Team

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Good Friday is the Super Bowl of Gospel preaching. Year after year it’s been our experience that the “prime time” to preach Christ crucified in public is the anniversary of His public mocking, beating, and death on the cross.

That’s why this past Good Friday, our senior TCC reps lead an extreme evangelism team onto the streets of London, Ontario to carry the Cross, preach open air, share the Gospel one-to-one, and pass tracts on the most important holiday on the Christian calendar!

Left: A group of Gospel-preaching girls showing and sharing our special Easter tracts

We thank God that He moved the hearts of 32 sold-out seed sowers to enlist in the battle for His glory this past August 4th.

Click on the Vimeo image (right) to hear another new open air preacher in a new TCC segment called “Breaking the Sound Barrier”

We are also very pleased to report that there were several budding preachers who allowed the Lord to lead them way out of their comfort zone to break the sound barrier by preaching the Gospel open air for the very first time!

Left: Sye Ten Bruggencate of Sinner Ministries defending and confirming the Gospel with a heckling “Atheist” on Good Friday

Another “Gospel Glory Story”

We trust you will be encouraged by this personal testimony from Chris Wagler, a new evangelist who enlisted for this mission and also preached open air for the very first time on Good Friday 2012:

On Good Friday, four of us from Harvest Bible Chapel Waterloo Region joined TCC to do street evangelism and it greatly impacted my life and witness for Christ.

For the last four years I have really felt God’s calling on my life to share the Gospel and until recently I didn’t know exactly where He was leading me. Being out on the streets with the guys really confirmed that this is the area of evangelism I feel God calling me to.

It was awesome to see people who were passionately proclaiming the authority of God’s word without apology and sharing the Good News of Jesus with boldness via open-air preaching, one-on-ones, etc. It was incredible how people were convicted when they heard the Gospel preached and were confronted with their sin. Seeing the expressions on their faces when they realized it really challenged me to be unashamed about the Gospel as Romans 1:16 says “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes ….”

I also had never before seen presuppositional apologetics in practice. It was absolutely powerful and it gets to the heart of Romans 1:18-23; the fact that all men are without excuse and know that there is a God. It’s really given me a passion to share the Gospel while resting in God’s sovereignty as He works in peoples’ lives, calling them to Himself, because it’s all of Him and none of me.

I praise God for the Gospel and look forward to learning and growing more with TCC!

More media from this mission

Click on the Vimeo image (right) to hear how God brought conviction for sin in this one-to-one evangelism encouner on Good Friday

See more pics from our Good Friday outreach on Flickr

Enlistin an Extreme Team Mission with The Cross Current

Watchmore preaching videos on our Vimeo channel

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TOGETHER FOR THE UNDERESTIMATED GOSPEL

Every two years many of the most faithful and prominent preachers in modern Christendom gather “Together for the Gospel” (T4G) in Louisville, Kentucky to help the Church re-focus on the power and priority of the biblical Gospel.

Right: All of the T4G speakers strike a pose together on the conference platform

As a local missions ministry dedicated to equipping the Church in more faithful Gospel proclamation, the leadership of The Cross Current is committed to attending T4G and bringing any new budding Gospel preachers with us.

About T4G

Together for the Gospel started as a friendship between four pastors who began a conference in 2006 to serve one main purpose: to encourage other pastors to stand together for the Gospel. The conference was repeated in 2008 and 2010 as more and more Church leaders discovered they shared this ambition.

T4G has provided them with an opportunity to connect and begin building those pastoral friendships and networks.

Click on the pic (left) to check out a short T4G video recording during praise and worship

T4G is convinced that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been misrepresented, misunderstood, and marginalized in many Churches and among those who proclaim the name of Christ. Therefore, the goal of these friendships, conferences, and networks is to reaffirm this central doctrine of the Christian faith and to encourage local Churches to do the same.

T4G Testimonies

The theme of this year’s T4G conference was the “Underestimated” Gospel, and here are a couple testimonies from our team about how the Lord used our time together:

Right: Our “T4G Team” (back, l to r): Len Ayton, Nick Platt, Bill Dawson, Tom Briggs, Shannon McConnell, Chris Wood, (front, l to r): Cory McKenna, Jeff Mardling (not pictured: Dan McKay)

Together for the Gospel has helped me to identify and understand the calling pastors answer when they are obedient in serving. As a lay person attending a mainly pastor-focused conference, I was able to grasp the dedication and commitment pastors of local churches maintain as they serve their congregations. As addressed by multiple speakers at Together for the Gospel, the specific call to pastoral ministry is not a call easily answered or one that can go overlooked. It is a call to service. These leaders in our churches are laborers for God, the church and the world. My time at Together for the Gospel has impacted my walk by bringing to light the much needed prayer for my local pastors and church leaders as they work to guide us on our walk with the Lord. ~ Nick Platt

T4G was great! The teaching, the singing, the books, and the fellowship each one alone was worth the trip. To sum up one thing that I will take away with is quite difficult. God reminded that the Gospel is what its all about. It is what saves us, transforms us, and unites us. It brings hope, peace, and joy. This conference was a gracious reminder of the need to declare this Good News to all people. Also, that the joy I had at the teaching, singing, and fellowship is not for me alone but needs to be given away so others can experience the life that only comes through Christ Jesus. ~ Chris Wood

T4G Resources

Click on the pic (right) to hear a powerful missions appeal from David Platt titled: “Divine Sovereignty: The Fuel of Death-Defying Missions”

Access free T4G sermons and resources on the Together for the Gospel website

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CHURCH CHAMPIONS TRAINING RETREAT

Are you ready to get equipped to champion the cause of the Gospel in your local church? There are only a couple seats left for our Church Champions Training Retreat!

This onsite and offsite outreach retreat will leverage the local missions experience of The Cross Current to equip leaders to train and sustain their entire churches to normalize sharing the Gospel in all your personal and community relationships.7th

Topics will include:

• The role of the equipping evangelist
• The priority of the pastor’s support
• Launching a local missions ministry
• Normalizing evangelism church-wide
• Sharing Gospel Outreach in your community

Graduates will be equipped with a field-tested foundation for more faithful gospel proclamation and also released with a practical plan of church-wide implementation.

The registration deadline for this training is May 7th.

Click here for schedule, session information, and registration

Listen to the CCT Retreat radio commercial

Printyour own promo poster

 

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DO YOU KNOW…?

…that TCC Radio is much more than just the only street-level spoken word program specifically designed to connect Christians in conversation with non-Christians, sow the seed of the Gospel, tackle the toughest questions, and lead the culture to the Church?

This outreach broadcast can also help unify Christians, Churches, and Radio Stations in the Gospel.

For Christians…

TCC Radio equips Christians with truthful answers to tough questions from the studio and eye-opening (unscripted) evangelistic conversation clips from the street.

For Churches…

TCC Radio can labour alongside your local church leaders to equip all Christ-followers under your care to be His witnesses together in your community.

For Radio Stations…

TCC Radio will help bring your station more balanced programming by CRTC standards due to the fact that our “spiritual speakers’ corner” format invites diverse cultural exchange between average Canadians, irrespective of gender, race, or religious affiliation.

More on the various opportunities associated with TCC Radio

Visit TCC Radio online

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YOUR PRAYER PULSE FOR MAY
Let’s continue partnering together to keep our prayer pulse for TCC and the Church in Canada strong!

We humbly ask you, your family, and your church to remember to pray for the following TCC ministry need in May:

Church Champions Training Retreat (May 24th – 26th) | – please pray diligently that all the event details will come together and that the Lord will use our first Church Champions Training Retreat to help evangelists equip the saints within their local churches for the vital work of more faithful Gospel proclamation.

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Continue keeping a pulse on our prayer needs

Bookmark our ministry calendar to continue praying for our local missions

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We again thank God for you and your partnership in preaching the Gospel.

For His Glory Alone,

The Cross Current Team

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See TCC pics on Flickr

Subscribe to this newsletter

Donate to our mission in Canada

In this special Good Friday episode of TCC TV, our street team literally carries the cross…and open air preaches about it too!

Scriptures: Matthew 27:57-28:15, Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:50-53, John 20

Prayer: We serve a risen King – not an idea, a philosophy, an idol or a statue.   Pray that the living Lord would increasingly manifest Himself in your life and that your abiding in Christ would grow more powerful and intimate.  Pray that Jesus Christ would be boldly proclaimed and powerfully present in our church, all our ministries and our message to our city, country and world – all for His glory! And finally, pray that tomorrow’s service would be an amazing, Holy Spirit empowered, celebration of the truth – HE IS RISEN!

Additional:

Allow the truth creatively portrayed in this video to prepare your heart and mind for worshiping our risen Lord as we gather together in His Name tomorrow:

The Gospel Song

Scripture: Hebrews 11 – the great ‘hall of faith’ chapter.  Based on preceding chapters of who Jesus is and what He did – we can have earth-shattering, mountain-moving faith even when circumstances seem to go wrong.

Prayer: Pray that Christ would grow and strengthen your faith and the faith of our church.  That we would all walk filled with and emboldened by faith in our living, reigning, powerful, glorious Lord and Saviour.   Confess to God that you don’t have enough, you don’t have all that it takes, that on our own we can’t do it.  But recite in prayer the truth of God’s Word – that when we are weak then we are strong (2 Cor. 12:10) and so claim God’s strength, by faith, for your walk in obedience to Him.

Additional:

Today is what is called “Good Friday” – why is it good?  Think about what this day remembers and how that truth has intersected and impacted your life.  And think about how the disciples felt seeing the events of that day played out?  Here are two powerful videos to help you focus on the Cross and beyond:

CLICK HERE for a very strong video segment from Paul Washer called “Jesus Died” that presses the need for all to respond to the Gospel unto salvation

Also, we don’t want to leave you without hope in light of Friday’s crucifixion so CLICK HERE to watch this video called “Sundays Coming”

Scripture: Hebrews 10 – More about Christ’s sacrifice for our sin and the call to have confidence through faith in Christ.

Prayer: Pray for your pastor as he prepares Sunday’s message.  Pray for power and conviction and a commitment to be faithful to speak God’s words from God’s Word.  Also pray for your worship leader and his teams as they craft and prepare your worship time.  Pray for Holy Spirit led-worship, Christ-exalting worship and God-glorifying worship.

Video

“Come Awake”

Scripture: Hebrews 9 – describes how Jesus sacrifice was all that the Old Testament sacrifices could never be.

Prayer: Your own submission and reverence of Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of Lords.  Pray that God would press upon you that every sin of ours has required a death and that we would start to see sin in that light.  Also please be praying that God would draw more into His kingdom this Easter season – that we would see many commit their lives to Jesus Christ.

Additional:

This is a favourite! Prayerfully watch this video, keeping in mind that if this doesn’t stir your soul you are either dead spiritually or asleep physically!:)

That’s My King!

Scripture: Hebrews 8 – Describes Jesus as our high priest who established a new and eternal covenant for us

Prayer: That God would kindle your heart of gratitude and submission to Jesus as our great high priest.  Also please be praying for the preparations and logistics for this Sunday’s Easter service.

Additional:

MUSIC – Songs for Easter Sunday Worship

The following are a selection of songs that will be sung at my home church this coming Sunday. Usually we don’t know what we are signing prior to the Sunday service, but our leaders felt it necessary to remind us that in worship we are the choir and our Lord and Saviour is the audience – so preparation is important! All songs are also available for purchase on iTunes.

Like A lion by Kristian Stanfill

Here For You by Chris Tomlin

The Beauty of The Cross  by Jonny Diaz

Holy by Matt Redman

In Christ Alone by Kristyn Getty

Stronger by Hillsong

~ Cory

My home church is leveraging the use of media to help prepare the hearts and minds of our congregants to personally identify with the scandal of the Cross and celebration of the Christ this week. This journey will integrate various Scripture readings, prayer points, and links to various web resources for additional insights, teaching, and worship.

We invite you to walk this walk with us here this week…starting today.

Scripture:  Leviticus 16 – Day of Atonement description (one day each year for Israel)

Prayer: Understanding of how God views sin and why He established such elaborate and bloody requirements for Israel.

Additional:

• Please invite family, friends, co-workers, neighbours, and even strangers to church this week.
• Be bold, be gracious and invite.  Ideally each of us are sharing the gospel with those God brings into our life but if you are struggling with this at least you can invite them to church and Easter is a great time as people are very open to attending an Easter service if invited. We want to see more people come to know him.  More people walking in newness of life.
• CLICK HERE for an audio clip on the devastating effects of sin and the sacrifice of Christ
• CLICK HERE to witness what it was like
• CLICK HERE for a family Conversation Starter about the Easter Story

~ Cory