Cross Conference 2020: A Brief Summary

Two years ago I had the pleasure and opportunity to drive my church members to Louisville, KY and attend Cross Conference 2019. It was an enjoyable experience and one that left a lasting mark in our hearts as we prayed and yearned together as a church community to see the gospel heard around the world. Our church responded by beginning to step towards a missional mindset both here at home, and abroad in the unreached world. We took the gospel to Asia Minor in the summer of 2019 and had planned another trip for the summer of 2020 but the Lord had other plans for us. We have also been diligent in supporting missional efforts through monthly prayer gatherings and financial giving. All of this to say, that Cross had a positive influence in our church community. I was hence excited to take a fresh new crop of members along with us for this year's rendition but the conference had to be moved online. Although the means were not ideal, and certainly not as engaging, I found the lessons to be both friendly in reminder, and refreshing to the heart. Here are some notes I took (to the best of my ability) from each session and main speaker. This year's conference was themed on the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6. Each speaker took on one section of that prayer and taught from their assigned passage. I hope these brief notes are of some service to you.

Trip Lee (Matthew 6:5-9)

“Our Father in Heaven”

• Before we commit to sending or going, we need to commit to following.

• We love to be seen.

• When we know people are watching us, we change our behaviour.

• Jesus wants more from us than just doing the right stuff, he wants us to have the right heart.

• Some of us might be interested in missions because it looks good.

• If applause is all you want, then that is all you will get.

• “To be seen” can sum up the reason we do so many things in life. This is a bad “main reason” for doing something.

• We should be striving for God to be seen, not for us to be seen.

• There’s no more approval for you to earn from Jesus.

John Piper (Matthew 6:9b)

“Hallowed Be Your Name”

• God uses suffering to create proclaimers of the Word.

• This statement (to hallow) is a petition.

• Hallow: stems from the word meaning "holy" or "saint" from which we get "sanctify."

• This petition is a prayer that requests our sight of God to be proper, to see God for who he is and in turn to see ourselves for who we are.

• We are not asking that God's name becomes holy, but that our sinful eyes would see Him as holy.

• Main point: Regard God as holy.

• The command to love God is equitable to the desire to hallow God's name. Why? Because when we see God for who He truly is, then we begin to love Him truly, and when we love Him truly we desire his name to be "hallowed" in this world.

Kevin DeYoung (Matthew 6:10)

"Your Kingdom Come, Your Will be Done"

• What is meant by God's kingdom and God's will in this prayer?

Kingdom: God's reign and rule. The kingdom is God's redemptive presence coming down from heaven to earth.

The domain of the kingdom will be universal. Membership is not ethical or geographical but based on faith and repentance.

Will of God: 1) God's will of decree. 2) God's will of desire.

• What are we asking for in these petitions?

We pray the same prayers that non-Christians pray.

This petition is a prayer that results from the work of the Spirit.

What Jesus focuses on is what we should pray for.

We are asking for his commandments to be obeyed.

We are asking for the rule and reign of God.

We are asking for God's final victory to come.

The kingdom of God is not a society to be built but a kingdom to be received.

• How then should we live in light of these requests?

Obediently.

Outwardly.

- We cannot build the kingdom or give the kingdom, but we can announce the kingdom.

The presence of the kingdom is marked by the gospel.

Expectantly.

- We believe the Lord's promises to us.

- Expect that this God is an inviting God.

Wayne Chen (Matthew 6:11-12)

"Forgive Us Our Debts"

• The gospel always went out in seasons of danger and risk.

• The pandemic is a reminder that on this side of heaven, we are not in peace.

• Daily bread: Someone who needs daily provision is surely not in a state of abundance. When Jesus teaches us to pray for daily bread the aim is not for our physical provision to be met. Like manna in the wilderness, the teaching is to trust God everyday.

• We hope for weekly bread, because we miss the point of this prayer. Prayer is meant to be a faith shaping lifestyle.

• In order for the Great Commission to be completed we need men and women of God who will trust God for daily bread.

• The proclamation of the gospel needs to be our primary focus in missions.

David Platt (Matthew 6:13)

"Lead Us Not Into Temptation"

• The fruit we see in science is the work of an almighty God.

• God is the only means of protection from the spiritual battles of the world.

• The good news is good news for believers but not good news for the devil.

• You will be bombarded by your own flesh.

• The devil is sidelining an entire generation of missionaries.

• "Satan wants you to waste your life." (John Piper)

• The purpose of this prayer is to crucify our pride.

• Our ally in this spiritual is indominable.

• Nothing can stop the coming of God's kingdom and the hallowing of God's name among all the nations. The outcome of this war is irreversible.

Some of these notes are verbatim while most are summaries of what the speaker shared. Take them as you will. God bless you all and may we see the day when the unreached are reached.