I am a former atheist who, by God's sovereign grace, became a Christian in the year 2000. Mine is a life that is changed, and my testimony displays the transforming power of God through the Gospel. I orbit my life around Christ and preach the Gospel to myself everyday. I am eternally grateful for the Gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation.
There is but ONE Gospel, and the Lord calls His people to defend the Gospel from false teachers who want to pervert it into another gospel. So serious is preaching a false gospel that the Apostle Paul warned that those who do so are damned to Hell (Galatians 1: 6-9) There are eternal consequences for believing a false gospel. No matter how sincere you are or how active you are in your church, if you go to your grave trusting in a false gospel you too will be damned. Read the following anaolgy to help you better understand the relationship between the true Gospel and a counterfeit gospel.
[If I were to walk into a convenience store, grab a doughnut and cup of coffee, and then attempt to pay for my goodies with a fifty dollar bill from my kid's Monopoly game, what do you think would happen? It's obvious that the checkout clerk would laugh in my face and ask, "Is this a joke or what?" That's because the clerk would immediately recognize that what I am offering as money is not real money.
[If I were to walk into a convenience store, grab a doughnut and cup of coffee, and then attempt to pay for my goodies with a fifty dollar bill from my kid's Monopoly game, what do you think would happen? It's obvious that the checkout clerk would laugh in my face and ask, "Is this a joke or what?" That's because the clerk would immediately recognize that what I am offering as money is not real money.
But what if I tried to pay for the goods with a counterfeit fifty dollar bill that was printed by a professional in the art of making counterfeit money? At first glance, it looks like the real deal, but unless the clerk were paying close attention to what was being passed off as real money, he would probably just accept it without a second glance. He would be fooled into thinking that I was paying for my goods with real, legal tender. And, he might not ever know he was fooled.
That's why it is important for bank tellers to know what real money looks like; so if they ever come across counterfeit money, a red flag should go up that alerts them that something isn't right about that money. It looks so real, so authentic, at least at first glance. But when that money is carefully examined by someone who knows what real money looks like, and is familiar with recognizing counterfeit money, it is discovered to be counterfeit.
That's why it is important for bank tellers to know what real money looks like; so if they ever come across counterfeit money, a red flag should go up that alerts them that something isn't right about that money. It looks so real, so authentic, at least at first glance. But when that money is carefully examined by someone who knows what real money looks like, and is familiar with recognizing counterfeit money, it is discovered to be counterfeit.
That's the problem with a false gospel being peddled by a false teacher. Just like the clerk who accepted the counterfeit fifty dollar bill without questioning it's authenticity, there are church buildings everywhere filled with people who are fooled into thinking that what they are being taught is true, when in actuality, they are being taught a damning lie.
False teachers talk about Jesus dying on the cross for sinners. They profess to preach from the Bible and that what they preach and teach is true. They have a mission and vision for their church. They quote the Bible and pray, and say God is at work and changing people in big ways at their church. They seem very religious and convincing, don't they?
And it's not like they teach lies 100% of the time either. Some of their theology is biblical. But they also twist the Truth into lies in subtle and deceptive ways. False teachers don't try to pass a Monoploy money gospel as the real thing. The gospel they peddle is more like the counterfeit money printed by expert counterfeiters.
False teachers talk about Jesus dying on the cross for sinners. They profess to preach from the Bible and that what they preach and teach is true. They have a mission and vision for their church. They quote the Bible and pray, and say God is at work and changing people in big ways at their church. They seem very religious and convincing, don't they?
And it's not like they teach lies 100% of the time either. Some of their theology is biblical. But they also twist the Truth into lies in subtle and deceptive ways. False teachers don't try to pass a Monoploy money gospel as the real thing. The gospel they peddle is more like the counterfeit money printed by expert counterfeiters.
Well, the Bible is God's Word, it is Truth with a capital T. It says particular things that are True about God, creation, man, sin, redemption, heaven, hell, and on and on. If you don't know what real Christianity is, then how would you ever recognize false Christianity? That is why it is so, so important to get to know God's Word, and get the Gospel right. ]
In regards to The Crossing Church, it is my contention that their beliefs and values as a church do not match what the Bible teaches. Pastor Eric Dykstra is a self-proclaimed radical and sole leader of The Crossing church; he claims to have recieved a vision from God, and that all who "partner" with The Crossing must do so under that vision. Dykstra is a bold and aggressive false teacher who plans on invading surrounding communities in the twin cities and has the ambitious goal of opening two hundred campuses in twenty years!
As long as The Crossing and leader Eric Dykstra oppose the Truth of the Gospel, either explicitly or implicitly, I will, by God's grace, unite with other concerned Christians to stop this malignant cancer from spreading. I will also be here to proclaim and defend the precious Gospel that rescued me.
I do not see myself as any way spiritually superior to The Crossing leadership. Without God's day to day grace and work of renewal by the Holy Spirit, I would surely slip into a cesspool of darkness and evil and would be capable of becoming the greatest monster the world has ever known. In the words of the Apostle Paul, I am the chief of sinners.
If you are a visitor to this site who attends The Crossing or any other church you suspect preaches another gospel, then come back for more visits. I will expose the false gospel of The Crossing Church and provide materials from solid Christian pastors and thinkers who preach and teach the Gospel.
It is my prayer that Crossing leadership confess and repent of their errors and turn to the real Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I also pray that the people who attend The Crossing will see through the lies and deceptions of that church. May they realize the yoke of bondage and spiritual abuse that they are under, and embrace Christ who will give them true rest from The Crossing's legalistic standards that are impossible to keep.
Jesus Himself said to the people of His day, burdened and breaking under the yoke of Legalism, "Come to Me all you who are weary and heavy-laden. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light". ( Matthew 11:28-30)
Please, take the time and effort to get the Gospel right: your eternal destination depends on it!
