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CrossWinds Church - Spirit Lake Campus

1 Peter 2:12 - Good Works, Good Will, And Good News

1 Peter 2:12 - Good Works, Good Will, And Good News

On December 17, 1941, North Platte residents gathered at the Union Pacific Depot because they heard that a troop train carrying the Nebraska National Guard would be coming through town. When the train stopped, it was actually the Kansas National Guard. After a few moments of awkward silence, the people of the town surged forward and shared their Christmas gifts with the young men on board. After all, they were someone’s children and it was Christmas time. That night, young Rae Wilson penned a letter to the editor asking North Platte to open a Canteen at the depot that would feed other troops passing through town. Little did she know that she was starting an endeavor that would last 54 months, involving 12,000 volunteers and feeding more than 6 million servicemen and women. The North Platte Canteen remains the largest volunteer movement in United States history. This extraordinary act of kindness made North Platte one of the most loved towns for troops returning from the war. Just as the good works of a small town transformed lives, as Christians, God calls us to be about good works which God will use to help transform lives with the gospel. Join us to see how good works lead to good will which opens the door to the good news.

Locations & Times

CrossWinds Church | Spirit Lake, IA

2805 Erie Ave, Spirit Lake, IA 51360, USA

Thursday 8:15 AM

Thursday 11:00 AM

1. We are tirelessly focused on reaching people with Jesus, willing to leave the 99 for the 1.
3. We always have spots for people to plug into healthy, vibrant sermon-based life groups.
5. We are the best neighbors our neighbors ever had. We seek to have neighborhoods so connected that people turn down promotions in order to stay where their families are so loved and supported.
4. We are known as a church that loves on the communities it serves in tangible ways. People know us for the things we do outside the four walls of the church building.
The single greatest tool for opening hearts to hear the gospel is how we live.
1. Honorable character will ____ the critics.
On the monthly day, if he likes, each puts in a small donation; but only if it be his pleasure, and only if he is able… these gifts are used to support and bury poor people, to supply the wants of boys and girls of destitute means, and off older persons confined now to the house, of those who have suffered shipwreck, those who are banished to islands or of those shut up in prisons. —Tertullian (155-222)
Many, in nursing and curing others, transferred their death to themselves and died in their stead… The best of our brothers lost their lives in this manner.—Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria.
2. Honorable character will ____ _____ to the gospel.
- Review the message. What was new that you didn’t know?

- In 1 Peter 2:12, Peter talked about how the way we live will silence evil spoken against Christians and soften hard hearts so they can hear the gospel. Read 1 Peter 2:13-17. How does Jesus change the way Christians handle politics so evil is not spoken against Christians and the gospel is advanced?

- Read 1 Peter 2:18-20. How can God use a Christian’s difficult work environment to advance the gospel?

- As you think about church, what could you change about the way you conduct yourself while at church to make the gospel more attractive, especially to those who are new or feel unloved?

- How can I change the way I live around my neighbors, co-workers, and those I meet at the YMCA to make the gospel more attractive?

- In the Herb and Ruth Clingen story, we saw the power of living a good and honorable life in extreme suffering. Why are both the attitude we possess and the works we display especially powerful for sharing the gospel in times of suffering?