Cross Podcast

The sixth plenary session from CROSS19. Pastor J.D. has led his church, the Summit Church, to make the gospel its central focus. The “gospel secret” is that all the things God wants for the Church, such as reckless joy, audacious faith, or radical generosity, are produced not by focusing on them but on what God has done for us. We become what God intends us to be when we focus less on what we are to do for him and more on what he has done for us. J.D. and his wife Veronica live in Raleigh and are raising four ridiculously cute kids: Kharis, Alethia, Ryah, and Adon. J.D. completed his Ph.D. in Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he is also a faculty member, writing on the correlations between early church presentations of the gospel and Islamic theology. Having lived serving among Muslims, he has a burden to see them, as well as every nation on earth, come to know and love the salvation of God in Christ.

Plenary Session 5 from CROSS19. Mack Stiles and his wife, Leeann, have traveled and lived many places before landing in Erbil, Iraq, in July 2017, including 15 years in Dubai, UAE. He’s the pastor of Erbil International Baptist Church.

CROSS19 Session Four — Zane Pratt is the Vice President of Training at the IMB, International Mission Board.

Plenary Session #3 from CROSS19. Kevin DeYoung is the senior pastor at Christ Covenant Church (Matthews, NC) and a professor at Reformed Theological Seminary Charlotte.

Main talk #2 from CROSS19. Richard Chin serves as the National Director of the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students.

Plenary 1 from CROSS19. Thabiti Anyabwile is the church-planting pastor of Anacostia River Church in southeast Washington D.C.

In his talk, Zane Pratt shares about the mission work that has taken place in Asia and also begins to share what work still needs to be done.

In this talk, Mack Stiles shares how our culture can be so embedded into our lives that we can take it with us no matter if we realize it or not. He goes on to share three major concerns about modern missions and how we can avoid some cultural pitfalls overseas.

In his talk, Paul Akin shares the #1 reason missionaries leave the mission field and go home. 

In his talk, John Piper explains how God has used biographies to encourage and motivate obedience in his own life and he encourages those listening to utilize them as well. During this session, he focuses his attention on the life of Hudson Taylor and shares several lessons that can be learned from his life.

In his talk, Thabiti Anyabwile shares the importance of seeking to fight sin and live lives of purity now before entering the mission field. He encourages us to utilize the talents that God has given us without being hindered by sin and debt and provides some practical steps that we can take in getting there.

In his talk, Richard Chin focuses his attention specifically on Asians and thinks through how they can be mobilized to reach the nations with the gospel.

In his talk, David Meade provides a road map for those who are trying to determine how they can get on the mission field. For those seriously considering cross-cultural missions, this is an incredibly helpful resource.

In his talk, Byron Johnson shares some wisdom in raising financial support by pointing his listeners to the importance of casting a compelling vision that is driven by passion and the necessity to network with people and follow up with them.

In this talk, Catherine Pratt and Leeann Stiles share some of the unique challenges that a woman may face on the mission field including fear, loss, suffering, and the heightening of emotions. Along with these, they address the challenge of various life situations including singleness, marriage, and team dynamics.

In his talk, David Platt shares how we can seek to reach the world through global cities and looks at Acts 16-18 as an example of this biblical principle. The world is increasingly becoming more urbanized and this brings about some unique challenges that we should be aware of and also some unique opportunities that we can leverage for the spread of the gospel among the unreached.

In his talk, Kevin DeYoung shares what a sending church is looking for in students who are eager to take the gospel to the unreached. In his talk, he includes five specific points that he, as a pastor, is looking for in those who desire to go: 1.) An eagerness and an ability to share the gospel with non-christians 2.) Know the goal and the mission of missionaries 3.) A firm conviction about the centrality of the local church 4.) A humble spirit that is teachable 5.) A demonstrated track record of relational maturity and ministry faithfulness.

In his talk, Matthew Spandler-Davison shares the current landscape of missions in Europe. He focuses both on the challenges of doing ministry in Europe as well as the exciting opportunities that are available to see lost people come to Christ .

In this talk, we hear from Thabiti Anyabwile, Tim Byrd, and Elias Medeiros as they share the importance of finding our identity in Christ. They share ways in which as a missionary, we become a minority in whatever new culture we are confronted with and the necessity of focusing on who we are in Jesus.

In her talk, Keri Folmar shares how the purpose of marriage is to spread God's image to the rest of the world and looks at how individual calling's inside of marriage can work to bring about that goal. She encourages women who are married to focus on the gifts that they enjoy while also working to support the ministry of their husband. She finishes her time with some Q&A and provides some very practical advice to those interested in living on the mission field.