Thief on The Cross Christian Ministry

Thief on The Cross Christian Ministry Bold as Lion, gentle as a Lamb. That is the calling God gave to all men. Our mission is to share the Gospel of Christ boldy.

To make strong Godly disciples of Christ that we we're all called to be through online ministry.

01/14/2026

Yesterday is over. Sad as that may seem, change is the essence of life. Sometimes when we lose someone, our pain is a small price to pay for their peace.
Dr. "Ducky" Mallard - NCIS

I know it's just a TV show, but sometimes profound wisdom is found in strange places. I miss my Mom and Dad terribly, I still grieve their deaths, but I choose to take solace knowing they are with God. No cancer, no heart disease, no pain.

in John 14:27 Jesus tells us "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

Sometimes that peace is found in a memory, a smell, or the words of a character on a TV series.

Sometimes, that peace comes in the form of death even if we don't understand.

Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us 8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Understanding is not necessary, Faith and Trust in the wisdom of God is.

“Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” Psalm 30:5

It is ok to grieve. In fact, it is essential, we are dealing with our own loss. Loss that changes us in our soul and in unimaginable profound ways. However, God promises us we will smile again. His love will restore us.

If you're hurting today, I pray you will find relief in the Knowledge that you are loved by God. Trust His Promise in Hebrews 13:5 "I will never leave you, nor forsake you."

You will smile again.

01/07/2026

I want to appologize to each of you. This is my first holiday season without my parents. I have neglected the gifts God gave me asn I dealt with my own pain and sorrow. At the same time I have leaned heavily on my faith to get me through this season. I hope all of you will understand. I haven't felt a Word that was meant to share so much as I have felt the Word and Spirit taking my own burdens and guiding me through my trials.

I will say I have learned a lot about what it means to Shephard a flock as God Shepharded me through a very difficult time. I will be back Strong in the Spirit and sharing what God puts on my heart in the following weeks. God bless every one of you, and I can only pray that my absence has not hurt any of you in your spiritual journey.

09/22/2025

"And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die." -Revelation 12:11

There’s a lot to unpack in those few words. Our Salvation through Christ is paramount and we are commanded to profess our Faith. But it doesn’t end there. Many of us will say “I’m a Christian” or “I’m saved”, but how often are we sharing our personal testimonies? We should be telling anyone who will listen of the great things God has done in our lives. Are we excited about God? We should rejoice in sharing the blessings in our life and the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Those proclamations alone can be difficult in a world that hates The Word. The ridicule, and ostracization that all too often follows can be a hard pill to swallow, but it is our privilege to know God, if we aren’t excited about that enough to deal with ridicule, then we are surely falling short in our Faith and in our relationship with the one true God.

But then there is that last part “And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die”. I think it was Kenny Chesney that wrote “Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to go now.” There is some truth in that. I’m not saying anyone should want to die. But if our Faith is in God and our Salvation intact, what is there to fear? I was having a hard time after my dad passed. I was speaking to a friend who is a Pastor. He said “Think of it from God’s perspective” Imagine God saying “I know it hurts, but is it really so bad that he is with Me?” And he is right. The apostles, with the exception of John, were martyred for their Faith. Even today, in some countries, Christianity is punishable by death; and yet, there are Christians in those countries right now. How powerful is that?!

I hope none of us find ourselves in a position where we may be killed for speaking about our Faith. Unfortunately, we have seen it in our own country all too recently. My prayer though is that we are firm enough in our Faith and our relationship with Jesus Christ that we do not love this world so much that we fear death, but rather rejoice in knowing that someday we will walk beside Him.

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the blessings you provide us each and every day. Lord, I pray that you will anoint us all with a fire in our hearts and an irresistible desire to share the Gospel and our own personal testimonies with anyone who will listen. Fill us with the courage to face adversity and persecution for our Faith, and the comfort of knowing that when death does come, it is not something to fear, but rather, a joyous reunion.
Theses things we pray in your name,
Amen

09/21/2025

19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
22 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. -Acts 11:19-24
Our mission is to “go forth and make disciples of all nations.”
We are living in a time where Christians are persecuted. Christian masculinity is under attack. This is nothing new. We are fighting the same demons in a new day. But the great news is God is the same today as well and He gives us the strength to defeat Satan and his minions.
In spite of that, my challenge to each of you is to identify that friend, coworker or family member who is lost. Maybe they are on the fence. Maybe they have strayed from God. Maybe they have experienced a hurt that has left them resentful of God. Identify one person and like the Church in Antioch, be a shepherd in spite of the persecution. In spite of the taboo that society has placed on Christianity, go out and share the Gospel. It is through our bold profession of Faith and courageous sharing of the Word in a RESPECTFUL and LOVING way, that WE, the Body, create revival and bring more to Salvation through Christ.
My prayer:
Heavenly Father,
I thank you for loving us when we are not worthy. When we are disobedient, Lord, you love us anyway. I pray that all who read this, Lord, will receive a fresh breath of the Holy Spirit. I pray God, you will light a fire in the soul of these men. Fill them with a spirit of boldness and courage, God, and use them to bring “a great number” to you, and the Salvation you gave us through your Son Jesus Christ.
Amen.

09/11/2025

I had a message planned today, but like many of you probably are, I am hurt, angry and disheartened by the death of Charlie Kirk. I take some solace knowing he has heard the words we all want to hear someday “Well done, my good and faithful servant.

To me Pastor Kirk is an example we can live by in our walk as men in Christ. He was bold in his declaration of his Faith and stood firm in the biblical teachings. His approach was from a place of sincere love. He met people from a place of compassion, but never so much that he was afraid to call their sin exactly that. Not in judgement, but in discernment. We can all learn a lot from him.

If we are never persecuted to some degree, I dare to say we are not living up to our role as Christians. The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 says:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

In John he warns us that being a disciples of Jesus is not an easy road. You will be ridiculed for your Faith. Hated for Jesus Sake.

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’[a] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.” John 15:18-21

Charlie Kirk faced all of this and has died a true martyr for his Faith. I can only hope to become enough of a voice for God and salvation through Christ that his outcome is even a possibility for me.

"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake" Matthew 24:9

I leave you with this final passage to consider:

“The wicked flee, though none pursue; but the righteous are bold as a Lion.” Proverbs 28:1

Walk boldly in Faith Brothers, so much so that you are persecuted and hated for it.

I ask finally that you all keep the family of Charlie Kirk in your prayers in their time of grief and sorrow.

09/10/2025

I spoke with a friend today, he is battling cancer. He is a strong Christian man, a Veteran, a husband, and a father. I don’t want to reveal his identity so I won’t share more than that except to say he is always involved in ministry and Christian based charity. I shared some scripture with him that has helped me over the years when my wife had cancer and other times when I felt defeated or discouraged. Over the next three days, I would like to share that Scripture with all of you.

Today, we start with Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

As men, life can be hard. We are taught early on to shoulder our burdens quietly. Keep our emotions in check, and never complain. It is an impossible task. Life will kick you while you’re down and spit on you for trying to get back up. That is where the enemy really likes to get in your ear. He will tell you that you are alone and will never have help.

But Praise God! The enemy is a liar.

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you.” There is nowhere you can go that God has not already seen and He is with you every step of the way. Let’s be honest, our burdens may be too heavy for us. I hate the phrase “God will never give you more than you can handle.” That is not scripture. That is foolish pride. But brothers, I can tell you this: God will NEVER give you more than he can handle.

“I will never leave you; nor forsake you. We serve a Faithful God don’t we? No matter how we fail, His promise is that we will ALWAYS have Him in our corner to strengthen us, to relieve our burdens, and yes even heal us from cancer.

In 2013, my wife, fiance at the time, was diagnosed with cancer. A tumor the size of my fist. We were at a Tuesday night service with friends. We had never been to this Church before. During his sermon, the Pastor stopped mid sentence. He pointed at my wife and said “I don’t know what’s going on, but God says He’s got it. You're healed. The following Friday she called me in a panic. She said “It ruptured!” I said what ruptured? She said “My tumor, it opened up and this black tar stuff is coming out!”. I did my best to calm her and told her to call her Doctor. THey gave her some directions and essentially said if it doesn’t stop, go to the ER. Well it stopped. About a week later on Thursday, we had the appointment for her surgery. They got her into a pre-op room, where they did a sonogram to make the marks of where the tumor was and where they needed to cut. The thing is, THERE WAS NO TUMOR! IT WAS JUST GONE! Now I don’t know how God decides when or where to do a miracle. I cannot fathom how He decides who to heal and who not to. What I do know is He can, and sometimes He does. That is a Faithful Go. That is a GOd who walks with us and does not leave us nor forsake us when things get hard.

“Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” There is always hope in God and in Jesus. I’ve lost both parents in the last year. We were a very close family. When my dad passed I was afraid. At 45 years old, I did not feel equipped to be a man without the ear and advice of my dad. But I got into Scripture and I got on my knees and God was there to whisper quietly in my ear. “He’s with me now, but he gave you everything you needed before he left you. Do not be afraid. Again when my mom died, God was there. Reminding me to be strong and not discouraged.

If we only look to Him, all that we need will be provided in our darkest times. He will never leave us; nor forsake us.

Heavenly Father, we come today asking that you help us to put aside our manly pride, that we can lean on you and always remember that You are a Faithful God, who loves us and will never leave us to struggle on our own. Lord, we thank you for walking before us in the darkness and beside us at our weakness. We humbly ask your blessings lord that we can be a light to lead others to you through your presence in us.
Amen

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