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Doug Bell

5.0 (2)
Christianity
Updated Biweekly

CrossPointe Church Weekend Messages

5d ago

Take A Look In The Mirror

Why is it that we can hear the truth, agree with it, even be moved by it — and change absolutely nothing? Week 2 of Street Smart takes us further into James 1, where the call shifts from what we believe to what we do. James tells us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger — because human anger doesn't accomplish God's righteousness. And if our own effort can't produce that righteousness in us, we're pointed to what actually can: humbly receiving the word God has already implanted in us, able to save our souls. But hearing isn't the finish line. James warns that a hearer who isn't a doer is like someone who looks in a mirror, walks away, and immediately forgets what he saw. So this week we run three tests in front of that mirror: the Coat Test (what are you still wearing that should have come off years ago?), the Soil Test (you don't grow what you like — you grow what you plant, so what's actually growing in your life?), and the Mirror Test (the last time God clearly showed you something, what did you actually do about it?). Uncommon wisdom doesn't stop at agreement. It shows up in what we do next.
Jul 19

When Life is Hard

Two men. Same company, same layoff, same parking lot. Two years later, one is deeper, steadier, and stronger than he's been in decades — the other is bitter, angry, and hardened. Same trial, opposite outcomes. Why? In week one of Street Smart, we open the book of James and discover that every hard thing in life puts us at a fork in the road: the same circumstance can be a trial God uses to grow us or a temptation the enemy uses to destroy us. Along the way, we take three tests that reveal which boat we're in — the Math Test (are you only feeling the cost, or counting the profit?), the Fork Test (whose hands are on the wheel?), and the Blame Test (God tests, but He never tempts). Because wisdom doesn't start with having the answers. It starts the moment we stop white-knuckling the wheel and say, "God, I don't know what to do — would You show me?" And when you come to God like that, He doesn't reproach you. He approaches you.
Jul 5

Free Indeed

This weekend America celebrated 250 years of independence — fireworks, cookouts, the whole thing. But underneath all of it sits a quieter question: are you actually free? Not politically. Not financially. Deep down, where nobody else can see. Here's the hard truth we sat with: you can live in the freest nation on earth and still carry chains nobody notices. The chain of approval. Of success. Of bitterness. Of feeling like you're never enough. Modern chains rarely look like chains — they come wrapped in things that look like freedom. In this Fourth of July weekend message, Pastor Ann Starker opens Galatians 5:1 and Isaiah 61 to talk about the kind of freedom that doesn't fade when the fireworks die out. The freedom Christ purchased isn't just freedom from something — it's freedom for something. And stepping into it means taking off the grave clothes we've grown used to wearing. Your body can leave Egypt long before your mind does. This is an invitation to let both go free.
Jun 28

The Hungry Heart

What do you do when you've been overlooked, sidelined, or forgotten — and the promise God gave you still hasn't shown up? David knew that feeling. Left in the field while his brothers stood before Samuel. Not even invited to the table. And yet — God looked past everything everyone else was measuring and saw straight to his heart. This week, Pastor Doug Bell takes us deep into the story of a shepherd boy who became a man after God's own heart — not because he lived a perfect life, but because of the direction he ran when he messed up. From the anointing to the cave, from his greatest failures to his deepest grief, David's life reveals a truth we all need to hear: your hunger for God doesn't disqualify you. It defines you. Because the gap between a promise and its fulfillment is never wasted time. That's where your character is formed. Key Scriptures: 1 Samuel 13:14 · 1 Samuel 16:7, 11 · 1 Samuel 30:6 · 2 Samuel 12:23 · 2 Samuel 18:33 · Psalm 42:1–2 · Psalm 51:10 · Psalm 63:1 · John 6:35
Jun 21

A Man Who Never Said a Word

What if the most powerful father in history never said a single recorded word? On Father's Day, Pastor Doug takes us back to one of the most overlooked figures in the Christmas story — Joseph, the man handpicked by God to raise His own Son. Not a king. Not a prophet with a famous speech. Just a faithful man who kept getting up. Four times in two short passages, God spoke. Four times, Joseph rose and obeyed — no negotiation, no credit, no applause. He took a pregnant fiancée no one believed. He fled to a foreign country in the dark with no map and no plan. He started over when God said come back. He raised the Son of God in an ordinary town that people mocked, and quietly faded off the page with no recorded farewell. His legacy wasn't a statement. It was a posture. He rose and he did it. This message is for every man who's tired, discouraged, or running on empty — and still showing up anyway.
Jun 14

The Path of the Yoked Disciple

Matthew 11:28–30 In Part IV of the Hunger Pains series, we explored Jesus’ invitation to the weary, overwhelmed, and burdened: “Come to Me… and I will give you rest.” Through Matthew 11, we were reminded that while life is hard and burdens are real, we were never meant to carry them alone. Key Takeaways: Everyone carries burdens. Whether it’s stress at work, broken relationships, financial pressure, anxiety, emotional exhaustion, or physical pain — burdens are part of life. Jesus never promised a burden-free life, but He did promise rest for weary souls. Religion can become exhausting. Jesus was speaking to people crushed under the weight of religious rules and expectations. The Pharisees had created hundreds of regulations that left people spiritually drained instead of spiritually alive. Most people mishandle their burdens. Many people: • Carry their burdens everywhere they go • Bury their struggles until they explode • Or even “marry” their burdens and let them define their identity But Jesus calls us to surrender our burdens instead of letting them control us. Real rest is found in Jesus. The answer to spiritual exhaustion is not trying harder — it’s coming closer to Christ. True peace is not found in pretending everything is okay, but in honestly bringing our heaviness to Him. Big Idea: You may be tired, overwhelmed, anxious, frustrated, or spiritually exhausted — but Jesus is still saying, “Come to Me.” The burdens may be real, but His grace is greater.
Jun 7

How We Know The Bible Is Reliable

Most of us believe the Bible — but can we explain why? This message equips you to move beyond "I just have faith" and into real, grounded answers for the questions people are actually asking. Drawing on science, history, mathematics, and personal experience, this message presents five compelling reasons the Bible holds up under scrutiny: 1. Scientific Accuracy — The Bible described the earth hanging in space, quarantine protocols, and antibacterial practices thousands of years before science caught up. 2. Historical Verification — From the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls to the excavation of long-forgotten kings, archaeology keeps confirming what critics kept calling wrong. 3. Impossible Cohesion — 66 books. 40 authors. 3 continents. 3 languages. Written over 1,500 years — and it reads like one mind wrote it, with one central hero from cover to cover. 4. Prophetic Precision — Over 300 specific prophecies about Jesus, written centuries before his birth, fulfilled down to the city, the price, and the method of execution. Mathematically, the odds are staggering. 5. Radical Transformation — No book in history has been more opposed — or more unstoppable. And no book has changed more lives from the inside out. This isn't blind faith. This is faith with a foundation.
May 31

Coming Home

Luke 15 | The Prodigal Son In Part III of the Hunger Pains series, Pastor Doug unpacked the powerful parable of the prodigal son and revealed that this story is not just about one lost son — it’s about all of us. Whether we relate to the younger brother running from God or the older brother standing outside angry and self-righteous, the message is the same: the Father’s heart is always calling us home. Key Takeaways: • Sin always promises freedom but delivers famine. • The far country may look exciting at first, but eventually every “pigpen” leaves us empty, hungry, and searching for something only God can satisfy. • Hunger pains are often God’s mercy in disguise. • That ache you can’t shake, the emptiness, restlessness, and exhaustion from trying to do life apart from God may actually be His loving invitation to come home. • Nobody gets away with sin. • Sin comes prepackaged with consequences, regret, and brokenness — not because God hates people, but because He hates anything that destroys His children. • The Father’s agenda is restoration, not payback. • Before the son could clean himself up, explain himself, or prove himself, the father ran toward him. God’s grace meets us while we’re still messy, broken, and ashamed. • The older brother was lost too. • The younger brother was lost in rebellion, but the older brother was lost in pride, anger, and self-righteousness. Jesus reminds us that staying near the house doesn’t always mean our hearts are close to the Father. God is not waiting to shame you, reject you, or “get even” with you. He is watching the road, waiting for you to come home. Whether you’ve wandered far away or stayed close while your heart drifted cold, the invitation is the same: Come Home.

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CrossPointe Church Weekend Messages

Creator

Doug Bell
Years Active

2020 - 2026
Episodes

286
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 Crosspointe