CROSS Conference Podcast
Religion & Spirituality
About
This is the official podcast of the CROSS Conference, where you can hear all talks, panels, and breakout sessions. See more at www.crosscon.com.CROSS exists for the glory of Jesus Christ, to magnify his name by calling students, through a biennial conference and resources, to go to the unreached peoples of the world where Jesus is not worshipped as God and Savior.
Episodes
- How Can God Be One and Three?
Kyle Claunch explains the doctrine of the Trinity, detailing how God is one being in three persons, referencing Isaiah 6:1-5. The discussion highlights the Trinity's role in worship and discipleship.
- Why Would a Christian Exercise?
David Mathis examines the role of Christian exercise, drawing parallels between physical health and spiritual endurance through the life of missionary Adoniram Judson. The episode emphasizes stewarding one's body for God's purposes.
- How to Memorize Scripture by Andy Davis
Andy Davis explains Scripture memorization using the Sermon on the Mount, contrasting those who practice Jesus' words with those who do not. He highlights that applying God's Word builds a resilient spiritual foundation.
- Don't Let Envy Color Your Joy
Tilly Dillehay discusses how envy corrupts joy when observing others
- What is Church-Centered Missions?
Jonathan Leeman compares movement-driven and church-centered missions paradigms. He argues that church-centered missions are more biblically faithful and sustainable, encouraging listeners to evaluate missions through church health and acc…
- Know What You Believe Before You Go
Mark Collins explores essential foundational beliefs before going on mission. After 25 years leading West Shanghai Baptist Church in China, Collins recalls his own pivotal moment at age 22 when a speaker mentioned China's long spiritual hu…
- 9 Marks of Women Who go to the Ends of the Earth
Nina Buser shares the spiritual markers of women called to global ministry. A missionary to the Yembiyembi tribe in Papua New Guinea for 13 years, Buser recounts her unlikely journey from a secular, broken home to a cross-cultural calling.…
- Setting an Example in Speech Conduct Love Faith and Purity by David Mathis
David Mathis challenges attendees to become agents of godly transformation. Mathis speaks to young believers who sense divine discontent with cultural compromise on campus and online. Being an example involves allowing Scripture rather tha…
- How to Talk About Jesus Without Sounding Like an Idiot - Open Mic Q&A
Alistair Begg and Jonathan Carswell discuss effective gospel communication. Carswell interviews Begg through prepared questions about sharing Jesus, referencing Begg's well-known "man on the middle cross" teaching. Effective evangelism req…
- Singleness on the Field by Rae Reid
Rae Reid reflects on the joys and challenges of single missionary service. At 43 and single after nearly 12 years in Southeast Asia with Reaching and Teaching, Reid presents an honest assessment of singleness on the mission field. Marital…
- How Do I Know God's Will for My Life? by David Platt
David Platt addresses the perennial question of discovering God's will. Acknowledging that believers constantly wrestle with God's direction for their lives, Platt examines whether Scripture addresses all decisions from mundane choices to…
- The Do's and Don'ts of Dating
Isaac and Stephanie Stiles provide biblical guidance on dating practices. With 13 years of marriage and experience counseling students through Across Campus, the Dosses address how dating culture has shifted from public chaperoned courtshi…
- Why Language is the Major Metric and Barrier to the Spread of the Gospel by Brooks Buser
Brooks Buser examines language as both barrier and key to gospel expansion. Working with Radius International to help missionaries learn language and culture, Buser demonstrates why linguistic skill directly determines gospel effectiveness…
- The Gift of Self-Forgetfulness
Scott Hubbard explains the liberating power of self-forgetfulness. Drawing on insights from C.S. Lewis, Tim Keller, and John Piper, Hubbard presents self-forgetfulness as the pathway to freedom and deep wonder. The healthiest Christians li…
- The Nature and Purpose of the Church
Shai Linne explores the nature and purpose of the local church. This session addresses the vision to unite passion for both foreign missions and the church, noting that those emphasizing one often neglect the other. The teaching centers on…
- The Revealed Will of God
Afshin Ziafat reveals how to discover and follow God's revealed will through biblical wisdom rather than uncertainty and guesswork. After years fielding questions from college students and young adults desperate to know God's direction abo…
- The 4 Biggest Barriers to Missions Mobilization
Matthew Bennett identifies and addresses the four major barriers that prevent believers from entering long-term missionary service. Bennett brings urgency and directness to a crucial conversation, drawing from his roles as church elder, th…
- The Character of a Missionary by Matt Schmucker
Matt Schmucker unpacks the character qualities essential for effective missionary work and strategic kingdom advancement. Drawing from 34 years of experience revitalizing Capitol Hill Baptist Church and founding 9Marks Ministry, Schmucker…
- Friendship with God: A Path to Deeper Fellowship with God
Sam Emadi explores friendship with God as a profound spiritual reality and pathway to deeper intimacy with the Divine. Despite sounding casual, biblical friendship with God represents a revolutionary truth: that believers can move from enm…
- Designed by God: The Biblical Role of Men by Seth Trout
Seth Troutt examines what authentic masculinity looks like and exposes the cultural myth of "toxic masculinity." Through a practical pyramid model, Troutt unpacks the character traits that define genuine manhood, starting with the foundati…
- Designed by God: The Biblical Role of Women
Rosaria Butterfield discusses the biblical design and purpose of women through the lens of her personal transformation journey. In this compelling session, Butterfield shares her remarkable journey from lesbian activist and tenured profess…
- Unpacking How the Church Is the Answer to Modern Identity Chaos with Carl Trueman
Ben Lacey interviews Carl Trueman in Q&A format about resolving identity crisis in a technology-saturated world. Trueman provides practical wisdom: think critically about technology dependence—smartphones can dominate entire lives—and whil…
- Doctrine and Devotion with John Piper
Ben Lacey interviews John Piper in conversation about the essential connection between doctrine and devotion. Having covered sin, man, Christ, and God's meticulous sovereignty, they affirm that sound doctrine is not merely intellectual the…
- The Lost Virtue of Self Control with Tilly Dillehay and Jeremy Pierre
Tilly Dillehay and Jeremy Pierre engage in conversation about self-control and modern struggles with discipline. Survey data reveals alarming statistics: 83% of students struggle with self-discipline, 50% of males struggle with pornography…
- Living for the Global Glory of God by David Platt
David Platt illustrates God's global purpose through a story of a couple who met at CrossCon two years prior, married within a year, and returned with their newborn to seek God's direction for their lives. He establishes that each person i…
- Entreating the Extravagant Generosity of God by Trip Lee
Trip Lee anchors biblical prayer in the finished work of Christ, emphasizing that access to God comes through Jesus' name alone. He introduces the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) as the most famous sermon in history that inverts worldly…
- Entreating the Extravagant Generosity of God by Alistair Begg
Alistair Begg explores God's willingness to answer prayer and provide abundantly through Matthew 7:7-11 and Ephesians 3:14-21. Drawing from the promise that asking yields giving and seeking yields finding, Begg emphasizes that God's genero…
- Lecture: How the Church Is the Answer to Modern Identity Chaos by Carl Trueman
Carl Trueman lectures on the church's role in addressing contemporary identity confusion. The church provides biblical identity rooted in God's truth as an antidote to the cultural chaos surrounding personal identity in modern society. Gro…
- Delighting in the Eternally Joyful Persons of God by Shai Linne
Shai Linne celebrates the union and joy found in the Trinity and the believer's participation in it. Drawing from Jesus' prayer in John 17:20-26, Linne explores Christ's desire that believers experience the same oneness with God and one an…
- Hoping in the Meticulous Providence of Our Great God by John Piper
John Piper examines God's sovereignty in tragedy through the lens of a 2001 incident where a Peruvian Air Force plane shot down a missionary aircraft, killing Veronica Bowers and her 7-month-old daughter Charity. Piper confronts the diffic…
- Rejoicing in the Victorious Gospel of God by Ajay Thomas
Ajay Thomas preaches on the power of the gospel moving from head to heart. Through Ephesians 2:1-10, he shows how believers can move from knowing about salvation to truly feeling its transformative power. The gospel's victory is not just a…
- Rejoicing in the Victorious Gospel of God | Afshin Ziafat
Afshin Ziafat opens CROSS CON26 by pressing the gospel into the center—its news so precious that Jesus says it is worth losing your life for, and so powerful that Satan works tirelessly to keep us blind to it. From 1 Thessalonians 1, Ephes…
- Getting from Here to There by Matthew Bennett
Matt Bennett offers practical advice for those aspiring to serve in missions. He emphasizes the need for humility by submitting your aspirations to church elders, seeking mentorship, and serving locally. Rather than rushing into the field…
- The Doctrine of the Trinity: What Can We Learn from the Nicene Creed after 1,700 Years by Kevin DeYoung
The Nicene Creed, formulated at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, is a foundational statement of Christian faith, affirming the Trinity and the full divinity of Christ. It was written to refute the Arian heresy, declaring that the Son is "o…
- How One Church Community Reaches Refugees
The panelists share how their church, Immanuel Baptist, actively reaches out to refugees and immigrants in their community, driven by a heart for the Great Commission. They describe the challenges of this ministry, such as cultural differe…
- Sharing the Gospel with Muslims in Your City by Ayman Ibrahim
Ayman Ibrahim, born and raised in Egypt, shares his experiences of witnessing Muslims coming to Christ in Egypt, Dubai, and Lebanon. He emphasizes that the time is ripe for Muslim evangelism, as Muslims are questioning their faith more tha…
- Reaching Internationals on Your Campus by Jim Rairick
Horizons International is dedicated to reaching international students and refugees in the U.S., engaging Muslims worldwide, and equipping churches and student groups for ministry among these communities. Jim Rairick urges the audience to…
- Hearing Without Doing: The Danger of Our Information Age by David Platt
David Platt emphasizes the importance of God's Word over physical needs like oxygen, and encourages the audience to reorient their lives around receiving, remembering, and obeying the Word. He highlights the dangers of the "information age…
- Bringing My Anxious Thoughts to God by Keri Folmar
Keri Folmar addresses the issue of anxiety, particularly among college students. She shares practical tips to fight anxiety: 1) Know your God by spending time in His Word; 2) Take your troubles to the Lord in prayer; 3) Give thanks, even i…
- Building Prayer Into Our Crowded Lives by Ryan Fullerton
Ryan Fullerton encourages the audience to cultivate a consistent prayer life by seeking a quiet, private space, shutting out distractions, and following the Lord's Prayer as a model. He stresses that the goal is not to empty the mind, but…
- Does the Bible Still Taste Like Honey? Psalm 19:7–11 by Marshall Segal
Marshall Segal addresses four common lies that can hinder Bible reading: that the Bible is irrelevant, hard to understand, unhelpful in times of pain, or won't bring happiness. He refutes these misconceptions by emphasizing the Bible's pow…
- The Need for Silence and Solitude in a World of Noise and Activity by Ryan Fullerton
Ryan Fullerton emphasizes the importance of embracing silence and solitude in a world filled with noise and distraction. He discusses how the modern tendency to avoid silence stems from our inability to confront our guilty consciences, whi…
- I'm a Woman, Not a Pastor - What is My Role in the Missionary Task? by Nina Buser
Nina Buser shares her journey as a woman in missions, emphasizing the critical roles women play in reaching unreached people groups. Through her story of serving among tribes in Papua New Guinea, she highlights the necessity of women learn…
- Church Planting in Unreached Languages by Corey Maxwell
Church planting among unreached language groups is a biblical model requiring sacrifice, commitment, and a deep understanding of language and culture. Missionaries must endure physical hardship, maintain spiritual health, and be prepared f…
- Translation in Missions by Brooks Buser
Brooks Buser presents a condensed yet powerful session on the vital task of Bible translation for unreached language groups. Drawing from his experience as a lead translator, he outlines the essential prerequisites for translation, includi…
- How to Learn Another Language by Andrea Green
Andrea Green's breakout session focuses on the vital role of language learning in reaching unreached people groups. While languages and cultures are fascinating in themselves, Andrea's passion lies in how mastering a language with excellen…
- Doctrine of the Work of Christ: What Did Jesus Accomplish on the Cross by Tom Schreiner
Tom Schreiner discusses what Christ accomplished on the cross, including justification, sanctification, redemption, salvation, reconciliation, and adoption. Tom emphasizes that these blessings are not based on our own merit, but on Christ'…
- How to Read the Old Testament As the Apostles Did by Jim Hamilton
Dr. Hamilton highlights the importance of understanding the biblical authors' interpretive perspective when studying Scripture. He demonstrates how New Testament writers, like John, rightly interpreted passages such as Isaiah 53 as prophec…
- Being a Focused Disciple-Maker in the Middle East by Gloria Furman
Gloria Furman shares her insights on focused disciple-making, drawing from her personal journey in cross-cultural ministry. With deep conviction, she emphasizes the importance of confidence in the sovereign goodness of God, especially in t…
- Serving in a Strategic Global City by John Folmar
John Folmar paints a vivid picture of Dubai's transformation from a modest fishing village to a global metropolis fueled by oil wealth. Beneath its glitz and towering skyscrapers lies a unique opportunity for gospel ministry amidst cultura…