What does it take to begin a relationship with God? Do you need to devote yourself to unselfish religious deeds? Must you become a better person so that God will accept you? Learn how you can know God personally.
Learn the basics of what Christians believe.
Get the answers to frequently asked questions on Christian beliefs and practices.
Explore answers to life's biggest questions.
We all have a story. Read about individuals who have been transformed by faith.
Take the next step in your faith journey with resources on prayer, devotionals and other tools for personal and spiritual growth.
Explore resources to help you live out your life and relationships in a way that honors God.
Find resources for personal or group Bible study.
Learn to develop your skills, desire and ability to join others on their spiritual journeys and take them closer to Jesus.
Help others in their faith journey through discipleship and mentoring.
Develop your leadership skills and learn how to launch a ministry wherever you are.
View our top Cru resources in more than 20 languages.
Have some fun taking various quizzes and assessments to learn about yourself and others.
Volunteer abroad this year on a short term global missions trip offered by one of the best, most-reliable Christian missions organizations in the world.
Internship opportunities with Cru's ministries.
If you're looking for the best Christian jobs and careers, check out Cru's ministry job openings for full- and part-time missionaries and professionals.
Live in another country building relationships and ministries with eternal impact.
Would you like to give your time to work with Cru? We need you.
Find a Cru event near you.
Use your hobbies and interests to find the best place for you to serve.
Helping students know Jesus, grow in their faith and go to the world to tell others.
Reflecting Jesus together for the good of the city.
Partnering with urban churches to meet physical and spiritual needs.
Striving to see Christ-followers on every team, in every sport and in every nation.
Equipping families with practical approaches to parenting and marriage.
Reaching students and faculty in middle and high school.
Bringing hope and resources to military families worldwide.
How we seek to journey together with everyone towards a relationship with Jesus.
Answers to questions on donations, financial policies, Cru’s annual report and more.
What we believe about the gospel and our call to serve every nation.
Learn about Cru's global leadership team.
When the global church comes together then powerful things can happen.
Leading from values so others will walk passionately with God to grow and bear fruit.
Because ethnicity is part of the good of creation, we seek to honor and celebrate the ethnic identity of those with whom we serve as well as those we seek to reach.
Showing God in action in and through His people.
Hear what others are saying about Cru.
“Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”
(Luke 5:31-32, New Living Translation)
For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
(Psalm 107:9, English Standard Version)
Today’s Reading: Luke 5
Listen to Luke 5 on her.BIBLE.
My fiancé and his parents watched expectantly as I opened my beautifully wrapped Christmas gift. Inside, I discovered a faded, tattered soap resembling Santa Claus. Puzzled, I looked at my fiancé for a clue about how to respond. His crooked smile and crinkled eyes drew me into the family joke — a gift wrapped repeatedly year after year and passed around among family members. It communicated acceptance and welcome, which was the exact opposite of what it seemed to say at first.
Much of what the Gospels tell us about the early years of Jesus’ ministry reveals His upside-down kingdom. From birth to death, Jesus didn’t fit the image of what people thought of as a Messiah. In fact, He often did the exact opposite of what was expected.
In Luke 5, that pattern was evident in the events and Jesus’ conversations with those around Him:
He instructed Peter, James and John to cast their nets on “the other side” at a time when fish didn’t normally bite.
He reached out to touch a leprous man, which was forbidden by the Jewish ceremonial law.
He withdrew from the acclaim of the crowds.
He offered forgiveness of sin to a paralyzed man before healing him of his physical distress and limitations.
He called Levi, a loathed tax collector, to become one of His followers.
He accompanied Levi to a great feast in his home, to which other tax collectors were invited.
Everything Jesus did to introduce His kingdom was unexpected. People responded eagerly when He performed miracles. But the physical healings give a picture of a deeper purpose: more than meeting the physical needs of people, He was concerned for the needs of their souls.
In fact, Jesus broke religious stereotypes by pursuing, befriending and rescuing those who were most soul-sick — those who didn’t fit the religious mold of the day.
When criticized by the religious leaders for hanging out with “sinners,” His reply disclosed the real reason for His coming to earth: to save people who are soul-sick and who acknowledge their need for a savior (Luke 5:31).
The author of Psalm 63 speaks about this soul-sickness as a thirst for God “in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (v. 1). Once he meets God in His sanctuary, the Psalmist affirms that his soul is satisfied (v. 5).
Entering Jesus’ kingdom means letting go of your preconceived ideas of becoming good enough to become part of God’s family and acknowledging your need for a savior. Only then can He heal the soul-sickness that separates you from a relationship with Him.
In His upside-down kingdom, you are welcomed and accepted as part of His family, not because you deserve it but because you recognize your need and ask for His healing.
Have you felt the need for the acceptance that Jesus showed? If so, you might find Julia's experience interesting.
Janet Beal has been a Cru® staff member for 60 years, serving most of that time in Latin America. She currently serves as an academic mentor for five staff members who are participating in a master’s program focusing on their leadership development. She delights in mentoring young women leaders, hanging out with her family, cross-stitching and reading voraciously.
Get some ideas to turn holiday conversations — from Christmas to New Year's Day — toward Jesus.
©1994-2023 Cru. All Rights Reserved.