Celebrating Five Years Together

Why We Exist – Romans 1:5b

Crosspoint – Dave Spooner – November 2, 2025

Introduction

• After a year of work discerning if God was leading us to be “better together,” three churches merged, and we held our first combined service on November 1, 2020, which was probably the worst day we could possibly pick.
• On that day, there were high tensions around how churches were to handle Covid, with heightened restrictions just declared for our region. We were two days away from voting in a hotly debated, highly polarizing, contentious political election. And we had our very first service on the exact day daylight saving time started. This was a very poor choice.
• Now, on the other hand, choosing to start our church on that day was a really good choice. By choosing that exact day, at that exact time, we were declaring that we believe the mission of God continues to move forward in every circumstance, especially during difficult days. Doing it that day said we believe the gospel of Christ is the hope of the world for transformation, healing, wholeness, and peace. Doing it that day said that we believe the fellowship of the saints is worth personal sacrifice. Doing it that day said that we believe that we are better together.
• If God can merge three distinct churches during that time and make it fruitful, then God is indeed in this.

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)

He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, 21 to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

• That first Sunday five years ago, we embraced our new day and unveiled our new name as we continued to boldly proclaim the eternal gospel and bravely live out our God given mission, which is:

Romans 1:5b (ESV)

To bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of His name among all the nations.

• This is why we exist as a church. May God continue to help us to faithfully, fervently fulfill this mission, and may God help us if we fail to follow His purpose and plan for us.
• For the remainder of our time in this five-year anniversary message, I am going to return, remind, and refocus us on our mission as we celebrate how far we have come, and press forward toward where we are going. We exist to bring about the obedience of faith.

Bring About the Obedience of Faith

This is what we do.

• What is “obedience of faith” about, and why is it important? We can answer that question from the words of Jesus and the writings of John. Let’s do a little fill in the blank together.

If you love me, you will _____ what I command. John 14:15 (NIV)

Whoever has my commands and _____ them, he is the one who loves me.

John 14:21 (NIV)

Anyone who loves me will ______ my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not ______ my teaching. John 14:23-24 (NIV)

This is love for God: to _____ his commands. And his commands are not burdensome. I John 5:3-4 (NIV)

It is clear from the words of Jesus and the writings of John that

there can be no love for Christ without obedience to Christ.

 – David & Paul Watson, Contagious Disciple Making

• If we love Jesus and we believe in Him, we will follow Him in obedience and draw close to Him in love. Do you remember the five love languages? These are the five primary ways we give and receive love (quality time, words of affirmation, physical touch, acts of service, gifts). Have you ever wondered what God’s love language is? Let me answer that question for you. God’s love language is obedience.
• And do you remember the last thing that Jesus commanded us to do? He said:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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 _______ everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:18-20

• This is what we are doing: we exist to bring about the obedience of faith. The words “bring about” indicate that there is a process involved in becoming obedient to the one we put our faith in. This means that our job as individuals and our mission as a church is to help each other grow in our obedience to Christ as we continue to mature and become like Jesus (see Rom 8:29-30; Eph 4:11-16; 1 Pet 2:2-3). Every person who has put their faith in Jesus is in this process, regardless of whether they came to faith one day ago or one century ago.
• In the last five years, we have done this by preaching 520 sermons, 260 at 10 a.m., and 260 at 1 p.m. There have been an equal number of youth sermons on Wednesday and Sunday nights, along with multiple dozens of special services and retreats. Our children’s ministry has taught just under 1,500 classes, and our Sunday school before service has held around 150 classes. Our small groups have met together around 1300 times for teaching, fellowship, and prayer. We have led sixty men’s breakfasts, with testimonies, songs, and prayer. The ladies have met over sixty times for mom’s group and Bible reads, and held two ladies retreats with 100 in attendance at each event.
• We have also grown in our relationships with each other through fellowship, including our annual church picnics, quarterly potlucks, game days, parties, celebrations, and over thousands of cups of coffee and donuts in our café. We have had countless connections of support, wisdom, encouragement, tears, and laughter through all means of communication and in all types of places.
• We have provided transportation to services and church events through church and personal vehicles and public transportation, providing around 6,000 rides.
• We have maintained, improved, and upgraded our gathering place, these buildings and grounds, by spending time investing in flowers, plants, and trees, improved signage outside and in, built a usable ramp outside our main doors, made both main floor bathrooms handicap accessible, and added a brand-new handicap bathroom downstairs. We upgraded the sanctuary sound system with new equipment, speakers, cameras, computers, sound boards, and microphones. We have upgraded our kitchen through a partial remodel. We have recarpeted the café and entry, children’s classrooms, and nurseries. We have repainted, repaired, and redecorated many spaces, while upgrading furniture and adding technology to our classrooms. We have improved our security by integrating and upgrading state-of-the-art cameras, security locks, and window and door film.
• In our five years together, we remembered the Lord and renewed our commitment to Christ through communion 120 times, using at least 18,000 communion cups. Our choirs have sung over 120 songs in ministry to the Lord and each other. We have sung over 2,580 songs of praise and worship to the Lord in multiple services and languages. We have offered tens of thousands of prayers in our three weekly prayer meetings, our monthly prayer gatherings, our times around the altar and in the prayer room, and all throughout this city. And we are just getting started.
• We exist to bring about the obedience of faith; this is what we do. The reason we do this, is for the sake of His Name. The name of Jesus that is the name above all names.

For the Sake of His Name

This is why we do what we do.

• We are not here to make a name for ourselves individually or a name for ourselves corporately as Crosspoint. We are here to lift up the name above every name . . .

Philippians 2:10-11 (ESV)

So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Acts 4:12 (ESV)

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Colossians 1:15-19 (NIV)

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

• And in the renewal of all things, we will say:

Revelation 15:3-4 ESV

Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!  4 Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.

• It is, it always has been, and it always will be about God. His glory is His goodness, and we have been invited to enjoy His goodness forever. He must increase, and we must decrease, for His glory and our good. And we have the right and the responsibility to invite all of the nations to taste and see that the Lord is good.
• What are we doing? We exist to bring about the obedience of faith. Why are we doing this? For the sake of His name. Where are we to do this? Among all the nations.

Among All the Nations

This is where we do what we do.

• The gospel of Jesus is for both our neighborhoods and the nations. This was always the plan of God from the very beginning. From the opening pages of creating a world, to the promise to Abraham to bless the nations, to the Son giving His life for the whole world, to the gospel being spread to the ends of the earth, to the gathering of all nations around the throne of God throughout all eternity, this is God’s plan.
• For God declared, “For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations” (Mal 1:11). So “Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy” (Ps 67:3-4).
• Over the past five years, we have been doing this together through outreaches in our back yard and in our building, including tutor club, VBS, ESL, Halloween outreaches and partnering with ten agencies here in the Rockford area that are reaching out in various specialized ways, including the Pregnancy Care Center, Rockford Rescue Mission, Youth For Christ, and Gideons. We host ministries in this building and the one next door, including Life Decisions who has equipped 270 young mentees, Hallstrom Homeschool Workshops who have 400 people involved every week, Rebops (Parkinson’s ministry), and Christian Zumba.
• In the past 5 years, we have given away over 216 gift cards totaling $5,250 to people in need who have knocked on our doors. Through our benevolence ministry, we have given away $58,578 to needs within and connected to our congregation. We have given away close to 100 Bibles and have baptized over 50 people.
• We have purchased and packed over 600 Christmas Shoe boxes through Samaritan’s Purse and have been a regional hub sending thousands of boxes to places all over the world. We are currently partnering with 12 missionary families whose ministry focus is on other nations and four families who are focused on mission right here in North America. We have sent six short-term teams. Crosspoint gave $50,000 to support those teams. In addition to the funds spent on short-term mission teams, our church raised and spent $325,750 to bring the message of the good news of the gospel to the nations.

Conclusion

• Our name and logo summarize and visualize what we are all about. The word church is in green; that signifies that we are a “greenhouse” in which we bring about the obedience of faith. This is where we grow.
• Our name Crosspoint declares that this is what we are pointing to, (for the sake of His name). The cross is what we are pointing to. Because the cross is the point where we are reconciled to God; the cross is the point where our sins are forgiven. The cross is the point where we receive new life. The cross is the hope of the world. The cross is the point!
• Our cross is made up of four colors which represent and bring together “every tribe, and language, and people, and nation” (Rev 5:9-10).

Revelation 7:9-12 ESV

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

• We get to be a part of this! So let’s continue to press on. Let’s continue to move forward. Let’s continue to declare His gospel to the ends of the earth until the world has been made glad for the glory of God for all eternity. He is worthy of it all!

Our prayer team is available to pray with you after the service, near the “prayer” sign at the front of the sanctuary, and also in the prayer room, located next to the offices. Also, you can send your prayer request to prayer@crosspointrockford.com

Questions for Small Groups

1. Looking Back with Gratitude:
   When you think back on the last five years at Crosspoint, what stands out most to you as evidence of God’s power at work “to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Eph 3:20–21)?
2. Obedience as Love:
   Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will obey what I command.” How does viewing obedience as God’s “love language” reshape the way you think about following Him?
3. The Process of Growth:
   Romans 1:5 says our mission is “to bring about the obedience of faith.” What has helped you grow in your obedience to Christ in recent years, and what still holds you back from full obedience?
4. For the Sake of His Name:
   It’s easy for churches to become focused on their own success or reputation. What are some practical ways we can ensure that everything we do, individually and as a church, is truly for the sake of His name and not our own?
5. Among All the Nations:
   How does Crosspoint’s mission “among all the nations” apply to our daily lives here in Rockford? What does it look like for you personally to live our mission in your neighborhood, workplace, or school?
6. Better Together:
   The story of Crosspoint began with three churches believing we were “better together.” In what ways have you experienced the blessing of unity in diversity within our church family, and where could we still grow stronger?
7. Looking Ahead with Faith:
   As we celebrate five years and look toward the future, what is one prayer you have for our church? How can our group pray and partner together to help Crosspoint fulfill our mission “to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of His name among all the nations”?