Recounting God's Deeds: Our First "Night of Worship"

Kate Stevens • March 8, 2023

Being on staff at a growing church is exciting. My husband helps lead worship, and he says having so many new musicians for Pastor Nick to utilize is exciting. Having classrooms full of babies on Sunday mornings and school-aged children on Wednesday nights is exciting. Seeing so many youth give up a weeknight and even bring their friends along for this adventure we call “Midweek” is exciting. Planning, praying over, considering, and seeking wisdom with our very own building plans is exciting. 


One lovely Bride of Christ split into three services isn’t quite as exciting—it’s hard, actually. It’s evident in how long it takes the first and second service to clear the room and hallways so the next wave can find a seat. . . Our people miss one another.


But—it’s overwhelmingly commendable how this church body longs for fellowship and community. The culture of God’s economy is intensely shaping, and we are seeing the fruit from that very clearly. It is no wonder then that a few weeks ago our first Night of Worship felt like a glimpse of glory. Seven baptisms spanning multiple stages of life, intentional and specific prayer time, some families sitting together, some kids and youth all grouped up with their own people, and so much singing. It’s hard to describe. 


Don’t just take my word for it—here are three brief testimonies:



"Hebrews 10:24–25, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”


God’s design is that we (the church) put a high priority on gathering together in worship. For some believers throughout the ages, neglecting to meet together was a problem… or as Hebrews puts it, a bad “habit.” For Crosspoint, the good “habit” of regularly gathering together is further challenged by our space issues which currently require us to worship in 3 separate services.


In short, we are not allowed to use 3 services as an excuse to neglect to meet ALL together. And behold, our quarterly Night of Worship was born! And what a night it was! 344 voices, all in one accord, singing the praises of our GREAT GOD, being led by our absolutely remarkable worship team. Fervent prayer offered to God as we seek His glory by helping one another (and others) to KNOW GOD, BE KNOWN, and MAKE HIM KNOWN. 7 Baptisms celebrated as we watch younger and older brothers and sisters confess their need for a Savior and their faith in Jesus. 


The joy in that room was a potent reminder of the importance of gathering. 7 smiling faces buried with Christ in baptism, and raised to a new life. Our hope is that you are stirred to more love and more good works, done in faith, that others might hear the voice of their Heavenly Father. The DAY is drawing near where the Father will once and for all draw us near. We anticipate that day rightly as we continue in the habit of gathering, worshipping, and stirring each other to love and good works."


—Scott Sutton, elder at Crosspoint Community



"Martin Luther once said of corporate worship “at home, in my own house, there is no warmth or vigor in me, but in the church when the multitude is gathered together, a fire is kindled in my heart, and it breaks its way through.” 


His words express my own reality after Crosspoint’s evening of worship.Gathering with our entire church body rekindled the fire of my faith. I couldn’t help but think as we raised our voices singing “holy, holy, holy” that our voices joined the multitudes in heaven singing the same praises. 


What about that night rekindled my faith? I think just seeing everyone was part of it. It was encouraging and life giving to get a glimpse of our entire church body and to be led to His throne in worship together. The worship music reminded us of truths about God and ushered us into His presence; it prepared our hearts for prayer.


We had the opportunity to pray on our knees with some members of our community group and it was so powerful and encouraging. Seeing children as well as adults taking the step of baptism in obedience and sharing their testimonies was like water for a thirsty soul. It is good to be reminded that God is at work and to hear stories about what He is doing because those stories grow my faith in God. 


One last beautiful and sweet thing that God did that night was connect my husband and I with a couple that we rarely see at church. It was a divine appointment. God not only used us to encourage one another as we shared our struggles, but He established a new friendship. Sunday rekindled my fire of faith as God reminded me He is at work in our midst. He inhabits the praise of His people. He will establish the work of our hands. He is worthy of worship!"


—Carla Frank, wife and mother of 2 grown children



"I loved Crosspoint’s Night of Worship. My husband had just flown out of town that morning, so I brought our four kids by myself. Needless to say, I was expecting there to be much chaos in the midst of our worship time. 


But God. I am in awe of our Savior Jesus... how sweet He was to me that evening.


My two littles were exhausted, yet they prayed and sang…sometimes while lying down across the chairs. My son Gideon, who is deaf-blind, kept pulling my mouth to his ear so he could better hear and feel the songs we sang. As for my teenager… I can hardly describe the joy it brings me to watch her lift her hands as she praised God through song. I’m humbled and overwhelmed with gratitude for how sweetly the Lord draws her to Himself.


At times, I’ve questioned and felt uncertain about the choices I’ve made as a parent; but one thing I have never questioned is this—having my children in worship service. Growing up, we called it going to Big Church. So my children have always been with us in Big Church, even before we moved our membership to Crosspoint. 


I’ve seen the value of my children participating in corporate worship and sitting under the teaching of God’s word. Truly, it never returns void.


I’m thankful our church decided to do a night of worship. It drew me and my children to the throne of His glory and majesty. It prepared my heart for what I knew would be a rough week since my husband would be out of town. Thank you Crosspoint for providing a time for our body to come together as one, to seek and praise God. And thanks for encouraging us to have our children beside us."


—Samantha Jolicoeur, wife and mom of 4 children



Our next Night of Worship is Sunday, May 7. We hope you will be able to join us as we continue to worship together, recounting God’s deeds all along the way.




Everything We Need

July 29, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, July 27, 2025. Sermon text: 2 Peter 1:3-4 We have everything we need for a godly life. Sentence has: 68 words 9 prepositional phrases 5 dependent clauses God called us. “By His divine power” The word here is summon Like Lazarus, come forth. English readers are apt to understand calling in terms of an invitation that can be accepted or rejected. Peter has something deeper in mind. Christ’s call is effective, awakening and creating faith. -Thomas R. Schreiner 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. By revealing Christ to us. “Through the knowledge of Him” Side note, ambiguity: The ambiguity in the text indicates that Peter does not clearly distinguish between God and Christ, which indicates that God and Christ were venerated equally. - Thomas R. Schreiner Excuses are Eliminated We need to note that this comes to us by grace, but also that we have a part to play here. Effort is not a 4 letter word. You have no excuse for: Pornography- You have everything you need. Substance Abuse- You have everything you need. Pride- You have everything you need Laziness- You have everything you need Anger- You have everything you need. Prayer and Scripture Reading- You have everything you need. Evangelism- You have everything you need. He’ll go on to mention supplementing He has given us what we need for godliness now, and He promises us even greater things to come. We will share in Christ’s Divine Nature 2 Pe 1:4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature Unusual word… The “divine nature” (Theos) appears only here and in Acts where Paul addresses the Areopagus an odd work choice and would have appealed to his pagan readers. Acts 17:29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. Redefining what it means to become like God. Christ shared in our nature that we might share in His. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. In 1:3, it’s through the knowledge of Christ that we are called to Him. Here, we see that a fuller revelation of Christ will conform us even more fully into His likeness. How so? Purity Immortality Restoration to Eden Christians also share in God’s immortality. They are not trapped in this world. Though ‘perishable’ now, Christians will be raised ‘imperishable’ -Paul Gardner Glory John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, We have everything we need for a godly life. English readers are apt to understand calling in terms of an invitation that can be accepted or rejected. Peter has something deeper in mind. Christ’s call is effective, awakening and creating faith. -Thomas R. Schreiner 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. The ambiguity in the text indicates that Peter does not clearly distinguish between God and Christ, which indicates that God and Christ were venerated equally. - Thomas R. Schreiner Excuses are Eliminated We will share in Christ’s Divine Nature Acts 17:29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. Purity Immortality Christians also share in God’s immortality. They are not trapped in this world. Though ‘perishable’ now, Christians will be raised ‘imperishable.’ -Paul Gardner Glory John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one. Discipleship Questions: 2 Peter 1:3 says we’ve been given everything we need for life and godliness… Do you find that verse encouraging, challenging or both? Are there any areas of your walk where you struggle to believe that you already have everything you need for success? Do you ever make excuses to yourself or others for a lack of godliness? If yes, explain. How much work does it take to live as a Christian? What does it mean that we will be “partakers in the divine nature”?

The Genuine Gospel

July 21, 2025
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, July 20, 2025. Sermon text: 2 Peter 1:1-2  Peter is warning us about counterfeit teaching and false teachers The genuine gospel came from Jesus through His apostles —servant (humility and honor) —apostle (called, unique, sent) The genuine gospel is just as precious to us today —received and believed “How does someone become a Christian? One person might say, ‘Because I believe,’ and another, ‘Because God chose me.’ According to Peter, both ways of stating it are correct. On the one hand, we believe. It is a fundamental definition of a Christian that he or she is a ‘believe-er’; that he or she ‘has faith’ But Peter also knows that it is not our feeble faith that holds us close to God. It is God who does all the holding, and that is the reality behind the word received.” —R. C. Lucas and Christopher Green, The Message of 2 Peter & Jude The genuine gospel is centered on the person and work of Jesus —God —Savior —Christ —Lord “This fourfold description of Jesus is important because it puts him at the focal point of human history. As God, he guarantees that his words and his works cannot be replaced or revoked; as Christ, he fulfills all the Old Testament promises; as Savior, he died on the cross for our salvation in the past, present and future; and as Lord he claims the right to our individual love and obedience—notice how Peter calls him our Lord.” —R. C. Lucas and Christopher Green, The Message of 2 Peter & Jude The genuine gospel transforms us as we grow in knowledge of Jesus —grace and peace multiplied Discipleship Questions: Why is false teaching so dangerous? How does remembering and focusing on the true gospel help us stand against false teaching? In what ways is the gospel just as precious to us as it was to the apostles? How do you relate to Jesus as God, Savior, Christ, and Lord? What is the difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Him?

The God of All Grace

July 16, 2025
Notes from Zach Snow's sermon on Sunday, July 13, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 5:8-14 Why is the lion roaring? Wouldn’t it be a better strategy to be quiet…subtle…sneaky, in an attempt to “devour” Christians? I think that Peter, led by the Holy Spirit, was very intentional with his description here of the devil being a roaring lion. Went into a rabbit hole on a lion's roar…there are some spiritual applications to these: Can reach up to 114 decibels…almost as loud as a jet engine taking off They roar for social reasons (territory, create bonds, locate other members of their pride) as well as for purposes of intimidation. One of the primary purposes of the lion's roar is to strike fear in the heart of their prey. The lion will always start with a psychological advantage Fear, anxiety, depression, anger, hatred - these things can absolutely paralyse you spiritually The lion is not necessarily trying to kill you, but to destroy your faith Prayer: Be sober-minded - Have a clear and self disciplined mind - Titus 2 Exercise self control in thoughts, words, and action this is the 3rd time Peter has said this to us in 1 Peter - 1:13, 4:7 - it’s a call to remain alert and focused Being sober-minded means waging war against the things that are detrimental to the mind: fear, hatred, anxiety, depression, anger I believe these are specific things the enemy uses to derail our mental health and cause us to take our guard down Be watchful - this is the same word that Jesus used in the garden before he was arrested and crucified - this is a call to pray Prayers for others - Eph. 6:18 - Ephesians 6:18 - [18] praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, Prayers for yourself - James 1:5 - 5 j If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. So here’s the question… Do you believe in prayer? How much do you trust that God can do the things that you are not able to do? Do you trust God with the big stuff AND the small stuff? Discipleship Questions: 1.) In your personal life, what does being sober minded and watchful look like to you? 2.) Who are the people who help you stand firm in your faith the most? 3.) As a CG look at each of the points of the Theology of Suffering and find Scripture to support each one of those statements: God is ALWAYS good God is ALWAYS enough God will ALWAYS love you 4.) Discuss ways that the God of all grace has restored, confirmed, strengthened, and established you.
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