Recap:

Today we celebrate 60 years of God’s faithfulness to this church. What began as Full Faith Church of Love in a basement in KCK has become the church family we now know as Cross Points Church. But from the very beginning, this story has never been about a name, a building, a pastor, or a program. It has always been about Jesus changing lives through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Sixty years ago, seven families gathered in a basement. They were not famous. They did not have much. They were simply hungry for God, doing life together, praying together, believing together, and stepping out in faith. And in that very first gathering, someone gave their life to Christ. That was a sign of what God intended this church to be: a place where people encounter Jesus and lives are changed.

From that basement, the church moved to an old building on State Avenue. It was not impressive. Plaster was falling off the walls. There were spiders, cobwebs, dirt floors, and even an outhouse for a bathroom. People mocked them. One man laughed and said they had no pulpit, no people, and no future. But God has a way of taking humble beginnings and breathing His Spirit on them.

The story of this church is a reminder that we should never despise small beginnings. God does some of His greatest work in places that others overlook. He works in basements. He works in broken buildings. He works through ordinary people who are willing to say, “Holy Spirit, we need You.”

Eventually, the church moved again, and after years of prayer, God began to move in a powerful way. Pastor Ernie prayed for young people to come, and after years of waiting, it was like God flipped a switch. Young people began flooding into the church. They were getting saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, reading their Bibles, and being transformed. Then their parents began coming too, and many of them gave their lives to Christ.

That is the thread running through 60 years of this church: not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord. This church has not lasted because of good strategy, strong personalities, good timing, or human ability. We are here because the Holy Spirit has moved, led, corrected, comforted, empowered, and sustained us.

And that is not just true for the church. It is true for every one of us. In our families, our struggles, our finances, our marriages, our grief, our weakness, and our calling, we cannot make it on our own strength. We can try harder. We can plan better. We can wake up earlier, get more educated, listen to more advice, and follow every strategy. But at the end of the day, we need more than human effort. We need the Spirit of God.

Paul says in Romans 8 that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. That means when life feels too heavy, when the weight is pressing down on us, when we do not even know how to pray, the Holy Spirit comes alongside us. He is with us, He is for us, and He pushes against the very thing that is pressing against us.

There are moments when we do not have the words. We do not know what to say. We do not know what God wants us to pray. But the Holy Spirit prays through us with groanings too deep for words. He takes our weakness, our tears, our confusion, and our desperation, and He brings them into agreement with the will of the Father.

That is why we can trust God even when we do not understand what He is doing. Romans 8:28 reminds us that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. The Holy Spirit fills us, helps us, prays through us, and leads us into the will of God.

When we look back over 60 years, we can see the evidence of His faithfulness. This church has reached thousands of people with the gospel. We have supported missionaries around the world. We have helped translate Bibles, sent teenagers on missions trips, planted churches, supported schools, helped families in crisis, cared for the poor, counseled couples, restored marriages, prayed for the sick, grieved with the hurting, and pointed people to Jesus again and again.

We have seen people saved, healed, delivered, discipled, encouraged, and sent out. We have given our time, our talent, our treasure, our tears, and our prayers. And we have done it with open hands and open hearts, because we are not building a church in our own name. We are building for the name above every name, the name of Jesus Christ.

So today we remember where we came from. We remember the basement. We remember the dirt floors. We remember the humble beginnings. But we also declare that we still need the same Holy Spirit today.

We are grateful for 60 years, but we are not done. We are just getting started.

So our prayer is simple: Holy Spirit, fill us again. Fill our lives. Fill our church. Fill our families. Fill us so we can go. Fill us so we can witness. Fill us so we can love. Fill us so we can reach our city. Fill us so we can send people out. Fill us so Kansas City and Shawnee would see Jesus.

Lord, You have been faithful for 60 years. Give us 60 more and so on, until You return, may we be faithful with Your presence, faithful with Your mission, and faithful to the name of Jesus.

Group Questions:

Icebreakers

  1. What is one church memory, from Cross Points or any church you have attended, that has stayed with you?
  2. If you had to describe Cross Points Church in one word, what word would you choose and why?
  3. The church started with seven families in a basement. What is something small in your life that God used in a bigger way than you expected?
  4. What is one thing you are thankful for when you think about the legacy of this church?

Sermon Discussion Questions

  1. The sermon reminded us that Cross Points began in humble beginnings, with seven families in a basement. Why do you think God often starts big things in small, hidden places?
  2. Zechariah 4:6 says, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord.” Where do you personally feel tempted to rely on your own strength instead of the Holy Spirit?
  3. The story of the early church included discouragement, mockery, dirt floors, no bathroom, and slow growth. How does that encourage you when your own life or calling feels unimpressive or unfinished?
  4. Pastor David said the church is not here because of good preaching, good strategy, or personality, but because of the Holy Spirit. How can a church drift into depending on human effort more than the Spirit of God?
  5. Romans 8:26 says, “The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.” What does it mean to you that the Holy Spirit does not shame us in weakness, but helps us in it?
  6. The sermon described the Holy Spirit as coming alongside us, being for us, and pushing against what is pressing against us. What is something in your life right now where you need the Holy Spirit’s help?
  7. Paul says there are times when we do not know how to pray. Have you ever been in a season like that? What helped you keep coming to God even when you did not have the words?
  8. The sermon looked back at 60 years of people being saved, missionaries being supported, churches being planted, and lives being changed. Why is it important for a church to remember what God has done?
  9. Pastor David said, “We live with open hands and open hearts.” What does that look like practically for a church? What does it look like personally?
  10. The message ended with the declaration, “We are just getting started.” What kind of faith does that require from us as a church family?

Personal Reflection Questions

  1. Where do you need to say, “Holy Spirit, I need You,” in this season of your life?
  2. What part of the church’s legacy do you feel most grateful to be part of?
  3. What would it look like for you to help carry the mission of Cross Points into the next season?
  4. Who is someone you are praying will come to know Jesus through this church?