A COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE

HERE AT CROSSROADS, OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS MAKE UP A LARGE PART OF WHO WE ARE.  

Just like a family, we try to be flexible and truthful with each other by being real and transparent. This is because living in community can be tricky, sometimes producing lots of bumps and bruises ( you know how it is)

Showing love and taking care of each other is important to us - from those who have passed a major exam through to the bereaved or ill; from our next-door neighbour to the new immigrant from the other side of the world. We value acceptance of each other irrespective of our age or ethnicity, because we realise that we all need help from each other and healing from God.

Doing life together requires persistence to get it right, but it pays off when we do. We have lots of fun.

This is what is means for us to live in community.

FOLLOWING JESUS

FRANKLY, THIS IS THE KEY FOR US. THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN.

Jesus is our example - the one we model our lives after. He’s the one we are passionate about and who try to represent well where ever we go!

We look for honesty and integrity in our approach to living for Him and the way we celebrate Him - from the way we worship Him, to the way we calculate the taxes we pay the government.

However, we recognise we don’t always get it right. It takes a lot of effort to maintain this standard of sincerity and passion, so we must apply diligence and determination to live like him. Thankfully Jesus is so forgiving, and he’s there to help us back up when we fall. A follower of Jesus shows this same kind of forgiveness to others.

This is what it means to be a devoted follower of him.

SHARING HIS LOVE

WE BELIEVE THE BIBLE CONTAINS GOD'S INSPIRED STORY FOR US. THESE WORDS EXPLAIN HIS RICH LOVE FOR US AND HOW WE CAN BE RECONCILED TO HIM THROUGH JESUS.

We call this salvation. And it's totally epic!

This life-changing message has so transformed our lives that we cannot stop talking and telling others about it. The awesome thing about it is that it's free!  Yep, there's nothing we could do to earn it. We just have to have faith in God; to trust Him for everything and rely on the fact that his grace is enough.

It's because we have experienced this to be true that we deliberately want to reach out  and explain this powerful message in as creative a way as we can.  This connection is essential, regardless of whether we live in Palmerston North, a neighbouring town, or across the world.

This is what it means to share His love.

ACTIVELY SERVING

ANOTHER WAY OF EXPLAINING THIS IS TO SAY THAT WE WANT TO 'ROLL UP OUR SLEEVES AND GET STUCK IN'.

The impact and significance of God in our lives motivates us to care for those in our world, no matter what their social status or employment position is.  We endeavor to find the best ways of meeting the needs of those who need help, from the homeless right through to the mayor of the city. Basically, it's all about serving shoulder to shoulder, together as one team.

In many ways, providing practical things is a great way to offer support - budgeting advice, a load of firewood, packets of pasta, whatever. At the end of the day, it's about being real, about being there for others, about getting involved in their lives, no matter what that looks like.

This is what it means to be actively serving.

THE BIBLE

Taking it seriously
- 2nd Timothy 3:14-17 

FAITH   

Trusting God Always
- Hebrews 11:1-3,39-40

LIFE IN COMMUNITY  

Being Real and Relational
- Ephesians 4:1-6

LIFE IN TRANSFORMATION  

Building a Deeper Relationship with Jesus
- 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 12:1-2

RELATIONSHIPS

Submitting to God’s design for relationships and calling:
- Marriage is between a Man and a Woman: Genesis 2:24, Singleness is a gift: 1 Corinthians 7:7-8

LOVING OTHERS

Love our neighbours as God loves us
- Philippians 2:2-4

PRAYER

Connecting with God
- Matthew 6:5-15, Philippians 4:6-7

SERVICE

Putting Gifts of the Spirit into Action
- Matthew 20:20-28

SHARING JESUS

Living Out and Reaching Out
- Romans 1:16-17, Matthew 28:18-20

WORSHIP

Celebrating God's Greatness
- Psalm 95:1-3

THE TRINITY

The Bible teaches there is one God, eternally existing in three persons; God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. (Hebrews 1: 2, John 14: 25 - 26, 16: 7)

God became a human through Jesus Christ His Son, who lived a sinless life on earth and took the punishment for our wrong doing by dying on the cross as our substitute. He was raised from death and lives forever in heaven. God did that to show His love for mankind and to bring us back to a relationship with Him. Jesus now pleads for us before God and will take all those who accept this love and gift to heaven to live with God forever. (Matthew 28: 5-7, Galatians 4: 4, Romans 5: 8, Hebrews 4: 14-16, 1 Thessalonians 4: 3 -18)

JESUS

God became a human through Jesus Christ His Son, who lived a sinless life on earth and took the punishment for our wrong doing by dying on the cross as our substitute. He was raised from death and lives forever in heaven. God did that to show His love for mankind and to bring us back to a relationship with Him. Jesus now pleads for us before God and will take all those who accept this love and gift to heaven to live with God forever. (Matthew 28: 5-7, Galatians 4: 4, Romans 5: 8, Hebrews 4: 14-16, 1 Thessalonians 4: 3 -18)

THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is God. He draws us to Jesus Christ and indwells us at the moment we place our faith in Him. As we allow the Holy Spirit to change our lives He helps us become obedient to God’s Word, and to know and enjoy all of God’s promises. The Holy Spirit gives each Christian a unique spiritual ability to serve God and the church. (Titus 3 : 4-8, 1 Corinthians 12)

THE BIBLE

God’s Word, which was passed on by God to human writers became the Bible and is the truth about Him, creation, mankind, and the purpose for living. It provides God’s direction for the church and it is totally adequate and relevant for our lives today. (2Timothy 3: 15 - 17)

SIN

Because Adam and Eve originally went against God, then all of mankind inherited that same disobedience. This broke the relationship we had with God and caused the punishment of separation from God forever. On our own we have no ability to solve this situation. (Romans 5: 6, 12, 3: 9 - 20)

GETTING RIGHT WITH GOD (SALVATION)

The only way we regain a relationship with God and ensure eternal life in heaven is through faith in Jesus Christ alone. In acknowledging we are sinners (fall short of God’s perfect standards) we need to: believe Jesus, God’s Son, died for our wrong doing (sins) and rose to life again (trust in him to save us, rely on his death to pay the penalty for our sin). The evidence of this process will be a changing life developing the attitude and character of Jesus and good works. (Romans 3:21-26; Ephesians 2:4-10, 4:23-24)

THE CHURCH

God is accomplishing His purposes in the world through His Church both universally (all believers around the world) and locally (all believers within a local congregation). The Church is to glorify God by following Christ as the supreme head of the church. He gives to the church spiritual gifts (through the lives of believers), human spiritual leaders (who rule under Christ) and two ordinances (baptism and communion). (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 1:22; Ephesians 2:11, 3:6; Ephesians 1:22; Ephesians 3:21; Ephesians 4:7-12; Acts 2:38-42; Acts 8:36-39)

FUTURE EVENTS

We all die once and when we die our spiritual being lives on. When Jesus returns to earth, as He said he would, all the dead will be raised to life again and along with those that are still living, will be judged by God. Those who have a relationship with God will spend forever with God in heaven. Those who do not have a relationship with God will suffer the consequences, separation from God forever. (1 Corinthians 15: 51-57, 2 Corinthians 5: 6 - 10, Revelation 20: 11 - 15, Romans 6: 23)