WHAT WE
BELIEVE

Crossroads International Student Ministry is a fellowship of believers who seek to follow Christ and wear only His Name. It is our desire to lead people to Christ, to help them grow in their understanding and application of God’s Word, to nurture their personal relationship with Jesus, and to motivate them toward significant Christian service and witness. As a non-denominational organization, we seek to serve Jesus and Him alone.
This statement of faith is not to be understood as a creed, but rather an attempt to identify and communicate some of the core beliefs that guide the teachings and practices of our ministry.

Claiming to be “Christians only” but not to be the only Christians, we focus our efforts on authentically living what that name represents. We feel there is a need to have agreement in the fundamental teachings of the Bible, freedom in the matters of individual opinion, and a demonstration of love shown in the “gray” areas of Christian thought. Unity between everyone who believes in Jesus Christ and lives to obey His commands is our hope.

 

THE BIBLE

The foundation for our belief is built upon the sixty-six books of the Bible, which are inspired by God. The Bible was uniquely, verbally and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit and was written without error (inerrant) in the original manuscripts. It is the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith, salvation, and lifestyle. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises. The Scripture points us to Jesus Christ and His Lordship in every facet of our lives (2 Timothy 3:15-17; John 10:35; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20, 21).

 

GOD

We teach that there is only one true God and He lives today (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5-7; 1 Corinthians 8:4). He’s Perfect, Holy and the Source of Absolute Truth. God is one in essence and He exists eternally in three Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14).  In the beginning God created everything from nothing. Every day, in the world around us, we see God at work showing us His power, wisdom, and goodness. In the past, present and future God keeps working to fulfill His plan of bringing everyone to Himself.

 

JESUS CHRIST

We believe Jesus Christ was equal with God (John 10:30; Philippians 2:5-8), but became a human being, like us, to pay the debt for our disobedience to God. Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23-25), Jesus lived a totally pure life, and met God’s requirement to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He took our place and our punishment by dying on the cross (John 10:15; Romans 3:24-25; 1 Peter 2:24). He rose from the dead in a physical body and ascended to heaven to be God’s right hand Man. He’s there right now defending us before God, interceding on our behalf in prayer, and and supporting us in every way (Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:38-39; Romans 4:25; Romans 8:34; Hebrew 7:25; 1John 2:1). We believe that Jesus Christ will return to earth one day, when we least expect it. He will be here in person and everyone will see Him as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (I Thessalonians 4:16-17).  At that time, everyone in the world will understand their place according to God’s eternal plan (John 5:22-25; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Corinthians 5:10).

 

HOLY SPIRIT

 We believe the Holy Spirit is a divine Person equal with the Father and the Son (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 3:18). He opens our eyes to the Truth and wakes us up to the fact that we need a Savior. Like a doctor in the delivery room, the Holy Spirit helps give us new birth into God’s Kingdom.  At the moment of our new life Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us and pour special gifts into our lives to help us grow as a Christian and to serve others in love. (John 16:8-10; John 3:3-5; Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 12:13; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 2:22; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 12:3-8).

 

EVERYONE’S GREATEST NEED

All people are created in God’s image and matter deeply to Him. Central to the message of the Bible is the truth that God loves people, and invites them to live in a personal relationship with Him and in community with each other. We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. Like Adam, human beings become sinners by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. The result of this sin is separation from God and a struggle with the constant desire to do the things that are contrary to God’s best desires for us (Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:1-4; Romans 7:21-25). Still, God loves us, even when we are disobedient. He wanted Adam and Eve back, and He wants us back. There’s nothing we could ever do to earn His forgiveness, but He wants to give us His grace, free of charge.  The Bible teaches that one receives God’s grace by trusting Christ and putting their faith in Him. This Biblical response of faith is demonstrated through our actions when we repent of our sin, confess Christ with our voice, and are baptized into Christ. Our baptism by immersion is God’s special object lesson. Its picture reminds us of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, unites us with Christ and is our initiation into a new family – the Church (Romans 6:1-4; Acts 2:41-42).  None of these is sufficient in and of itself for our salvation but together they reflect our obedient desire to unite our lives with Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1-2; Acts 3:19; 17:30; Matthew 10:32; Romans 10:9; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:1-7; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21; Mark 16:15-16). Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed (John 1:12-14; Acts 4:12; Ephesians 1:7; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Peter 1:18-19).

 

THE CHURCH

 We believe that everyone who trusts and obeys Jesus Christ becomes part of one close knit family – the Church (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). Because He loves us so much, He even calls us His Bride (2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 19:1-7).

The Bible tells people who believe in Jesus to join together for worship, prayer, Biblical teaching, remembering the sacrifice of Jesus, fellowship, service to others in the body and outreach to the world (Acts 2:38-42; Ephesians 4:11-12).

Wherever God’s people meet regularly to follow and obey Him – this is where the Church is (Matthew 18:20; Hebrews 10:22-25). This family of God keeps growing together in love and exists to thank God for all He has done and to teach others what it means to obey Him.

The Lord’s Supper is another object lesson from God. It’s a meal that is both a memorial supper and a festive celebration of God’s grace. It reminds us of Jesus’ total sacrifice for us and that one day we’ll share it with Him. Although the Bible doesn’t give a specific command of how often to share communion, the early Christians met weekly and took the Lord’s Supper together to express their gratitude and love for Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:23-29; Luke 22:14-20; Acts 20:7).

Jesus Christ commanded all believers to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world and to make disciples of every nation (Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 4:15-16). The fulfillment of that Great Commission takes place through the unselfish and sacrificial acts of service by those who call themselves the Church (John 12:32).