Why Does CrossWay Exist?
To make maturing followers of Jesus
by the power of the gospel.
God and Man
In the beginning God created all things very good; man and woman dwelt with God in perfect harmony. However, sin quickly destroyed that, as man rejected God as King and therefore deserved God’s judgment. Since God is holy and just, he would remain righteous if he condemned all sinners to eternal damnation. But in his kindness, he had other plans: a plan to fill the earth with the knowledge of his glory, and a plan to redeem a people for his own possession (Ex 19.1-6; Hab 2:14; Rom 3:23; 6:23; 2 Thess 1:9).
God’s Plan of Redemption & Renewal
God’s plan to spread his glory and save a people come together and intersect in the gospel. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took on flesh and died in the place of sinners, taking their punishment and reconciling back to God all who trust in Jesus and worship him as king. This salvation is offered to people of every tribe and tongue: by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. But this initial redemption is not the end of the story. God intends to bring ongoing renewal to His people during their pilgrimage on earth (Rom 12:1-2; 2 Cor 4:6, 16; Col 2:13; 3:10).
The Church
This mission of God – to spread his glory, redeem a people for himself, and renew them - could easily be accomplished by God alone. But God has chosen to accomplish his plan through his people, the church. This means, God’s plan to redeem the lost, and to bring ongoing renewal to his people, flows through the life and ministry of local churches; and these churches display God’s very glory in the world! Our identity as a church, therefore, is specifically that of a redeemed people called and caught up into God’s mission. His mission precedes ours; and our mission exists only as an extension of his. Our mission is God’s mission (Eph 3:10; 5:25-32; Mt 16:18).
When you consider all of these truths, we really do feel amazed at the privilege of participating in God’s gospel mission through a local church on the south side of Milwaukee!
How Do We Participate
in God’s Mission?
As a local church, we gather and we scatter.
We gather to behold and build up,
and we scatter to display and declare
—all for the glory of God, in the name of Jesus,
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Gather
When we gather together, while the activities may differ, we want to see two things occurring.
Behold. We must be looking to God – we behold Him. And, as we do, so much good occurs. For example, our souls are satisfied, we are changed, we are given strength to endure. It’s important for us to look to God, behold Him, at all of our gatherings. (Ps. 16:11, 2 Cor. 3:18, Heb. 12:1-3)
Build up. We gather to build up one another in the faith. Each of us needs other people in our lives regularly if we are to persevere in the Christian life. It’s not too hard to see how a church could personally benefit ourselves. However, in our consumer oriented culture, it can be easy to miss our place in serving others. As we gather we should consider, “How can I be a part of building up other believers at this gathering?”. In doing so, we all experience God’s ongoing renewal through one another, and God prepares us to move outward to scatter into the world as His representatives. (Heb. 10:24-25)
Scatter
As we scatter to our own areas of influence, there are also two things that should occur.
Display. We display what a life redeemed by God looks like – in the home, the neighborhood, at work, and at places we frequent. As we rightly handle the joys and sorrows of life in this world, our lives should be a visible testimony that our hope is active and attractive, whether engaged in acts of service, hobbies, or rest. (Matt. 5:14-16; 1 Pet. 2:12; 3:15-16; 1 Cor. 7:29-31)
Declare. We declare the hope of God’s redemption. In doing so, at times we will have the joy of seeing others around us experience God’s redemption. At other times, we will be met with discouragements and opposition. But, no matter what we face, we know we have our church family to gather with us to rejoice together and work through discouragements together as we behold God and build each other up. What a privilege to walk together in this cycle – doing it all for the glory of God, in the name of Jesus, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. (1 Pet. 2:9; 2 Tim. 3:12-13; Acts 14:22; John 15:20)