Crossroads joins the myriad of preachers, teachers, and authors who are currently producing helpful teaching materials and books that clearly focus on the indwelling Presence of Jesus Christ in believers.  It is the learning how to experience His Presence that is the essence of the Crossroads ministry.  

 

Since the early 1990s Crossroads has been a biblically-based, ministry that works with individuals and churches.  And …. the over-arching word that describes the ministry is RELATIONSHIP: Relationshp with Jesus Christ.

 

In 2010, Frank Viola and Leonard Sweet published their book, “Jesus Manifesto”.  This book, a devotional treatise, amplifies, in detail, the essence of the Crossroads ministry. And the contemporary cliche – "it is all about Jesus" – summarizes the Viola/Sweet book. The following Viola/Sweet quote reveals the conviction that drives this Crossroads' web site and every aspect of the Crossroads work.

          "Christians have made the gospel about so many things—things other than

          Christ. Religious concepts, ideas, doctrines, strategies, methods, techniques,
          programs, and formulas have all eclipsed the beauty, the glory, and the
          reality of the Lord Jesus Himself."

The every-page- message of the Jesus Manifesto does such a thorough job of “unpacking” the “Christ in you” message, that Crossroads has been using the book as a primer for inquiring believers seeking to engage the spiritual intimacy paradigm.

Using a second statement from the book priovides Crossroads with the opportunity to shout from the roof-tops:  a loud "amen":

"…the Christian family today is starved for a real experience of the living Christ.   We know a lot about the Lord,  but we don't know Him very well.  We know a lot  about trying to be like Jesus, but very little about living by His indwelling life."

Here again, the Crossroads day to day ministry experience bears out this truth. We repeatedly hear words like these:

      ♦ “I feel like I’m turning a crank .. as far as my faith life goes" or
      ♦ “My passion is gone; I’ve become caught up in the business of life” or
          a similar statement: 
      ♦ "I am very involved in church work but my passion has gone." An even
          more often repeated phrase is this:
      ♦  “I know there has to be more, but I don’t even know where to start.”

If you have read this far, you have discovered the “WHY” of this web site. All of the material contained herein is to provide serious seekers with a compendium of relevant articles, links, and references to the spiritual intimacy truths.

A recent book discovery has been the third of a three-volume series by Dr. Andrew Farley, pastor, college professor, and author. His book, “Heaven is Now” was released in 2012. Farley's web site has links to many of his sermons as well as several of his TV interviews.  If you Google his name, you will discover links to his church “Ecclesia” in west Texas. 

A group of us here in Maine read his entire series; and all agree: he has produced a terrific series to add to the growing library of very helpful relevant books.

In summary: we are living at a time in which the Holy Spirit appears to be birthing a passion in contemporary writers similar to that of some of the legendary writers of old like Oswald Chambers, Andrew Murray, Martyn Lloyd Jones, L.E. Maxwell and so many others.     

The Index article listed at the top of the sidebar provides a suggested reading list for anyone just starting to investigate the spiritual intimacy, faith-relationship paradigm.

About the intimacy paradigm ….

Since many of you have asked for a simplified explanation of the spiritual intimacy paradigm, we have added “The Intimacy Paradigm in a Nutshell”.  Although this was originally written as a talking outline for a meeting here in Maine that met to study Farley's book “Heaven is Now”, we are including it on the opening page of our site, trusting that it may help the “quick visit inquirer”.

The intimacy paradigm in a nutshell ….

What Andrew Farley has done for us can be very simply stated: he has provided the complete biblical apologetic for the “Christ in you” paradigm. Here are some of the most significant aspects of the paradigm as viewed from an experiential standpoint.

The INTIMACY PARADIGM construct depends upon a TRIPARTITE definition of the human frame.  Man is comprised of body, soul, and spirit.

 

To enjoy life by means of the Paradigm, we must recognize that every act of life begins in the MIND. We must understand what scripture teaches; and more than that, we MUST LEARN HOW TO LIVE ACCORDINGLY.

 

We must LEARN how to live by means of a genuine FAITH-RELATIONSHIP w/ Jesus.  Jesus Christ must become our first thought at every decision point of every day. This is, of course, a matter of learning to live supenaturally. 

 

Our most significant God-given gift is the PRESENCE OF JESUS' INDWELLING LIFE IN US.  The “new Creation” of II Co 5:17 is certainly the starting point of a life change that ignites one's faith-life. We must LEARN the power of His Life in us.

 

The second most significant gift from our Heavenly Father is the FREEDOM OF CHOICE.  Life here on earth will always involve CHOICES. We can choose to live by the FLESH, SIN, or HIS EMPOWERMENT. We word RECKON of Romans is a good word !!!

 

We MUST LEARN that we are perpetually FORGIVEN; and that He will NEVER LEAVE US OR FORSAKE US. A Huge Truth.  

We MUST LEARN to NEVER ALLOW GUILT to RESIDE in our frame.  BUT !!  HOWEVER!!  We MUST never set aside our RESPONSIBILITY.                                                    

DECISIONS on a moment by moment basis bring consequences in the human, everyday plane of our lives.

Our JOY FACTOR and our PEACE FACTOR are legitimate measurement tools.

The BOTTOM LINE: IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS !!!
Conclusion: Farley has laced together the essential elements of the paradigm. It is his emphasis on “total forgiveness” and “choice” and “the UNION relationship" that looms so large to us.

                               Thank you Dr. Farley. MORE IMPORTANT,

                                                    Thank you Father

 Further conclusions to seriously think about ….

1.  There is absolutely no value in simply knowing and even understanding the paradigm
     Unless we are learning how to make it a part of our everyday lives. 
2.  All that Farley has done is to “put legs on our knowledge of the paradigm”
3.  Given his hard-hitting words used to hammer home the “NEVER AGAIN 
     GUILTY” and his equally hard words concerning our FREEDOM FROM 
     THE LAW ….. few nominal believers will warm up to his writings.
4.  REVELATION is an equally good biblical word to describe what I said in the last sentence
5.  No matter how you cut it …. it is all about Jesus. The age old story many of us love so
     much is “dead-on”.  Remember this story:

           School had just started. The setting: the 3^rd grade class room. And! 
          To start the day off with an attention getter, the teacher asked a question. 

          BUT !!! Before she could even get the question out, Johnny raised his hand. 
          Bursting with pride … he said,

         “I don’t know the question; BUT the answer is Jesus”.

         Johnny!! You passed with flying colors; you really done good !!

Thank you for coming to our website.l  Prayerfully continue and read the artciles listed in the sidebar or call us at 207-627-4685.