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OUR BELIEFS
Jesus Christ at the centre of our faith
St John Moraia is a Fijian Methodist Christian community in Christchurch. Our faith is centred on Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. We believe in the transforming love and grace of God, the saving work of Christ through His death and resurrection, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the truth of Holy Scripture. Following our Methodist heritage, we seek to grow in holiness, worship faithfully, proclaim the Gospel, serve others in love, and live as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.
"I am the way, the truth, and the life." - John 14:6
1. WE BELIEVE IN ONE GOD
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
We believe in one God, eternally known as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God the Father is the Creator and Lord of all; Jesus Christ is the Son of God, our Saviour and Lord; and the Holy Spirit is God’s living presence, guiding, strengthening and transforming the Church and all who believe.
Matthew 28:19 KJV
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
2. WE BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST
Saviour and Lord
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, fully revealing God’s love and saving grace. He lived without sin, gave Himself for us on the cross, died for our sins, rose again from the dead, and reigns as our Saviour and Lord. Through Christ we receive forgiveness, reconciliation with God, new life, and the hope of eternal life.
John 3:16 KJV
" For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son..."
3. WE BELIEVE IN THE CROSS, SIN AND REDEMPTION
God’s Grace and Forgiveness
We believe that sin separates humanity from the holy purposes of God and that we cannot save ourselves. In His great love and mercy, God acted for our salvation through Jesus Christ. On the cross, Christ gave Himself for us and bore our sins, opening the way to forgiveness, reconciliation with God, and new life. God’s saving grace calls us to repentance, faith in Christ, and a life transformed by His love.
1 Peter 2:24 KJV
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree… that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness…”
4. WE BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION AND ETERNAL HOPE
Christ is Risen
We believe that Jesus Christ truly rose from the dead, victorious over sin and death. His resurrection is the foundation of our Christian hope and the assurance that death does not have the final word. Through Christ, God offers new life now and the promise of eternal life. We look forward in faith to the resurrection, the fulfilment of God’s kingdom, and everlasting fellowship with God.
John 11:25 KJV
“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”
5. WE BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
God Present and at Work
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the presence and power of God at work in the Church and in the lives of believers. The Holy Spirit leads us into truth, awakens faith, assures us of God’s grace, strengthens us for holy living, gives gifts for ministry, and empowers the Church to witness to Jesus Christ and serve God’s mission in the world.
John 14:26 KJV
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things…”
6. WE BELIEVE IN HOLY SCRIPTURE
God’s Word for Faith and Life
We believe that Holy Scripture is inspired by God and is the primary source and standard for Christian faith and life. Through the Bible, God reveals His saving purposes and leads us to Jesus Christ. As Methodists, we read Scripture prayerfully and seriously, and we also draw on Christian tradition, reason, and experience as we seek to understand and faithfully live out God’s truth.
2 Timothy 3:16 KJV
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
7. WE BELIEVE IN SALVATION BY GRACE
Grace Offered to All
We believe that salvation is the gracious gift of God and cannot be earned by our own good works. God’s saving grace reaches out to every person, calling us to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Through faith in Christ we receive forgiveness, new life, and reconciliation with God. Following the Wesleyan Methodist tradition, we believe that all need to be saved, all may be saved, all may know themselves saved, and all may grow in grace toward holy living.
Ephesians 2:8–9 KJV
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
8. WE BELIEVE IN HOLY LIVING
Growing in Love and Grace
We believe that God’s grace not only forgives us but also transforms us. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, Christians are called to grow in holiness, love God with all their heart, and love their neighbours as themselves. Holy living is expressed through prayer, worship, obedience, compassion, justice, humility, and service. As Methodists, we seek continual growth in grace so that our lives increasingly reflect the character and love of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 12:14 KJV
“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:”
9. WE BELIEVE IN THE CHURCH, BAPTISM AND HOLY COMMUNION
Called into Christ’s Community
We believe that the Church is the people of God called together by Jesus Christ to worship, pray, learn, serve, and share the Gospel. In the Methodist tradition, Baptism and Holy Communion are sacraments given by Christ and means through which God’s grace is proclaimed and received. In Baptism we are welcomed into the covenant community of faith; in Holy Communion we remember Christ’s saving death, receive God’s grace, and are strengthened for Christian discipleship, fellowship, and mission.
Acts 2:42 KJV
“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
10. WE BELIEVE IN PRAYER, EVANGELISM, MISSION AND SERVICE
Faith Lived Out in Love
We believe that Christian faith is meant to be lived and shared. Through prayer we seek God’s presence, guidance, and strength. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to proclaim the Gospel, make disciples, care for those in need, seek reconciliation and justice, and serve our communities with humility and love. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Church is sent into the world to bear witness to Christ in both word and action.
Acts 1:8 KJV
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me…”
11. OUR METHODIST & FIJIAN METHODIST HERITAGE
Rooted in Wesleyan Faith, Serving Christ Today
St John Moraia belongs to the Methodist Church of New Zealand — Te Hāhi Weteriana o Aotearoa — and shares in the life and ministry of Wasewase ko Viti Kei Rotuma. We honour the Fijian and Rotuman Methodist heritage carried into Aotearoa while remaining part of the wider Methodist connexion.
Our Methodist heritage is shaped by the Wesleyan movement associated with John and Charles Wesley. It emphasises God’s grace offered to all, assurance of God’s saving love, growth in holiness, prayer, Bible study, fellowship, mission, and loving service. We seek to live this faith through our Fijian expressions of lotu and community life while keeping Jesus Christ at the centre of all we believe and do.
1 Corinthians 3:11 KJV
“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
OUR FAITH IN ACTION
Following Jesus Christ Together
These beliefs are more than words we affirm. They call us to worship God faithfully, follow Jesus Christ, grow in grace and holiness, love one another, proclaim the Gospel, and serve our neighbours. At St John Moraia, we seek to live this faith together through lotu, prayer, fellowship, discipleship, mission, and loving service.
“Let all your things be done with charity.” — 1 Corinthians 16:14 KJV