Welcome! If you’ve just heard the good news of Jesus Christ during one of our street outreaches and prayed to receive Him as your Lord and Saviour—or if you’re simply curious and want to understand more— you’ve come to the right place.

The Gospel is simple yet life-changing: God loves you deeply, Jesus died for your sins and rose again so you can be forgiven and have eternal life through faith in Him alone. If you’d like to refresh or explore this message further in a way that connects with your background, please click below for a selection of clear Gospel presentations:

Explore Gospel Messages Here

We’re part of Equippers Church Gisborne, a vibrant, welcoming community passionate about seeing Jesus transform lives. Please understand that joining a church, attending services, or being part of any Christian community cannot save you—salvation comes only through personal faith in Jesus Christ, trusting in His death and resurrection for the forgiveness of your sins. However, we are here to help lead you to the One who can save you: Jesus the Christ. We’d love to walk alongside you, answer your questions, point you clearly to Him through the Scriptures, and support you as you begin or grow in your relationship with the Saviour.

Whether you’re ready to take your next steps in faith, find supportive connections through our eGroups, or just come along and see what we’re about, we’d love to meet you. —welcome!

Sundays at 10am – 103 Lowe Street Gisborne

Sione & Fiona Filipe: Pastors

Welcome to Equippers, Gisborne. We’d love to meet you!

We are the location pastors and we’ve relocated here from Auckland in early 2024. We have been married for over twenty years, with three awesome children: Fifita, Lavinia and Pamela.

Nau mai, Haere mai.

For more about us, click here:

At Equippers, we believe in equipping you to be on mission for God

Whether you have been called to education, healthcare, business, arts, media, government, family or church, we want to equip you to extend the Kingdom of God in your world.

We believe in equipping and empowering you to be on mission for God

We have over 50 churches located across 16 countries around the world. We believe that significant ministry flows from significant relationships.

Whether you have been called to education, healthcare, business, arts, media, government, family or church, we want to equip you to extend the Kingdom of God in your world.

What We Believe

We believe there is one true living God, who eternally exists in three persons in unity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
We believe in the Divine inspiration and authority of the Holy Scriptures.
We believe in the original perfection of creation; the inherent corruptness of humanity through the Fall; the necessity of repentance and regeneration by grace and through faith in Christ alone, and the eternal separation from God of the finally unrepentant.
We believe in the virgin birth, sinless life, atoning death, triumphant resurrection, ascension and continuing intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ, His second coming and eternal Kingdom reign.
We believe in the justification and sanctification of believers through the finished work of Christ, their security as they remain in Him, and their future resurrection in an incorruptible body. We believe in the sacraments of baptism by immersion and of the Lord’s Supper.
We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit for believers with supernatural signs, empowering the Church for its mission in the world. We believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the building up of the Church and ministry to the world.
We believe in Christ’s leadership of the Church through the ascension ministries of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, for the unity, maturity and growth of the Church.
We believe in the privilege and responsibility of wise stewardship of all that God has given, including the practice of giving to the local church as led by the Holy Spirit.
We believe that marriage is ordained by God in Scripture for the exclusive union between one man and one woman, for their mutual help and comfort.

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

A Message For Seekers or New Believers

On this link you will find a gospel message that will relate to your background which will help you understand the Gospel of salvation by Grace Alone that the Apostles preached in the first century Church.

Please click on the above link or the image on the left. Or continue below for a basic gospel message. May God bless you with the full revelation of Jesus Christ.

Are You a Good Person?

Take the Good Person Test

Most people believe they are “good enough” to get to Heaven.
But God’s standard is perfection. Let’s see what the Bible says.

Answer honestly:

Have you ever told a lie? (Even a “white” lie?)
□ Yes □ No
Have you ever stolen anything? (The value doesn’t matter—time, money, etc.)
□ Yes □ No
Have you ever disobeyed or dishonored your parents?
□ Yes □ No
Have you ever used God’s name (or Jesus’ name) as a swear word?
□ Yes □ No
Have you ever looked at someone with lust? (Jesus said, “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” – Matthew 5:28)
□ Yes □ No

These questions come from just five of God’s Ten Commandments
(the 9th, 8th, 5th, 3rd, and 7th).

How many did you answer “Yes” to?
Even one “Yes” means you have broken God’s Law and are guilty before Him.
The Bible says:
“There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10).
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

THE PROBLEM

How We Became Sinners

We did not become sinners because we personally committed a sin.

Instead, when Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, sin entered the human race, and every one of his descendants (including you and me) inherited a sinful nature from him. This corrupted nature brought spiritual death and separation from God (Genesis 2:16-17; 3; Romans 5:12).

We are born with this sinful nature. Our wrong actions (lying, stealing, etc.) are simply the outward evidence that we already possess this corrupted nature from birth.

The Purpose of God’s Law

The Ten Commandments were not given to make us sinners. We were already sinners by nature because of Adam.

Instead, the Law acts like a mirror—it reveals the sin that is already in us. Breaking the Commandments does not cause us to become sinners; it simply shows us that we were born sinners, separated from a holy God, and desperately in need of a Saviour.

On Judgment Day

If we die in this sinful condition, we cannot enter Heaven—nothing impure can be there. Instead, we will face God’s just punishment in Hell—not only for our actions, but primarily because our inherited sinful nature has separated us from God forever.

“For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23).
God does not want anyone to perish—He loves you (John 3:16).

THE GOOD NEWS

God provided the only way to be forgiven and made right with Him.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived a perfect life, died on the cross in your place, taking the punishment you deserve, and rose again on the third day, defeating sin, death, and Hell.

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

Saying a prayer does not save you.
Being religious or doing good works does not save you.

Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

Grace means God’s unearned, undeserved favour—His free gift of salvation. It is God reaching down to save us when we could never earn or deserve it. We contribute nothing to our salvation except the sin that made it necessary. Salvation depends entirely on what Christ has already done for us—not on anything we do or promise to do.

Here’s what God requires of you to receive this free gift:

Repent
Repentance literally means “a change of mind.” It is coming to agree with God about your sinful condition—that you are a sinner by nature, separated from Him, unable to save yourself, and in desperate need of a Saviour. This change of mind naturally leads to sorrow for your sin and a turning away from it toward God.
Believe the Gospel with your heart
Put your full trust in Jesus Christ alone—believe that He died for your sins, was buried, and rose again. Trust that His blood paid the full penalty for your sins and that His righteousness is now credited to you.

The moment a sinner truly repents and believes, God forgives all their sins, declares them righteous in His sight, and the Holy Spirit immediately enters their life. The Holy Spirit regenerates and converts their heart to Christ, making them a new creation—born again by the Spirit of God (John 3:3-8; Titus 3:5; Ezekiel 36:26-27).

A Prayer to Express This to God
(Use your own words—this is not a magic formula. What matters is genuine repentance and faith in your heart.)

“Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner by nature and have broken Your commandments. I deserve Hell. But I believe You died on the cross in my place, took my punishment, and rose again. I turn from my sins and put my trust in You alone for salvation. Please forgive me, cleanse me, and give me Your gift of eternal life. I surrender my life to You as my Lord. Thank You for saving me. Amen.”

If you truly repented and believed, the Bible says you are now forgiven, born again, and have eternal life (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10,13).

Now what?