Jesus:
We value the way of Jesus. We long to worship Jesus by imitating his life and ministry. He is our model, mentor, hero, mediator, savior, judge, king and ruler of all. All of our values flow from what we understand about his character, concerns, and the practices of his ministry. (Matt 28:19, John 1:3, John 13:15, John 14:6, John 17:18, Rom 5:10, Eph 1:22-23, Phil 2:5, Col 1:15-20, Col 2:9, Col 3:17, Heb 1:3, Heb 12:2, model [Eph 5:1-2], mentor [John 13:14-15, Acts 26:16], hero [Rom 1:4], mediator [1Tim 2:5, Heb 7:25], savior [Acts 4:12, Titus 3:6], judge [Rom 2:16, John 9:39, 2 Tim 4:1], king [Rev 1:5, Rev 19:16] and ruler of all [Col 1:18, Rev 17:14]).
The Lost:
We value lost people because they are spiritually poor. We believe the good news of the kingdom is the most important commodity with which the church and the people of God have been entrusted. For this reason we will engage the lost. We believe that the church should not expect lost people to come and find them, but that we are called and sent to “seek and save that which was lost.” Again, we will emphasize the life and ministry of Jesus by prioritizing those who have not yet heard and believed the good news. This is our first and most important task, even in our ministry to the poor and the lost (who could be considered the spiritually poor). They are our first concern. (Gen 22:17-18, Matt 4:23, Matt 10:7, Matt 18:14, Matt 28:19, Mark 13:10, Luke 15:4, 6, Luke 19:10, Luke 24:46-47, Acts 1:8, Acts 10:42, Rom 10:14-15 and 15:20, Gal 2:10).
Restoration:
In a family, there will inevitably be conflict. We will not all see eye to eye on important issues at times. One important Kingdom Value that we prioritize here at City of Life is to work toward restoration of broken relationships and avoid separation. As conflicts arise, we as leaders are committed to prayerfully seek redemptive outcomes to every conflict, searching for reasonable compromises while protecting the reputation of Christ, honoring His Word and protecting everyone within our spiritual family. (Galatians 6:1)
Culture and Ethnicity:
We agree that every culture and ethnicity, while imperfect, reflects the mosaic of God’s own image and together we better glorify and serve the God of creation. We believe that the church of Jesus Christ was meant to demonstrate the power of the gospel through reconciliation, unity, and the beauty of a multi-ethnic community. For that reason we do not just admire multi-ethnic communities, but purpose to become one. We do not believe in being colorblind. Rather, we hope to accept and include the beauty and wisdom of every culture in our city and in our surrounding communities. (Genesis 1:27, Psalm 67:2-3, Isaiah 56:7, Daniel 7:13-14, Joel 2:28, Hag 2:7, Malachi 1:11, John 17:20-22, Acts 10:34-35, Acts 17:26-27, Romans 14:11, Romans 15:5-6, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, Ephesians 2:14-22, Philippians 2:10-11, Revelation 5:9-10, Revelation 7:9, Revelation 14:6).
Sharing and Giving:
Because we value community and simplicity, we commit ourselves to both sharing and giving. We will share because it promotes relationship and breaks the bondage of possessiveness. We believe the western doctrine of personal property is imperfect and needs to be tempered with the more biblical value of generosity and sacrifice. In sharing what we have with others, we confess that God is the true owner and that we are only stewards in his vast world he has created. We will also give, because in giving we destroy the grip of materialism over our hearts because we release the resource, wealth, or possession completely into the control of another. For that reason we will pursue relentless generosity and the holding of all things in common. For this reason we encourage our people to give as often and as generously as they can, and to consider themselves stewards of the rest. (Mal 3:10, Matt 25:40, Luke 3:11, Acts 2:43, Acts 4:32, Acts 20:35, 2 Cor 8:7, 2 Cor 9:10-13, 2 Cor 8:13, Eph 4:28, 1 Thess 2:8, 1 Tim 6:18, 1 John 3:17).
Kingdom Mission:
We will do mission because we are sent people. We believe that the church is not the church until it is engaged in the mission for which God has called it into. We crave healing, discipleship and intimacy with God. We believe that healing comes through offering healing to others, that discipleship does not primarily take place on a Sunday morning or in class room setting, but also through doing life together. That is why we engage in the culture we live in sharing life with the broken and the imperfect so that they too can share in this eternal love and hope we have been given through Jesus. We believe that the life of Jesus and the early church demonstrate that God himself is with the lost and the poor of the earth, proclaiming the good news of His kingdom. We also believe that when we co-labor with Him as workers in this world, we engage the culture of our day seizing every opportunity to be Jesus to those who may not know who he is and long for more than what they have. We believe the answers to this life are found in Jesus so we should share them with all. (Psalm 51:10-13, Isaiah 58:6-8, Matt 9:35-38, Matt 25:40, Matt 28:18-20, Mark 1:14-15 and 38, Luke 4:18-21, John 4:34-35, John 6:27, John 9:4, John 12:26, John 15:9-10, John 17:18, Acts 1:8, Romans 15:20, 1 Cor 15:58, 2 Cor 5:18-19, Eph 2:10, Philippians 2:3, Col 3:17 and 23, 1 John 3:18, 1 Peter 2:9).
Passion:
With Jesus as our model, we want our lives to be characterized by passion. In the most surface sense this means that we should be moved by our relationship with God and maintain a high level of dedication in all we do for Him. In a deeper sense it means that we value suffering and sacrifice. We see Jesus’ willingness to suffer for the lost and the hopeless as a model for all who would come after Him. We likewise are to take up our cross and to walk the way of suffering; not seeking pain or persecution, but not shrinking back from it either. We are convinced that the clearest expression of the gospel is love and that love is forever redefined by Jesus in His death for us. We value the kind of radical faith that expects every believer to be ready and willing to suffer and sacrifice for Jesus, His name and His kingdom. We realize that this value is not mainstream and that it contradicts the cultural current of today’s self-entitlement mentality, the idea of prosperity gospel, and the wanting to be comfortable syndrome. But true commitment demands our lives in total surrender to the Jesus no matter what the cost. We believe that the kingdom will not be built through selfish ambition, but through passionate, sacrificial love. (Psalms 63:1, Matt 10:22, Matt 16:24-25, Matt 26:38-39, Romans 5:3 and 8:18, Luke 9:61-62, Luke 14:27, Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 1:5, Ephesians 5:1-2, Philippians 2:3, Philippians 3:10, Col 1:24, Col 3:17 and 23, 2 Timothy 2:3, 2 Timothy 3:12-15, 1 Peter 3:17, 1 John 3:16).
Prayer and Dependence on God:
We commit ourselves to live a life of prayer because we believe that only God can accomplish what He calls us to do and that God should receive the glory. For this reason, we believe the church should be committed to pray without ceasing. We value constant prayer because we desire to know God and to deepen our understanding and revelation of his love for us and the world. We value prayer because we believe that through prayer things happen, lives are changed, chains break loose, people are set free, lives are restored, and healing takes place. The prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much. We value prayer as our communication to God. We believe prayer is a two way communication so there are times within our prayer lives that we need to be still so we can hear God speak back to us. Prayer is the key place where we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do what God has called us to do. Prayer is also a place where we can find rest, peace, and hope as we hear God’s voice speak to us in the midst of our chaos, temptations, storms and trial. Prayer keeps our dependency on God doing what we cannot do for ourselves instead of being self-reliant. (2 Chronicles 7:14, Ezra 8:23, Psalm 17:6, Psalms 91:1-2, Isaiah 26:9, Jeremiah 29:12, Matthew 6:9-13, Matthew 6:33, Matthew 9:38, Mark 1:35, Luke 11: 9-13, Luke 18:1 and 7, Acts 2:42, Acts 6:4, 2 Corinthians 3:5-6, Ephesians 6:18, Philippians 4:6, Colossians 4:2, I Thessalonians 5:17, 1 Tim 2:1-2, Hebrews 5:7, James 5:13-16, 1 Peter 4:7, Jude 20).
The Bible:
We trust the authority, reliability and truth of all Scripture. In humility, we acknowledge we do not fully understand God and the world he made. For that reason we rely on the bible to be the rule of our faith, teaching us what we do not know, and challenging and leading us away from our misconceptions, self-deceptions, and convenient ideas about life and God. We don’t choose the parts of the bible we prefer or want to believe, obey or understand; instead we submit to all of Scripture believing it reveals the truth that is beyond us. We believe that Jesus is the word of God and for that reason we don’t just obey Scripture, we love it. The bible is like a mirror; it shows us who we really are. Aznd like a window it opens our lives to the beauty, wonder, and love of the God we long to know. (Deut. 4:10, 2 Sam 7:28, 22:31, Neh. 8, Ps. 18:30, Prov. 30:5, Isa. 40:8, Jer. 15:16, Matt. 4:4, 2:29, Luke 8:21, 11:28, 24:32, John 1:1-17, 5:24, 5:39, 8:51, Acts 8:35, 18:11, Rom. 3:2, 1 Tim. 4:13, 2 Tim. 3:16, Col. 1:25, 3:16, 1 Thess. 2:13, Heb. 4:12-13, 1 Peter 4:11, 2 Peter 3:16, 1 John 2:5, Rev. 3:8, 19:9).
Grace over Judgment:
As a part of this spiritual family you will experience the leadership extending grace to you rather than judgment. Grace is the latitude that allows you to draw closer to God and then closer to us without demanding change.
Mercy over Punishment:
When you become a regular part of this family of believers, hopefully you will discover that as leaders we will apply mercy toward you even when you are not living Christ-like values in your life. We believe that as we apply mercy you will be moved by the Holy Spirit to recognize areas in your life that are hurtful to yourself, others, and ultimately to the Kingdom of God. With offering mercy we hope corrections are made, as you are empowered by the Holy Spirit, which make that transformation possible of focusing from me to us. Instead of punishing you for wrong behavior, we will apply mercy. This doesn’t imply that we don’t value the importance of discipline. If your wrongful behavior hurts others and is detrimental to the furthering of the kingdom we will, in mercy, insist that you stop. In our act of mercy for your soul, there may even be some form of discipline because as a good parent disciplines his child, even God disciplines us who he loves. However, the first value expressed to you will consistently be mercy to lead you to repentance. GOD is all mercy and grace-- not quick to anger, is rich in love. Psalm 145:8
In the light of our vision, mission and values we now strategize around them to move forward to revive the hearts and minds of us all so that we win the lost, live life together connecting and aligning ourselves and the world around us for the cause of Christ.