1) Word Centered​

2) Holy Ghost Dependent​

3) Better Together

4) Courageously Real

5) Not About Ourselves

6) The Need to Serve

7) Givers in a Spirit of excellence

Word Centered -

Definition: Because God has revealed Himself through the written Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and the Living Word 

(John 1:1-4, 14) we place the Bible and Jesus at the center of all we are, and everything we do (Colossians 1:15-20).

Demonstrated by: Submitting to the authority of Scripture in all matters of life and faith. Practicing expository preaching as our primary means of teaching the Scripture. Equipping and encouraging all to personally read, understand and apply the Bible daily. Pointing people to Jesus through every book of the Bible. Expositional preaching grounds the message in a historical-grammatical and literary understanding of the text, in its context, as the author intended the original audience to understand it. Only then is the ancient text brought to the current context for practical application, which will always find its ultimate fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus.

Holy Ghost Dependent -

Definition: Because we cannot do anything apart from Jesus (John 15:4-5) and He has given us THE HOLY GHOST who empowers us to fulfill His mission (Acts 1:8), we will depend wholly on the Spirit to do in and through us “greater works” than He did (John 14:12). 

Demonstrated by: Equipping people to understand what it means to be “filled with” and to “walk by” the Spirit in all of life. Growing as a prayerful people who truly “pray without ceasing.” Believing God for what only He can do, and acting by faith on that belief. Continually shifting our trust from our own resources to God and His promises.

Better Together -

Definition: Because God Himself exists in eternal relationship (2 Corinthians 13:14) and made us in His image (Genesis 1:27) we refuse to “go it alone” in life or leadership, but rather, we “go together” pursuing relationships marked by kindhearted humility, and mutual dependence (Colossians 3:12-17).

Demonstrated by: Pursuing healthy team ministry, knowing that no one person has all the gifts. Making group interaction a priority in every learning environment. Calling all to at least one “group setting” where you are known, and know others. “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” Romans 12:18 

Courageously Real-

Definition: Because our sinful tendency is to “hide” what is true about us (Genesis 3:7-8), and because Jesus condemned hypocrisy in the strongest terms (Matthew 23:25-28), we choose to “take off the mask” and rest in our true identity in Christ, being honest about the struggles and joys in the life of faith (Psalm 119:174-176).

Demonstrated by: Leadership vulnerability—leaders and teachers being real about our own struggles and joys of faith. Providing safe environments for people to be appropriately vulnerable and honest – starting with our weekly worship gathering. Making all Psalm types (lament, praise, thanksgiving, royal/messianic, wisdom, imprecatory) integral in our public and private worship. Grounding our faith in our true identity in the gospel and in Christ, freeing us from the need to hide behind a false ideal.

Not About Ourselves-

Definition: Because we were made for God’s glory and not our own (Isaiah 43:7), and because Jesus most fully glorified God in His own service and sacrifice (Mark 10:45), we will live for God’s glory and the good of others (Acts 20:24).

Demonstrated by: Making decisions based on the priority of God’s glory and purposes instead of our own. Leveraging our money, time, and resources with radical generosity. Cultivating a clear outward focus toward those who do not yet know Christ. Pro-actively looking for opportunities to speak for those who have no voice, stand up for the poor and destitute, and do justice for all who are oppressed (Micah 6:8; Proverbs 31:8-9).

Positioned to Serve-

Definition: We serve the Lord as His slaves, not as His volunteers. The Greek word for “serve” means to be enslaved. Since the Lord bought us with His blood out of the slave market of sin, we are not our own. We belong to Him as His slaves. Thus all that we are and have is not ours, but His.1 Peter 4:10, Acts 20:35, Matthew 20:28

Demonstrated by: not being in Competition for it has no place in the fellowship of believers. Rather we are to honor one another above ourselves. Serving one another within the Body is a very practical and concrete way to honor one another. By serving I simply mean doing helpful deeds for one another. Jesus washed His disciples' feet.

Givers in the Spirit of Excellence - 

Definition: Having a spirit of excellence comes from a conviction that: God is great, and so you want whatever you do to be great—because you are a reflection of Him. You want to give your best to God, while always improving on that. 

2 Corinthians 9:7, Luke 6:38, 2 Corinthians 9:6, Malachi 3:10

Demonstrated by: I believe we’ve lost one thing in life that truly matters- EXCELLENCE. Nobody does anything with excellence anymore. We’re always rushing on something or half doing something. Rarely do we give our whole self to anything. We don’t give all our time, energy and gifts into our tasks or crafts. The quality of work from many employees and even entrepreneurs are slipping. I’m afraid we’ve lost our spirit of excellence. What is the spirit of excellence? It’s doing things well done, decent and in order. It’s doing something and asking the question “would God be pleased with this work?” We can’t lose our spirit of excellence. Excellence is not the same as perfectionism. God isn’t asking you to be a perfectionist, He’s asking you to be excellent. Perfectionism will kill you, excellence will promote you! Perfectionism is trying to please people. Excellence wants to please God. It’s time to start doing things with EXCELLENCE! Are we serving with excellence? Are we leading with excellence? Are we working with excellence? We’ve got to be excellent! Why don’t we have the spirit of excellence? Why have many people lost that spirit of excellence?