The following is a paper I wrote for New Staff Class at Gospel for Asia. All views are my own and do not necessarily represent those of Gospel for Asia.

 

 

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” – 2 Corinthians 3:18

Without vision, we wander. When our vision is fixed on the living God, we walk how He walked, and share His mission.

God sent His son on a mission to earth. In the same way, Jesus has sent us on a mission As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” –John 20:21

Whenever you go on a journey, you bring a compass. So it is with our mission. The core values are the compass that keeps us on the road, which keeps our focus on the heart of God in our mission.

 

[Core Value 1 Knowing the Lord Jesus More Fully and Intimately]

Jesus is all. “All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” -Colossians 1:18

Jesus created us out of sheer love. This is a mystery.  And what is more, He gave us grace before the ages began. (2 Timothy 1:9) Our existence springs from Him. He knew us before we knew ourselves, knitting each one of us together in our mother’s womb, seeing our very substance before it was formed.

Jesus knows us in all of our frailty. (For He knows our frame, He remembers that we are dust. –Psalm 103:14) We can know Jesus because He knows us. We can love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19.)

Knowing Jesus is not just a core value. It is the core of everything. Christ is our life (Colossians 3:4) Apart from Him we cannot breathe.  Apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5.)

Thus we see that Jesus Christ is, as scripture says, Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. He is source, center, fabric and goal of all creation.

Furthermore, in relation to us, He is Savior and King, Judge and Advocate and most astonishingly, Brother (Hebrews 2:11.)

These are not mere theological truths to be held in books and placed as treasures of our belief system. These are titles to reveal the literal, sweaty, dusty, humble, strong, suffering, feet in the dirt, hardworking, nail-scarred, exalted, glorious, thrice sanctified God of all creation who came down to earth and lived as man amongst us to save us from our sins.

We are by nature and choice, sinners in rebellion, objects of the wrath of God. Our sin separates us from right relationship with Him. We need a savior to take our sin. We need a mediator to plead our case before the Father. Jesus is the only one who can be this for us (1 Timothy 2:5, John 14:6)

To know God you must be in His presence. The only way to enter into His presence is to be holy. We are not holy, we are covered in filth. Jesus became sin for us and absorbed all of the wrath of God. Through him we receive justification. This, so to speak, brings us so to neutral ground, having no sin. But Jesus’ work on the cross did not only this, but also imputed the His righteousness. So now we stand in the sight of God not only free from sin, but also righteous. (2 Corinthians 5:21) For this reason we can approach the throne of grace with confidence. (Hebrews 4:16)

There is no knowing God apart from the work of Jesus on the cross.

Gloriously, the story is not over at the cross. For death had no hold on Jesus. He rose after three days, proving that He had defeated death. He was the firstborn from among the dead (Colossians 1:18) He was the firstborn of a new race. We all who have been born again are a part of this race. We are now dead to sin but alive to Christ (John 3:8, 1 Peter 2:9,10, Romans 6:1-11)

Knowing God must be done in the shadow of the cross, and the light of the resurrection. The death and resurrection of Christ are the means by which we can enter into knowing Him, from the very beginning and from then on, more fully and intimately, “from one degree of glory to another.”

 

[Core Value 2 Being a People of Integrity and Excellence]

“Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.” – Psalm 51:6

“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth” -John 16:13

Our God is a God of truth. He is the source of truth, He does not lie, or tell partial truths, or shroud the truth in confusion. His word is true and right, all the time “The sum of Your word is truth” – Psalm 119:160

Truth is consistent. Truth is clear. Truth has nothing to hide. Truth always confronts lies. In the same way, as His Spirit is in us, we delight in in truth. This means that we speak the truth always. This also means that we live in truth. Another word for living in truth is integrity.

Satan is the father lies. He has been lying from the beginning. Lying is his native language. (John 8:44) Humanity fell because of a lie, “you will not surely die. You will be like God.” Our sin nature believes the lie. And our lives become inconsistent, unclear, and we start to hide. We make excuses and shift the blame. We become shells of what we were made to be. We do not walk in integrity.

To walk in integrity we must walk in the footsteps of our savior. Jesus is the source of truth. It is only the life of Christ living through us that will enable us to live with integrity, for by ourselves we are lost.

He gives us means by which to live in integrity. The key is to be open with Him and with people. God calls us to keep short accounts with Him. Listening to His voice, listening to our conscience, examining ourselves, not making excuses, repenting of the wrong and getting back on the narrow way.

When we do this, living in truth is natural, not second nature, but first; for we were made in the beginning to live a life of truth. We become restored to what we were made to be. Integrity and excellence becomes overflow of our walk with Jesus, and it spreads to every area of our life; work, ministry, relationships, finances, time, talents, it all becomes infused with truth and clarity. And by His grace we get to be faithful, truthful stewards of what He has given us.

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” -John 8:32 Knowing and living by the truth is the center of walking in integrity and excellence.

 

[Core Values 3 Living in Submission to God's Word]

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” -John1:1

The word of God is different than any other word. It is living. Other words are static, once they have been written down they are set, they speak to us from the past. God’s word is always present tense, speaking to us in a living way the very moment we read it.

God’s word is authoritative. By His word all things all things were made and all things hold together. (Psalm 33:6, Colossians 1:17)

All people, whether they know live, move and have their being by the word of God. But many do not believe this and live rebellion against His word and not in submission. We as His children are different. We recognize that His word sustains us and we seek to live in submission to that word.

In the Bible we have the revelation of His thoughts and words, and actions throughout history. In the Bible we see that it is truly His-Story, that it is not a primarily a book of rules, though it is that; but a grand story of redemption, with Jesus as the Hero. The whole Bible is about Jesus, and everything in it is meant to reveal how desperate and lost we are, and how much we need a Savior.

Living in submission to God’s word is not to abide by a set of rules and be good, moral people. it is rather to encounter the living God that is revealed in the Bible; to throw  ourselves at His feet in desperation as sinners in need of saving. And then being reborn and made new in His image; we become transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) Then we approach the Bible with the as children longing to hear our Father’s word, longing to be like our Father, to work alongside of Him, do what He does, do what He commands, and do things that make Him smile.

Submission to God’s word is utter abandonment of self-will, and complete love-driven obedience to King Jesus.

 

[Core Value 4 Being a People of Faith]        

“Without faith, it is impossible to please God.” -Hebrews 11:6

We cannot be a part of God’s family without the grace of God. Faith is the means by which grace comes to you. “For by grace you have been saved, through faith.” -Ephesians 2:8,9 The moment we step into life with Jesus, we become a person of faith.

Often we think of faith in terms of quantity, like water. We long for more faith, echoing the disciples cry “Lord, increase our faith” -Luke 17:5. We see that we can grow in faith (2 Thessalonians 1:3) This is true. Yet Jesus replies that it is the quantity of faith that He is so much concerned with. He says that if our faith is as small as a mustard seed, we can throw mountains and mulberry trees into the ocean. Anyone who has seen the seeds of mustard plants will understand what Jesus means. The point is, nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1:37)

It is not that our faith is so great, but it is that the God in whom we put our faith in is truly great indeed.

It is for this reason that James can exhort us saying: “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six month, then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit” -James 5:17,18

We are weak, but He is strong. We can be a people of faith because we have been saved by Him. We are His children now. Children have faith in their Father, they have confidence that He loves them and that He is good.

Faith is also a verb. “Faith is the gaze of the soul upon a saving God” -A.W. Tozer. Faith is looking at God, faith is walking after God, faith is believing God when you cannot see, faith is obeying God even when it goes contrary to human reason, faith is forgetting ourselves as we look into eyes of the God who never forgets us.

 

[Core Value 5 Being a People Committed to Prayer and Worship]

“Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.” -Isaiah 65:24

“For you, you only, know the hearts of the children of mankind.” -2 Chronicles 6:30

“Pray without ceasing.” -2 Thessalonians 5:17

As children of God, prayer is the breath in our lungs. If our lives are living sacrifices, then everything we do is for Him. If what we do is directed by the Spirit, it is a fragrant aroma to Him. Our hearts are known by God, and He beckons us to know Him.

Prayer is simply talking and listening to God. Children talk to their father, we talk to our Father. Children listen to their Father, we listen to our Father. God primarily has chosen to speak to us through the scriptures, so we pray and we listen, and God reveals Himself through the living word.

Prayer is not just something we do, but part of who we are. It is a supernatural act. When we pray we are caught up in Divine conversation. “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” -Romans 8:26

It is through the power of the Spirit that we are able to pray. It is through prayer that God moves and shapes history. God has somehow given us the astonishing privilege of shaping eternity by talking with Him. It is through prayer also that God changes our mind and draws it into alignment with His. Prayer is where earth and heaven meet, where the temporal contacts the eternal, where mortal man can speak to the God of all as one speaks to a friend.

Prayer is a mystery. It is not always natural or easy, but if we are a people who are committed to God, we will be committed to talking with Him and worshiping Him in all that we are.

 

[Core Value 6 Having a Servant Lifestyle]

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant.” -Philippians 2:5-7

Servant hood is an attitude of the heart. A servant lifestyle is an overflow of love. “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God” -1 John 3:1 This is an exclamation of wonder and excitement as we realize how extravagant the love of God, our response is gratitude and a longing to show that same love to others.

The attitude of servant comes when we consider ourselves as less important and seek to see others the way God sees them, as precious and beautiful.

Developing a servant lifestyle is done by looking for ways to bless people and then doing it. The more we practice, the more we taste the blessing of acting like Jesus, and more servant hood becomes internalized not just as something we do, but as part of who we are.

If we are a servant of God, we will be a servant of others. “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example that you also should do just as I have done to you.” -John13:14,15

 

[Core Value 7 Being a People of Grace and Love]

Where would we be without love? Who would we be without love?

Without love, we are nothing. We can be the most spiritual, righteous, disciplined, prophesying, powerful person, and it is all vapor. We must have love. If we have love and nothing else, we will be alright. Everything else will follow.

This is so powerfully illustrated in the lives of believers in poor places, who as far as this world is concerned, should be miserable. But you look in their eyes, you see the way they care for each other, and you see that they have found it. There is something different. It is the love of Jesus. His love changes everything.

“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” -1 John 4:16

When we speak of loving people and loving God, we are not speaking of love springing from ourselves, but rather the love of God being poured through us. True love for others springs from abiding in God.

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” -1 John 4:11

If we have love, we will have grace. As we grow in God’s love, we realize more and more how desperately we need His grace, and as we look back we see so many times how we have received, as it is written “grace upon grace” (John 1:16)

When we realize how much love has been shown to us, though we are so undeserving, the parable of the ungrateful servant comes into focus. It becomes clear how ridiculous it really is to not have grace for others. How can we hold anything against us when God does not hold the murder of His son against us? How can we say that it is hard to keep forgiving the same things when we fail every day?

When we look at the cross, we cannot imagine not being a people of grace and love.

 

[Core Value 8 Serving Sacrificially]

Jesus serves us to the point of death. A servant does not stop serving when the task goes beyond a certain point. The servant has no idea of his own personal time, or of a point at which he has served enough. The servant is not his own.

In the flesh, sometimes we struggle with being a servant. It requires us to be humble. It requires us to rearrange our schedule and our priorities.

We are not our own. We were bought with a price. (1 Corinthians 6:20) As John Piper says, we are doubly not our own. First God made us, and then he bought us. There never comes the point where we can claim that our rights have been broken. We have no rights. We do not deserve anything except hell. Everything else is grace. When we start there, claiming anything more than the status of a servant is revealed as the foolishness that it is.

When we come to this place, serving no longer seems like a great hardship. Yes, it is hard. Yes we have to give things up. Yes there is suffering, but God exhorts us to call us to take joy in these things. For in our sacrifices we can identify with our Savior, who paid the ultimate sacrifice. There is a paradigm shift that takes place, and we long to serve, no matter what the sacrifice is.

When we think of the word serving sacrificially, we should not think of some great concession that we have made to God or man, but rather that we should consider it as our duty, and a joyous duty at that (Luke 17:10.)

Then we will seek new ways to serve, and will hold all with an open hand. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we can serve before Him as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1.)

 

[Core Value 9 Being a People Sold Out to Win the Lost at Any Cost]

“As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” -John 20:21

Our mission is a continuation of Jesus’ mission. “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” -Luke 19:10 He has seen fit to accomplish His work on earth through us. It is a mystery, but we are actually His body.

There is no salvation apart from Jesus. In Jesus’ day, there were about 300 million people in world. Today the stakes are higher. There are more Dalits alive now than the entire world population at that time. Now there are over six billion, and have of them have never even heard the name of Jesus Every day, 80,000 souls perish apart from Jesus. This knowledge is not something that we can carry on our own. We will break. Only God can carry the weight of the world on His shoulders. But we are identified with His mission to reach them, and we do weep for what He weeps for. His heartbreak becomes our heartbreak, for we share the same pulse.

God’s justice is perfect. Justice will be paid, whether on the cross, or in hell. The good news of salvation, from the very start, was intended for everyone. Today is the day of salvation. Jesus beckons to all with open arms, but many do not know that. It is entrusted to us tell them.

Jesus last command to us was to go into all nations and tell people about Him. This must be the defining direction of our life. We are sold out, any cost, because Jesus is sold out and paid the cost of His life. He did not give up on us. He stopped at nothing to save souls, and so we should stop at nothing to tell those who have never heard. This means for us, that nothing in this world has hold over us, that we are single minded. Everything will burn one day, reaching souls is the only thing that matters.

Again, this is an overflow of love. “God loves each one of us like there is only one of us.” -Augustine. We see the people of the world in terms of masses and numbers, God sees one by one by one by one. He cares deeply and knows intimately every person. He is not willing that any should perish. He desires each one of us to have everlasting life (2 Peter 3:9) This is our desire too. God’s love for the lost becomes our love. Our devotion to reaching the lost is because of love.

 

[Core Value 10 Being a People Who Work Together With the Body of Christ]

“In him you also are being built together…” -Ephesians 2:22

“And he called the twelve together” -Luke9:1

We as the children of God, by the grace of God, are part of the same family. We all have the same Father. Families work together, pray together, worship together, suffer together, laugh together. The Kingdom of God is invading the Kingdom of Man. The Kingdom of God works totally different than the world works. This is because we all have the same Spirit at work in us.

The world says that we are individuals and that we have to figure it out on our own. The triumph of the one man against all is worshiped by the world. The world says, no one else will help you, you are your own best friend, it is up to you.

Ultimately the enemy pushes people apart, and locks them into isolation.

God brings people together. He invites us to be a unified people (1 Peter 2:9)

Jesus sent out His disciples two by two. He Himself is the One who said “It is not good for man to be alone.” -Genesis 2:18 The sum is greater than the parts. We were not created to live in alone. When we live and serve in unity, we are living out the restoration of how God intended it be. We must not try to reach the world alone. We are the Body of Christ, we work as one man.

“We are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Ephesians 4:15,16

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