Our Hearts: What We Value
His Presence
- We seek His Presence; In His Presence is everything we need
- We Worship Him, for who He is
- His Love is Amazing:
The Father Heart of God
the Sacrificial Love of our Lord Jesus: his work on the cross, the power of his blood- shed for us, and the power in his resurrection made available to us
our Comforting, Encouraging, and Empowering Holy Spirit
- Loving God: intimate, passionate
- Receiving His Heart of love for us- experiencing this love
- We love (others)because He first loved us: compassion for all, especially the poor & powerless
Freedom
- We have been set free in Christ; “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!”
- We are dead to sin & alive to God; We are new creatures!
- Relationship & trust governs- “the law has been written in our hearts by the Holy Spirit”
- We have received a Spirit of power, love, and self control
- We have been given the power of choice
We choose truth, love, respect, honor, humility
- We are responsible to a God who is for us, not against us; We partner with him for his purposes
Family
- We are His Sons & Daughters
- Church is Family
“ the goal of leaders is to create a safe place in which to discover who we are and why we are here” D. Silk, “Culture of Honor”
- Each person in our church is a gift to us and the whole body of Christ
- Place of intimacy: “into me you see”- feelings embraced, people validated, encouraged, respected, honored.
- No place for judgment. Seeking to understand each other & develop trust
What this means: Respectful communication: people have freedom to express beliefs & feelings and receive acceptance, understanding, & encouragement. We are committed to working through disagreements with love, respect, and honor.
- A covenant community: sacred place worth fighting for
Kingdom
- “On Earth, as it is in Heaven” is our vision
- Kingdom lifestyle is supernatural: demonstration of miracles, signs & wonders, deliverance, purity, healings, spiritual gifts developed in participants
- We are in a Spiritual Battle, so our focus is on God.
- We want to bring the Lord’s Presence and His Kingdom to our Community
- “He is coming soon!” gives us urgency