We value …

Jesus over Junk

• Life has a way of collecting baggage.
• Jesus said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:9-10

His word over our word

• We want to know what Jesus said, why He said it, and how it applies to our lives.
• Jesus said, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.” John 6:63

Real over religious

• The power of the gospel of Jesus is redemption. Faith is a journey with Jesus.
• Paul said, “that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.” Philippians 3:8-9

We over me

• Because everything in life works better when it’s not about me.
• Paul wrote, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:12-14

Giving over getting

• When Christians give, people live. Generosity is the heart of the gospel. It’s not about you but what Jesus wants to do through you. The value of a life is found in how much of it is given away.
• Paul wrote, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2.

People over preferences.

• Because reaching people is eternally more important than my personal opinion. We walk by faith, not by sight. All things are good if employed in prayer and thanksgiving. Every method, strategy, form, or structure is a tool, not a theology.
• Jesus said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

Creative over comfort.

• Because we’ll never be satisfied with mediocrity and neither should you.
• Paul wrote, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14

Steps over statements.

• Just do it. It’s not what you say but what you do that really matters.
• James wrote, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.” James 1:22-24