What are Core Values?  

Core Values and Beliefs describe what God says are the most important priorities of our existence as a church and as individuals.  They are God’s Top Priorities!  Core values help us make ministry plans as a church and everyday decisions as individuals.

Core Value #3 – Minister Christ’s Love to One Another

Another Core Value of our church family is to “Minister Christ’s Love to One Another.”  The Caring Church is not a logo that we picked for our church; it is a logo that identified with our fellowship of caring and loving people.  Jesus Christ gave His followers a new commandment in John 13.  The Jewish people believed there are 613 commandments in the Old Testament and I am sure they had a difficult time remembering them, much less keeping them.  If the Son of God introduces a new commandment then it certainly is something that should be important to His followers.

What is the New Commandment?
“…that ye love one another, as I have loved you.”  John 13:34

What is important about this commandment is what He said next:  “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”   John 13:35

I don’t claim to understand how it all works, but I believe it.  If we want to convince the unbelieving world outside the doors of our church that God is real and that there is most certainly a heaven and hell, then it begins by what goes on inside our church doors.  For a church family to sustain a healthy and loving atmosphere, not over years, but decades, then both pastor and people; shepherd and sheep need to faithfully fulfill their responsibilities.

The Shepherd’s Responsibilities are to:
– Model a Godly Lifestyle to the Congregation, I Tim. 3:1-7
– Pray for the Church Family, Acts 6:4a
– Teach the Word of God to the Church Family, Acts 6:4
– Lovingly Confront Sin, I Timothy 5:20

The Church Family’s Responsibilities are to:
– Be United in Purpose, Jude 23
– Be United in Doctrine, Jude 3
– Be United in Love, Hebrews 10:24, 13:1

A drawing of the massive Sequoias in the Giant Forest in California illustrate our discipleship lessons, “Christian Mentoring from A to Z”.  The drawing is of a grove of sequoias with one lying flat on the ground.  The largest trees on earth have amazingly shallow roots.  Scientists have marveled at how such massive trees that weigh over 1,000 tons could withstand wind and storms.  The answer – their shallow roots are interlocked with one another.  Our walk with God is strengthened when we develop and build loving relationships with God’s people.  The Psalmist said in Psalm 133:1  “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Sacrificial love and service is the giving of yourself without expecting anything in return.

Love is a matter of our will, and results in definite action.
The command isn’t to have loving feelings, or to feel love toward, but to love – an action verb!  God is not commanding feelings, but actions. Love is Giving! “For God so loved the world that He Gave” – Action.  This kind of genuine love results in feeling and passion.
 
Love is a matter of choice.  We choose to love.  If “love” were a feeling or an accident, then God couldn’t command it.  He wouldn’t command us to do something that was just a feeling, but He can command an action in our lives.  We’d better obey. The two greatest commandments of God are to Love God and Others.

How are you doing at ministering Christ’s love to one another?
Anyone upset you lately?  Anyone misunderstand you lately?  Anyone tick you off lately?  Anyone sin against you lately?  Maybe, just maybe, God allowed that to happen to you to test your love!  God’s test for you does not leave them off the hook.  They are totally responsible for their actions – just like you are totally responsible for your actions.  What is your response?  Is it the love of Christ?