1. The First Commandment must be in first place
[Matt22:37-38] “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”
The primary mandate of the Church is to love God wholeheartedly.
2. The Second Commandment in second place
[Matt22:39] “And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself”
Jesus loves people. They matter to Him, therefore they matter to us too.
3. Night and day prayer
[Matt21:13] “My house shall be called a house of prayer”
The Church is called to be a people marked by prayer. Our privilege and responsibility is to stand before God, night and day, enjoying His presence and interceding for His purposes to be established on the earth.
4. The Five Fold Ministry
[Eph4:11-12] “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”
Jesus’ pattern for leadership is expressed in the Five Fold ministry. Each of the five reflects one part of His perfect nature. When they function correctly and together, the Church is built up, equipped, and all the spiritual gifts are activated and honoured.
5. All the streams flow as one river
[John17:20-21] “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one.”
The three great streams of Christian history (Local Church, Missions, Prayer) must be united as one great river.
6. Every believer has a ministry
[Col3:23] “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not men.”
Every believer is a full time minister! Every legitimate human endeavour is to be treated as ministry.
7. God’s plans for the nations are outrageous
[Eph3:20-21] “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever.”
He can go way beyond all that we could ever imagine. He is a God who has consistently demonstrated His desire to awaken hearts and revive nations all through history and the best is yet to come!
‘Ephesians 3:20 is God giving us His personal permission to attempt to exaggerate what He is about to do.’ -Bobby Conner
8. Expectation of the return of Jesus
[Titus2:13] “While we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
The highest hope of the Church is that Jesus will return, and when He does, He will ‘make all things new.’ (Rev21:5)
His eyes are like fire, His face shines like the sun, And He is coming!
