Based on what the Bible teaches,
we feel very strongly about the following seven practices:
| Intimacy with God
~Seeing God as a loving Father who longs for us to know Him and grow in our relationship and commitment to Him Matthew 22:37-38 Jesus replied: “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.”
Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord - "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”
~Living and growing in the Christian life by doing life and ministry together
Relationships are our highest priority. Real relationships help us grow and become more like Christ. John 13:34-35 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
1 John 4:20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
~Providing a safe place for people to be real and be changed by the Spirit of God
Relationships that express Christ's love include support, encouragement, and accountability. Giving timely-specific feedback is also vital to this process. John 12:46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
1 John 1:6-9 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Empowered by the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit will lead us through a process of change for the rest of our lives. However, we must embrace this transformation.
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in
Acts 2:17 “In the last days”, God says, “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”
Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn…instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Reaching the Spiritually Disconnected
~Fulfilling the Great Commission because spiritually lost people matter to God We make efforts to connect with our culture in Wylie and are a launching pad for apostolic initiatives such as world missions, the “7 Mountains,” and church planting. Luke 15:7 ...in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. 1 Peter 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
1 Corinthians 12:12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. Giving God Our Best We live a lifestyle of worship by giving Him the best of our time, effort, money, and love. Some expressions of this are corporate worship, personal worship, tithing, quiet time, fasting, and serving others. style="COLOR: #562b00; FONT-FAMILY: Century Gothic">Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.
Num 18:29 You must present as the LORD's portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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