Core Values

It's important to know what's important to you. Unless you identify what's important to you, it will be impossible to live strategically in accordance with your priorities. I have identified four core values in my life:

International Vision – God has commissioned believers to play an active role in reaching people from every tongue, tribe, and nation for Christ. This involves these people being personally attached to the Triune God and their growth towards maturity (Matt. 28:19-20). Therefore it is crucial that the body of Christ sees and reaches out to the world. This especially involves preaching the gospel where Christ has never been preached.

Biblical Literacy – God has given believers His Holy Word so that they might know and follow Him. It is a great privilege for believers to be able to study and understand His Word for themselves. Therefore the body of Christ must be equipped to accurately handle the Word of Truth so that they might be fit for every task to which God has called them (2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17). The church should see the Bible as the most relevant book on earth, and must study it with absolute precision and care.

Mobilized Community – God has gifted each member of the body of Christ uniquely, and the church grows to maturity as each part functions within the body to build itself up in love (Eph. 4:11-16). Therefore members of the body must learn to develop and use their gifts as they are empowered by the Spirit for the edification of the whole body. This is accomplished as leaders help people find their place so that they are rightly arranged to function with the rest of the body, and as they encourage people towards the proper exercise of their gifts.

Cogent Thinking – God has created the universe to reflect His glory, and as Christians, we have the ability to see reality rightly. As such, it is imperative that we emphasize the development of the Christian mind so that people think rightly about reality (Rom. 12:2) and are able to articulate what and why they believe with gentleness and respect (1 Pet 3:15). The church should be in the job of creating intelligent, thoughtful, warm-hearted Christians who wear Christ attractively.