Good News Core Values Continued

Last week, I began talking about the seven overriding principles (or core values) used by Good News as the basis of our mission and in how we operate. As you may have noticed, these values are based on the scripture from the four Gospels and the Book of Acts. In other words, they are based on Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit’s formation of Christ's Church. They are used to keep the operation of Good News UMC focused on the main objective of growing and building the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ. The first three core values were discussed last week. Today, I offer the next three.

Value #4 – To express our love for God and for others through our service to others. Throughout the Gospel, Jesus uses the words love and serve interchangeably because the kind of love he talked about is best demonstrated by serving. In other words, to love someone is best manifested by a desire to serve that someone. Jesus calls us to love God with everything we have and to love others as ourselves – to love God and to love whom God loves. Jesus demonstrated this kind of love by being the humble servant, washing the feet of the disciples, and ultimately, laying down his life for us. He would not have done this without having a fierce love for and desire to serve God. He also expects the same from us. Jesus also told us in Matthew how we can serve the King. He reminds us that every time we do something for “the least of these” who are members of God’s family, we do it to Him. If we want to serve God, we must serve others. (Mark 12:30-32, Mark 9:35, Matthew 25:40)

Value #5 – To allow God to bless us with an increase in numbers and other resources through our obedience to our mission. This is another way of saying we need to do our job and let God do God’s job. Too often a church worries about what they should be doing to attract members and increase attendance. But, in the Book of Acts the disciples simply are offering and living out the Good News our in the world and “and day by day the Lord added to their number those who are being saved.” It is the church’s job to offer the ministries they are called to do and to let God worry about who and how lives will be touched. The church’s job is more about being faithful than it is about keeping score. (Acts 2:46-47)

Value #6 – To accept grace and offer grace unconditionally. Grace is unconditional love and forgiveness. God offers it to us with no strings attached. In some ways, it is the best example of how God’s love is radically different than the world’s love. It basically means that God loves each of us “warts and all.” Part of Jesus’ message is this very thing. But, he goes further by telling us that this is how we are to love each other, as well. We, too, are to love and forgive others with no strings attached warts and all. We are called by Jesus to demonstrate and offer this grace to others. This means we need to be loving, forgiving, and accepting of people different than us. We need to give without stipulations, love without prerequisites, and forgive without conditions. This means we need to be open to every individual’s worth to God. We are called to demonstrate this unconditional love not only to Good News visitors, but to long-time members, to new kinds of ministries, and even to the kinds of music played in worship. What better way to encounter the risen Christ for ourselves than to live by his grace. (Matthew 18:15-22, John 13:34-35)

Next week, the seventh and final principle. In fact, it may turn out to be the one on which all the others are built. Until then, have a great week.

Pastor Bob