Values of Lakeside Christian Fellowship

 

The values discussed here are the foundational priorities upon which Lakeside Christian Fellowship is built. These values function like the internal structure of a building, while not necessarily visible from the outside; they determine the shape and character of church life. The values of a church are its genetic code which determines what it shall become. Plans and programmes arise out of values, so that by articulating our values we are in a sense, writing our own history in advance. The values we are committed to, have been passed down to us from the early Church. In Acts 2:42-47, we find seven activities which the earliest Jewish Church valued. In Romans 15:7-26, we discover seven priorities which, for the Apostle Paul, were the controlling values of the Gentile Church. The seven values in both cases are identical. Our belief is that if these values were foundational for the first Jewish Church and then were adopted by the Gentile Church forty years later, then they should be normative for us as well.

 

These values discussed below are listed in the order they appear in Acts 2:42-47.

 

 

WE VALUE TEACHING (Acts 2:42)

 

We teach from the Bible. We believe that God gives us His Word in scripture for our understanding and to direct our activities; personal and corporate.

In teaching from the Bible, we seek to understand:

a) What the text of scripture says
b) What it means
c) What difference it makes
d) How we will respond to it

We understand that the true learning includes doing and that we have not truly taught the Bible until our lives are changed by it.

 

 

 

WE VALUE FELLOWSHIP (Acts 2:42)

 

We believe that the congregation is the gathering of unique individuals into a single body co-ordinated for worship and service. Everyone Jesus met was a unique and special person to Him. Each one received His respect and love. The needs of each were met by Him according to His resources. So it must be with us.

One of the greatest legitimate needs each of us has is the need to be known and accepted as we are. Without encouraging sentimentality or irresponsibilities we seek to foster mutual openness and acceptance.

The highest act of fellowship between individuals is to surrender the right to a separate self-existence, in order to create a living community of faith and love. This means that we give priority to the relationship within the church over the organisation of the church. The organisation of the church is to serve the people, not the other way round. We therefore organise ourselves into small groups, meeting weekly in homes to facilitate the building up of ourselves together.

 

 

 

WE VALUE PRAYER (Acts 2:42)

 

Jesus said, "My house shall be called a house of prayer..." (Matthew 2:13).

In fellowship with each other, we seek to know and be known by one another. In somewhat the same way, prayer is fellowship with God. In prayer we expose our inner beings to God, revealing ourselves honestly as we are, and as we do, we also seek to truly know Him as He really is. Through prayer, we co-operate with God in His providing for our needs and those of others. It is by prayer that we participate in God's war against evil. It is through prayer that we share in the ongoing work of Christ to save the lost and heal those who sick in body and mind.

 

 

 

WE VALUE GOD'S MIRACULOUS SIGNS (Acts 2:43)

 

God displayed His power in the past by saving His people. He will reveal His power in the future by judging the world. We see Him manifesting the same power today in acts of salvation and judgment in and through the church. We understand that it is God's good pleasure to bring healing and wholeness to us and those about us through various means, including miraculous power. We anticipate and make provision for God to reveal this power in conversions, healings and in the tearing down of evil about us. In preparing for miraculous signs we expect from God, we provide teaching and training in the ministries of healing and deliverance.

 

 

 

WE VALUE GIVING (Acts 2:44)

 

We understand that in giving ourselves to God, we also give our money. The giving of money to God's work is a high act of worship. Money represents power, security and pleasure to each of us. It pleases God to provide money for His people for their needs and enjoyment. In returning a share of it to Him, we acknowledge the source of our wealth and express our gratitude for it. Giving is also a test of our discipleship. Jesus explained that "Where your treasure is there is your heart also" (Matthew 6:21).Where we give or spend our money determines whose disciples we are. Our giving to God is a way that God in turn gives to us. Jesus said again, "Give and it shall be given to you, a good measure ...for with the measure you use it will be measured to you" (Luke 6:38).

 

 

 

WE VALUE WORSHIP (Acts 2:47)

 

Worship is the bringing of all we are and have to God and offering of it to Him freely and without reserve. Worship, so defined encompasses all of life and is brought before God in various forms.
Within the life of the church, the corporate act of worship is our highest priority. We come together regularly and often to consider the beauty of God and to rejoice in His love for us. Communion is of special importance to us in this regard. The songs we sing in worship are to God and for God and are designed to deliver us from habitual pre-occupation with ourselves, by focusing us upon the true source and significance of life. Our worship of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is our most profound response to reality.

 

 

 

WE VALUE EVANGELISM (Acts 2:47)

 

If the church can be likened to a club, it is a club for the sake of non-members. The church continues to exist on earth for the purpose of reaching and reclaiming the world for Christ by proclaiming His words and doing His works. We anticipate that the very life of the church will attract non-believers to the beauty and love of God revealed through it. We also expect individual members of the fellowship to take Christ's message of salvation to those they relate to in daily lives. The goal of evangelism in its various forms is, in the end, to make disciples who will in turn make more disciples (Matthew 28:18-20).

We understand that the most effective evangelism arises out of multiplication of churches. Our fellowship is therefore not only an end in itself but also a means of planting additional churches. We provide training and support to accomplish this.

 

 

Broadly speaking, these are the values upon which the "Lakeside Christian Fellowship" is built-in general; these will guide our planning and shape our programmes. The needs of the fellowship and the guidance of God will determine more specifically which activities associated with these values take priority from time to time.