God’s intent is for all of us to grow in holiness and Christ-likeness. This does not happen overnight, but is an ongoing process of saying ‘no’ to sin and ‘yes’ to obeying God. Just as parents, out of love and because they only want what is best for them, discipline their children when they are disobedient, God disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6). His desire is for us to respond with soft hearts that will allow His image to be formed in us. Sometimes, however, a person’s heart becomes so calloused through habitual or unconfessed sin that they turn away from God, and need to be challenged to return to Him. If the person remains unrepentant, the Bible is clear that they must be put out of the church – not to punish them, but in the hope that they will come to their senses and their soul saved.
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59:33
07 Finance
Money is important – without it, not much happens. But what does the Bible say about the attitude we are to have towards money, and how money works in the church? God is not a spiritual slot machine whereby we give Him a certain amount of money in the hope that He will give us more back. The Bible does, however, lay down certain basic principles which, if applied, attract the blessing and favour of God. One of these principles is the giving of our money to advance the Kingdom. God expects us to give at least a tenth of our income (a tithe) to our local church, as provision for the elders and workers in God’s house. Over and above the tithe, the Bible also makes reference to offerings, alms for the poor and needy, and other kinds of giving to further the Kingdom.
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1:05:38
06 Worship
When we think of what God did for us (forgiving our sins and giving us eternal life), there is no doubt that He deserves radical praise and worship. What does this look like? The Bible is quite clear on what God wants and what He enjoys. It is not about what we ourselves find comfortable or enjoyable, but about what pleases Him. Likewise, we must learn not to worry about what other people think about how we express ourselves in worship, but what God thinks. Worship is a key part of our relationship with God and an expression of our love for Him. As we learn to express our love for Him in a manner that pleases Him, we find that He responds with great affection and rejoicing over us.
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36:27
05 Accountability
God’s desire is for us to grow up to look more and more like Jesus. This is an ongoing process, from the day we get saved until the day we go to be with Jesus. Every part of our lives needs to come into maturity and perfection. All of us have brokenness and blind spots (areas we do not see). All of us get stuck along the way. God’s design is for us to have people around us to give us perspective, to help us find freedom and to disciple us to become more like Him. Accountability means opening our lives to leaders and allowing them to speak the truth in love, and it is a key to growing up in the fullness of Jesus. By bringing our brokenness into the light, we have true fellowship with each other and grow up to look like Jesus (1 John 1:7).
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46:20
04 Church Leadership
The Bible is clear on how God wants the local church to be governed, and sets two offices in place, namely elders and deacons. Elders are faithful men who are qualified for this office by their mature, Christ-like character. They are chosen by God and appointed by apostles to govern the local church with authority, to teach, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to pray for the sick, and to exercise church discipline. As saints, God expects us to respect our elders, to obey and submit to them, to remain teachable, to imitate their faith, to support them financially, and to believe the best of them. Deacons are men and women who are full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3). They are given the responsibility of administering certain areas in the life of the local church and serving the people of God.
Paul the Apostle recognised that every church is on a journey to wholeness in Christ. Some churches are in a state of good health while others are battling. It is our desire as Four12 to assist each one of God’s partnering churches to follow His blueprint for building healthy churches so that we can all be fruitful in reaching the lost and turning the world upside down, just like the early church in the New Testament did.
In “This is Church”, Andrew Selley expounds on the principle biblical values and beliefs that we hold to as Four12 partnering churches, to help us to continue to build according to God’s design and walk together in unity of heart, mind & purpose.
Andrew Selley is the apostolic leader of Four12 and he ministers worldwide. He is also the lead elder of the multi-site Joshua Generation Church. He is based in California, USA, along with his wife, Emma, and their daughter, Enyah.
South Africa