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Values |
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Values
of Mission One Million
The
ministry of Mission One Million has resolved to operate
under the following God-given values and to trust in the
Lord for all accomplishments under these principles.
• We exist to glorify God: “Everyone
who is called by My name, whom I have created for My
glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.” (Isaiah
43:7) By definition, the glory of God is the abounding
weight and richness of God’s splendor, honor, glorious
nobility, sovereignty, beauty, abundance and the great
physical weight or "quantity" of God and His
limitless worth. The glory of God is the revelation and
manifestation of all that God has and is.
This
ministry lives to voice, praise, worship and act for the
glory of God. We desire and live for God to be recognized
for His importance, worth and significance and we do this
by upholding the attributes of God by our words and actions.
Thus, this ministry exists to glorify God by celebrating
the sovereignty of God over all things with every expression
and to magnify and ascribe honor to Him who is the “I
AM THAT I AM” by every deed. George Whitefield said, "Let
the name of Whitefield perish, but Christ be glorified."
Our goal is not for a great name or ministry, but for
our Father to receive all glory and honor. We believe
that the avenue in which God the Father receives glory
and honor is through our fruitfulness in Christ. “If
you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask
what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this
My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit;
so you will be My disciples.” (John 15:7-8) This
fruit is Christ’s and must not come from the resources
of corrupt man or it will not glorify God. It is Christ’s
fruit that comes by abiding in Him alone.
We
agree with John Piper when he said, “God is most glorified
when we are most satisfied (abiding) in Him.” This ministry
strives to abide in Christ so that we might bear the pure
fruit of God and therefore, accomplish the ultimate goal
of proclaiming God’s glorious reputation. “God’s Glory”
must always be our chief end because He is worthy of this
effort! “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles
of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the
ability which God supplies, that in all things God
may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong
the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
(1 Peter 4:11)
•
Knowing God: Without knowing God, all
activity in life and ministry will be wicked. “Surely
such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the
place of him who does not know God.” (Job 18:21)
The greatest need in the kingdom of God today is men that
know their God. So often, we profess to know God, but
our works deny Him. “To the pure all things are pure,
but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is
pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.
They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him,
being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every
good work.” (Titus 1:15-16) If we do not know God
we will be disqualified from every good work.
The
definition of “Knowing God” is one who has a growing relationship
with God through His Son Jesus Christ; one who acknowledges
the Lord Jesus Christ for who He is - both Savior and
Lord - and through the drawing of the Father and the working
of the Holy Spirit accepts Jesus as Savior and submits
to His Lordship. All sincere believers in the Lord Jesus
Christ, at the time of salvation, begin a relationship
with Christ and an ever growing knowledge of Him. This
knowledge is called “ginosko” in the New Testament Greek
and is described as: be aware (of), feel, (have) know
(-ledge), perceived, be resolved, be sure, understand;
to have personal acquaintance or experience with. In Philippians
3:7-15, Paul's major passion is to get more knowledge
of Christ by experience. “But what things were gain
to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed
I also count all things loss for the excellence of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered
the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that
I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own
righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is
through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from
God by faith; that I may know Him
and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship
of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by
any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected;
but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which
Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do
not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I
do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching
forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward
the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ
Jesus.” (Phil 3:7-15) Andrew Murray said, “Our one
need is to study and know and trust the life that has
been revealed in Christ and the life that is now ours.”
In
addition, ginosko means: to "know" (absolutely)
in a great variety of applications and with many implications;
frequently suggests inception or progress in "knowledge";
a constant and progressive experience of "knowing";
an active relationship between the one who "knows"
and the person or thing "known". We, therefore,
do not believe that you can measure “knowing God” simply
through praying a prayer of salvation or through going
to church but by the fruit that faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ produces and an ever growing relationship with
Christ. “For as the body without the spirit is dead,
so faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:26)
•
Loving God: “You shall love the LORD
your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and
with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:7) Loving
God is the first and greatest commandment. Jesus said,
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John
14:15) Love then is the greatest motivator for obedience
to Christ and accomplishing His purposes. The ministry
believes we must love Christ with all our being first
and then the expression of our love for God, which is
obedience to the commandments will follow. If love doesn’t
come first, legalism (leading to death), will soon follow.
If love does come first, we will keep the greatest commandments
without a mark or scent of legalism. Love leads and compels
but legalism drives and gives no life to its followers.
Love beckons us to greater holiness and purity because
we desire more intimacy with the One who has given His
only begotten Son, so that we might have eternal life
with Him.
•
The Word of God: The Bible is true all
together and God-breathed, thus, we must do all that it
says! “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God
may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
(2 Timothy 3:16-17) Compromising the word of God should
not be an option to the true believer. In addition, you
can only interpret the scriptures properly if you are
filled with God’s Holy Spirit and seek to know and meditate
upon His word. “But God has revealed them to us through
His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the
deep things of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:10)
The
word of God is also hidden from the unregenerate in the
world and they cannot comprehend nor do they care about
the things of God. Therefore, we will not follow the dictates
of this lost world. Only what is approved by the word
of God will move this ministry. The ministry seeks to
do only what the Spirit of God says, which will always
be confirmed by the Word of God. We will not look for
another avenue or way of guidance for the ministry or
our lives. Only the Word and Spirit of God alone will
direct us!
•
Living in the Spirit: “If we live in the
Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Gal 5:25)
This form of living is totally dependant on the Holy Spirit
guiding every decision and empowering every action. It
never contradicts the Holy Scriptures and is always thinking
of God’s eternal will, purposes and kingdom plan for all
of mankind. Living in the Spirit is being heavenly minded
in every decision, trusting God in all things, building
as God directs, and expecting God’s full provision for
every activity.
•
Living by the Law of the Spirit: This is the
law of grace that divinely influences our hearts to keep
the commandments of God out of a deep and abiding love
and gratitude for Christ. “For the love of Christ
compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for
all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who
live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him
who died for them and rose again.” (2 Corinthians
5:14-16) When we live by the law of the Spirit we pray,
“Make me like Jesus.” This far exceeds the Mosaic Law
of living under a set of rules because the first is out
of a relationship with the infinite God-Man, Jesus, and
the second out of obligation and fear of judgment.
To
live by grace is a greater rule than the law because we
now serve the intent of the law by God’s grace. His laws
are no longer written on tablets but on our hearts. If
we don’t follow the commandments of God as Christians
by the grace of God, Christ calls us lawless and He will
declare “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who
practice lawlessness!”(Matthew 7:23) We understand
that we were called into liberty through Christ (from
sin and death) but cannot use it “as an opportunity
for the flesh” but as an opportunity to, “through
love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in
one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor
as yourself.’" (Galatians 5:13-14) Therefore,
we as a ministry glory as bondservants of Christ and proclaim
in all our efforts, “let no one seek his own, but
each one the other's well-being” (1 Corinthians 10:24)
and “not seeking my own profit, but the profit of
many, that they may be saved.” (1 Corinthians10:33)
•
Living by Faith: “But without faith
it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God
must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of
those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6) According
to scripture, it is impossible to please God without faith.
Therefore, all the activities of the ministry must be
driven by faith and belief in God. The Bible says that
the earth will burn up and all that we see will be lost.
What is truly important is the part we cannot see. Hebrews
11:3 says, “By faith we understand that the worlds
were framed by the word of God, so that the things
which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”
If this is the case, the kingdom of God (which is unseen)
far outweighs the circumstances and direction the world
is going. This ministry exists to please God, thus we
will serve God through faith in Him, His authority and
purposes alone.
•
Trusting the Lord: “Trust in the
LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct
your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) The Lord says that
our job is to trust and His is to direct! Trust is a command
that God gives to His disciples but the Lord also obligates
Himself to be trustworthy. All who turn to God in trust
will not be disappointed. Therefore, we entrust our confidence
and reliance on the integrity, veracity, justice, and
faithfulness of almighty God. If it be commanded of us
to trust, we shall make this our goal and press in to
conform all our conscience and heart to that end. God
will be our ground of assurance, our pillar of strength
and our deliverer from all our troubles. “God is our
refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore
we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and
though the mountains be carried into the midst of the
sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the
mountains shake with its swelling.” (Psalms 46:1-3)
The Lord will not turn His back on His sons but will love,
correct and nurture them. We are always safe with God
and thus we can trust Him always. We can hope in God to
the last second and He will not disappoint!
•
Doing only what the Father tells us:
“I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and
My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own
will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” (John
5:30) “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot
bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither
can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are
the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears
much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John
15:4-5)
We
believe that the will of God starkly contrasts and is
completely different than the will of the world, the devil
and the carnal flesh. “If the world hates you, you know
that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the
world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are
not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore
the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19) With this being
the case, we must fight against the enemies of God and
do only what the Father tells us to do. Man’s will (the
carnal mindset) cannot be a component in ministry activity
no matter how lofty the idea or plan may sound, lest the
Father’s will be corrupted by the presence of sin. This
means there will be many times of waiting, seeking, listening,
crying out in prayer and adhering strictly to the Word
of God and listening to the Holy Spirit alone for direction
with every activity and plan.
“Trust
in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your
own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and
He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) It
is the Father’s will that we trust only in Him and that
He receive all the glory because He is the only One worthy
of all glory and all trust.
•
Prayer: We believe that prayer is the
main channel in which all the needs of the ministry will
be met. When we go before the throne of grace, in the
name of Christ, our Father hears us and then determines
the best means in which to answer our prayers. “Let
us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we
may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
(Hebrews 4:16)
According
to John 15:7, our efforts should be spent on abiding in
the Spirit of Christ and His words and all that we ask
will be given and done for us. Therefore, our main passion
in this ministry is abiding and praying. Though, at times,
we may present the needs of the ministry to the body of
Christ, we will trust only in the Lord to provide for
those needs. “If this ministry is of the Lord, then He
will be our Patron. If He is with us, He will direct His
people to give and we will prosper. If He is not with
us, we will not and should not succeed.” (Paul Washer)
•
The Gifts of the Spirit: We believe in
the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the Scriptures,
and that they are valid for today and are extremely valuable
to the body of Christ if they are exercised within scriptural
guidelines. We believe there is a great need to use these
gifts in the body for the furtherance of the kingdom of
God. Too often the church has resorted to the arm of the
flesh instead of the hand of the Spirit which flows, oftentimes,
through the gifts of the Spirit. “But the manifestation
of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit,
to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts
of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working
of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning
of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to
another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the
same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each
one individually as He wills.” (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)
We, as believers, are to covet the best gifts, seeking
to exercise them in love so that the whole body of Christ
might be edified. We believe that love is more important
than the most spectacular gifts, and without this love
all exercise of spiritual gifts is worthless. (1 Corinthians
14)
•
Spiritual Warfare: We believe the Bible
when it says, “we do not war according to the flesh.”
(2 Corinthians 10:3) This means that our fight is
“against principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of
wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12-13)
This being the case, “the weapons of our warfare are
not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down of strongholds.”
(2 Corinthians 10:4) We believe the weapons of God are
the Word of God and the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We war
then, as Christians, with virtue and love in the authority
of Christ.
We
believe there is a great need for deliverance inside the
body of Christ. The need for deliverance is manifested
by an inability to be free from bondage: e.g., mental
(emotional), physical or spiritual normally associated
with demon activity. It is God’s desire to bring deliverance
to His people. (Job 5:19, Psalms 91:3, II Timothy 4:13;
Hebrews 2:15; II Peter 2:9) We have been granted the authority
in the name of Jesus to bring deliverance to others. (Mark
16:17; John 14:12; I Corinthians 12:8-11) We must understand
that our warfare is with the forces of evil (Ephesians
6:12), our weapon is the Word of God, our authority and
power is from Jesus Himself (Mark 16:17, Acts 1:8) and
the battlefield is, first of all, in the spiritual realm.
(Ephesians 6:10-18; II Corinthians 10:3-5; Romans 8:9;
Galatians 5:22-23)
•
Being as Holy as a Ministry can be: We
choose not to look to the world’s methods of developing
an organization, but to the Holy Scriptures and God’s
Holy Spirit. We have been mandated to “be holy, for
I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16) Holy means to cut off
and be separate, distinct and unique in moral and ethical
wholeness or perfection; freedom from evil of any kind.
The otherness of God denotes that which is "sanctified",
“sacred”, “clean”, “consecrated” or "set apart"
for divine service; not common, nor vulgar, profane, unjust
or impure. The holiness of God is of infinite worth, purity,
perfection and cannot be calculated or compared with anything.
In the scriptures, holiness is one of the essential elements
of God's nature required of His people. When you become
a believer, the bible says you receive the “Holy Spirit.”
God's high expectations of His people flow out of His
own holy nature: "You shall be to me a kingdom
of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:6);
"Sanctify yourselves therefore and be holy, for I
am the Lord your God." (Leviticus 20:7)
Jesus
was the very personification of holiness. He reinforced
God's demands for holiness by insisting that His disciples
have a higher quality of righteousness than that of the
Scribes and Pharisees who upheld the law to the highest
degree. (Matthew 5:20) This holy righteousness Jesus spoke
of was an inward work which only lovers of God, full of
the Holy Spirit and God’s grace, can acquire. When the
Word says, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice”
(Matthew 12:7), this can only come from an inward work
of God and not an outward work of religious holiness.
Therefore, this ministry’s desire is that all our conduct
be ever growing in holiness, from the outward action to
the inward thought; that all our motives be for the glory
of God (not self-interest) and where we lack in holiness,
we commit to renewing our minds to be like Christ. We
will ask the hard questions like, “Is this the perfect,
pure will of God?” and “Does this fulfill God’s good pleasure?”
If we hesitate or believe it to be one degree outside
of God’s will or holiness, we will look at it as God looks
at it, “a detestable thing” and discard that thought or
action immediately. We must be very careful to maintain
holiness out of our growing love for God and His worth.
“And may the Lord make you increase in love and abound
in love...so that He may establish your hearts blameless
in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.” (1 Thessalonians
3:12-13)
The
motive for desiring holiness must come out of a growing
recognition of God’s worth and then responding to that
worth. We do not separate ourselves to self, but to God,
and this will always guard us from legalism and self-righteousness.
Lastly, we remain totally dependant on God for the least
amount of holiness that can be acquired, thus, it is not
our effort that achieves the goal but our humility and
dying that ushers in the holiness of God in this ministry.
•
True Humility: Humility is the soil
in which all of the attributes and gifts of God sit and
take strong root. Humility says, “I am nothing, God is
all. Lord be all in me!” Andrew Murray said, “He (man)
must consent to be, with his will, his mind, and his affections,
the form and the vessel in which the life and glory of
God are to work and manifest themselves.” As men, to be
truly noble and vessels of honor, we must yield to God
His rightful place in our lives. Andrew Murray also said
that, “the first and chief mark of the relationship of
man with God, the secret of his blessedness, is the humility
and nothingness which leaves God free to be all.” Nothing
is so terrible, dangerous, destructive and all pervasive
to the believer than pride. It thinks and considers only
self which blinds the eyes, stops the ears from hearing
and clouds the mind from thinking clearly. It is an enemy
to God and His purposes. “…be clothed with humility: for
God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”
(1 Peter 5:5)
As
a ministry, we believe pride is so ingrained and threaded
through all men that only by crying out to God, studying
the life of Christ and fully leaning on the grace of God
will we, as men, be able to embrace and value true humility.
Therefore, we strive to fight pride and seek Christ-like
humility so that God can be all and all in this Christian
organization. “Let this mind be in you which was also
in Christ Jesus, who…made Himself of no reputation, taking
the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness
of men …He humbled Himself and became obedient to the
point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians
2:5-9)
The
beginning step that Christ insists His followers take
is denial and death to self. “Then said Jesus unto
his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
(Matt 16:24) As a Christian ministry we believe that we
are not worthy to call ourselves Disciples of Christ if
we are not willing to deny ourselves and die daily to
all pride and those things which displease our God. This
humility must be what we strive for moment by moment,
by the spirit of grace, if we are to please God and be
a vessel that Christ is happy to fill with Himself. Christ
had no sin and yet He humbled Himself, hence, sin is not
the key ingredient to godly humility. The book of Philippians
speaks of choosing servant hood, emptying ourselves, submitting
to the will of God and being lowly and meek. This must
be the root of godly humility and the mind of Christ.
As sinful creatures we must surely humble ourselves and
die to all pride which had its inception in wanting to
be like God during the fall of man.
•
Integrity: This ministry is committed
to the utmost integrity in all its dealings because we
are commissioned and serve a righteous and holy God. (The
definition of integrity is - wholeness; purity; genuine,
unadulterated, unimpaired state of any thing, particularly
of the mind; moral soundness; incorruptness; uprightness;
honesty. Integrity comprehends the whole moral character,
but has a special reference to uprightness in mutual dealings,
transfers of property, and money.)
We
will strive in the power of Christ to be like Noah in
a world full of perverseness and corruptibility.
“Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations.
Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9) We understand
that this ministry is run by mere human beings (dust and
ash) and that we will make mistakes and miss the Lord’s
purposes at times, but we are committed to humility and
repentance for our failures and will seek God for His
great mercies in these matters. However, we are devoted
to integrity even to our own hurt and losses, for we believe
this pleases God. “Then the LORD said to Satan, ‘Have
you considered My servant Job, that there is none like
him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who
fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to
his integrity, although you incited Me against him,
to destroy him without cause.’” (Job 2:3)
•
Self Denial: “Then Jesus said to
His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me,
let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose
it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world,
and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange
for his soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26) Self denial is
a key component in the disciplines of the Christian walk
and ministry. It is so important that Christ declares
that we cannot be His disciples unless we hate our own
lives. “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his
father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters,
yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.”
(Luke 14:26) Thus, even being a part of the family
of God requires dying to our own lives. This being the
case, our ministry chooses to disavow, refuse, disown
and terminate our lives (the old man) so that the life
of Christ can have full expression in our members. “We
voluntarily refuse the legitimate pleasures of this world”
(Numbers 6) “for the extreme pleasure of knowing God.”
(Psalm 16) “This passion for Jesus is born not of legalism,
but out of love.” (Eddy Brown) We do not wish to subject
ourselves to worldly passions, thinking or those things
in which Christ died for. We desire to view ourselves
as bondservants of Christ (voluntary love slaves) and
to do only what pleases our master. Self denial should
be in every part of the working of the ministry so that
in all things Christ is honored and glorified.
•
Loving the Bride of Christ: “LORD,
I have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place
where Your glory dwells.” (Ps 26:8) The ministry
believes the body of Christ is “the church of the
living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”
(1 Timothy 3:15) We must cherish the work that the Lord
is doing in His body and love the sheep of His pasture
with an undying passion. The church is the greatest instrument
God has chosen to advance His purposes and kingdom. The
body is then promised to be, “the fullness of Him
who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:23)
In
Ephesians, Paul compares the church to wives and shares
the love and desire Christ has for the body: “…just
as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing
of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself
a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such
thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”
(Ephesians 5:25-28) We desire to uphold God’s passion
and love for His body by guarding everything we do with
partnering churches and in all things having a partiality
towards the body being holy and without blemish. Our hearts
truly beat for those called to lead His church and we
want to support God’s shepherds in a biblical way so that
the entire body benefits and is strengthened for the Lord’s
work in this generation. We commit to preach and teach
the Word of God with the utmost care and concern for God’s
bride as well as understanding that there is a greater
judgment upon those who teach and preach the Word. His
will is our want, that the Bride of Christ be presented
as a glorious church, “…that in all things He may
have the preeminence.” (Col 1:18)
•
Fundraising: We believe that the Church
is so important to God that we must never manipulate,
coerce, use heavy handed tactics or trick the Body into
giving for any cause in the ministry regardless of how
desperate the situation may seem to us. We will trust
the Lord to fund all our projects and monthly expenses.
We will express our needs by crying out to God in prayer,
trusting in the Holy Spirit to move and simply sharing
the needs with Christians in an edifying way without sales
and marketing techniques (which we believe undermines
the working of the Holy Spirit and leads people into making
merely an emotional decision). We will never seek or ask
non-believers (who are dead toward God) to give to the
Lord’s work because we believe this mocks God’s power
to fund His will through His people. However, if the non-believer
is compelled to give because they are touched by the ministry’s
work, we will not refuse their gift unless for some reason
it might corrupt the holy purposes of God.
•
We will not Contract Debts: If the Lord
is directing the ministry in any way, He will bestow the
means in which to accomplish His will. Indebtedness is
contrary to both the letter and the spirit of the New
Testament. “Owe no one anything except to love one
another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.”
(Romans 13:8) This will also ensure that the Lord, and
not the hand of man, is doing the work. We do not wish
to strive to make something happen in the ministry or
to enlarge the work by our might but desire to see the
Lord move in His sovereign timing. When we wait, we pay
the price of patience and longsuffering, but when we take
on debt, we pay the price of bondage and face the chance
of the name of Christ being shamed if we miss payments
or can’t pay the debt. Christ intends for us to be free
from all bondage and owe nothing but love.
•
Making Disciples of Christ: “And
Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has
been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore
and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the
end of the age.’ Amen.” (Matt 28:18-20) The Bible
mandates us to make disciples, not to save people; this
being the case, in all our endeavors, discipleship must
be the chief aim and desire when expanding God’s purposes
and plan. When we look at discipleship with this view,
salvation is the initial step in entering the Kingdom
of God, not the end of our efforts. The process of discipleship
should looks like this: salvation first (which awakens
us from death to life) then becoming a learner and imitator
of Christ which is a process that starts in this world
and continues into eternity. Discipleship is so important
that if one does not bear the marks of a disciple it should
be assumed that they never truly received salvation. “If
anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as
a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw
them into the fire, and they are burned.”
(John 15:6)
A
disciple (meaning: enrolled to become a scholar) of Christ
is a student and learner as well as an adherent (meaning:
believer, devotee and advocate) and imitator of Christ.
A disciple is called to abide in the Word and Spirit of
our Lord as a branch abides in the vine. “Abide in
Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless
you abide in Me.” (John 15:4) This abiding leads
to action that confesses submission and the Lordship of
Jesus Christ over our lives. There are many expressions
of discipleship in Christianity today; however, this ministry
feels that we must follow Christ’s example and the Bible’s
direction in how to make disciples. Scripture clearly
indicates some of the following necessities to discipling
people: the teacher spends much time in small groups and
one on one with the students; teaching the Word of God,
the Word’s application and proper theology (the science
which teaches the existence, character and attributes
of God, His laws and government, the doctrines we are
to believe, and the duties we are to practice.); the teacher
believes and walks in what is taught; the teacher applies
his instruction and lessons with the students observing,
then sends out the students to do likewise; quality and
depth of a disciple’s heartfelt understanding is most
valued, not the quantity of people being discipled; teaching
the disciples to love each other, “as I [Jesus] have
loved you”(John 13:34); commitment being declared
constantly and to the highest degree portraying a “forsaking
all” attitude. “If anyone comes to Me and does not
hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers
and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be
My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come
after Me cannot be My disciple… So likewise, whoever of
you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
(Luke 14:26-27 & 33) This list is not all encompassing
and can be expanded, but the concepts behind each point,
we believe, are derived from scripture and best express
the heart of God in training up disciples for His glory
and name’s sake.
In
conclusion, whatever method the ministry chooses to use
in implementing the discipleship process and our values
(which are listed above), must be scrutinized and evaluated
regularly to ensure that the true fruit of the Holy Spirit
is evident in every disciple. “…every good tree bears
good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree
cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and
thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you
will know them.” (Matt 7:17-20) We live to see
the fruit of the Spirit thriving in those the Lord makes
us responsible to disciple and desire to make every effort
toward the deep wells of God and to drink in His living
water.
•
Covenant Relationships: A Covenant Relationship
is a coming together of two or more persons/churches/organizations
with a mutual consent or agreement to do or to withhold
some act or thing with like minds and hearts. To make
a covenant means to make a formal and binding agreement.
It involves promises on the part of each, to the other,
and for Christians it is a solemn agreement between certain
members of the body of Christ, which they will walk in
together according to the precepts of the gospel and the
word of God, in brotherly affection. In the world a contract
generally involves only one part of a person, such as
a skill or talent, while a covenant covers a person's
total being. The Old Testament contains examples of
covenants between people who related to each other as
equals. For example, David and Jonathan entered into a
covenant because of their love for one another. This agreement
bound each of them to certain responsibilities toward
one another. (1 Sam 18:3) In addition, a covenant relationship
is extremely serious in its obligation and promise as
well as impossible to keep without the overwhelming abundant
grace of God. For example and to explain the severity:
We use the phrase, "blood is thicker than water."
It usually refers to the strength of family relationships,
but its original intent was different. It meant that the
blood of the covenant surpassed the birth waters. Covenant
relationships exceeded family ties in strength and durability.
It is the strongest bond known to man and has both business
and personal applications that extend past the human realm
into the eternal. This being the case, we must be very
careful who we enter into covenant relationship with and
there should be no doubt in our minds as to each party’s
reliability and character. However, no matter how difficult
and demanding this partnership is, the Bible denotes that
success in many areas of life and ministry and even our
own survival at times depends on covenant relationships.
Thus, we look forward to God being glorified and the great
blessings and love that flow through covenant relationships.
Therefore,
this ministry desires to develop relationships that are
built on covenant to ensure accountability and a Christ-like
nature in all that we do. Mission One Million is committed
to binding ourselves with covenant agreements (in writing)
with those ministries and leaders we work with overseas
as well as living a covenant lifestyle (not necessarily
in writing but in accountability) with those ministries
and individuals that support Mission One Million. These
covenants are intended to convey the heart and commitment
that two people, churches, or organizations have towards
one another. Through written agreement (or by spoken word
for donors only) and by pledge, each party will keep their
heart and dedication in the state and posture of the agreement
for as long as the covenant stands. These agreements will
be designed in such a way as to make the covenant the
priority over self and family interests, and are also
conditional upon each party keeping its terms and commitments.
There is a penalty for breaking covenant and it is usually
very severe and can lead to the breaking of the relationship.
When two parties enter into covenant together there should
be a mark of commitment and assurance clearly seen in
both parties.
With
this said, all Mission One Million Ministry Partners that
have signed a covenant agreement are considered to be
on the same level of commitment as any other covenant
relationship in the bible such as David and Jonathan.
The leadership of Mission One Million pledges their complete
exchange of all that they are or will be to those who
join themselves with M1M as covenant partners in advancing
the Kingdom of God. This includes spiritual, physical,
emotional, and financial help to the ministry partners
as need arises under the direction of the board and president.
In
exchange for covenant relationship with Mission One Million,
the M1M leadership requires ministry partners to enter
into covenant with Mission One Million only after acceptance
of the following provisions: To agree with and accept
the Tenets of Faith delineated in the By-Laws and Values
of Mission One Million; To agree to accept and support
the vision, ministry, and leadership of Mission One Million;
To agree to support the ministry by serving in or leading
various ministry projects, attending and participating
in scheduled meetings, and regularly praying for the various
ministries and leadership; To covenant together in refusing
to entertain any worldliness according to the holy scriptures;
If coming from another ministry or fellowship (and being
approved to join M1M), agreeing to spend a reasonable
period of time seeking the Lord to see if partnership
with Mission One Million is truly God’s will, and then
returning to their former ministry/fellowship and informing
the leadership of their decision. We must always remember
the covenant relationship is built on relationship and
commitment and both must take place before any decision
can be made to sign a Covenant Agreement.
In
conclusion to this section we have added some encouraging
scriptural references that we believe exalt the blessings,
convey the heart and behavior, and identify what covenant
relationship looks like among believes. (Rom 12:9-21,
Gal 5:22-26, Eph 4:1-3, Eph 5:19-21, Phil 2:2-4, Col 3:12-17)
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