While at the beach a couple of weeks ago, I heard a divemaster strumming his guitar and singing a catchy (and depressing) tune during his lunch break:
It’s gettin’ dark, too dark for me to see
I feel like I’m knockin’ on heaven’s door.
Knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door.
That long black cloud is comin’ down
I feel like I’m knockin’ on heaven’s door.
Knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door
When I mentioned to my son that it was a Bob Dylan song from antiquity, he insisted that it was a Guns N’ Roses song that was recently re-mixed by Avril Lavigne. We were both right. Same message/lyrics with three different sounds, for three different decades.
Brother Bob and sister Avril’s versions of that old classic made me think that maybe it is time to “re-mix” our Every Nation core values—same message in different words—for a new generation. So, here it goes – the Every Nation core values, re-mixed 2006 version:
1. We value CHRIST-CENTEREDNESS (Lordship).
Since Jesus is both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36), we should receive him as such and live lives that are centered around him. Lordship or Christ-centeredness is about who he is and what he did for us, not about who we are and what we do for him. We believe that “in everything, he must have the supremacy” (Colossians 2:18), not just in church matters, but in all of life—not just on Sundays, but Monday through Sunday.
2. We value RECONCILIATION (Evangelism).
We are Christians because “God reconciled us to himself through Christ.” But, he did not stop there. He then called each of us to the ministry of reconciliation “and gave us a message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18–19). Since reconciliation is first and foremost a relational word (rather than a theological word) then people, especially “lost” people, matter to God. Therefore, to value reconciliation is to value relationships with people, especially people who do not know God. This is the heart of what Christians mean by evangelism.
3. We value SPIRITUAL GROWTH (Discipleship).
If a disciple is one who follows Jesus, then discipleship is helping someone follow Jesus (Matthew 4:19). We believe that all Christians are called to be disciples or followers of Jesus and all Christians are called to make disciples—that is, to help others follow Jesus. Following Jesus and helping others follow him, or spiritual growth, is what discipleship is all about.
4. We value SERVANT LEADERSHIP (Leadership Development).
When the disciples were lobbying for positions of importance, Jesus told them that leaders must be servants. He then told them that they were thinking like pagan Gentiles when they equated leadership with authority (Mark 10:42–44). Jesus went on to explain that he “did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Real leaders must follow his example of serving and laying down one’s life for another.
5. We value FAMILY (Family).
Some things just can’t be re-mixed or re-stated without messing them up. We value family. It’s that simple. There is no better way to say it. Marriage matters. Parenting is top priority. Honoring one’s father and mother is central to honoring God and advancing his kingdom. We are a ministry that values family relationships—especially husband and wife, and parents and children (Psalm 127:1).
There they are, for now, the Every Nation core values, re-mixed. Hope you like the new sound and old message.
