Vision & Values
Vision is something that captures our imagination and enables us to truly live, it is a God given ability to create in our spirits what is yet not seen and begin to live in it as though it were real. The bible calls this Faith - evidence of things unseen (Heb 11:1)
For someone to say that only some people have it is absolutely totally incorrect - all of us have vision whether big or small. It is the “unseen” or the “could be” that motivates us to embrace each new day and press on towards a goal which we see, and yet at the same time it does not exist tangibly for anyone else to see.
The bible says that without vision we perish or cast off restraint (Prov 29:18). In other words if we do not live a life that has a God given vision, goal or purpose to it, we will simply go off track, and end up wherever life’s circumstances take us.
Friends First, best describes what we are on about. As friends first with Jesus (John 15:15) we endeavour to build alongside, and with Jesus, a community of people who best reflect His Kingdom; His values, His ways and His pattern for life.
We are the "container" or "wineskin" that "contains Jesus' Kingdom", as we adjust the way we think and respond (as individuals) to His Word (the Bible) and His ways. We change to reflect Jesus and His Kingdom more & more to the world around us.
The vision for us as a Kingdom community is quite simply, "Go for it!!" Go for what?
Get in touch with your own desires, unique call and destiny and do whatever it takes to advance the Kingdom of God. Partner with Jesus so that you can reflect His image to the world around you.
We should not confuse Vision with Values.
Biblical vision is not a statement someone else dreams up for you, it is a living picture inside every follower of Jesus. Therefore find out what your unique vision is and honour Jesus by paying the price to live it out.
Values on the other hand can be and normally are unique in each and every Christian community. At Friends First we are endeavouring to build with Kingdom values, thereby creating a Kingdom community of people.
We believe that a set of Beliefs will result in a set of Values, which in turn will create the "Culture" or "Ethos" of our church community, which we have called Friends First Church.