Authenticity, Generosity, Caring

The Bible teaches us many principles to live by, but three always stand out for me.

1. Authenticity

With the news of big-name preachers and pastors falling from grace confronting us, I know that being authentic is very important. If we profess to be followers of Christ, then we must live an authentic Christian life. We cannot live a double life; one leg in the world and the other in the kingdom of God. Jesus must be Lord of all, if not, He is not Lord at all. I am far from perfect, but I do seek to be an authentic Christian who is led by the Spirit of God and follows Him wholeheartedly.

One way to be authentic is to be willing to share our struggles in a safe environment so we can pray for each other and come out stronger. We don’t have to hide our weaknesses and live a double life. My Leadership Carecell comprises pastors and section leaders who would share our struggles and pray for each other.

Authenticity requires vulnerability. So, when I begin to share openly some of my own struggles, others are open to speak about their battles as well. Recently, we were all in tears after sharing some deep issues, and because we opened up, we drew closer together. We have an authentic leadership community in our church. We know when we share, we will not be judged, and the information is safe with us. We know we don’t have to struggle alone and that’s how we can be authentic.

2. Generosity

Jesus was extremely generous. He gave his time, talent, and treasure without holding back. He said, “It’s better to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35. And at the end of his ministry he gave his life as well for the ransom of many.

The Lord had taught me the lesson of generosity.

One time, my husband and I were thinking of renting out a room in our home to supplement our income. Just when we were planning to do so and were quite happy to have some income supplement, a phone call came with a request for a room for a pastor couple from overseas to stay for a few months without the ability to pay rent. Immediately we knew we had to forgo our plan and offer this room to them. Instead of making money from that room, we refurbished it with bed, mattress, pillows, blankets etc. which cost us $1500. We learned to give generously to them and to trust God to supply all our needs. Indeed, we weren’t in lack at all as God met all our needs. We received the joy of practicing hospitality to this couple for the three months they stayed with us.

Today, we keep a “generosity pouch” with us wherever we go. When we do ministry and people give us love offering, we would put the money into this pouch and use it to bless people who are in need or simply just to make someone’s day.

3. Caring

Jesus cared for people. “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36.

What makes us stand out from the world is the ability to care for others. The world cries out for love and if the church can genuinely care for people, pre-believers will come.

I learned this value of caring in the last twenty years of ministry. In the past, I used to be task-oriented and not so much people-oriented. But I learned that without genuinely caring for others, I would not be able to do real ministry.

I remember hearing that ‘People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.’ And over the years the Lord has put a love in my heart to truly care for people. I always make it a point to ask the simple question, “How are you?” And then listen with genuine care. The gospel is not preached with words, its preached with the heart. It’s never wrong to care and we can never care too much.

When I was seeking the Lord for the core values of our church, Authenticity, Generosity and Caring came to the forefront. Today, they are not just my personal core values, they are the core values of our church too. It’s not uncommon for people who come to our church to sense these values and they want to stay on because these values resonate in their hearts too.

So, my personal core values have also become the church’s core values and they make us uniquely who we are.