New Life in Christ Part 5

Culture

Every house has a culture a way of doing things. A set of principles and practices that define the house and help people thrive. This set of principles and practices helps create clarity and safety.

Here at New Life it is no different. This set of principles and practices help define who God called us to be.

How do we create culture? Where do these practices and principles come from? Is it Biblical?

Culture is created by what you do and don’t do.

Jesus and Culture

Jesus didn’t just teach rules; He established a counter-cultural way of living that flipped social norms upside down. Here are a few key pillars of the "culture" He built:

1. A Culture of "Upside-Down" Greatness

In Jesus' time, status was everything. He disrupted this by teaching that the most important people are those who serve others.

The Example: He washed His disciples' dirty feet—a job reserved for the lowest servants—to show that leadership is about sacrifice, not power.

2. A Culture of Radical Inclusion

Jesus ignored the social, racial, and religious "walls" of His day.

The Example: He publicly associated with tax collectors (social outcasts), Samaritans (ethnic enemies), and women (who had little social standing), treating them with dignity and making them central to His mission.

3. A Culture of "Heart Over Habit"

Religious culture then was focused on strict, outward rule-following. Jesus shifted the focus to the "why" behind the "what."

The Example: He taught that being angry with someone was as significant as the physical act of violence. He prioritized mercy and genuine love over performing rituals just for show.

4. A Culture of Forgiveness and Grace

The standard culture was "an eye for an eye." Jesus established a culture that seeks reconciliation even when it’s undeserved.

The Example: When Peter asked if he should forgive someone seven times, Jesus responded with "seventy times seven," implying that forgiveness should be a lifestyle, not a calculation.

5. A Culture of "The Marginalized First"

Jesus built a community where the weak, the poor, and the children were the priority rather than an afterthought.

The Example: He frequently stopped His work to heal the sick or welcome children, telling His followers that the "Kingdom of Heaven" actually belongs to people like them.

New Life Culture

Our Culture is rooted in Jesus’s culture. Jesus’s Culture was based off Relationship. Jesus came to restore relationship between God and humanity.

Live. Love. Grow.

Live - Rom 8:28

Live in a spirit of EXCELLENCE while pursuing an ABUNDANT LIFE

EXCELLENCE is not about perfection but about holiness & striving to do our best.

ABUNDANT LIFE is characterized by a sense of fulfillment and gratitude for all that God has given us.

Embracing this philosophy means we value progress over perfection, celebrating small victories, and maintaining a positive outlook.

Romans 8:28 NKJV

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Love - 1 Cor 13:8

Love GOD and PEOPLE by accepting God's unconditional love for us and others.

Love GOD by nurturing our spiritual relationship through prayer, meditation, and living according to His Living Word.

Love PEOPLE by embracing kindness, understanding, and selflessness in interactions with others, recognizing God's love for every individual.

1 Corinthians 13:8 NKJV

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

Grow - Eph 4:15-16

Grow to fulfill God's purpose and call in our lives.

Cultivate a deep relationship with God & discern our calling to serve others and bring glory to God.

Become vessels of love, compassion, and wisdom, to reflect Christ in every facet of our lives.

A call to seek continuous transformation & empowerment in accordance with God.

Ephesians 4:15–16 NKJV

but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Authenticity - It is for freedom that you have been set free.

Galatians 5:1 ESV

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Avoid Controversies. If The Bible doesn’t clearly state it. We don’t fight over it.

Titus 3:9 ESV

But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.

2 Timothy 2:23 ESV

Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.

We don’t gather around politics or teachings that are divisive and not Biblically sound.

example:

Forms of Worship - There are basic simple principles about worship. Those we focus on,

Biblical Interpretations. - While we want to study the Bible we understand that a lot of views are derived from human interpretation. If the Bible does’t say it clearly then we don’t make it gospel.

Judaism - Zionism - Christian Nationalism - These are tempting and interesting topics but can become a big distraction from the commission Jesus gave the church and leads to a dead end in the life of the believer. These topics are very divisive and have an either or divisive spirit.We do not go back to the law of Sin and death. Our works now are from our choice to love and serve God for all that He has done in and for us through the power of the Holy Spirit that was given to us.

1 Corinthians 14:20 ESV

Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.

Order and Organization - We believe God is a God of order. Because He holds all things in perfect place there is peace and beauty.

1 Corinthians 14:40 NKJV

Let all things be done decently and in order.