Relationship

As fellow Christians there are some basic things on which we must agree.  First, we are members of the Body of Christ and as members we are all interconnected, something that we here at Freedom Ministries call family. When we were adopted into the family of God, we become brothers and sisters not only with Jesus Christ, but with each other.  Let's face this like a family, when one member of the family body suffers, the whole family body suffers, and when one member of the family body succeeds, the whole family body succeeds (Romans 12:4ff; 1Corinthians 12:12ff). It is also very important for each one of us to remember that the Lord is especially pleased with us when we serve “the least” (cf. Matthew 25:40, 45).  As members of the Body and family of God, we have all been endowed with God-given resources, sure each of us have been endowed differently and unequally that is life and that was God's plan.  God made this a part of his plan that each of us has different amounts of money, food and possessions so that we would be required to share in the Body life of the Church. God’s resources are given for a purpose: First, God's resources are given for the common good, and second they are given particularly for the task of the Great Commission.  As members of the Body, we have a family relationship with one another.  This is not a relationship of the have and have-nots, this is about family, fellow members of the Body of Christ, fellow members of God's family.  Some how today we seem to have developed an idea that our relationship with each other is about superior and inferior but as brothers and sisters in Christ standing together at the foot of the cross; not of those playing games at the foot of the cross.  Not those from the North verses those from the South but as citizens of the New Jerusalem, one family, one body united for one purpose. It is in this family relationship that true fellowship in ministry takes place.

This is what we at Freedom Ministries call “Mutual Commitment”.  In understanding Mutual Commitment it must be clear that in giving and receiving, relationship must be of utmost importance. In this relationship we are bound by the following:

1. We are to have love and respect for one another as members of the same family but more importantly God's family.
2. We are required to work to encourage and support one another.
3. We must celebrate our God-given gifts and share them for evangelism and missions.

Our relationship must never be defined by, nor become limited to, dollar and cents or the mechanisms of financial transfers. But we must recognize that our relationship values reflect the Body of Christ, not some economic standard or potential.