Values

1. An unwavering commitment to truth as embodied ultimately in the person of Christ, graciously and completely revealed to us in the Bible (Jn 1:1-5; 14:6, 17:17, 18:37; Heb 1:1-4; 2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pt 2:19-21; Ps 33:4, 119:151, 160; Pr 30:5; Lk 10:38-42, 20:21; Eph 1:13; Rev 21:5, 22:6, 18; Deut 12:32; 1 Cor 4:6).

2. True, persistent intimacy with Christ (head and body), pursuit together of the Spirit-filled and Spirit-led life (gathered and scattered); joyfully desperate at all times for the presence and power of God (Jn 15:1-11; 1 Thess 5:17; Acts 2:42-27; Eph 5:15-21; Gal 2:20, 5:16-26; Ps 42:1-2, 16:11; 63:1-3, 73:25-26, 119:20, 143:60).

3. A culture of passionate, reverent, celebratory worship in and through all of life; cultivating an unwavering zeal for the name of our LORD, a godly fear of the LORD; and a constant mindfulness of and expressed gratitude for God’s persistent presence and goodness even in the most difficult seasons of suffering and/or seemingly mundane moments of life (Lk 10:27; 1 Cor 10:31; Rom 12:11; Rev 3:19; Col 3:17; Eph 5:20; Jas 1:2-4; Heb 12:28-29; 1 Pt 1:17; Rom 12:1-2; Ps 29:1-2; 69:9; 95:2; 100:1-5; 118:24, 119:139, 139:21; Pr 23:17; Ex 20:7; Rev 2:1-7).

4. Courageous, faithful witness (word and deed; courage and compassion; proclamation and incarnation), no matter the cost and even unto death; motivated by great love for God and for all people (especially the household of faith), by great zeal for His holy name, by a deep burden for the condition and destiny of those who are separated from Christ, and by a great desire that all might know the abundant life that is ours only in Him (Phil 1:19-30, 3:7-21; 2 Tim 1:7; 1 Cor 16:13; Pr 28:1; Acts 4:1-37, 5:17-42, 14:19-23; Rev 6:11; Col 1:24; Rom 9:1-3; Mt 24:14; Jude 1:21-23; Mt 6:9-10; 1 Pt 2:21, 4:1-19; Gal 6:10; Jas 2:14-26; 1 Jn 3:16-18; Mt 28:16-20; 2 Cor 5:11-6:2; Heb 12:1-29).

5. Holiness, purity (of body and spirit), integrity, Christ-like character, unwavering commitment to obeying Christ’s commands; motivated by the fear of the LORD, by supreme love for the LORD, and by a fervent zeal that the name of God would not be blasphemed due to hypocrisy but glorified even by outsiders, that the presence of Christ in us would be consistently, plainly seen (1 Pt 1:13-19, 2:9; Rom 12:1-2; Mt 5:14-16, 48, 10:28; Phil 2:12-13; 2 Cor 6:14-7:1; Heb 10:26-31; Rom 2:24, 12:9; 1 Jn 2:6; Lk 10:27; Mk 12:30-31; Jude 1:23; 2 Tim 1:9; Eph 5:3).

6. Unity; Christ-centered, honest, open, authentic, close-knit, diverse, counter-cultural community; living life together, bearing one another’s burdens, encouraging one another daily, renouncing the world and the deceitfulness of wealth, holding all things in common, speaking only the truth in love to one another, and united in such a way that the world would see and know the truth of the gospel (Jn 17:20-24; Eph 4:1-6, 15-16, 25; 1 Pt 2:9, 4:8; Mt 5:14-16; Rom 12:1- 2, 10; Acts 2:42-47, 4:32-37; Gal 6:2; Heb 3:13; Mt 13:18-23; 1 Jn 2:15-17).

7. Proximity/Incarnational ministry; just as Jesus took on flesh and dwelt among a particular people in a particular place at a particular time, so must we as His body if we are to faithfully follow in His steps, sent as He was sent by the Father to proclaim and to demonstrate the reality of the Kingdom of God. We recognize that the life of the church, the body of Christ, is an incarnated, holistic, seven-days-a-week, embodied life together, one that cannot be faithfully lived in isolation or at great distance from one another or from the people to whom we are called to minister. We prioritize geographical proximity to one another and to those we are called to serve in order to be faithful to the reality of the incarnation and in order to practically live out our constant (not Sundays only) identity as God’s people, a visible, tangible city on a hill, called to live all of our lives together in such a way that God would be seen and glorified in and through us (Jn 1:14-18; Phil 2:5-11; Mk 1:14-15; Mt 5:14-16; 1 Pt 2:9).

8. Generous, extravagant hospitality and sacrificial love; toward God, toward His church (local and global), and toward the lost, the poor, and the broken (Mt 6:21, 22:37, 25:34-40; Mk 9:41; 12:41-44; Lk 10:27, 12:31-34, 14:12-14; 1 Jn 3:16-18; 1 Tim 6:17-19; 2 Cor 8:1-15, 9:1-15; Acts 2:42-47, 20:33-35; Heb 13:2, 16; 1 Pt 4:9; Rom 12:13, 16:2; 3 Jn 1:5-8; Is 58:6-7; Jas 2:14-26).

9. Supernatural expectation; joyful, humble, confident faith, serious engagement in the spiritual battle we have been enlisted as His people to engage in for the glory of God in the salvation/release/healing/revival/ transformation of every person and every relationship, every family, church, community, tribe, tongue, and nation (Eph 3:20-21, 6:10-20; Jn 14:12; Heb 11:1-6ff; Mt 6:10, 9:8, 15:31; Acts 4:21, 11:18; 2 Cor 6:7, 9:13, 10:4-5; 1 Pt 5:8-9; 2 Tim 2:3-5).

10. Costly, joyful, countercultural obedience to all of Christ’s commands, embracing suffering and even death, following in the footsteps of Jesus our LORD who came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Phil 2:8; Mt 7:21, 19:17, 28:16-20; Jn 14:15-17, 23, 15:10; Rom 1:5, 5:19, 15:18, 16:26; 1 Jn 2:3, 17, 5:1-3; Heb 5:9; Mk 10:45; Lk 22:42; Jas 1:22-25; Heb 5:8; 1 Pt 1:2).

11. A consistent posture of humble repentance before God and before one another; bearing one another’s burdens, needing, proclaiming, believing, receiving, and applying the gospel to/for ourselves and one another every moment, grieving and confessing our sins to God and to each other, and praying for one another that we might be healed, restored, reconciled to God and to one another (1 Jn 1:9; Jas 5:16; Gal 6:1-2; Acts 3:19; 2 Chr 7:14; Rev 2:5; 2 Cor 7:10; Col 1:5-14; Heb 3:13, 10:25; Eph 6:18).

12. Intentional multiplication of disciples, leaders, and churches; balancing biblical urgency with rest in the sovereignty and power of God (Mt 28:16-20; Eph 1:11, 4:12, 5:16; 2 Tim 2:2; Titus 2:3-4; Col 1:5-6; 1 Thess 5:2; Col 4:5; Ps 115:3, 127:1; Pr 19:21; Rom 8:28; Phil 4:6; 1 Pt 5:7).

13. Everyone a disciple, everyone a maker of disciples in pursuit of maturity in Christ and the fulfillment of His Great Commission, in Wheaton, the greater Chicago area, the Midwest, and to the ends of the earth (among both Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese people) (Mt 24:14; 28:16-20; Acts 1:8; Eph 4:12; 1 Pt 2:5, 9, 4:10-11; 1 Cor 12:4-11; Gal 4:19).

14. The diverse/united priesthood of all believers; everyone honored, everyone needed, everyone contributing and stewarding their Spirit-given gifts and resources for the glory of God and the building up of His church, in pursuit of Christ’s Kingdom vision (1 Pt 2:5, 9, 4:10-11; 1 Cor 12:12-31, 14:26; Rom 12:6-8; Eph 4:11-16).

15. Holistic gospel transformation of individuals (body, mind, emotions, spirit), relationships, families, churches, cultural institutions, communities, and nations embodying the reality of the Kingdom of God; shalom/justice/ reconciliation with God, with one another, and with creation, on earth as it is in heaven (Mt 5:14-16, 6:10, 13:13, 28:16-20; Lk 4:18-19, 11:20; Jn 3:1-7; 2 Cor 5:14-6:2; 1 Cor 10:31; 2 Cor 3:17-18, 10:3-5; Ps 22:27-28; Hab 2:14). As a key corollary to this, we take very seriously the Bible’s injunctions to think generationally in passing on the faith (Gen 17:3-9; Ps 78:4,102:18; Dan 4:3), beginning in the home (Eph 6:4; Deut 4:9, 6:6-7, 11:19), and then outward to our immediate communities and the world.