REASON FOR BEING

In a culture where marketing, hype, and the voice of pop culture "influencers" tend to define what is important, what is acceptable, and even what is even attention-worthy, we should take time to evaluate these things for ourselves. That evaluation should not be based on the ever-changing influences around us, but on the foundational truths that we say we embrace.

All my life, I have been a part of the Assembly of God congregation, intently studying its core values seamlessly with my studies of God's word, but without really being able to distinguish or articulate those core values. As I took a course in AG History, I found myself intrigued by the most fundamental pieces of that organization's foundation. For the benefit of those who have attended the churches, singing the songs and enjoying the curriculum, but without really being able to articulate those core values either. The Constitution begins like this:

"WE BELIEVE: That God’s purpose concerning man is (1) to seek and to save that which is lost, (2) to be worshipped by man, (3) to build a body of believers in the image of His Son, and (4) to demonstrate His love and compassion for all the world."

This is not necessarily an attempt to teach or explain the purpose of the Assemblies of God, or its "reason for being" as stated in its Constitutional Declaration. Although it's quite clear, I cannot presume to know everything in the hearts of the people who drafted it so carefully and prayerfully.

1. TO SEEK AND SAVE THE LOST

"I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands." (Psalm 119:76)

When David poured out his repentant heart in such desperation, using an example most familiar to his everyday life to depict his lost and helpless situation, I wonder if he knew how many millions of followers of Christ would read these words with a tender pang in their hearts as they understood how he felt. Since God visited the Garden of Eden, looking for the errant and ashamed man and woman (though he certainly knew where they were), he has been seeking to reconcile us to him. Psalm 139 describes how we cannot escape his presence and the book of Job illustrates the vastness of the God we serve. Yet He was driven to sacrifice his only son -- part of himself -- to redeem us and bring us back to Him.

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?" (Matthew 18:12)

In pointing out the exceptional kind of love God has for us, Jesus connected the dots between how far we would go to save our own and how far God went to do the same. I believe this same passage serves as an example to us all -- from the minister to layperson sharing his testimony in the grocery store. If we, who are saved by Jesus, really want to be like Him, we must also share this burning desire to bring the lost back to Him.



2. TO WORSHIP HIM

"For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John. 4:24)

First and foremost, we must earnestly and sincerely seek Him. Our worship can't be a facáde, a pretense, or a bid for attention (Matthew 15:8 - "‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."). It can't be ritual-driven (Matthew 9:13 - "...“Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices..." ) Finally, it can't be given without repentance. (Psalm 51:17 - "The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God." Worship is opening the most tender, wretched, and broken pieces of your heart to be stripped clean, healed, and remade by your Heavenly Father. Worship comes from the inexplicable connection you find with Him when you open the door to His love and forgiveness, fully receiving His mercy.

"Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins." (Hebrews 9:14)

It's then, and only then, when we are in a place to sincerely worship: when the purifying power of His forgiveness start to change us so that we CAN sincerely worship him. When we let it in, to flow through us, it opens up for transformation so that we can really, truly start to become like Him.

"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12:2)

This transformation puts us on a new footing with God; it brings us into a degree of understanding with Him that allows our hearts to worship - to no longer force or fake the praise, but to naturally burst with the free, honest flow of true worship.

It's then that our lives--everything we do and say--become a forum for bringing glory to God. We worship Him in our work. We worship Him in our family time. It becomes the lifeblood of our being, and therefore, an ongoing expression of how glorious, wonderful, and worthy of praise the Lord is. I'm not describing its purpose in an analytical sense, but, rather, relating it in a personal sense.


3. TO BUILD A BODY OF BELIEVERS IN THE IMAGE OF HIS SON

"And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God." (1 Peter 2:5)

So, having experienced the transformative power of the Lord on our hearts and minds, we enter into a type of partnership with Jesus - as sons and daughters of God (John 1:12), undertaking our part in His life's work. As He builds us into His image and the fullness of our purpose, we, in turn, must work through that overflow of mercy to build up others, making them stronger links in the chain, helping them up when they stumble, lovingly urging them into closer relationships with the Lord.

"We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord." (Romans 15:2)



4. TO DEMONSTRATE HIS LOVE AND COMPASSION

Compassion is the demonstration of the love Jesus showed for others, and it is the evidence that we love others as we should.

"The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love." (Psalm 103:8)

Jesus loved the unlovable, even the ones who despised Him, not because He expected or demanded that they love Him back, but because love is the nature of who He is.

"But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." (Romans 5:8)

Most of all, we cannot call ourselves followers of Christ if we do not love others like He does. If we have every other trait and demonstration of Godliness, but we don't have love, we have nothing (I Corinthians 13). If we do not love others, we have failed to fully accept His mercy and love, for we cannot give what we do not have.

"So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:34-35)




I trust this may be useful in explaining the Assemblies of God's purpose as a church. So often, I have found that personal reflections on such topics to be beneficial in moving them out of the realm of the abstract into living and breathing, thinking and feeling pieces of us. Again, I don't presume to know all the theological aspects and revelatory thoughts of the men who wrote this part of the Constitution. This is not a thesis or anything on that scale; it is only an attempt to share what it means to ME to be a part of the Assemblies of God, and why I find so much common ground in its reason for being.