I have attempted to distil how we live at Beth Shalom into a few bullet points. This is my first attempt, so it may change as I think of new things.
These are not rules.
They are guidelines to how we should live and treat each other to
please God. They cannot be imposed, but through prayer, surrender to
the Holy Spirit, and the Grace of God, they can be attained.
- Love, or if you prefer, respect. This is most important (Matthew 22:36-40). There should be love for God and love for one another. This is Jesus’ command and the witness of His disciples (John 13:34-35).
- There is no-one who should not be loved. Even those opposed to us (Matthew 5:23-47).
- Honour the poor (James 2:5-7).
- Do not judge (Matthew 7 :1-5). Our knowledge of ourselves is imperfect, so our knowledge of one another is even less perfect. Our assumptions and opinions are worthless, and judging a person by their past behaviour goes completely against Christ’s teaching.
- Forgive (Matthew 6:14-15). Always give a person another chance. Never give up on them. As long as they desire to follow Jesus, forget what is past and encourage them to go forward.
- Be kind. God uses kindness to lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4), so we should do the same.
- Rules cannot lead a person to holiness, they only create a framework for judgement and punishment.
- Obeying man-made rules is not what it means to be a follower of Christ. Rather, we should obey God (Matthew 15:8-10).
- God, by His Spirit, replaces our stony heart with a heart of flesh, writes His laws on it (Ezekiel 36:25-27).
- God teaches about Himself (Jeremiah 31:33-34).
- No-one should be judged concerning food, drink, or attending religious meetings (Colossians 2:16-23).
- Do not retaliate (Luke 6:27-30, 1 Corinthians 6:1-8).
- Encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:12-22).
- Live in a way that others want to copy (1 Peter 5:1-11).
- Serve one another, putting each other first (Galatians 5:13-14, Philippians 2:2-18).
- Choose not to be insulted, angry, or irritated.
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