Decisions That Define Us

Here within Swiftfire Ministries International, we've made some decisions that clarify our goals as a ministry, and they are listed below.

It has been humbling to learn that these declarations are resonating with leaders around the globe, many of whom have called to ask for permission to use them in their own ministries. Since we believe these determinations were born of the Spirit, we are happy to see them applied in the Kingdom.

Please note, however, that we are deeply concerned that you understand their context:
These decisions are not and never were a reaction to anything but the state of our hearts and the reality in our ministry. They are in absolutely no way a criticism of any church or denominational movement. Please don't misuse these decisions as weapons towards others. We are in this battle for high ground together: one Church, one Bride, and one Body.
 

In Ephesians 3:19, Paul implores us to increase our perception of God's love, letting it expand from head knowledge to actual experience. Those two levels also describe our process of commitment to these decisions. We would probably have said they were true from the beginning of our ministry. Now, however, they are points of contention, foundational truths  which we are not willing to live without; a journey, not a destination.

In II Samuel 6, as David leads the return of the Ark of the Covenant, there is both celebration and sacrifice; and so it is with these commitments. As we are heeding the ever-increasing call to clear a path for the Manifest Presence and Glory of God, these decisions have each taken a piece out of our hearts and lives and given us something priceless in return.
 

These are not arrogant proclamations of our accomplishments yet goals determined in our hearts.  We continue to comprehend the high cost and great value of each declaration of purpose.

So, then, here are The Decisions We've Made

• We have decided that Religion is the opposite of REVOLUTION and anything short of complete and continuous  REVOLUTION isn't enough.

   

• We have decided that  talking about unity isn't enough.  John 17 must  be determined and demonstrated in our hearts and lives,  as Kingdom unity and relationship is key for EFFECTIVE CHANGE.

   

• We have decided that WE are the church (you and I) , not a building, not a steeple ...a people.

   

•  We have decided that teaching the Gospel without demonstrating the gospel is not enough. Good preaching, good doctrine, and being good people is not enough.

   

• We have decided that having a good church club is not enough, good fellowship is not enough, and just being a member of that club is not enough.

   

•  We have decided that having good Bible studies is good, but not good enough, that just making it to heaven is not our goal, and that knowing about God without truly knowing and experiencing God is meaningless.

   

•  We have decided that having good programs is not enough; that change without transformation is intolerable, and that staying the same is not an option.

   

• We have decided that gifting without character is futile.

   

• We have decided that singing songs without worshiping is hollow and having meetings without God showing up is pointless.

   

• We have decided that having faith without works is not enough and having works without love is not acceptable - that our function comes out of our relationship first with the Father and second with each other.

   

•  We have decided that reading about the book of Acts without living the book of Acts is unthinkable.

   

• We have decided that confident faith is good and bold faith is better.

   

• We have decided that the anointing falls on ALL flesh (Joel 2:28) Men, women, children , ALL Races and all Nations... for my Bible tells me so.

   

• We have decided that hearing about the Holy Spirit without experiencing Him is silly, that believing in His presence without seeing It manifested in signs and wonders is sad, that believing in healing without seeing people healed is absurd, and that believing in deliverance without people being delivered is absolutely nuts.

   

• We have decided to be Holy Spirit filled, Holy Spirit led, and Holy Spirit empowered MOMENT TO MOMENT- anything less doesn't work for us.

   

• We have decided to be the ones telling the stories of God's power - not the ones hearing about them.

   

• We have decided that living saved, but not as a supernatural bionic bride is living below our privilege and short of what Christ died for.

   

• We have decided that we are a battle ship not a cruise ship, an army, not an audience; Special forces not spectators, missionaries not club members.

   

•  We have decided to value both pioneers and settlers - pioneers to expand our territory and settlers to build on those territories - but we are not squatters - people who take up space others have fought for without improving it.

   

•  We have decided to be infectious instead of innocuous, contagious instead of quarantined, deadly instead of benign.

   

• We have decided to be radical lovers and outrageous givers.

   

•  We have decided that we are a mission station and not a museum

                   Therefore:

1.       We honor the past - we don't live in it.

2.       We live in the present with our eyes on the future.

3.       We see past events - successes and failures - as stepping-stones not stop signs.

4.       We pursue learning in order to be transformed, not learning in order to know.

5.       We are people of engagement not observation.

6.       We focus on what could be, not on what is or has been.

7.       We are not limited to the four walls of a building. Our influence is not restricted by location  - Not even the nations are out of bounds.

8.       We are more concerned about how many we send out into the world than how many we convince to come into the building. A building is meant to be filled and it will be - but it will not be the measure of who we are or the measure of our effectiveness.

9.       We raise up world changers - not tour guides. We train commandos, not committees.

10.    We are a people of our destiny, not of our history.

• We have decided that it is better to fail while reaching for the impossible that God has planned for us than succeed at settling for less.

   

• We have decided that nothing short of His Kingdom come, His will be done in our world as it is in Heaven will satisfy.

   

• We have decided that to be contemporary and relevant to our culture and generation without compromising our beliefs and values. All our practices -worship, teaching, schools, conferences, ministry, etc - need to contribute to the development of a Church environment where the 'unchurched' people in our generation can feel accepted and loved.
   
• We have decided  to be Non Religious  in language and lifestyle to be understood by our generation without Christian clichés etc. We desire to act in ways which will enable people to respond positively to the Kingdom of God without compromising the Gospel of Jesus.

   

•   We have decided that we will not be satisfied until our world freaks out and cries out "Those who have turned the world upside down have come here too."

These are some of the decisions that define who we are
as a community and how we live our lives

These decisions are not destinations - but rather journeys - journeys along an ancient path - we have not found some new way - but rather rediscovered the path as old as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The same path followed by Moses, Joshua and Caleb - Paul, John, Peter.

The path followed by the first century church - a church that revolutionized the culture of the first century and beyond.

It is a path that will impact the world we live in today. It is a path of Courage and Bold Faith - believing that what God says is really true and acting on it; Outrageous Generosity - giving our life away in order to demonstrate His Kingdom; Radical Love - loving God with everything in us and our neighbor as ourselves.

It is a path of liberty, freedom, and healing.
On this path you find significance, purpose, and destiny.

This is a path less traveled - however
- it is not a path only available to a select few - but to whosoever will - may come.

It is for people of every nation, tribe and tongue -for those in any occupation or vocation.

No matter where you are in your life journey

- there is room on this path for you

You, too, can be a REVOLUTIONIST!


"Decisions that Define Us is adapted and inspired from copyrighted material from the
books "Decisions that Define Us" and "The power of Your Life Message" by
David Crone. Used by permission."