What God Wants Different at ZPM
1. No shouts or applause for man only for God.
Break it down: No more pastor worship in God’s house by God’s people;
No more people pleasing by God’s servants.
2. Choosing people we like and preparing them for boards and
committees rather than mission is not what God wants.
Break it down: God wants folks to be prepared to serve the body, empowered,
and then set free for mission, not to become captive servants
of their church. Folks will be trained and commissioned in a timely
way according to each person's gifts and the breath of their call
and service.
Delegation and fellowship are a great opportunity for the body
to grow and become mature. Delegation and fellowship at ZPM
will be done according to the dictates of the Holy Ghost with our
sights set on spirit to spirit relationships, not flesh to flesh or
mind to mind relationships.
3. Christ’s body has no divisions.
Break it down: Those who divide the body of ZPM based on race, background,
and gender will be corrected. No cliques will be accepted. A
multicultural church reflects God’s love for all peoples and is
a sign of universal salvation.
4. ZPM is not out to reproduce or imitate other ministries,
denominations, or exclusively espouse certain brands of theology,
worship styles, or bible interpretation.
Break it down: It is more important that ZPM seek, express, and protect what
the Spirit is saying and doing, under the authority of scripture,
so as to carry out it’s new work, than to adopt any
denominational or otherwise customary practice. Thus, when it
comes to worship, and other matters, we will be open to where
the Holy Spirit leads.
5. The practical overarching goal of ZPM is to represent healthy
and faithful Christians who are able to make decisions for
themselves in faith and accept mission responsibility.
Break it down: Our faith in Christ is not best defined by a particular style, or piety, or
where we worship or even doctrine (though certain doctrines are
foundational), but by the mature free faith choices we make, or as Paul
puts it “the just will live by faith.”
6. All believers should accept the whole gospel and be open to the
importance of the Hebrew Scriptures (“Old Testament”), especially
in regards to God's desire to give Israel a second chance at salvation
(Rev. 11, Mt. 23,38-39, Zechariah 12,10: “I will pour upon the House
of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace
and of supplication, and they shall look upon me whom they have
pierced.”)
Break it down: Too many of us Christians have ignored the wisdom of our Jewish faith
roots because we assumed wrongly that the God who said “if I ever
forget you Jerusalem let my right hand whither,” did just that.
Without a better understanding our Hebrew faith roots, we may
not understand or withstand end-time events and prophecies.
7. The pulpit or any ZPM means will not be used to embarrass or
intimidate anyone.
Break it down: No bullies in ministry, or administration.
Mercy is better than sacrifice and defines how we were all saved.
Therefore, mercy trumps justice. Thus all discussions and disagreements
and discernments will be conducted in a manner that does not rule out
mercy and forgiveness.
The first servant, or his delegate, will make himself available for face
to face interaction with those attending the mission.
8. The priority of ZPM is life giving, body building, Sunday worship.
Break it down: Empowered and faith giving worship comes before commissioning for
service. But if churches become too busy, and clique oriented, Sabbath
worship suffers. Moreover, busy churches distracted from worship can
make newcomers unwelcome.
9. Holy Host Baptism is the norm of living by faith. It is a definte
and distinct experience with manifestations of infilling. It defines
Christian unity better than any doctrine on paper. It is also the
means of unity and communication in the body of Christ and the
sign of God's new covenant with man.
Break it down:
All folks are welcome at ZPM, yet all will be challenged to seek and
accept baptism of the Holy Ghost as the primary requirement for
mission service. There is no lack of "works" for God by folks who
haven't been empowered to the degree God intends.
10. God is Sovereign in His House. No man or woman or idol will be
permitted to take His place.
Break it down:
Social and religious customs, political-religious
correctness, and soulish leadership cannot adequately govern
those who follow Christ. The rule of the Holy Ghost is the new
"law" of Christianity, confirmed by the word, is the best way
to respect the absolute and the just-merciful sovereignty of God.
11. Churches tend to fall mainly into one of three categories:
“Traditional”where rules and past practices and being part of the
dominant social structure govern; “Mega-Relevant” where modern
worship and business decisions and engaging the present culture are
important; “Emergent”where authenticity and witness come before
fitting into the dominant culture of the day.
Break it down: All churches combine some components of these broad categories.
ZPM will likely fall largely into the emergent category, but will not
hesitate to use the God given authority of the traditional church, the
practicality of the mega church, while focusing on authenticity as
led by the Holy Spirit. In a day when many churches fight the
appearance of being more concerned with status and power,
than serving the gospel,searching for more authentic ways of
doing things is valid.
Bro. Tobin- Feb. ‘08
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