FICMI Statement of Faith & Core Values - 2020

It is a requirement of all national offices Board members, staff and representatives in the ministry to register your agreement to the organisation's at the beginning of a new calendar year. We are also extending this to all who are connected with the ministry including team members, intercessors and volunteers.

 

By affixing your name in the box at the bottom of the page, you are effectively indicating your agreement to the organisation's Statement of Faith and Core Values, which has been revised/updated by Dr Neil T. Anderson in 2019. A pdf copy of the document can be downloaded here.

 

FICMI Statement of Faith

 

The sole basis for our faith is the Holy Bible, the infallible Word of God consisting of both the Old and New Testaments.  Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Bible is the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and practice. We believe:

1. There is one true God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - each of whom possesses equally all the attributes of Deity, and the characteristics of personality. 

2. Jesus Christ is God, the living Word, who was incarnated by the Holy Spirit and Virgin Mary. Jesus was fully God and fully man, comprised of two natures, but one person.

3. The Father sent Jesus, who lived a sinless life, to make a substitutionary atonement for our sins by dying on the cross thus satisfying divine justice, and was resurrected that all those who believe may have eternal life.

4. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father, and being the only mediator between God and humanity, continually intercedes on our behalf.

5. God created Adam and Eve in His image and likeness, but they rebelled against God and sinned, which separated them from God bringing spiritual death to them and their descendants.

6. We are all born physically alive but spiritually dead in our trespasses and sins. Therefore we all need forgiveness and for our spirits to be united with God through the Holy Spirit.

7. We are born again spiritually when we receive Christ, and are now alive in Christ. We are saved by the grace of God through faith that results in good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should do. 

8. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Those who have the Son have life, and those who don’t have the Son don’t have life. God has written that we may know that we have eternal life. His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. 

9. The Holy Spirit is the Lord and the giver of life. He convicts the world of sin, and guides and empowers believers, that we might live a righteous life, and bear fruit to the glory of God. By the grace of God we can fulfil the Great Commandment to love God and others and the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

10. Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, His Body, to whom He gave ministers according to Ephesians 4:11 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith. 

11. We gather together to worship God in Spirit and in Truth, and partake of the body and blood of Christ in Holy Communion. 

12. We believe that God created us male and female and that marriage is a sacred union between one male and one female.

13. We believe that Satan was a created being who fell from heaven and became the god of this world. He rules the kingdom of darkness through a demonic hierarchy who continually tempt, accuse and deceive the whole world. Jesus came to undo the works of the devil, and transfer us out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His beloved Son. 

14. At physical death, true believers separate from their earthly bodies but are present with God, and eagerly await the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. 

15. At physical death the unbeliever’s name will not be found in the Lamb’s book of life at the final judgement, and will be eternally separated from God. 

16. Jesus will come again in power and glory to consummate the end of the ages. 

 

FICMI Core Values

by Dr. Neil T. Anderson

 

1. The Authority of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16,17)

The basis for the message and methods of ministry of FICMI is the Word of God. The written Word and the Living Word should be seen as inseparable. Jesus is the Truth and so is His Word. FICMI appreciates the contribution of empirical research, and scientific investigation when the results are interpreted through the grid of Scripture. Science is mankind’s attempt to understand natural law. Theology is the Christian’s attempt to systematize divine revelation. Science and theology are fallible, but God’s word isn’t. FICMI is committed to Truth and not any one particular systematic theology and does not see any incongruity between natural law and divine revelation, since both originate in God. All those under the spiritual authority of FICMI are to be subject to God’s Word and all governing authorities established by God (Romans 13:1-5).

 

2. The Centrality of Christ (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Our identity, acceptance, security, and significance are all found in Christ, who is the ultimate revelation of God. Therefore our purpose is to help Christians, their marriages, and their ministries be established alive and free in Christ. God has given the Church, and consequently FICMI the ministry of reconciliation, which removes the barriers to having an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father through repentance and faith in God.

 

3. Worshipping God and Praying (John 4:23)

Worship is to ascribe and embrace the true attributes of God, both corporately and individually, and then live accordingly. We strive to practice the presence of God and consider prayer our first priority, seeking to know Him and to do His will. We don’t try to manipulate God or persuade Him to our point of view. We desire to be on the path that He has chosen for us, and we choose to identify with Jesus when He said, “Not my will be done, but Your will be done.”  We try to bathe everything we do in prayer, not asking God to bless our plans, but submitting to His plans as discerned in prayer.  We believe that Paul’s instruction in Ephesians 6 on the armour of God concludes with the admonition for all believers to pray at all times in the Spirit.  The prayers that God the Holy Spirit prompts us to pray are the prayers that God answers.  God uses such prayers to accomplish His work through us.

 

4. The Unity of Believers (John 17:20-23)

We serve the one true God who manifests Himself as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The unity of the Godhead serves as the model for all relationships. We work to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3). Where Satan works to divide our minds, marriages, and ministries, FICMI works for the oneness of mind, marriage, and ministry as peacemakers (Matthew 5:9).

 

5. Our Identity in Christ (John 1:12) 

Those who put their trust in Christ are children of God. They are no longer “in Adam,” they are spiritually alive “in Christ.” To be spiritually alive means that our souls are in union with God. Christians are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and they are no longer “in the flesh,” but they can walk after the Spirit or according to the flesh (Romans 8:11). Those who are not yet Christians have neither the presence of God in their lives nor the knowledge of His ways, consequently their minds have been programmed to live independently of God. Salvation doesn’t bring instant renewal of our minds, which is why the Apostle Paul warns us not to be conformed any long to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). We believe that Scripture identifies all believers as saints rather than sinners, which does not necessarily reflect our maturity, just our position in Christ. All Christians is identified with Christ in His death (Romans 6:3; Galatians 2:20), in His burial (Romans 6:4), In His resurrection (Romans 6:5,8,11), In His ascension (Ephesians 2:6), In His life (Romans 5:10,11), In His power (Ephesians 1:19,20), and in His inheritance (Romans 8:16,17; Ephesians 1:11,12).

 

6. A Balanced Biblical Worldview (Ephesians 6:10-20)

We recognize the reality of the spiritual world and seek to be filled and guided by the Holy Spirit. We understand that the enemies of our sanctification are the world, the flesh, and the devil. There is a present spiritual battle between good and evil, between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness, between the Spirit of truth, and the father of lies, and between the true prophets and the false prophets, which calls for Christians to have a solid biblical foundation, exercise discernment and keep their focus on Christ. We wrestle not with flesh and blood, but with spiritual rulers and authorities of this present darkness with the understanding that they have been disarmed (Colossians 2:15). We understand this battle to be more of a truth encounter rather than a power encounter, since the devil is already defeated.

 

7. A Wholistic Answer to the Problems of Life (Matthew 6:19-34)

We try to avoid simplistic answers that address only one dimension of life, and try to consider the proper functioning of our bodies, souls, and spirits. First, we teach the need for a balance of rest, exercise, and diet, and respect the role that medicine and medications play in healing and maintaining the body. Second, we acknowledge psychosomatic illnesses and believe that emotional needs can be met in Christ and seek to resolve the problems of fear, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and addiction. Third, we take into account the spiritual component to all problems, which include the necessity of being connected to God, and the need to escape from the snares of the devil. We have a whole God, who deals with a whole humanity, and takes into account all reality, all the time, and we seek Him and His kingdom first.

 

8. Balancing God’s Sovereignty and Mankind’s Responsibility (1 Corinthians 3:4-9)

We cannot ask God to do for us what He has revealed to be our responsibility, and we cannot do for ourselves what only God can do. Any attempt by one person to help another should by done so with the understanding that God is also present and there is a role that God and only God can play in each of our lives. Only God can set a captive free and bind up the broken hearted person. So we seek to establish our methods of ministry with the awareness of God’s omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence. We also seek to understand the sensitive relationship that exists between the encourager and the enquirer helping them to realize their responsibility. As reconcilers and encouragers we also depend upon God and avoid being enablers, co-dependents, and rescuers, which undermines the need of inquirers to be responsible for their own attitudes and actions.

 

9. The knowledge of God’s Will (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

We believe that God will guide all those who seek to follow Him, which is a different concept than knowing God’s will. God’s will for our lives is our sanctification, i.e. that we conform to His image. The goal of our instruction is love (1 Timothy 1:5), which is the character of God (I John 4:16), and not knowledge that makes one arrogant (1 Corinthians 8:1). God is not trying to enlarge our minds; He is trying to enlarge our hearts so that we may be like Him. We can have knowledge and be arrogant, but we cannot know God and be arrogant. Our goal is to know God, and become like Him (Philippians 3:8-14), so that others will know that we are servants of God, because of His love shining through us.

  

10. The Grace of God (2 Corinthians 3:5,6)

We believe that we are servants of a new covenant; for the law kills, but the Spirit gives life. Grace is neither legalism nor license. We could not live up to the law by the law, but we can live a righteous life, if we do so by faith, according to what God says is true and by doing so in His power rather than by our own strength and resources. Part of our purpose is to help Christians and their ministries to move from a works and program orientation to a grace and faith orientation. Biblical strategies and programs will not work unless they are empowered by the life of God, because apart from Christ we cannot do anything of lasting consequence (John 15:5). We don’t have to bear fruit, we have to abide in Christ; and then we will bear fruit. Ministering grace also means that we don’t put a price tag on our ministry or charge a fee for freedom appointments.

  

11. Servant Leadership (Matthew 20:20-28)

We don’t get our significance from titles, degrees, gifts, or ecclesiastical positions. We strive to be significant and secure in Christ, and not Lord it over others (1 Peter 5:1-11). The qualifications to be a spiritual leader (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-9) are all related to Godly character. As servant leaders we choose to walk in the light and speak the truth to one another in love. We want every Christian to reach their highest potential and use their talents and gifts to glorify God and edify others. It is the  purpose of FICMI to empower God’s people by helping them to understand who they are in Christ, enabling them to be all that God intended them to be, so they will be able to do all things through Christ who strengthens them (Philippians 4:13).

 

12. Integrity and Authenticity

Spiritual integrity and authenticity are more important than recognition, and perceived impact. We believe the proper order is to have maturity before ministry, character before career, and being before doing. Who we are is more important than what we do, and we should never compromise ourselves or our message in order gain the approval of others. God’s work done God’s way will never lack His support, therefore we don’t subscribe to worldly methods of fund raising, exaggeration, hype, false pretences, exploitation, and self-promotion. Our focus is to grow in our maturity, bring clarity, correctness, and balance to our message, and let God expand our ministry.

 

By affixing my name below, I indicate my agreement to the above Statement of Faith and Core Values.