Becoming a Christian is the most important choice you will ever make. It is more important than choosing your education, your career path or who you are going to spend the rest of your life with in marriage.

To become a Christian is to know the reason for your existence and to make sense of your purpose here on earth.

This Lifestyle Statement is not a list of do's and don'ts that make a person a Christian, (just as the Faith Statement is not a list that by simply assenting to makes you a Christian). We believe that it is only the personal heartfelt acceptance of Christ and His death alone which is sufficient to make us right with God. Nevertheless, when people become Christians their lives will change because of the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. This will make them different not just in what they believe but in the way that they live in contrast to the rest of the world. The following statements try to give a benchmark and flesh out what it means to live in the world as a Christian. It does not mean that we always keep these standards, but when we fail we can say sorry to God and so know his forgiveness, we can then trust God to help us lead a more holy life in the future.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will. - Romans 12:2

 

• Devotions

When someone comes to know Christ there will be a hunger in that person to know God more, and this should show itself in regular private 'devotions' involving prayer and Bible reading. This is important for spiritual growth. There will also grow in a person's heart the desire to be with fellow Christians and the joy in regularly meeting together for worship, teaching, fellowship and communion. The Christian will recognise the graciousness of God in setting aside one day a week for worshipping Him with other Christians, and we should take advantage of that God-given opportunity.

 

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. - Matthew 6:6

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. - Acts 17:11

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. - Genesis 2:2-3

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. - Exodus 20:8

On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. - Acts 20:7

 

• Finance, hard work and the use of our time

There is great joy in seeing God's Kingdom grow, and even more in being partners with Christ in this task and therefore Christians should be open about their faith and be willing to share their faith with others.

 

The bible considers hard work for a Christian a virtue to be encouraged especially if it means he is not a financial burden to others. It regards the ability to earn money; to provide for his immediate family, to support relatives who fall on hard times, to look after parents who for one reason or another are unable to look after themselves, to give to the poor and to provide finance for the extension of God's kingdom, as all vital aspects of the Christian lifestyle. We appreciate that there may be times when this is not possible due to illness, incapacity or economic circumstances in the country beyond the individuals control but working so that you are not a financial burden to others should still be considered a godly goal.

We should always be willing to give of our time, resources and finances to further Christ's Kingdom. In the old testament the people of Israel gave a tenth of what they had. In the new testament Christ encourages us to give liberally with the idea that we are happier giving than receiving. With this motivation we should surely do as well as the people of Israel and give at least a tenth and do it privately, eagerly, with great joy and without compulsion. The love of money in the end creates misery because we think that the things we own or the security we gain in this world can bring us true happiness instead of God and therefore all forms of greed such as gambling and the desire to spend as much as possible in getting as many things as possible should be replaced with a desire to put God first.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. - Acts 1:8

For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: If a man will not work, he shall not eat. - 2 Thessalonians 3:10

Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God ... Give the people these instructions, too, so that no one may be open to blame. If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. - 1 Timothy 5:3-8

He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. - Ephesians 4:28

- remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive. - Acts 20:35

For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. - 2 Corinthians 8:3-5

On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. - 1 Corinthians 16:2

But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of heir wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on. - Mark 12:42-44

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. - 1 Timothy 6:10

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. - Ephesians 5:3

For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. - Mark 7:21-22

 

• Relationships

As the Holy Spirit works in our lives to make us more like Christ, we will find that swearing, the taking of the Lords name in vain, and the use of indecent language will disappear. As Christ gives us a heart of love we will show this in the way we treat people with respect by being polite and trying to tell the truth. As Christ rules our hearts, so the macho self image which produces illegal acts of violence, such as brawling and fighting, will be replaced with a humble desire to do what is best for others.

 

We will find true joy and fulfilment in our lives by serving the Lord in celibacy or in marriage between a man and a woman who are faithful to each other. Seeking transient pleasures through practising homosexuality, promiscuity, pornography and other sexual activity outside marriage is wrong and should be repented of, as they separate us from the lasting pleasure of knowing God.

We believe that our gender is an essential part of being created in the image of God and that therefore if we try to change our gender this will be destructive to our person hood and therefore wrong.

It is our privilege to be part of God's vision for His Church, which at the end of time will be presented to Christ as His Bride, made up of people from every nation and race, and therefore racism and hatred of people from other nations can have no part in the Christian character.

You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. - Exodus 20:7

Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. - Ephesians 5:4

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. - Ephesians 4:31

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Marriage should be honoured by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. - Hebrews 13:4

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:28

The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." - Galatians 3:8

For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility. - Ephesians 2:14

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." - Revelation 7:9-10

 

• Human Life

Because the Bible maintains that human life begins at the point of conception the taking of the life of an unborn child is wrong. We recognise, though, that a case may be made for the taking of such a life when the life of the mother is put in jeopardy.

 

We cannot use suicide or aid someone in suicide so as to escape distress. Instead we must cast our pain and fear on Christ, and seek His help to sustain us. We recognise, though, the right of a person to refuse medical treatment if that person prayerfully considers the treatment inappropriate, even if that refusal may lead to dying sooner.

As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. - Luke 1:44

You shall not murder. - Exodus 20:13

 

• Drugs and Alcohol

Emotions and desires are an essential part of our make-up, but should be genuine.In other words, emotions should correspond properly to reality: ie a thing of beauty should give us joy, something foul and corrupt should give us feelings of disgust, seeing someone in pain should illicit compassion, the loss of a loved ones should make us feel sad, and when we do something wrong we should feel remorse.

 

The use of recreational drugs separates emotions from the events that produce them, and start to create a lie in our lives, so a drug makes us happy rather than real events or God. This distorts our entire spiritual lives and profoundly damages our walk with Christ. Drugs also tend to create a dependency and God tells us that we should not be in bondage to anything other than Himself. Another reason for not using illegal recreational drugs is that we are commanded to obey the law of the land. It also should be remembered that drugs have a tendency to damage our bodies and these bodies belong to God. It is for this reason that smoking is to be discouraged. We should also live sober lives and therefore Christians should either abstain from alcohol or be moderate in its use.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? - 1 Corinthians 6:19

Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat. - Proverbs 23:20

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. - Ephesians 5:18

 

• Citizenship

We should be good citizens, and so obey the law of the land and respect its institutions as long as this does not force us into wrongdoing or denying Christ

 

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour. - Romans 13:1-7