Our Manifesto

The Twelve Commandments of Free Faith

1. Faith is free. It is not something that we work for, but given by God by His grace.

Matthew 6:30 If God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

2. The church is for everyone. Salvation is available to anyone who come to meet God.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

1 Corinthians 3:10-11 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

3. Love is not conditional. Each person deserves to be loved, no matter where they are coming from.

Romans 3:9 Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin.

4. It is Jesus who calls, not humans. No one other than Jesus can say what one’s calling is.

Matthew 9:35 Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

5. The servant cannot be above his master. Servanthood and humility are what the Lord seeks from His people.

Matthew 20:16 “The last shall be first, and the first last."

John 15:20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master ' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”

6. To err is human, to forgive divine. Each person is a sinner whose salvation comes only through Jesus.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

7. Worship is a lifestyle. More than songs and lip service, what counts is how a person lives his/her day-to-day life to glorify God.

Luke 3:8 “Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father,' for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.”

8. Do not judge a book you have not read. Never condemn anyone based on what appears on the surface level.

Matthew 7:3"Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

9. Insulate, not isolate. As a Christian is in the world but not of the world, s/he need not separate themselves from humanity for fear of contamination.

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

10. Faith is not blind. One cannot believe without understanding and seeking the answers of his/her faith.

John 9:39 And Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind."

11. Live in genuine fellowship. Remember the grand commission: to seek and save the lost.

John 15:12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”

12. Thou shall not steal. Theft and robbery of any kind do not and never will reflect God’s love and will for His children.

John 10:10 "The thief coes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life,

and have it abundantly.”

Know more at Free Faith.

Hello, World!

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

I’ve been thinking about this verse for quite some time now, and I think that we’ve taken it wrongly. Or at least, our approach towards it is not quite accurate.

For a lot of Christian groups, the verse means that we should steer clear of the world completely. This means that while we interact with the others, that is, “secular” people, we make a conscious effort to not be like them. Since we’re already renewed, shouldn’t we be acting differently, making it a point to be different from who they are?

For some time, I actually prescribed to that line of thought. After all, the verse did say, “Do not conform to this world”, right? Gradually though, I began to challenge that belief. The verse doesn’t end there. It says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The implication is, if you really try and get to know God, and He reveals Himself to you, then being in Him would mean transformation. It’s not so much that you separate yourself from the rest of humanity, but that you immerse yourself in the Lord. How can you live out the Grand Commission (making disciples of all nations) when you separate yourself from the other people? Are you just going to stick to that little niche of yours for the rest of your life, because we think that what is outside of that is the “big, bad world”?

What I’m getting at here is, as Christians, maybe we should change the way we think. If we really are in the Lord, we have nothing to fear about being corrupted. Jesus already died on the Cross and gave His Spirit. He’s with us. Are we that afraid to be contaminated? Not only is that selfish, but it implies lack of trust. Are we that insecure of His love for us? Are we that self-centered that we would disregard any possible people we might bring into the kingdom for the sake of preserving our souls?

It’s this sense of self-preservation that puts Christians in hot water. We focus on ourselves too much that we don’t realize how much damage we’re doing to the name of Jesus. Think carefully: can you think of someone who’s technically “secular”, but in reality is doing more good than self-proclaimed Christians? If you’re honest to yourself, you’d probably say yes, because there are a lot of good people out there who are not necessarily believers. You know why? Because they’re not afraid to put themselves on the line for other people, as opposed to those who say they follow Jesus but look too much on possible effects a situation might have on them that they end up not doing anything at all. Honestly, if in your heart, you know that it’s the will of God, then go with it! Things don’t always have to go by the book to be seen as “right” or “good.” That would be legalistic, and completely pointless, because faith is all about grace and not necessarily doctrine.

This kind of thinking is not just selfish, it’s also arrogant. Honestly, the reason why a lot of people look at Christians negatively is because of the air of self-righteousness. “Oh, I can’t associate with him, he smokes!” “Oh, I can’t spend too much time with her, she parties a lot and drinks!” Please. Get off your high horse! Just because someone’s different from you doesn’t mean that they have no rights! I loved the sermon given last Sunday. The priest talked about human dignity, that no matter who someone is, s/he deserves love and respect. And no, that’s not a worldly way of looking at it. Never forget that Jesus died for each and every one of us. It is not only for those who are in church, but especially for those who are not part of it. He came for those who are sick, not those who are well (Mk 2:17). If God didn’t care for those who haven’t come to know Him, then why is He willing to leave His flock in search for a single missing lamb? This is who God is. He is not organizations- or institutions-based, but focused on the well-being of His people, no matter what their relationship with Him is.

When you get down to it, this kind of thinking is damaging. Categorizing between the “holy ones” and the “secular people” is a big no-no. We have no right to classify which is good and which is bad, because all of us are under the power of grace. All of us are sinners who are dependent on the goodwill of God. Remove the labels. Take away the bigotry and the self-righteousness. Throw away the garbage.

This is when genuine love comes in, not only because you embrace everyone for who they are, including their flaws and imperfections, but also, that you see them and everything else in the light of God’s love. With this, we become less smitten with what appears on the surface level, but on what’s happening inside, to the core. Where everything becomes meaningful, and, in its own special way, beautiful.