What We Believe
Core Beliefs
We are convinced that no ministry will have long term effectiveness in the lives of others without being firmly rooted in Christ and the gospel of His grace. This is the heartbeat of our ministry and lives wherever we are. In addition, we believe that the whole of Scripture must be applied to the whole of life, so that the wide range of doctrinal and practical instruction in God’s Word is taught, received, and applied.
Therefore, it is vital that we know and agree upon the teaching of the Scripture on the major issues of the gospel, and that we have prayerfully worked through the major doctrinal and practical implications that flow from it. Throughout her history, therefore, the church has produced creeds and confessions, nailing her “colors to the mast” proclaiming what she believes to others who profess the faith, and to the world around them. That is what we are doing in stating our core beliefs, which describe our theological commitments and ministry principles.
Doctrinal Foundation
LION of Zambia is an evangelical ministry, assenting to the “5 Solas” of the Reformation: Scripture Alone is the infallibly inspired final authority over the believer and the church, Christ Alone is the only way to God, and His work is entirely sufficient for the salvation of all the Redeemed, God’s Grace Alone is that on which we must depend for this salvation, which is obtained by Faith Alone, apart from any works or merits we can offer God, which leads us to give Glory to God Alone, for the salvation which was from first to last the work of His great mercy and love toward us in Christ Jesus.
In addition to affirming the major creeds of the church such as the Apostle’s and Nicene Creed, our doctrinal standard as a ministry is the London Baptist 1689 Confession of Faith which we take not as our ultimate authority, but as a good and helpful summary of the teaching of Scripture concerning, among other things, God, mankind, salvation, the Christian life, and the church.
Guiding Principles
We are convinced that no ministry will have long term effectiveness in the lives of others without being firmly rooted in Christ and the gospel of His grace. This is the heartbeat of our ministry and lives wherever we are. In addition, we believe that the whole of Scripture must be applied to the whole of life, so that the wide range of doctrinal and practical instruction in God’s Word is taught, received, and applied.
Therefore, it is vital that we know and agree upon the teaching of the Scripture on the major issues of the gospel, and that we have prayerfully worked through the major doctrinal and practical implications that flow from it. Throughout her history, therefore, the church has produced creeds and confessions, nailing her “colors to the mast” proclaiming what she believes to others who profess the faith, and to the world around them. That is what we are doing in stating our core beliefs, which describe our theological commitments and ministry principles.
Doctrinal Foundation
LION of Zambia is an evangelical ministry, assenting to the “5 Solas” of the Reformation: Scripture Alone is the infallibly inspired final authority over the believer and the church, Christ Alone is the only way to God, and His work is entirely sufficient for the salvation of all the Redeemed, God’s Grace Alone is that on which we must depend for this salvation, which is obtained by Faith Alone, apart from any works or merits we can offer God, which leads us to give Glory to God Alone, for the salvation which was from first to last the work of His great mercy and love toward us in Christ Jesus.
In addition to affirming the major creeds of the church such as the Apostle’s and Nicene Creed, our doctrinal standard as a ministry is the London Baptist 1689 Confession of Faith which we take not as our ultimate authority, but as a good and helpful summary of the teaching of Scripture concerning, among other things, God, mankind, salvation, the Christian life, and the church.
Guiding Principles
- Trust in the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ to do its transforming work in the lives of those to whom you minister (Romans 1:16-17; Titus 2:11-14).
- Intertwine sound doctrine and instruction into all aspects of ministry, whether in leadership training, church planting, or benevolence (1Timothy 4:16).
- Respect the central role of the church in the work of building the kingdom of God (1Tim 3:14-15; Ephesians 3:20-21).
- Cooperate with existing ministries of churches whenever possible, rather than creating a new ministry or program (Acts 16:13ff).
- Work toward the establishment of native leadership and support in all spheres of foreign ministry (Acts 14:21-23).
- Be prepared to go where God sends and do what He sets before you at all times (Acts 13:1-3; Acts 16:6-10).
- Exercise a simple trust for God’s Fatherly provision, believing that “the grace of God will keep you where the will of God takes you” (2Corinthians 9:6-8).
