12 FOUNDATION STONES INTRODUCTORY NOTES 4 WELCOME TO THE FAMILY The Family is a worldwide Christian fellowship dedicated to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. All Family members have received Jesus as their personal Savior and have been baptized with the Holy Spirit. Each member believes that he or she is called by the Lord to serve Him. The 12 Foundation Stones course is based on the Bible and on Family publications. The following is a brief introduction to our movement. > What is The Family? We are an international Christian fellowship. We have each been called by the Lord to serve Him as disciples in The Family. Our full-time disciples live in communal Homes. Our lives are dedicated to Jesus and helping others. For more information and details, see our brochure, "Introducing The Family" and/or the “"Statement of Faith." > The goals of The Family * No. 1: To preach the Gospel, that others would come to know Jesus as their Savior. We strive to fulfill Christ's commission to His disciples to "preach the Gospel to every creature" at every opportunity. Mark 16:15—And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." Matthew 28:19–20—Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. You can show some of the publications we use in our witnessing, such as posters, tracts, music cassettes, CDs, videos, plus of course the Activated series of magazines and books. * No. 2: To be a living example of the love of Jesus through deeds of caring. We try to be a living example of the love that we preach, endeavoring to follow the model of Jesus, who described His ministry in these verses: Luke 4:18–19—The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. We believe that our love for others should be manifest through caring deeds, and for this reason we seek ways to provide comfort and material assistance to the disadvantaged. Psalm 41:1a—Blessed is he who considers the poor. James 2:15–16—If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? James 1:2—Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble. * No. 3: To ensure that each of our children receives a godly upbringing in the best possible environment we can provide. Psalm 127:3—Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Isaiah 54:13—All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. * The Family's founder and current leadership In 1968, David Brandt Berg, a former pastor of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, began a Christian outreach ministry to the counterculture youth in Huntington Beach, California, USA. From these humble beginnings, what started primarily as a youth group grew to become an international Christian movement, whose members today live and work in over 100 countries worldwide. The movement became known as "The Family" in the early 1980s. David was the founder and pastor of The Family, and many of our publications are based upon his writings, as well as of course on the Bible, which he taught was God's standard, the yardstick of measurement by which all truth and all error could be measured. Along with the classes in this course, you will be introduced to some of David's writings. After leading The Family for 25 years, David passed away in late 1994. His wife of 25 years, Maria, now leads The Family together with her second husband, Peter. Like David, Maria continues to publish many writings to The Family on a variety of spiritual and practical topics. * Our communal lifestyle Our communal lifestyle is based on the sample of the Early Church, though of course our life is adapted to the 21st century. The lifestyle of the Early Church included sharing the Word, fellowship, prayer, leading a simple life, and telling others (witnessing). Acts 2:42–47—And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. Our full-time disciples choose to abide by the Family's governing Charter of rights and responsibilities. They live in communities, as the early Christians did, sharing what they have. However, there are also other members of the Family who do not choose to live communally or are unable to for different reasons. We also work together with many Family members who help on a part-time basis to support and assist us in our job of preaching the Gospel. Our purpose for living communally is so that we can better devote our lives to the service of others. Living and working in cooperation together, pooling our talents and resources, allows us to better manage our day-to-day lives and organize our public ministries. Our children are well cared for, educated and vocationally trained in our communities, while adults have the opportunity to study God's Word, instruct new believers, and reach out to others in need. * Working together in harmony, following the Lord's leading Putting the needs of others before our own Psalm 133:1—Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! Galatians 6:2—Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Philippians 2:3–4—Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. * Making decisions through discussion and prayer Proverbs 11:14—Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety. Psalm 33:11—The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. Proverbs 19:21—There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the Lord's counsel— that will stand. * A life of faith We live in a world that is increasingly secularized. The pursuit of material wealth has become the driving force of most people's lives. In contrast, although we also have material needs, we don't want to spend the majority of our time in seeking after them. The Lord has called us to devote ourselves to Him and others. We believe that as long as we are working fulltime for Him, living a life based on faith and for the good of others, He will take care of us. Matthew 6:19–21—Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; (20) but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:31–33—Therefore do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" … (32) For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. (33) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Family disciples are dedicated to full-time service for Jesus, sharing His message of hope, love and redemption with the world. We consider it a blessing and a special calling to be able to serve God and our fellow man in this way, and a worthy work for others to help support, knowing that they in turn will be richly blessed by God.