Our commitments

Grace Fellowship International Church of Paris is committed to loving one another, praying for one another, sharing life with one another, and forgiving one another for
the sake of the gospel.

Love in Action

Stephen Rhodes explains,

Hospitality, when you get right down to it, is unnatural. It is difficult to place others first, because our inclination is to take care of ourselves first. Hospitality takes courage. It takes a willingness to risk. But as our Lord reminds us, if we only love those who we are sure will love us and welcome those who will welcome us, then we have done little to share the love of God, for as Jesus says, even the heathen do that. You see, most of us know what true hospitality feels like. It means being received openly, warmly, freely, without any need to prove ourselves. Hospitality makes us feel worthy, because our host assumes we are worthy. This is the kind of hospitality that we have experienced from God and all that God asks is that we go and do likewise, particularly to ‘the alien among us’.

Praying for Believers

Thabiti Anyabwile states, “Praying for other Christians is a tangible expression of love and care (see Eph. 6:18).” Members of GFICP are committed to praying for the church family. We pray for wisdom and unity for our leadership (1 Tim. 3:3), for the sanctification of fellow members (1 Thess. 4:3), and for unity among diverse cultures (Jn 17:20-23).

Fellowship the International Way

When believers come together, we must be open to culturally appropriate ways of greetings so that others will feel welcomed and secure in our presence. In France, a kiss on both cheeks is an appropriate way to greet a fellow believer. In much of Asia, physical touch is frowned upon and is not translated as an expression of welcome. A bow or handshake is more appropriate. Members in a multicultural church must be willing to change cultural behaviors for the sake of showing love to others.

Forgive Before Jumping

The differences in cultures are not wrong: they are simply different from our preferences and presuppositions. Duane Elmer provides some steps to help believers avoid premature negative judgments toward cultural differences :

  • Recognize you are making a negative judgment. It will serve you well to be able to monitor these kinds of thoughts in virtually every social situation. Ask yourself, am I jumping to a negative conclusion?
  • Stop as soon as you recognize you have a negative thought or make a negative remark or negative judgment. Ask whether you have enough information to be negative about that person. Should you suspend judgment, get more information and seek cultural understanding before drawing a conclusion?
  • Does the observed behavior violate some clear mandate of Scripture or should it be labeled as a cultural difference?
  • If it violates a clear biblical mandate, how can you respond so that you still communicate openness while addressing the concern? This takes great wisdom and should not be done quickly and probably not in the same way as in your own culture. If you are not a veteran of several years in a given culture, you should perhaps seek out another mature Christian or local pastor to help you navigate the situation in an appropriate way.
  • Try to understand how this difference is part of the larger tapestry of the culture.