What Guides Us?
This July, I and the other elders celebrate two years of leading together in this church—two years filled with God's mercy and grace despite innumerable challenges. As we gathered in those early days, we had many immediate needs to oversee in the church. That has not changed. You may feel that we have neglected some of them. Please forgive us. But, in addition to the pressing issues of the day, we also knew we needed to gather our church around a common core if it was going to advance into the future. We needed a clear identity and vision. What kind of church are we? What guides us? The following is the fruit of those prayerful wrestlings with God. In many ways, this is not who we are but who we must become. Don't make the mistake of reading this with a quick glance and a tip of the hat. The elders are calling each of us to a genuine revival of priorities and purpose.
THE CORE
Exalt—We're made to worship! Everything exists for the glory of God alone (Romans 11:36).
Equip—Every saint is called and expected to be equipped for ministry (Ephesians 4:11-16).
Evangelize—Christ commissioned his church to evangelize the nations (Matthew 28:18-20).
4 GUIDES
1. Gospel-saturated—Why does the Gospel saturate every page of the Bible? Because we need it every day! The Gospel is the power of God for salvation from beginning to end. Therefore, we need to believe it, treasure it, apply it, and grow in it constantly (Romans 1:16-17). Every ministry at LHF must be Gospel-soaked.
2. Bible-focused—We're not going to hear the voice of God anywhere other than in his Word. And we won't be saved or transformed by any other method or message. That's why we're dedicated to preaching, teaching, and studying the whole of the Bible in season and out of season (2 Timothy 3:14-4:5). Entertainment, psychology, philosophy, and gimmicks won’t get air time.
3. Christ-centered—The Bible's story is about Jesus Christ. This does not mean that we teach "Jesus only" or diminish the Trinity in any way. To see Christ is to see the Father (John 14:7-9; Col 1:15). To have the Spirit is to be pointed to Christ (John 15:26; 16:14-15). Jesus taught us that the Bible is about him (Luke 24:25-27, 44-49; John 5:39, 46). When we see who Jesus is and what he has done, we properly see the Father and the Spirit, all to their shared glory (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14).
4. Spirit-empowered—The ministry of the Holy Spirit was vital to Christ. Even in his perfect humanity, Jesus Christ relied on the power and presence of the Holy Spirit throughout his life (Matt 3:16; 12:18; Luke 4:1, 14, 18). If Christ himself depended on the Spirit, how much more must we?! Spirit-empowerment, known as "the baptism of the Spirit," comes immediately upon every Christian's conversion (Mark 1:8; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13). This in no way equals speaking in tongues (compare 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 & 12:29-30). The Spirit-empowered life continues by being "filled with the Spirit." This means to be under the Spirit's control, guided by what he cares about (Ephesians 5:18-21). In addition, the Spirit gives individual Christians unique spiritual gifts "according to his will" for the common good of the Church (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).
Now that we know what our core and our guides must be, next week I'll talk about what journey those guides must take our church on. Where are we going? What are we trying to accomplish? The elders are calling you to join us in intentional and prayerful consideration of these things.
With love,
Pastor Heath
