Exalt, Equip, Evangelize - an invitation from Pastor Heath Jarrett

Make plans to join us this Wednesday evening for a new class entitled Exalt, Equip, Evangelize: What it Means to Belong to Living Hope Fellowship. This 6 week class is designed to share what is most important to us as a church. Why do we gather every week? What are we trying to accomplish together? What does it mean to belong to Living Hope Fellowship? The elders are calling each one of you to a joint confession of beliefs, a commitment to behaving as a Christian in all spheres of life, and an active partnership in this gospel ministry by investing deeply here at home.

Our core values at Living Hope Fellowship can be summarized in three words:

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).

If a local church is going to grow together in grace and advance the gospel further into the surrounding culture, it needs a common confession of beliefs, a clear identity, and a shared mission taken directly from Scripture. As clear as the Bible is on these things, so much confusion persists in church after church, person after person. In these days, the gospel of Christ, if not jettisoned all together, is often buried under or set alongside political fervor or social justice, conspiracy theories or culture wars. If the church speaks as loudly about the second amendment or voter fraud, prison reform or vaccines, as it does about Christ, it's no wonder our culture is confused. So is the church.

You are inundated with speeches trying to persuade you, especially this time of year. I am calling you to submit every area of life and every thought to Christ. If our church is to be effective in ministry, we must resist running after everything that would divert attention away from the gospel of Jesus Christ, the only power God has given us for salvation and sanctification. Each one of you must recognize the subtle yet sinister temptations to sanctify such distractions with Christian-ish words. We cannot rubber-stamp all of our agendas with Jesus' name. In fact, every agenda must go except that which Christ himself has left us with. Scripture is our clear and present guide; Christ is our one and only light. This upcoming class is a clarion call for all of us to Exalt God in all that we do, to be Equipped more and more for gospel-focused ministry, and to commit to Evangelize for no other cause than Christ alone.

This class is for all of us. Even if you do not typically attend Wednesday night, the elders strongly encourage that you attend this course. Zoom will be available. Families and children are welcome! We will hold the class in the Fellowship Hall and set aside the classrooms in back for the kids to play in the same space. Additionally, if you are interested in formally becoming a member of LHF or simply curious about membership, these 6 sessions are required. (Class attendance does not automatically result in church membership.)

Grace and peace, Pastor Heath