Whoops! The apostle Paul has described this new congregation in Thessalonica as being empowered by the Holy Spirit, living with faith, hope, and love. But it is clear there is tension and division. This should not be surprising. After all, there is so much diversity in their midst. There are Jews and Gentiles, there are rich and poor, there are old and young, there are men and women, there are educated and uneducated. This will later cause Paul to write, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” But this Thessalonica church is not there yet.
Paul is frustrated. He writes about his compassion and joy for them and how they need to be in full agreement, loving the same things, joined together with minds set on the same things. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.
Paul was at a big disadvantage, he is writing from a distance, and he cannot be there to help the people discern God’s preferred vision for them. When Pastor Mike came to Lutheran Church of Hope, there was no clear vision. In fact, there were some competing visions, similar to the church in Thessalonica.
At Hope, some very faithful folks started meeting to discover God’s vision for the congregation. They believed that with a God-inspired vision, there is nothing God could not do in their midst. This led to the creation of a mission that has not changed in almost 30 years, for it is God’s mission. Do you remember it?
Mission. Reach out to the world around us and share the everlasting love of Jesus Christ.
Vision. Powered by the Spirit to bring Christ to all cultures, revive the world with God’s love and make heaven more crowded!
Five Core Values: 1. Jesus is life. The rest is details. 2. Lost people matter to God and so they matter to us. 3. We worship God, not tradition. 4. Following Jesus is a growing experience. 5. We are one body, united in Jesus Christ.
There is no secret as to why Lutheran Church of Hope is the largest Lutheran congregation in the country. It has leaders who are very effective at interpreting this vision, and it has members who both understand and embrace that vision.
Questions for reflection:
- What happens to a church where there are competing visions?
- Why do you think there is so much power in a vision?
- Which of the core values resonates most with you?