About Us: Vision

:: VISION STATEMENT OF LIVING HOPE

(Our purpose in the light of His purpose)

Psalm 147:1 (NASB) Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant and praise is becoming.

We can only find our true vision and purpose in the light of God’s purpose. God’s purpose for the church is clearly laid out in scripture and captured in Jesus’ word.

Matthew 22:37 - “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

In light of these two great scriptures, there are five major purposes for the church.

> Purpose # 1 ~ Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength

This purpose is also expressed in the word Worship.

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

John 4:23–24 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. ²⁴God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

As a church we want to be a center; a gathering place for believers to worship God with their whole heart; with raised hands and voices declaring the praises and goodness of our God.

> Purpose # 2 ~ Love your neighbor as yourself

This purpose is expressed by the word ministry and covers two groups of people.

The first group is the Church.

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

The second group is the outsider.

As a church we want to be a spiritual beacon; the light of Christ to all people, demonstrating God's unconditional love, truth, and grace through compassionate, friendship based ministries. Further, we want to be a spiritual hospital; an instrument of God's love and hope that brings comfort, healing, restoration, and renewal to the spirit, soul and body.

> Purpose # 3 ~ Go and make disciples

This purpose is expressed by the word evangelism.

2 Corinthians 5:18–20 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. ²⁰Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

Mark 16:17–18 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; ¹⁸they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

As a church we want to be a spiritual army; a body of believers submitted to Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, committed to advancing the gospel of reconciliation and the liberating of all from the hand of Satan.

> Purpose # 4 ~ Baptizing them

This purpose is expressed by the word fellowship.

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

1 John 1:3-4 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

As believers we are called to belong and not just believe. As a church we want to be a spiritual home; a family of Bible-based, Spirit-filled believers, who express God’s presence in a welcoming environment that nurtures trusting, supportive friendships.

> Purpose # 5 ~ Teach them to obey

This purpose is expressed by the word discipleship.

Ephesians 4:11-15 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.

The church exists to educate its members to maturity in Christ. As a church we want to be spiritual school; a center of spiritual learning which equips believers for the life application of the Word, the development of their spiritual gifts and the serving of God’s purpose.

It is said of King David that he “served the purpose of God in his generation.” Acts 13:36.

In light of the above, the summary of the purposes of Living Hope Family Church is: