WE ARE TO BE A HOSPITAL
We think of a hospital as a place for healing. Jesus during His earthly ministry was anointed by the Holy Spirit to bring healing. He referred to Himself as a physician. In the same way, His body, the church has been anointed to bring healing to the nations. The most serious sickness in the world is sin-sickness. Healing begins when the GOOD NEWS of Jesus, who died for us, is believed. Many people come to Trinity broken from sin. This brokenness includes sickness of soul as well as body and mind. The Good News of forgiveness and God’s unconditional love brings healing and well-being to the soul and to our minds. We all need this healing on a daily basis. The ongoing Gospel ministry at Trinity takes place when individuals express caring love toward one another. God’s healing love is also expressed in our counseling and prayer ministry.
WE ARE TO BE AN OASIS
We think of an oasis as a place of refreshment in the desert. In many ways, life outside of Christ is a desert. There is spiritual thirst and inner dryness. The fellowship of believers can be an oasis as together we come into the presence of the Lord in worship. As the Psalmist said, “As the deer pants for the waterbrooks, so my soul pants for You, O God.” Jesus told a Samaritan woman that she could have spiritual, living water by believing in Him. Our Lord also said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” (John 7:37-38) The Lord wants Trinity to have vibrant weekly worship celebrations where we can receive a fresh drink in our fellowship with Jesus as we listen to His Word and come to the Communion Table. We also have opportunity for “oasis” experiences as we fellowship with one another in small groups and Bible studies.
WE ARE ALSO TO BE A FORTRESS.
We think of a fortress as an enclosed protective place. Our world has rejected the idea of absolute truth. There are many people who have no boundaries for their individual lives. More importantly, they have no boundaries for their family. The Lord wants Trinity to be this protective place with the boundary of God’s truth that sets us free. We are to teach and preach the Word in all its truth and purity and help people to live and walk in truth in their everyday lives. The Lord wants us to use the many Christian education opportunities to build truth boundaries in our own lives and also to place our children and young people into a protective place of truth.
A fortress is not only an enclosed protective place. A true Fortress has a door for going out. Armed and growing in truth, the Lord sends us out not of the world, but in the world. Individually we can evangelize with the truth of the Gospel in our day-to-day lives at work, with friends and with family. As a body of Christ, we can witness to the truth through outreach. The open door of our fortress is also an opportunity to send workers into a world that is lost without the saving Gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We have many opportunities to support missions and ministries that bring Jesus, the truth, into a lost world.
