As God’s people at Faith Lutheran Church, we rightly include as part of our church’s name the term “evangelical.” That word means gospel-centered as we focus our preaching and teaching on Jesus: Who He is, what His chief work is and naturally what that means for the life of those who follow Him in faith.
As we have been discussing, the season of Pentecost stresses the growth of God’s Church, His family of believers. By no means, however, do we forget that God in His grace achieves that growth. Salvation rests solely on what our Savior has accomplished on our behalf. The Holy Spirit specifically causes that growth, first by creating faith through the waters of baptism and then strengthening and sustaining that faith through the gospel in word and sacrament.
No matter our race, gender or social status, faith in Christ makes us equally members of God’s family. May we continue to treasure this truth and share it with others! That’s fulfilling the mission of Pentecost.