Hoping in Christ

4 min read

7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
— 1 Thessalonians 1:7-10

My prayer is that such things would be said of our Canvas family. When I reflect on how God has been shaping my life and the message that He has been developing in me, I realize that this text has had a significant impact on me.

The vision that God gave me is that we would be a community that renews the hope of Christ and His church in the South Bay.

When I heard the stories and saw the fruit of dysfunctional churches here in the South Bay, it seemed very clear to me that people were placing their hope either in “easy believism” (a secular worldview with a thin layer of weekly church attendance) or in moralistic, therapeutic deism (“MTD,” a vague notion of a good god who is more like a psychiatrist-genie) or in religious activities and people that became venues for spiritual entertainment and consumerism. Because of this easy believism and moral, therapeutic deism and spiritual consumerism (all of which is idolatry), many churches (many people) suffered, especially young people.

There was very little hoping in Jesus Christ and Him crucified, resurrected, and returning. And where there is little hoping in Jesus Christ (our living God and King), churches become places that foster PTSD rather than communities through whom the Lord’s message of faith, hope, and love rings out.

But the Lord has been gracious to us. Whatever little hoping in Christ there was, God has amplified it and magnified if to foster more hoping in Christ.

Not that we are perfect. Not that we can rest on where we are at, spiritually speaking. May we never be satisfied with where we are at spiritually because there is always a next generation who needs us to be models of hoping in Christ alone and Him crucified, resurrected, and returning.

Hoping in Christ alone and Him crucified, resurrected, and returning. I only have a vague notion of what that really looks like in my life. But I pray that that hoping would be what people see in me and in our GCC Canvas family. In Jesus’s name. Amen.