Of all the things that a church could be commended for I believe the greatest example comes from what Paul said about the church in Thessalonica.  There were certainly some issues the church faced especially in the area of the second coming of Christ.  The point is there was definitely enough “stuff” to cause the church to be divided and to be filled with tension and conflict.  What is so encouraging is to read what Paul had to say about the church in Thessalonica.  Along with the theological issues there was persecution and many trials they were experiencing.  In 2 Thessalonians 1:3 Paul says, “We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.  Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

Of all the things that could be said about us at Tri-Lakes as God’s church I would pray that we would be recognized for our growing faith and love.  God has blessed us in such an incredible way concerning our growth in numbers.  I pray we grow in our understanding of how important it is to continue to grow in our faith and love.  We acknowledge that there are areas in all of our lives in which we might disagree concerning the details.  We acknowledge that everybody is different in many ways in how they think and act.  But through the amazing uniting power of Jesus Christ we acknowledge that we are the same.  Ephesians 4:4-6- “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”  This morning’s message will focus on our walk of faith.  The journey is not always smooth,  in fact sometimes it seems almost impossible to make and we might feel discouraged enough to sit down and quit.  It is in those times that we need to remember the true meaning of faith.  It is also in those times we need to remember the true meaning of love from our brothers and sisters in the church.  It is an ever growing faith and an ever-growing love that will see us through every journey and for that we praise God.