The Values that shape us most
1. We value the Lord Jesus Christ
We confess the supreme worth of Jesus
At St Luke’s we trust and love the Lord Jesus Christ more than anyone or anything else. His love and holiness, power and authority, have been revealed through his victory over the grave. In response to this revelation we treasure him more than any other priority in this life.
We rely on the redemption only Jesus brings
Humankind tends to live independent self-centred lives, though we were made for so much more. Jesus Christ took the consequences of our selfishness upon himself on the cross, died for it, and rose on the third day. Because of this great achievement all our true human desires can be satisfied in Christ- either in this life or in the new world to come. Through our faith union with Christ the power of sin is broken, we are forgiven, made new, and we have hope for our own resurrection to eternal life.
2. We value our unity in Christ
We are made one by his blood
By faith in his blood, Christ knits his people together into one spiritual body. At St Luke’s we seek to honour Christ’s sacrifice by practicing the unity he has won for us at so great a cost.
We practice this unity by gathering in congregations Sunday by Sunday. These worshipping communities reflect the diverse social tapestry of the City of Frankston. In these congregations we identify with Christ rather than finding our first identity in our age, cultural background, line of work, family role, worship style, music preference- or any other identity factor. Jesus makes us one.
We live together in Christ
In our St Luke’s congregations and across the St Luke’s community, we seek to support one another, bear one another’s burdens, rejoice with one another and mourn with one another. We seek to care for each other deeply, practically and prayerfully. We spur one another on in the life of faith in the power of the Spirit.
3. We value the way of discipleship
We walk a different path from either legalism or cheap grace
There are two paths that lead away from the life of genuine discipleship. The first way to stray from Christ is the way of religious legalism. Religious legalism puts human moral effort at the centre of all things. Moral effort and human religious practice become our self-salvation, our great pursuit. The second way to stray from the path of discipleship is the way of cheap grace. Cheap grace says ‘God loves me so I can do anything I want’. This limits the claim of Christ over our lives and turns the Scriptures from God’s very words into an optional sourcebook of spiritual inspiration.
Against religious legalism we hold to the sufficiency of Christ and his cross in our redemption. We rely not on ourselves, but upon Christ for our redemption. Against cheap grace we witness to the total claim of Christ upon our lives. He has redeemed us at great cost. The only right response is to surrender all to him, in the power of the Spirit. This is both the most costly and the most satisfying way to live.
4. We value the Spirit’s empowering presence
We are all indwelt by the Spirit
After Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father, he poured out the Spirit of God upon God’s new people. Now all who turn to Christ, putting their trust in him, are also indwelt by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit births in the people of God new desires to love and serve Christ, rather than live for self. These new desires are stronger that our old selfish desires. While we may struggle and give in to temptation, we expect the overall trajectory of the Christian life to be one of growth, as our new desires hold greater and greater sway.
We are all gifted to serve
The Spirit of God gifts every believer with at least one spiritual gift. These gifts are given for the upbuilding of the worshipping community and the pursuit of the Great Commission. We encourage our members to find ways of using their gifts to contribute to the witness and mission of the body of Christ at St Luke’s, in the City of Frankston, and beyond. At St Luke’s we accept all the spiritual gifts mentioned in the Bible: from prophecy and healing to the gifts of service and mercy.
5. We value the City of Frankston
We seek the good of the City of Frankston
We believe that God has put great good in the City of Frankston. We count the many schools and places of learning, charities, hospitals and healthcare services, sports clubs, businesses, professional services, trades, police personnel, government agencies and representatives: as good gifts from our heavenly Father’s hand. We seek God’s blessing on all who pursue the flourishing of the City of Frankston.
We work with other citizens and churches
As we go out into our own weekly responsibilities, we would ourselves pursue the good of this City. We would work alongside other citizens in a shared project to see the City of Frankston reach its full potential. We have a particular desire to work with the churches of the City of Frankston to pursue city-wide renewal. We believe that God would renew Frankston in all dimensions of her life, and we work together with other churches to pursue that renewal.
Our St Luke’s Vision
To see the City of Frankston transformed by the hope of the Risen Lord Jesus
Through the below link, you can access a flier which describes the Next Steps in our 2020-2025 Vision. Our Next Steps are due for renewal this year.
St Luke’s 2024-25 Vision Flier
The following are our exciting Primary Objectives. Goals that we invite every St Luke’s member to support.