A VISION OF HOPE AND EXPECTATION FOR GREATER THINGS

Preparing to Catch the Vision for your life and your church.    Part 1

Do you have hope for your future? Are there some visions or dreams that God has birthed in your heart for yourself and your church? Do these line up with Scripture? God has a plan an purpose for your life and your church and this will motivate you to follow Him and BRAG ABOUT JESUS.

https://getalongwithgod.com/living-loved/wait-for-him-in-quiet

Jesus was a shepherd, not a cattle rancher. You can’t drive sheep, they have to be led. I am not the kind of leader who gives orders and micro-manages what people do. Those are managers, bosses, and I’m nobody’s boss. It’s better to let the Lord be boss so that we practice hearing from God and walking in the Spirit as we follow His direction. As a leader I much prefer to just provide general direction. We’re in Pasture A. Pasture B is over there on the next hillside. God will lead us there, step by step. Prophetically I can say that while we’re walking He will give us the wisdom to see or anticipate pitfalls and snares to avoid. He will also give us increasing clarity of what’s in Pasture B that will excite us like a woman in her 9^th month of pregnancy. The enemy will lie, and steal and distract but as we keep our eyes on Jesus, our hearts towards God, the enemy’s efforts are no more than annoyances to be thrust aside by the power of God working through us.

Let’s start with some scriptures about the importance of vision and the leading of the Lord. I pray that before we leave today we will be energized, motivated and eager to hear from God about things concerning His plan for your personal life and your roles in the growth of our church. There are two sides to this concept, though the emphasis may appear to be on us as a church, please keep in mind that these principles also apply to our individual lives. Concerning both sides of this coin, remember what the message included last week, the desire that the Lord would send us people to disciple who will in turn make disciples. We’ll repeat those 6 things we need to do and continue to do as He answers that prayer at the conclusion of this message.

You’ve probably heard this quoted before. Did you think about the opposite, “Where there is vision, people thrive” (Tobin Perry, “Vision, Mission and Purpose.”). Having vision for the ministry (service) of our church is very important. So is having vision for your life. Tobin goes on to say,

“Your church was not meant to survive—your church was meant to thrive! Too often, when we ponder how we want our church to thrive, we focus on what our church isn’t. We figure: (italic items added by Pastor Andy)

ü we’re too small, we need more people so we can do_________ (you fill in the blank)

ü too mono-cultural,

ü Too traditional to impact our community in a meaningful way.

ü Add whatever other excuse you can come up with. (Remember the definition of an excuse).

https://leadershipfreak.blog/2015/03/19/well-excuuuuse-me/

So we make every effort we can to change ourselves. But what if the key to unleashing your church’s ministry potential isn’t trying to be something you’re not, but embracing who you are and developing a growth and legacy plan around that? What if you currently have everything you need to be the church God has called you to be? How could that change the future of your church?”

Photo by Pastor Andy

As this applies to our own lives, I am prone to react strongly when I hear someone short change themselves. Of course we have natural limitations and temporary afflictions that inhibit doing what we might like to do, BUT, never let that prevent you from obeying the Lord.

Philippians 4:13   I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

So what’s in those dreams, those longings, and those motivations in your heart? Do you immediately try to scale them back to fit the box of what you think is realistic? As we walk in the Spirit God goes before us and moves within us. He has chosen to use His church, His people, to be channels of His power and love, as the vessels used to unleash His best on the world.

Are you not born of the Spirit? Have you put up the sail in the boat of your heart so that the wind (the Spirit of God) can blow you to a destination? Remember the change in the lives of the 120 after the wind blew into that upper room.

When you wait on the Lord do you spread your wings so you can fly very high and see everything from God’s perspective?

Ponder these metaphors and get a glimpse of how they apply to you and to your church.

Before we get too far along on this, we need to take this in light of the Word so as not to be misled by our carnal nature, by the enemy or by those who would try to manipulate according to their personal agenda.

The following verses will help us gain insight into going from Pasture A to Pasture B. These principles will keep us on track; they’re like our GPS for the road to understanding God’s Vision.Jer. 10:23   I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course...

Psalm 25:4    “Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.”

Exodus 33: 13   Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight:...(KJV)

Isaiah 55:8   “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

9   For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Prov. 16:1   The preparations of the heart belong to man but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

9   We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

Prov. 19:21   There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.

Psalm 119:105    “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path

Psalm 25:10   “All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.”

Proverbs 4:18   But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

Now this last verse is one the Lord has frequently spoken to His body, and to me personally. Each new chapter in our lives brings the lessons learned in the previous chapters but change happens as we turn the page.

Isa. 43:18   Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

19   Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

These verses are the foundation for decision making and planning. Planning without vision is to me a bit senseless. Just doing something for the sake of “it’s a good thing to do” or the cliché politicians overuse, “it’s the right thing to do” begs the question, is this plan in line with God’s direction for me, or for our church? Is it in sync with the vision He has planted in our hearts? Which side of these proverbs is such a plan? Who is determining these steps? What’s the motivation? Listen carefully to the contrasts in these verses.

Prov. 16:1   The preparations of the heart belong to man but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

9   We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

Has God planted a seed, vision for your life in your heart? He doesn’t often get very specific because if He did we would try to accomplish it in our own strength with our finite brain. We would miss all the twists and turns in the road God has for us to get there that prepare us for the fulfillment. It’s good to take things one day at a time, one step at a time, but determining if we’re talking the right steps is important. Are we being Spirit led in those steps, following the answer from God’s tongue? Are we taking steps of faith or presumption?

OK, let’s bring this all home to where we live and to our church. I hope you have personal goals, things you know the Lord has put in your heart. They may or not be timed but at least there is something directing you, giving you hopes for something great in your future. Now think along the same line concerning your church. How would you define you're churches' Pasture "A"? Perhaps it's like some burning embers   

that had been just glowing for a long time, desperately needing the wind of the Spirit of God to gently blow on those embers to get some flame. Your church leadership needs to feed it with just the right fuel so that it grows but isn't smothered. Maybe it

has become a small campfire where you gather around and worship, being blessed by the gentle breeze of the Spirit but there's little spiritual or numerical growth.  If you stay there you’ll be going around the mountain again and again, just being a “Bless me club” in maintenance mode. As a pastor, I know enough about Pasture B to make me want to lead the church there. I don’t know the details but I know we all want to see the church grow and function to the greatest capacity concerning the Great Commission. I hope the Lord is giving you the desire and wisdom to take lots of small steps get to Pasture B. The other thing I see about Pasture B is that it’s a place of healing and deliverance that seeking people will find.

To that end, let me remind you of the 7 things from last week. I was praying as we went back and forth from Pensacola beach for Christmas with my son and daughter in law, “God send us people to disciple who will in turn make disciples.” After I cried out to God for awhile I asked the Lord about what steps may needed to take, or that we be prepared to take as HE answers that prayer? The following 6 things came to mind.

1)    Be a people who spend time alone in His Presence. We follow the words of the old song, Turn your eyes upon Jesus until the things of earth grow strangely dim. Disciples must, above all else, practice the Presence and hear from God personally.

2)    Walking in the Spirit while in the world, we also practice the Presence. This practice in all parts of life we consequently lead others by that example.

3)    We need to have a powerful prayer life so that people know we are a people of prayer and seek us out when they face the stuff of life and realize they need prayer. I’m not necessarily talking about mature believers. May we have such an experiential understanding of our role as priests of God that people will seek us out for help.

4)    We experience God’s Presence as the power, and experience Him so that others are provoked to do likewise.

5)    As we stand in the gap for people, we eventually will see them get connected to Jesus. Then we step into the role of the great commission and take the opportunity to make disciples.

6)    The Lord sending us “fresh fish” may require us to change our routine, to alter our time priorities, perhaps make changes in our church service and/or add an additional meeting for prayer and Bible Study. We need to be willing to do whatever the Lord leads us to do when He leads us to do it. Jesus is Lord and works all things together for our good.

7)   Make every effort to invite the people that need to hear the message of salvation, healing and deliverance and that they experience Jesus.

May God give us more and more opportunities to share our testimonies and brag about Jesus to those outside the church.