God’s Extraordinary Dream - For The Church Series

GOD’S EXTRAORDINARY DREAMS… FOR OUR CHURCH

SONG LYRICS: There Must Be a Place by Brian Doerksen

Deep down inside, inside my soul I feel passion and fire

I’ve got a yearning that words cannot express, a hunger for love and tenderness

Deep down inside, I know you feel the hunger, and so do I

When the wonder of a fairy tale, will never fail

There must be a place where dreams come true, There must be a time when I’m free to fly

There must be a place.

OPENING: Vision for 2010 – God’s extraordinary dreams for YOU.

“For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but where dreams come true, there is life and joy.” (Proverbs 13:12).

QUOTE: Why do we love fairy tales, and fantasy stories and movies?

“In the original Beauty and the Beast… a creature that no one could bear to look upon is transformed into a handsome prince. That which was dark and ugly is now glorious and good. Is it not the most beautiful outcome of any story to be written? Perhaps that is because it is the deepest yearning of the human heart. Look how often this theme surfaces. Cinderella rises from the cinders to become a queen. The ugly duckling becomes a beautiful swan. The frog becomes a prince… In hope beyond hope, they are all transformed into the very thing they never thought they could be. Why are we enchanted by tales of transformation (and dreams come true)? Why is it an essential part of any great story? Because it is the secret of Christianity.” (John Eldredge, Waking the Dead).

KEY TEXT: “God is able to do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams].” (Eph. 3:20, Amplified).

• God has placed within our heart hopes and dreams that He wants to fulfill for us!

• What are your hopes and dreams for your life? For your relationships? For your family?

• Over the next month, we are going to look at how to pursue these dreams.

• One of my dreams is to finish writing my book “Supernatural” and see it published.

QUOTE:

"I believe God wants us to dream, and to dream big, because He’s a big God who wants to do big things and He wants to do them through us." (John Maxwell, Put Your Dream to the Test).

Our leaders are reading through this book right now.

IMPORTANCE OF VISION:

A man bought a new hunting dog. Eager to see how he would perform, he took him out to track a bear. When they got into the woods, the dog picked up the trail. Suddenly he stopped, sniffed the ground, and headed in a new direction. The young dog had caught the scent of a deer that had crossed the bear’s path. A few moments later the dog stopped again, smelling a rabbit that had crossed the deer’s path. On and on it went until finally, the hunter caught up with his dog, only to find him barking down the hole of a field mouse. He lost sight of his original vision.

• Jesus said, “I will build my Church!” (Matthew 18:16). He loves the Church!

• “that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:27).

THE BIG IDEA: God has an extraordinary dream for His Church. When we pursue that dream, and become everything that He has destined us to be, many people will come to faith in Jesus, and God will be glorified.

GOD’S DREAM FOR OUR CHURCH:

We exist:

• to REACH people with the love of God ... evangelism

• to CONNECT them in loving relationships with other Christians ... fellowship

• to help them to GROW in their faith through God’s Word ... discipleship

• to challenge them to DISCOVER their gifts ... ministry

• and GLORIFY God with their lives. ... worship

DREAM #1: that people would GLORIFY God with their lives. (worship)

Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest commandment.” (Matt. 22:37-38).

• Our highest calling as believers is to love God – to worship Him – with all of our hearts.

• What does this look like?

o Sunday mornings would be a time of joyful celebration of the presence of God.

o That we would worship God in spirit and truth every day of our lives.