Capturing A Godly Vision Series

Capturing a Godly Vision

Selected Passages

January 23, 2000

INTRODUCTION

The progress of pioneers

A. They had traveled across the sea

1. Nearly 350 years ago – Vision of freedom in a new land

2. They started by going west to that new land

3. The 1st year they established a town center

B. They refused to move out five miles

1. The 2nd year they elected town government

2. The 3rd year the government decided to build a road going five miles west into the wilderness

3. The 4th year the town tried to impeach the government – There was no need to go further west

C. What happened to these pioneers? - They had lost their vision

1. These people were doing things against great odds – Literally they were doing something that was impossible

2. They crossed 3,000 miles of ocean, endured hostile environment and overcame many hardships.

3. They could not overcome the loss of vision

II. The process of regaining vision

A. It is long and difficult

1. Vision doesn’t just happen overnight – It is a process

2. Vision is easy to lose but hard to regain

B. It is absolutely necessary for survival

1. Chuck Swindoll Quote: Vision is essential for survival. It is spawned by faith, sustained by hope, sparked by imagination, and strengthened by enthusiasm. It is greater than sight, deeper than a dream, broader than an idea. Vision encompasses vast vistas outside the realm of the predictable, the safe, the expected. No wonder we perish without it.

2. Vision makes us able to beat the odds and do the impossible. Vision helps us to live life!

BODY – Keys to Capturing a Godly Vision

I. Understand God

A. God gives us vision

1. We must know God before we can ever hope to know His vision.

2. When we truly seek out God and His vision for our lives – He will reveal it to us.

B. How are we to seek God?

1. Study God’s Word

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

a.) God reveals His character

b.) God reveals His expectations

c.) God reveals His love and grace

2. Worship God

a.) Worship by song

b.) Worship by preaching and teaching

c.) Worship by prayer

3. Prayer to God

a.) Jeremiah 33:3 - Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

b.) Prayer allows us to tap into the limitless resources of God

c.) Prayer opens us to God’s love, grace, mercy and revelation

d.) Prayer allows us to connect with the awesome power of God

4. Fasting to find God

a.) The purpose of fasting is to make a personal sacrifice to spend time with God

b.) Fasting allows us to become better tuned with God

c.) Fasting allows us to understand the richness of God’s provision

II. Understand your community

A. We must know our neighborhoods

1. We can not reach those we do not know

2. We can not minister to needs we are unaware of

3. We cannot impact lives from a distance

B. We must know our fellow ministers

1. All of us are to be ministers for God.

2. We have all been gifted and placed to do God’s work

3. We need to know how we can work together to build the Body of Christ.

4. No matter how gifted and good you are – You’ll never succeed alone.

C. We must know our competition

1. Other churches are not our competition

2. Our competition comes from things that draw people away from God

a.) Sleeping late

b.) Television

c.) Community activities

d.) Weekend events

3. Our true competition is a lack of dedication.

III. Understand yourself

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Eph 2:10

A. You are special

1. There is no one like you – There never will be

2. God has created you for a special purpose and a special plan

3. You come together in this congregation to complete the Body of Christ

B. Understand your key personal factors

1. Your emotions

a.) You have emotions for a reason – They help you deal with life – God can use emotions to speak and to teach

b.) Your emotions must be under God’s control – This sounds easy but its extremely hard

2. Your abilities

a.) You have been given gifts by God for His service

b.) Your gifts make ministry possible

3. Your relationships

a.) Ministry does not happen in a vacuum