Casting Vision

Casting vision: Home and Church

Ephesians 4:10-12

Introduction-

I want to talk a minute about casting your vision.

About goal setting and doing what each one of us is called to do.

Not everyone is called to be a pastor.

Without God’s calling, and God’s blessing, I don’t recommend that you try it because contrary to people seeing me one hour on Sunday, it is a very demanding , very spiritually draining and frankly without God’s help and anointing,

I would not be able to do it.

I say that to say, that God has something for each one of us do.

There is such a thing as being in God’s perfect will and doing what God desires for our lives.

This takes seeking God’s direction and that very much takes God’s help in accomplishing.

Casting vision and goal setting is not new in the Bible, there is a thread throughout as God leads His people to become the very best that He desires for us.

The misconception occurs when we think that God only wants to direct the lives of the Moses, Abrahams, Nehemiah’s, Jeremiah’s of the world.

He desires to lead and guide each one of our lives, I believe especially those that have professed Him as Lord and Savior.

He wants to see His will done in our lives, which should be our wills, and see that our lives grow and mature and the kingdom of God expanded because we have apart in it.

We will be looking at several different Scriptures, so maybe you want to write them down.

Jesus is talking about unity in the body of Christ and the deity that keeps the body in unity.

Ephesians 4:10-12 (From Bible)

Apostle Paul introduces the idea that God has gifts for all His people and that it is the responsibility of all of us to find what that is to better ourselves, family, church, and the kingdom of God.

When we do that, God uses these gifts to prepare God’s people for works of service (12)

Some people want to read this verse as God raising up leadership to do all the work for all the people, but really it is God training all the people to do the work themselves so that the body of Christ may be built up.

There is only one way to cast a vision- that is God’s way! At least for a believer that is.

Lots of people have great vision. But usually, it does not happen because of 2 things.

1. They could not communicate to others and the dream died.

2. They were not faithful to it as it got tough and they gave up.

Most people today have no commitment; they are quick to run when things get tough or never recover from a past hurt or failure.

I am assuming that you have a dream, if you do not have a dream, I don’t care how old you are, that would be your first mistake.

God says “My people perish because of a lack of vision.”

There are 5 principals that make up the church.

Fellowship

Discipleship

Worship

Ministry

Evangelism

To be a fully functioning church All 5 have to be operating at the same time.

Average churches do some but not all.

There is a reason that the Lord says that we need to be in a fully functioning church. It is because each of us needs these 5 functional things in our lives.

We need fellowship

We need to worship God and be in His presence.

We need discipleship- we need to be accountable because we cannot survive on our own.

We need to be plugged into ministry. We need to be involved in something that is bigger than we are. We need to feel that we belong and not just visiting.

We need to evangelize. We need for our benefit to express our faith to others what God has done for us. It benefits our faith and at the same time is a testimony to others that draw people to God

Proverbs 20:5-

“ A plan in the heart of man is like deep waters, but a man of understanding draws it out”

Society is sinking in deep water because they are not understanding that the plan of God has for the church is the same that He has for each one of us.

We are the church!

If it were possible that I could look each one of you in the eye, I would say without hesitation that weather you are 10 years old or 100 years old, you need the church and the church needs you.

We need each other and we need God to be able to live life like God intended.

The problem today is not the economy, it is that most people have no vision, they are living their life in survival mode instead of living the vision that God wants to give them.