Fulfilling God’s Vision by Connecting with Our Community
Luke 9:1-6
In this passage in Luke Jesus makes it clear that His Vision for His followers and the church is to connect with the surrounding community. Jesus sent out his twelve apostles and gave them power and authority to cast out demons and to heal all diseases. Jesus sent them out to the surrounding villages to preach good news and heal the sick.
In 2007 we are called to fulfill God vision by connecting with our surrounding community. We are called to pray for our community and offer good news and meet needs of people who live around us.
We need to ask, “What is God’s Vision?” In the beginning why did God create Adam and Eve to begin the human race? God is all sufficient in Himself. Yet He created a wonderful universe for human kind go enjoy. In recent years we have explored parts of our vast universe.
We sent a man to walk on the moon.
We cooperate in the manned space station.
We send rockets to Mars and outer space.
We have sent submarines many miles in the depths of the
ocean.
In Genesis one God created all the wonders of the universe: sun, moon, starts, planets, sea creatures, birds of the air. Genesis 1:26-27, “Then God said, ‘Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life – the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals, and small animals.” So God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them.” New Living Translation
God created people in the image of Himself for communion and fellowship. From the very beginning God’s vision was to provide salvation and redemption from sin for all people who would believe in Him and obey His commands. Genesis 3:15
God’s vision included prophets and teachers to instruct his people in holy living and righteousness.
God chose Abraham to become the founding father of His people. Abraham obeyed God’s call to leave Ur of Caldeans and travel to a land that God would show him. By faith Abraham took his family and all his possessions and followed the Lord’s leading.
God made a covenant with Abraham and promised Abraham that he would become the father of a great nation. His nation would not be the descendent of his first son born to his wife Sarah’s servant, Hagar an Egyptian.
In their old age Abraham and Sarah gave birth to Isaac. Isaac’s wife, Rebekah gave birth to Jacob, years later in the line of Abraham, David was born and in the line of David, Jesus, God’s Savior was born.
Throughout Biblical history God has spoken through prophets and teachers calling people to repent and trust in the Lord the creator of heaven and earth.
God’s vision is that all of the people of the earth become part of His Family and community of believers. God’s vision is for us to know Him and to make Him known.
God ordained the church as His instrument to carry out His plan of salvation and redemption. God gave instructions to build the synagogue and then the temple to provide a visible place of worship for the people of God. God has always expected His followers to come together as a worshipping community.
When Jesus entered human history He made it clear that God’s vision is to equip the people of God to infiltrate the larger community and the world and use all means to communicate good news of the Gospel to all who would listen.
God’s vision is for us to keep the “Go” in the Gospel.
“Go into all the world and make disciples of all people
groups, baptizing the min the name of the father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19
Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10
God did not use the same means and methods to communicate to His people. He spoke directly to Adam, Moses and the Prophets. He spoke to Samuel by calling Samuel’s name. To other prophets God spoke through dreams and visions.
God’s last way of speaking was and is in the person of Jesus Christ. God spoke through his chosen leaders to record His Word. Today God continues to speak to us primarily through His Word. Hebrews 1:1-3 – “Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. But now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he made the universe and everything in it. The Son reflects God’s own glory; and everything about him represents God exactly. He sustains the universe by the mighty power of his command. After he died to cleanse us from the stain of sin, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God of heaven.”
I want to visualize God’s vision for the Willow Vale Church by drawing a picture of a Vision Tree.
Rooted in Christ
Jesus represents the roots of the tree. Roots give the tree stability. Take away the roots and the tree will not stand. Without roots in your life you become fragile and open to following every false teaching that comes along.
The person of Jesus is the very root and purpose for the existence of the church.
The apostle Paul said that the very focus of the Gospel message is Jesus Christ. “Dear brothers and sisters, when I first came to you I didn’t use lofty words and brilliant ideas to tell you God’s message. For I decided to concentrate only on Jesus Christ and his death on the cross.” (I Cor. 2:1-2) NLT
Our methods and styles may change but our message stays the same. Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.” Take Jesus out of our message and we have no message. Jesus declared this truth for all time, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
Grounded in the Word
The Ground surrounding the roots and serving as the foundation for the tree represents the Word of God.
During 2007 I want you to become grounded in the Word. I want us to be a people of the Word. I will endeavor to do my part by preaching the Word. During the coming year I will focus much of my preaching on significant Biblical characters of the Bible, Genesis through Revelation. God’s Word is about people. As you know the main characters of the Bible you also know God’s Word.
We learn best through inter-action. Take the initiative to get involved in a small group – Sunday school class, home group, or an online study. Through our church web-site we will develop a basic Bible study for new and growing Christians. We hope to have it up and running the first of February. Click on Bible Study in the menu on the first page of the Web site, www.wvministry.com or .org.
Our Mission
The trunk of the tree represents our mission.
As a local church what is God’s vision for us in 2007. God’s vision is for us to continue His Vision:
“To know God and to make Him know”
“Continue the ministry started by Jesus”
“Bringing people to Jesus, loving, equipping and
Sending them out to make more and better
Disciples.”
Relevant to our Culture
The branches of the tree represent our various ministries that we want to be relevant to our culture.
The sign of a dying church is a church that refuses to change when the surrounding community and culture are changing. To communicate to our surrounding community means that we are willing to make changes to stay relevant.
To communicate to our changing community six years ago we helped sponsor the Sky Korean Church a Free Methodist congregation. Two years ago we helped sponsor a Hispanic FMC. God’s mission is to reach all people groups.
To stay relevant to our culture we need to do several things:
1. We need to learn to think like unbelievers. We need to listen to what the needs and hurts are of people in our community.
2. We need to focus on the felt needs of the un-churched, their emotional needs -- their need for love, acceptance and inner peace.
3. We need to let our ministry area determine our approach—It takes all kinds of ministry styles to meet people’s needs.
a. The needs of the un-churched should guide us in determining our ministry programs.
b. Their hang-ups should help determine our strategy.
c. Their culture should help us shape our style..
4. We need to be willing to minister outside our comfort zone.
5. We need to appeal to as many people as possible.
We need to use our resources to connect to people in our community.
People today are searching for community. Why do you suppose Starbucks and other places provide free wireless internet connection? You go to a Starbucks and you see cluster of people gathered around a table drinking coffee or a frappachino. I noticed that frappachino is not even in the dictionary yet or on spell-check. Go to Barnes and Nobel and you see people sitting around reading books and browsing through magazines. A starbucks café is also part of the Barnes and Noble book store.
When I was in Florida a couple weeks ago I wanted to e-mail Colleen Jones our power point specialist my sermon outline. I went to a Starbucks to use their wireless network. I was informed they were too small to have one. I asked where the closest wireless was located and they directed me a couple blocks away to “Panorea Bread” a place you can get delicious soups and sand witches. I went there about 9 AM and got a breakfast sand witch and signed onto their wireless network.
As a local congregation we want o provide a safe place for people to gather and become part of a community. Our ministry team is exploring ways to make changes in our various ministries to stay relevant to our community. Our vision is to be a healthy, vital church fulfilling God’s vision and mission to our community.
John 4 Jesus traveled through Samaria. He took time to show compassion and love to an outcast Samaritan woman. He waited at the well near Sycar and when the woman came to draw water he asked her for a drink and entered into a conversation with her that after a time of discussion Jesus revealed to her that he was the Messiah. The disciples were in Sycar buying food at an open farm market. When they returned they asked Jesus if he was ready for lunch. Jesus told them he had food to eat they didn’t know about. Jesus said, “My nourishment comes from dong the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. Do you think the work of harvesting will not begin until the summer ends four months from now? Look around you! Vast fields are ripening all around us and are ready now for the harvest.” John 4:35
When you drive around the San Jose area, what do you see? Do you see people as Jesus sees them? Jesus sees people in our community who have lost hope. Jesus sees people who are oppressed, broken, and searching for meaning to life.
Are we too busy so we don’t take time to look? Are we so filled with our own problems that we put on blinders to the needs of others? Jesus gave the command: “Love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you mind and with all your strength and love your neighbor as yourself.” Mark 12:30-31
Your neighbors are all the people living around you. Will you take time to demonstrate your love and go to your neighbor?
Jesus says, Willow Vale Church, look on the fields, they are ripe unto harvest. People all around you are searching for hope and seeking meaning to life. Will you go to them?
Numbers 13-14 describes how we are to face the future as a local church. The Lord told Moses to send out 12 spies, one from each tribe, to scout out the land of Canaan. For forty days the 12 men explored the land of Canaan. The men returned to the camp of the Israelites bring samples of various fruit they found. One cluster of grapes was carried on a pole by two men.
The spies gave their report that the land indeed flowed with milk and honey. But ten of the men reported that the cities were protected with walls and the descendants of Anak, giant sized people lived in the land. If the Israelites tried to conquer the land they would be crushed like small grasshoppers.
Caleb and Joshua gave the minority report and declared that with God’s blessing they could conquer the land. “Let’s go at once to take the land.” Joshua 13:30
As we look at our community that church surveys say only 5-9 % of the population attends a church for worship on any given weekend; so we might say the ground is too hard; people in our community have hard hearts. Let’s hold the fort until Jesus comes.
With faith like Caleb and Joshua we will go forward by faith and God will bring the increase.
Ask Moses as he stands before the Red Sea with the Egyptian army closing in on him: “Nothing is too hard for God. Let’s go forward.”
Ask Caleb and Joshua, “Lift up your eyes, what do you see?” “Let’s go up and conquer the land – God will give it to us.”
Ask David, “No giant is too big for God. The bigger they are the easier they are to hit.”
What is the level of your faith this morning?
Little faith – God can do it.
Great faith – God will do it.
Miracle faith -- God has done it.
The Proverb writer said, “Where there is vision fewer people perish.” May the Lord help us to move from little faith to great faith to miracle faith?
The purpose of an Apple Tree is to bear more apples. The purpose of the church is to bring more people to Jesus.
Our church is like a vision tree: We are rooted in Christ, grounded in the Word, faithful to our mission and relevant to our culture. As we are faithful to God’s vision we will reap a harvest – the addition of new Christians and the multiplication of more trees.
