Why is it so important that people know these things? You can’t really come in alignment with something if you don’t know what it is. Today, I want to share briefly some reasons for shared vision:
1 Cor. 1:10 (NLT) Now, dear brothers and sisters, I appeal to you by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ to stop arguing among yourselves. Let there be real harmony so there won’t be divisions in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.
Shared Vision:
1. Increases Morale and Reduces Frustration
a. Proverbs 29:18 (NASB) 18 Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law.
i. Vision refers to the word of the prophet.
1. No word, no direction
a. People go crazy.
ii. When the vision is cast… The word of God is spoken (rhema or logos)…
1. People are restrained and happy.
a. They are able to function because they what to do.
b. Isaiah 26:3 (NIV) You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
i. Cloak and Dagger ministries fail!
1. Secrete operations succeed only in frustrating people.
2. Not talking about occasional surprises but consistent exclusive delusions
ii. When you know what to focus on it brings peace and reduces frustration. We need our minds steadfast on God and the things of God.
iii. People have higher morale and enjoy ministry better when they know what is going on.
2. Attracts cooperation
a. Ezra 10:4 (NLT) Take courage, for it is your duty to tell us how to proceed in setting things straight, and we will cooperate fully."
b. A Clear purpose attracts cooperation.
i. When people know what you are doing, people want to join in.
ii. Our church has a vision and new plans will be added to that vision as God reveals them.
1. Vision Statement: Advance the Kingdom of God to your home, in your home, and through your home.
2. Motto: No Contact . . . No Impact
iii. We share the vision so you can grab on to it and cooperate in seeing it come to pass.
c. Cooperation means unity. We must have unity and that comes as we are all trying to accomplish the same goal.
i. If the vision is not shared, you cannot join in unity.
3. Allows Concentration or Focus
a. Philip. 3:13 (NLT) No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,
b. Shared Vision allows us to focus together and become more effective.
i. Magnifying Glass illustration
4. Assists evaluation
a. Lamentations 3:40 (NIV) - 40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.
b. 2 Cor. 13:5 (NIV) - Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?
i. Having a shared vision with clear purpose helps us to evaluate the effectiveness (success) of what we are doing.
ii. We must constantly evaluate our ministries and the purpose of our ministries.
1. What may be effective today, may not be tomorrow.
a. When the horse is dead: dismount!
c. Every ministry that we have must have a clearly defined and measurable purpose.
i. We must examine our personal and corporate ministries openly and honestly, even if we don’t like what we see.
We are going to be looking at the vision, goals, purposes and values of CMC over the next few weeks as well as helping you identify the will of God for your life.
We can’t know the complete vision of CMC without knowing your vision. You are a key at CMC.
