SERIES: IT: Finding It, Keeping It, and Sharing It
(freely adapted from Craig Groeschel’s It: How Churches and Leader Can Get it and Keep it)
“YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE IT”
SELECTED SCRIPTURES
OPEN
Last week, we started a new series called, “IT: Finding It, Keeping It, and Sharing It.” The first message was called, “What Is It?” We defined it this way – “It is what God does through a rare combination of certain qualities found in his people.” Those qualities are: 1. A passion for his presence 2. A deep craving to reach the lost 3. Sincere integrity 4. Spirit-filled faith 5. Down-to-earth humility 6. Brokenness.
One important thing about it is that there are certain qualities found in churches that have it. Let me explain it this way. I’m a football fan. I like to watch football and I used to love to play football. I was pretty good at it. I like talking about football. One of the questions people ask is, “What makes for a great football team?” It’s a question that’s been debated many times.
Some might say that a great coach is the essential key to a winning football team. Having a great coach certainly helps but if there are not some talented players on the team, the coach can only do so much.
Another person might argue that a star quarterback is what makes a successful football team. And a star quarterback does make a difference. But without a good offensive line, no quarterback will ever have time to do his job efficiently.
Someone else might say that outstanding defense wins games. An outstanding defense is important. But, the team still needs to put points on the board to win.
Every successful team wins in different ways. Some have a strong running game and others a great passing game. Some have the best defensive lineup. Whatever the strategy, winning teams have a few common ingredients. They have drive and desire. The players and coaches all have a strong work ethic. They share a good chemistry and they learn to win together.
The same thing is true in churches. Not every church can achieve it the same way. It would be foolish to try. Not every church will have a star preacher or the greatest worship team. Not every church can have a beautiful building. Not every church can bus in hundreds of kids to their youth ministry events or host a large VBS. But every church can develop some consistent qualities that contribute to it. Over the next several weeks, we’re going to look at these qualities and work on developing them in our congregation.
This message is about – uh – vision. Yeah, that’s it. Vision. What can I tell you about vision? Well…. Hm…. Where was I? Oh, that’s right – vision. What do I want to say next? I sure hope this message communicates what we need to hear. So, we’re back to vision…
Are you still listening? I hope so. You know, trying to preach a sermon with no direction – no vision for its purpose – doesn’t work very well. If a sermon did not have direction, it would be silly to stand up and preach it. And think how foolish it would be to lead a church without vision.
DETERMINE THE VISION
There is a Hebrew word that describes what I’m talking about. It’s chazown. It’s utilized 34 times in the Old Testament. The best-known verse that uses this word is Prov. 29:18. Listen to how it’s utilized in several different translations. (NIV) “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint.” (KJV) “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (NLT) “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild.” (NRSV) “Where there is no prophecy, the people cast off restraint.”
No matter how you translate it (vision, revelation, divine guidance), without it God’s people will be confused, scattered, unfocused, and easily distracted. Without a God-given vision, our church will never have it. And unfortunately, this is how many churches and Christian organization function: visionless and without it.
Have you ever driven a car that had its wheels out of alignment? Even though you try to keep the car in the middle of the road, it pulls to one side. It’s a constant struggle to keep traveling in the direction you want to go. And over time, it can cause major problems with your vehicle. The tires wear out. And much worse, the poorly aimed wheels could pull you off the road and into a crash.
People in a church with no vision are like are a car with the wheels out of alignment. Without vision alignment, the people are busy doing something. They’re driving along doing church, but without any direction and are easily pulled off center. They’re moving but have no destination in mind.
Without a compelling vision, people, just like tires, quickly wear themselves out. Those who serve will burn out. People start to disagree. There can be lots of activity but little spiritual movement, and just like cars with the wheels out of alignment, churches can crash.
Churches that have it always have a clear vision. The people know the vision, understand the vision, believe in the vision, and live the vision. The vision guides them, motivates them, and energizes them. Large numbers of people move in the same direction. Ministries with vision tend to have it. All the rest are hit or miss.
DEFINE THE VISION
Some of you may have attended a greyhound race. Unlike horse racing, there are no jockeys. The dogs are kept running in the right direction because they are trained to follow a mechanical rabbit covered in fur that races along the track in front of them. A man in the press box controls the speed of the rabbit. He keeps the rabbit just out in front of the dogs and they never catch up to it.
Several years ago, at a dog track in Florida, the dogs were crouched and ready to go. The gun went off and the man in the press box pushed the lever that started the rabbit down the track. The cage doors flew open and the dogs went chasing after the rabbit.
Something happened after the first turn. There was some sort of an electrical short in the system. The rabbit came to a complete stop, exploded, and then went up in flames. All that remained was a bit of burnt black stuff hanging on the wire.
With the rabbit gone, the dogs didn’t know what to do. According to news reports, several dogs simply stopped running and laid down on the track with their tongues hanging out. Two dogs, still jazzed from the chase, ran into a wall, breaking several ribs. Another dog began chasing his tail, while the rest just howled at the people in the stands. Not one dog finished the race.
Do you know people in churches that are like that? Do you know anyone who is just plopped down in a pew with their tongue hanging? Do you know someone causing damage by running off in their own direction? Do you know some who are howling at other people, creating problems by what they say, how they say it, and what they disagree with? Maybe the problem is that they don’t have a mechanical rabbit to chase.
You see, without vision, people perish. Dreams fade. Youth groups lose their life. Once vibrant churches slowly die. Without a clear vision, a church can never expect to have it. Without a compelling vision, the church is quickly pulled off center. People get confused, distracted and bored.
Without a vision, people become comfortable with the status quo. An old black preacher used to say that status quo means “the mess we’s in.” After people get comfortable with the status quo, they grow to love the status quo. Eventually, they’ll do their best to protect what is, never dreaming about what could or should be.
Hab. 2:2 (AMP) – “And the Lord answered me and said, ‘Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tables that everyone who passes may [be able to] read [it easily and quickly] as he hastens by.’” Other translations says that this vision is supposed to be carried by a “runner” or “herald” and that it should be so clear, displayed so prominently, that people can see it and read it at a glance.
Do we have a vision? Now, understand something, lots of churches and organizations have a “vision statement.” But in reality, they have no vision. Just because you have words on a bulletin, a website, or a business card doesn’t mean that you have a God-given vision.
You see, the important thing is that the vision comes from God. There is a big difference between a good idea and a God idea. We said last week that it comes from God. God makes it happen. It is from him. It is by him. It is for his glory. And if vision is an essential quality to finding it, then the same statements apply to vision.
Most ideas seem like good ideas. But if we tried to implement every idea, we’d be over-programmed and our leaders and workers would be burnt out. That’s never happened, has it?
What happens without a defined vision is that there is nothing compelling to give toward. And that situation leads to a consumer mindset instead of a contributing mindset. The church then is inwardly focused and that leads to a slow and painful death.
Here are some benefits of God-given vision. People tend to give sacrificially for it (both financially and of themselves.) People will tolerate inconveniences for the greater cause. People will talk about it. (There’s no price tag on positive buzz.) Opportunities for distraction will significantly decrease.
Leaders, I want to talk to you specifically right now. We need to seek God and find a divine burden. We need to examine our resources and our context in this community. And we need to present a Spirit-breathed, God-sized vision to this congregation.
If you are a leader, have been a leader but want to get back into leadership, or have never been in leadership
but are thinking about being a leader, this is your main job. Seeking what God wants to do through us, communicating what God wants to the people, and encouraging them and strengthening them to fulfill the vision. That doesn’t mean you won’t listen to people, seeking their wisdom and input. But ultimately, the vision comes from the leaders’ time of seeking to hear from God.
Here are some questions we need to consider as we seek to implement God’s vision for this congregation:
1. Why do we exist? 2. What is it that we can do the best? If we could only do one thing, what would it be?
3. If you left this church tomorrow, what would you hope would continue forever? 4. What breaks your heart? Keeps you awake at night? Turns you inside out? When we can answer those questions honestly, we’ll know God’s vision for this congregation.
DECLARE THE VISION
As God gives the vision, we will want to work hard to communicate the vision. Dr. Sam Chand says, “An effective vision will always be memorable, portable, and motivational.”
A great vision statement is memorable. If our people cannot remember our vision, our church will never have it.
Have you ever seen a mission statement that sounds something like this? “We exist to reach as many people as possible in our community for Jesus Christ before he returns for his bride, the church, (breathe) by loving them, accepting them, teaching them God’s uncompromised Word and empowering them through Spirit-filled discipleship(breathe) to be fully devoted Christ-followers, (breathe) reaching up, reaching in, reaching out, and (breathe) building people to exalt, edify, and equip the saints of God to go into all the world and make disciples of all nation, (breathe) baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, (breathe) for the glory of our God who reigns forever and ever. Amen.” (breathe)
The only thing memorable about that statement is the number of breaths you have to take to say it. The vision statement must be easy to remember. Short is better – crisp and clear.
I attended the Men’s Retreat at Camp Illiana Friday night and Saturday through most of the day. Our main session speaker was Fred Rodkey who is the senior minister with Chapel Rock Christian Church in Indianapolis – a church that runs over a thousand people in their worship services. They have a short vision statement: “To connect people to Jesus and to one another.”
The vision also has to be portable. We have to be able to take it with us and communicate it to others wherever we go. Everyone in the church should to be able to give what is termed the “vision pitch.” In less than one minute, everyone in our congregation should be able to tell people what we’re all about. Everyone should know the vision and want to fulfill the vision.
The vision should also be motivational. If our vision doesn’t compel our people, move our people, stir our people, then our vision is too small. Our vision has to be something that burns in our hearts but is too big for us to do on our own. If we could do it, then we wouldn’t need God. And that’s the problem in many congregations. Their vision is small if it exists at all and they don’t operate by faith. They operate by sight. They get what they ask for. Nothing much at all.
DEMONSTRATE THE VISION
One last thing: the vision has to be demonstrable. You have to be able to put it into practice. If you look at a church and measure it against their claims, you often find inconsistency. They’ll say, “We exist for this reason” and that reason is never practiced.
Churches and ministries that have it are filled with people who understand the vision, believe in the vision, and work on practicing the vision. Churches and ministries without it are made up of people who might like the church or ministry but don’t have a clue as to where it’s going.
There are three basic levels of vision “buy-in.” Churches and ministries without it have people at levels one and two. Churches and ministries with it tend to have more and more people moving to level three.
Level 1: The people believe in the vision enough to benefit from it. They’re like the person who benefits from the service at their favorite restaurant. They have a consumer mindset. They come to church because they like it. They receive something from it. And to them, that’s all that is important.
Level 2: The people believe in the vision enough to contribute comfortably. Notice the word “comfortably.” They’re like the person who drops some change in the Salvation Army bucket at Christmas. Or they do a kindly act for their neighbor that doesn’t put them too far out of their comfort zone. These are people who were consumers but are ready to contribute as long as it’s easy. They’re happy to help if it doesn’t interfere with their other priorities.
Level 3: The people believe in the vision enough to give their lives to it. These are the people who understand the vision and they are the ones who get it. They recognize that their lives are not their own. They belong to Jesus Christ and they are part of the greatest cause on earth.
CLOSE
Robert Woodruff was president of the Coca-Cola Company from 1923-1955. He had a vision for Coca-Cola. This was the vision as stated by him: “In my generation, it is my desire that everyone in the world have a
taste of Coca-Cola.” If you’ve ever watched a TV program that travels around the world or been on a mission trip or traveled to any place across this world for whatever reason, you know that in most places you’re never very far away from being able to buy a Coke. Coca-Cola’s vision pales in comparison to what God wants to do through us.
What would happen if someone from a distant planet came to investigate our church? What would he think we were all about?
Would we look like a sort of entertainment business where people come, put their money in the plate, watch the show, and then leave? Would we look more like a self-help facility? A place where people find out how to fix their marriage, raise their kids, manage their money, and make good decisions in life? (Those aren’t bad things but their not the ultimate thing.) Would we look like a country club where people dress in their best clothes, pay their dues, check out who’s here, and make sure everyone sees them?
What if this person didn’t know anything about our vision and observed everything we did? If he watched us for a week, what would he conclude? Would he be able to say, “That church is all about someone named Jesus?”
Heb. 12:2-3 – “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the oy set before
him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him
who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
