Hands on Illustration: Hand out puzzle pieces as they come into church today.
Video Illustration: Bluefish Tv God has a Plan!
Note: God has a plan for CHC!
Sermon: Vision 2018
New CHC Logo revealed! Highlight what it means!
Introduction:
In our society today, there are those who think that God does not have a plan – the reality check is He always has a plan and His plan is always in motion! But the question for you and I is “Are we going to jump aboard God’s plan for CHC church/school and become part of His mission for this area?
Reference the puzzle pieces: When you entered the church today the ushers handed you a puzzle piece to hold on to. This puzzle piece is a reminder that you are a valuable piece of the master puzzle here at CHC.
Thesis: God has a plan for Christian Hills — Each person who is part of the church is also part of the Masters plan and is a piece to this divine puzzle. Each person in this church/school has been given at least one gift that they need to be using for the Body of Christ and for our community.
In many ways your commitment to CHC determines the impact this ministry will have in our community, in our country and in our world – your commitment will impact the connection you have with the Lord and with others, either positive or negative.
1. Choosing to connect will reveal what you believe about fulfilling the Great Commission from Jesus and this churches connection to that charge from Jesus.
2. Choosing to connect will determine whether you will experience His Holy Spirit working through you to change the world around you.
3. Choosing to connect will determine whether you will come to know Him more intimately as He uses you here at CHC.
4. Choosing to connect with others in a family system is designed by God to help us grow and mature in our faith.
5. God want us to connect with Him and with others – both within the church and outside the church.
Don’t you wish that God would send an angel to your house to clearly communicate what He desires you to do for Him? Like Mary or Joseph? It would make knowing God’s will and God’s plan so much easier and clearer for you right? Well God sent me to you to challenge you today to step forward with your gifts and start using them for this mission from God in which He has given us as the Body of Christ.
The will of God for our lives is not that hard to discover. I believe many know what God wants them to do but they choose not to do it because of fear, or busyness, or apathy, or lack of opportunity. The truth is you have a life changing opportunity here to use your gifts --- which will connect you with God more and with others more – we – you – I are a part of His great mission!
Swindoll states, “The truth is, our problem is not a lack of knowledge but an absence of passion…a reluctance to do what we believe God would have us do “(55).
This is prevalent in many lives today because to follow the will of God will take considerable risk and considerable trust in God. It requires a decision with a commitment to connect like God wants us too.
On the other side some don’t follow God’s will because they don’t know what God’s plan is for them and or for the church they are attending.
So today I want you to understand and know our vision, our mission for Christian Hills Church and School —- I want you to consider being a part of the divine puzzle and to help us accomplish what the Lord has laid on our hearts to do here at CHC - Please note this is not my vision – please here this statement – the vision I am presenting comes from the leadership and we believe it is God’s will for us – we pray weekly and consistently to be God’s agenda not ours here at CHC.
So here we go:
What is our vision at CHC? Simply stated:
We are here to encourage people to grow into a Christ centered lifestyle.
We are here to love our neighbors, tell our story and share our hope.
What is our mission verse?
Luke 10:27: Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and Love your neighbor as yourself.”
What is our mission statement?
Connect with God and Connect with People!
Our next Scripture text is a teaching by Jesus which explains how important it is to connect to God and stay connected to Him in this world so please turn to John 15:1-17:
The Vine and the Branches
1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
14You are my friends if you do what I command.
15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
17This is my command: Love each other.
Our mission expressed by Jesus in this passage is Connect with God – Connect with people and never disconnect from His vine.
The importance of connecting with God and others is clear in this teaching by Jesus. But there is also a teaching in Hebrews 10:23-25: 23: It states, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
The basic thought which flows out of our Scriptures Texts, our vision, our mission statement is the importance of staying connected with the Lord and to His church (The Body of Christ): here are some spiritual lessons to learn from our two Scripture texts to apply to our lives in 2018:
1. We cannot do anything disconnected from God - we need Him to fulfill the mission of this church and this School. I have to be connected to Him and His church.
2. If we disconnect from God -- we will slowly die like a branch cut off from the main vine in this teaching so we emphasize at CHC that you must connect with God and others and stay connected!
3. When we stay connected with God and others we can be assured that God will listen to our prayers and even answer them.
4. We need to love God and stay connected through His love to others through the church – Why – the church is His plan for all of us to change the world.
5. We need to love others like God loves us and spur one another on to do the good He has called us to do.
6. We need to commit to encourage each other through regular gatherings - reference here is weekly meetings - church - your attendance does encourage others in their faith believe it or not.
7. Joy in life comes from connection!
Staying connected to God and others is essential for Christians and this is mainly done by growing spiritually – We at CHC are committed to helping people grow spiritually 5 ways:
? We grow By engaging with relevant Biblical teaching and preaching.
? We grow By connecting in divine appointed relationships.
? We grow By practicing spiritual disciplines daily.
? We grow By serving in a ministry or on a mission trip.
? We grow By praying through and adjusting to unexpected circumstances in life.
Let’s look at these 5 paths to spiritual growth in more detail: Five ways to grow spiritually! I call them the - “The fab 5!”
1. Practical teaching/preaching – Hearing, learning and then the application of what you learned by doing it - are all keys to growing in our faith walk.
a. Making God’s Word practical is the calling of a pastor/teacher.
i. The key: God wants us to not just know the Bible but do the Bible.
ii. We learn by anointed preaching and teaching. This is one of God’s methodologies to have us grow in our faith and our spiritual wisdom.
iii. Jesus used this methodology in the Gospels.
• Jesus was creative in his teaching and we seek to do the same here at CHC.
b. Andy Stanley states, “Practical teaching that moves people to action is one of the primary things God uses to grow our faith.”
c. The problem in American Churches is too many know the Bible --- but they do not do what the Bible says to do.
i. They hear the Word of God, but they do not apply it to their lives or even believe it can change their life!
ii. James 1:22: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
iii. We here at CHC are committed to hearing it, applying it and doing it!
2. Providential relationships – In our lives we can name key people who have all played divine rolls in helping us to grow in our faith.
a. Every one of us most likely can tell of a person who has helped us in our spiritual journey. These people all played key roles in growing your faith because God brought them into your life to help you grow..
i. Think for a moment – Can you name a few key people in your life who helped you grow?
1. Pastor Nate - preaching by the spirit – hearing God’s voice.
2. The Jacksons – discipled me – loved me.
3. The Thibs – invested in me – discipled me – challenged me to use my gifts.
4. Rich Doebler – to write
5. My wife Kathy – wow taught me patience, do the right thing, consider what I was saying or doing to make sure it is God.
ii. God brings people into our lives at just the right moment to help us grow spiritually.
1. Can you identify who these people are?
a. Is anyone coming to mind?
b. Can you identify a key teacher – a pastor – a radio pastor?
b. We have an example of this in Acts with Paul, Ananias and Barnabas.
i. Acts 9:10-19: 10In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 11The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” 13“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” 15But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” 17Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and
19after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus…
ii. Acts 9:26-31: 26When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. 31Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.
c. Now the next question for us to consider: Who have you helped to grow spiritually?
i. Yes, you need to pass on what God did for you to others!
ii. How are you doing with this?
3. Private Spiritual disciplines – these include prayer, devotions, Bible reading or listening to the Word, giving and striving to stretch our faith so it will grow – all these things will help us grow.
a. It’s the key concept of discipline or we could call it spiritual growth exercises – Examples of disciplines are: physical exercise, diet, budgeting, calling my mom, these are all things we are suppose to do in life. They take commitment and scheduling to happen.
i. When we prioritize spiritual disciplines it helps us grow in our confidence with the Lord. God will use these exercises to help us grow spiritually!
b. Quote: Andy Stanley: “Discipline is all about doing what you don’t what to do now so you can do what you want to do later.”
i. It’s all about delayed gratification like going to school to become what you want to be.
ii. Examples of spiritual discipline again: Prayer, fasting, devotions, personal Bible Study, going to church, and acts of self-denial or sacrifice.
1. Reference the bulletin – prayer and fasting for 21 days 7-28 - Soul care week 22-26; hearts ablaze prayer meeting 21st.
c. Spiritual growth is a biblical assumption for the normal Christian life. As people over the last two thousand years have responded to the redemptive message of the Gospel they have, to varying degrees, matured in their faith experience.
i. Thirty years ago, Richard Foster, in the beginning of his book, Celebration of Discipline wrote these words: “Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people. The classical Disciplines of the spiritual life call us to move beyond surface living into the depths.”
1. We must choose to go into a deeper relationship with God and with others.
ii. In recent years George Barna has stated, “Christianity would be incredibly influential in our culture if Christians consistently lived their faith. The problem is that millions don’t live like Christians-and that’s partially because they don’t know how.”
1. I Corinthians 3:1-3:
a. 1Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?
2. To become the spiritually mature people God intends us to be will require a disciplined life that will result in a lifestyle that will recognize and consistently respond favorably to God’s presence in our lives.
3. Paul, the apostle, in his letter to the Christians at Colossae wrote: “And whatever you do, in word or indeed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17)
4. Personal ministry – Have you ever volunteered to do something you were not qualified for and discovered it helped you to grow because you were actually doing ministry?
a. One way God helps us to grow in our faith is by placing us in places to serve others for the Kingdom and the result is we end up growing.
i. Personal Story: My teaching release time in the projects of St. Paul to the Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese children during my senior year at NCBC.
b. What is God saying to you about serving in His Kingdom?
i. Is it a short term Missions trip?
1. This willingness fits the category of spiritual growth.
2. We are doing one in summer to Mexico if you want an opportunity to grow in your faith.
ii. How about serving in your church or in a certain para-church ministry this is another venue God uses to grow us spiritually.
c. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6:
i. 4There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
d. Ephesians 6:7, 8:
i. 7Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
5. Pivotal circumstances – Life is filled with unexpected surprises. But each unexpected event is a divine opportunity to grow through it.
a. These circumstances can be good, can be trials, can be stressful or stages of life but in these situations God wants us to grow through them so as to teach us His faithfulness and to build our confidence in Him.
b. Personal examples: My call to ministry. The call to my first church as pastor.
c. Example Acts 10 Peter and Cornelius and a vision from God.
i. See Acts 11:1-12: 1The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.” 4Peter began and explained everything to them precisely as it had happened: 5“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. 6I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ 8“I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9“The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ 10This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again. 11“Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. 12The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them.
ii. You have to be intentional about growing your spiritual faith and you have to trust God to work in and through your life to create those spiritual growth opportunities.
1. But when they happen go with them – don’t resist!
Point connecting with God and others is all part of growing spiritually -it’s a crucial part of the Christian life and the mission of God for his followers.
So, we have talked about growing spiritually to connect better with God and with others but we also need to know who we are at CHC so we do the things we do best to connect with God and with Others.
What is the DNA of CHC?
We are Spirit empowered, Prayer focused, Worship driven, Biblically relevant and Mission minded!
? We are Spirit empowered.
? We are prayer focused
? We are worship driven.
? We are Biblically Relevant
? We are mission minded.
Our DNA is spelled out in more detail in the following thoughts:
1. We are Spirit empowered. The Holy Spirit connects us with God and with Others!
a. Christian Hills Church recognizes that we need to be a Spirit empowered church which means we follow the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit. It also means we yield our hearts as individuals to the Holy Spirit so that the power of Holy Spirit flows through our lives into other’s lives. We will receive this power by allowing our DNA to shape us as we practice it in our church, home and school daily. We know the key to overcoming in this life is being spirit empowered in our life and church.
i. John 3:6: “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” To produce spiritual gifts, spiritual life through your lives requires the Holy Spirit – you cannot produce spiritual gifts, or spiritual lives, through fleshly means – people have tried to produce spiritual gifts, or spiritual lives through fleshly means and it’s always been a disaster.
ii. Acts 1:5-8: “For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
1. Spirit empowered - means your power to be a witness or to do ministry is spiritually charged – not fleshly driven.
iii. Galatians 5:16-26: 16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
1. Spirit empowered means you live for the Spirit and not for sinful desires.
2. We are prayer focused.
a. The church and all of us Christians should be prayer focused within our lives. Busyness should never choke out our prayer life instead we should be committed to pray first. When we pray we discover God’s presence then we receive God’s power. It connects us with God.
i. Matthew 21:13: 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’”
ii. Mark 11:17: 17 “And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: “‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?’ But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
b. Jim Cymbala: The Bible does say, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations." Preaching, music, the reading of the Word--these things are fine--but they must never override prayer as the defining mark of God's dwelling.
c. Prayer connects us with God – prayer also connects us with others as God speaks to us through our prayer life to speak to others.
3. We are worship driven.
a. Worship connects us with God and with each other’s as we worship together.
i. Worship – we have a little longer worship set than other churches but it’s because we believe we connect with God in worship – especially when we do it corporately – we believe God’s presence ministers to people in our worship time – he speaks to people and encourages people in moments of worship.
b. Romans 12:1-2: 1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
i. A worship driven person:
• Offers up their lives as living sacrifices – because it makes sense!
• They listen to God’s voice and follow after truth and the Spirit.
• Is willing to voice their love and adoration to God and to others.
• Is a willing to be a doer of God’s Word.
• A person who worships by offering themselves to God will discover God’s will for their lives.
4. We are Biblically relevant.
a. We believe that our DNA here at Christian Hills Church is to show how relevant the Bible is for today.
i. The Bible speaks to every facet of life and to just about every situation in life you can and will encounter. It’s covers subjects such as sociology, psychology, humanity, humanism, spirituality, afterlife, demons, angels, death, science, biology, history, archaeology, philosophy, visions, dreams, math, problem solving, morality, ethics, arts, music, betrayal, love, forgiveness, purpose for life, success, failure, and many other topics.
ii. The Bible is unmatched by any other form of literature in the current world or from the ancient world. We believe it is the inspired Word of God!
b. 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “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.”
c. James 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
d. Once again this point on our DNA connects us with God and with Others.
5. We are mission minded.
a. Our church has a history of being mission minded and we have sent out several missionaries to other parts of the world to reach others with the Gospel.
i. We connect with God through our support of missions and in turn we connect with others not just here but in other places.
ii. We currently support and have sent out 5 missionaries to different parts of the world.
• Jon and Anja Erickson: Guinea West Africa
a. 21 Churches planted with the Mano Tribe
b. We helped build a Hospital “Hope Clinic”
c. We helped build 3 Schools
d. We are helping and committed to Jon to expand the Clinic to 5 more sites.
• Tony Simon Tepic Mexico
a. Bible School
b. 26 Churches planted
c. Orphanages
• Christa McCartney
a. Go to the Nations, and IHOP Missions
i. Currently on staff at IHOP Missions Base Atlanta.
ii. Working on Racial reconciliation gathering for IHOP in Atlanta for August expecting 35,000 people in attendance.
iii. Works with 27 of their missionaries setting up Missions conference for them in Morocco.
iv. Has done children’s and youth ministry in Burkina Faso (Operation Christmas Child – shoeboxes), Philippines and other countries.
v. Has helped plant a church in Philippines which just opened new building.
• Others Anna Bastonus, Jennie Schmidt, and Barb Sobol.
iii. Our church has also raised up over 60 missionaries, pastors, and ministers over the last 25 years who have gone out and are serving His Kingdom.
• We are praying and assisting Justin Kane who grew up here and is starting New Day Church in March!
a. We will be licensing Jim Lambert in Jan and praying a blessing on this launch this coming month!
• We assisted with the launch of Watershed Church in Elgin this year.
a. There church is running 125 now – I sit on there Leadership team at the church.
b. 8 years ago we helped launch Solutions Church in Matteson which is running about 175 with Danny Dodge who grew up here at CHC.
c. We also helped launch a church in Wisconsin.
d. There are many others – but I think you see our vision!
• We believe in Kingdom Ministry – not just in making CHC bigger – but spreading the Gospel like in the book of Acts!
b. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20 the following: “18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
c. We believe in the Great Commission of Jesus which is to reach people in different countries and also right here in South Chicago.
i. We support Southside Christian Center at 87th and Kingston – you will see the kids from this ministry every month here at CHC when Tom brings them – we helped launch this ministry 5 years ago!
ii. We believe in Outreach taking the Story of Jesus to others!
Conclusion:
Jeremiah 29:11-14: 11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,” declares the LORD…”
Why do we need to hear this message as we move into 2018?
Answer: God has a specific plan he wants CHC to accomplish!
Why do we need to know this vision and mission for CHC moving in 2018?
Answer: The vision I presented to you today is for all of us who are a part of CHC. You are a crucial piece of the divine puzzle and part of God’s plan for this ministry if you attend here. We need you to fulfill this mission!
What do we need to do?
Answer: We all need to agree to be part of the mission here at CHC – Gods mission -some of you think this is my vision it’s not mine it’s CHC vision and mission and I and the leadership pray over and over for us to stay on God’s agenda for CHC. When we do this mission we will see God do great and mighty things here at CHC and in our personal lives. He will answer our prayers – He will pour out His spirit on us to impact those around us – he will use us for the Kingdom.
Why do we need to do this?
Answer: Why? Because we have a job to do – everyone of us who is a Christian – has a job to do not just us pastors – as a Christian you have a charge from God to bring people to Jesus – to share your story with others – to pray for others – to faithfully attend the weekly gathering so as to encourage others this year.
Hold up puzzle piece – will you join us as we seek to change the world for Jesus? Will you choose to change the world with the help of The Holy Spirit?
Highlight theme:
Theme for 2018: Rev’d up!
I will be preaching through the book of Revelation in 2018 so we get a clear vision of who Jesus was – is – and will do in the future.
