A couple of weeks ago, in an elders meeting, I asked each elder to give me his vision for this church. I was surprised. Most churches never communicate their vision, hence most elders are unfocused as to any unified vision at all.
Each of our elders, however, had a vision and were pretty much in agreement on their visions. That is rare, but it is also a blessing to this church and a statement about our elders.
To paraphrase what they said, they said their visions were to let this church grow while feeding the people within the church the true word of God. Awesome – just plain awesome! And that vision is very much the same as my vision for this church: “To do whatever it takes to grow this church in numbers while remaining 100% biblical with each step we take.”
We must have a vision, both as individual Christians and as a church body. My individual vision is: “To do everything I can to let the Lord lead me in everything I do.”
All my life, I have heard about how we are supposed to follow Jesus. They are some great words, aren’t they? But even though that sounded so good, and I knew that was what I was supposed to do, I still followed me because those words were hollow to me; they had no meaning whatsoever. And they had no meaning because I had no vision.
PROVERBS 29:18 states,
‘Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’
As individuals, if we do not have a vision, we shall perish. If a church has no vision, it too, shall perish.
Brother Wayne Duhon preached revival at this church a couple of weeks ago. During one of his sermons, he stated that some people like a big church and some people like a small church. I will be honest and tell you that, even though I have been working to grow Rolling Hills into a bigger church, and even though I have been in some churches that numbered in the thousands, my personal preference has always been to pastor a smaller church.
I should say that was my preference until Brother Duhon told us that by setting limits on what God wants for the church, we hinder the work God wants to do in the church. He said that no matter what size church you are in, you can only know about 35 people well anyway. So, why not have the larger church and still know your 35 people well?
We are talking about vision this evening: not the kind of vision that involves eyesight, and not the kind of vision that John the Great Revelator had, but your vision for yourself and your vision for your church.
I think we can break it down to three basic areas of vision.
1. THE NECESSITY OF HAVING A VISION
All of us understand that no company would ever survive in the business world without some kind of vision for its future. I used to work for General Electric during the 1970’s. I will say that GE is one company who has it down pat. Their vision states their desire to grow in influence and prosperity while never losing the need of the individual customer.
Bill Howard can tell you that a community plans years in advance of what they plan on doing, because everything they do must fit into the ultimate vision they have for its future. To do anything but plan for their vision, would ultimately render the community useless for its citizens.
But just as companies and communities need a vision so they can continue to operate effectively, churches also need a vision to operate as they should. The church must not limit themselves by just looking at where they are now and how they are effecting their communities, but to where they could be in the future and how much more they could effect their communities then, too.
When I graduated high school, I can remember they made such a big to-do about our class motto. They announced it in all the rooms every morning and they put big banners all over the school with that motto on them. And they started about a month before graduation doing all this, too.
Why did they do all that? They did all that because they wanted to instill that motto into our very lives; to make that motto a part of our very being. What was that motto? The motto simply said, “Shoot for the stars.”
If you take a .22 caliber rifle and aim it at a target, you will probably hit your target, right? But if you raise the rifle to where you shoot above the target you miss the target, right? But what else happens when you shoot above the target? Your bullet goes further, doesn’t it?
And the church must set its goals on the stars, too. The U.S. Army has a slogan that says, “Be all you can be!” Don’t you think that God wants His churches to be all they can be, too? I think he does.
I am going to give you an analogy here that will upset you. I know it will, because it upsets me. We hear from time to time where satanic parents keep their children in cages or closets and barely feed them enough to stay alive, don’t we?
What happens to those children? Are they all they can be or are they stifled to the point of being pretty much nothing they can be? I think that when a church is kept from growing for the Lord, those within the church start looking a lot like those parents, wouldn’t you agree?
I know that nobody wants to hurt the church, but sometimes, we tend to focus on what we want instead of focusing on what the Lord wants for us. And every time we do that, we literally stop God’s work right in its tracks.
Every time we put our focus on how comfortable we are, or on what we want, we are taking it off of what God wants for us.
But, in God’s great and wonderful wisdom, He has given us a way of rectifying that.
2. HAVING A VISION THAT IS GOD-CENTERED
Someone once said that vision is ‘foresight with an insight based on hindsight.’ Another person said that ‘we cannot see where we are going because we don’t know where we are.’
George Barna said, ‘Vision for ministry is a reflection of what God wants to accomplish through you to build His Kingdom.’ Notice how he referred to God’s Kingdom, not our kingdom.
The great Christian author, John Maxwell, defines vision by saying, ‘It is the ability to see what we need; the ability to believe what we see; and the ability to do what we need to do.’
In the book of James, we find so much good information that God wants us to put into our daily lives.
In JAMES 1:22-25, we read
‘Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does.’
In other words, if God says for us to “do”, then we must not refuse "to do". But there are too many American Christians today who do refuse to do for God. They are all caught up in the comfortableness of religion. We get into our air-conditioned cars and drive leisurely to our air-conditioned churches that have padded seats so we can be comfortable while listening to a message that makes us feel all warm and fuzzy all over.
Too many times, we get all “self-centered” at the expense of not being “God-centered”. What do you think God wants from us? Do you think that God wants us to do everything within our power to reach others for His Son? I do. Do you think we can reach those people by sitting here and being content with what we have? I don’t.
Brother Luther told me on the phone once, when we were still in Phoenix, that you needed a pastor who would take the initiative to lead this church to new places. He said this church had too long been in a box, doing the same things the same way at the same time for the same reasons for so long, that nobody here knew how to get out of that box and go into new territory.
That is why I am here, my brothers and sisters. I had so much joy as I planted a church in Arizona to watch God make it grow. Sometimes, I would weep when I thought of how much God was blessing me personally by doing that to reach others. And that is how I feel about leading this church into an age of growth; not growth simply for numbers sake, but growth for God’s sake.
In a recent board meeting, there was discussion about how we seemed to be in the shadow of the much larger Rolling Hills Baptist Church, and how that was hindering our work in the Lord. Luther made the comment that we should start doing things that would end up putting them in our shadow for a change. I agree 100% with Brother Luther on that. In fact, I will go one further and say that I believe that God was speaking to us through Luther!
But, how can we accomplish that by sitting here, not moving, not doing, and not growing? The answer is ‘we can’t’. In truth, we aren’t big enogh or strong enough to even have a shadow, are we?
Statistics show that less than 2% of all Christians actually bring anyone to the foot of the cross so they will know Jesus. Statistics show that less than 10% of all Christians ever bring someone to church with them. And even less than 1% of American Christians actually evangelize on a regular basis! Where do we stand in those figures? I don’t think we stand too highly, do you? Do you think that might be one reason we aren’t as strong as we should be?
I believe we need to examine ourselves to find out just how committed we are to the Lord in what we do. I have said before that there should not be a day that passes without we do two things: One, tell somebody about the Lord, and two, tell somebody about our church.
I don’t care if you only talk to a fellow member, tell them about Jesus and tell them how excited you are about our church! You would be surprised at what that will do for your soul. And, if you happen to not talk to another living soul at all during the day, then go stand in front of your mirror and tell yourself! That is just how important it is to share the Lord and the Lord’s house on a daily basis.
Get excited, but be sure that what you are excited about is being blessed by working in God’s holy kingdom! And then find somebody to share your excitement with. Let me also add this: For those who do not feel the necessity of being excited for God – shame on you, you know better!
Going back into JAMES 4:17, we are admonished,
‘Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.’
We cannot properly do our work for God unless we have a vision. An old Japanese proverb says that ‘without vision, action is nothing but a daydream.’
I would say that without a vision, any actions would be more like a nightmare. Without vision, a church will become disoriented and lukewarm. A lukewarm church will spawn lukewarm Christians. Jesus has promised to spit the lukewarm out of His mouth.
So, what’s the solution? Have a vision and make sure that vision is absolutely centered on what God wants from us, and not on what we would feel comfortable doing ourselves.
A true and God-centered vision will get you excited and when you are excited you will be able to fulfill the plans God has for you. And a God-centered and excited Christian will bring glory to our Heavenly Father. It will also give us the assurance that, through Christ Jesus, we will sit at the Table of Grace forevermore.
When we define our vision, both as individuals and as a church body, we will find that true vision from God is not self-seeking and self-centered, but will bring honor to our Lord because it is centered on Him.
But, even if we get that vision, how to we properly apply that vision?
3. GOD’S CHAIN OF COMMAND
God is a wise God. In His wisdom, He set forth a chain of command for His people. The ancient Israelites had the authority of Aaron and Moses, whose purpose was to lead them.
Today, God has given Christians that authority of leadership in the form of the local church. Every Christian should be in membership to a local church. It is within the environs of the local church that we learn the Word of God and receive the fellowship and encouragement of other believers.
HEBREWS 10:25 tells us,
‘Let 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.’
We are being warned that the Day of Jesus is fast on its way, and we are to be in church so we can learn how to protect ourselves spiritually. And it is also in the environs of the local church that we find our chain of command in God’s authority.
The pastor, by definition, is the spiritual leader of the local church. Now, that does not mean he is the boss of the church, but it does mean that the people of the church listen to him and look to him for proper Christian leadership. The pastor must be holy and rely upon the Lord at all times to lead and guide Him in his responsibilities in leading the church flock.
The elders in the church are the spiritual overseers of the church. They are to be sure that the pastor remains biblical and true to the teachings of God. They are to bring him back into that biblical boundary if he strays, and they are also there to run interference for him as he leads for the glory of God.
In other words, they are to make sure they are holy and full worthy of the honor of being God’s elder, and when they see a potential problem on the horizon that could cause the pastor to take his focus off leadership, they are to try and handle it before it distracts the pastor from the work of the Lord.
The deacons of the church are to be the physical caretakers of the local church. They make sure that God’s house is in good order and remains workable for the teaching of the saints within the church.
All leaders are to, above all else, remain holy. They are not to have short attitudes with one another. They are to think, feel, say and show love. If there is any deacon, elder, or pastor who fails to do this, they must not be leaders in the local church. Why? Because you can only lead somebody to where you are, and we don’t want anyone in leadership who will lead others to unholy places.
As the saints who are in the congregation, you also have a job to do. Your job is described in HEBREWS 13:17 –
‘Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.’
Church leadership is a very holy and sacred trust. As leaders, we must strive at all times to attain the holiness of God in our every thought and action. The congregation must do the same. As Brother Wayne reminded us, we are not observers of the church; we are participants in the church. It is the job of every one of us to put holiness first and our thoughts last, to work for God in the church, not work at making the church all comfortable and cozy.
We need a vision to grow this church. This church will not just stay the same. It will either grow, or it will die. We can only accomplish our divine purpose in reaching and teaching people by growing and remaining focused on the true word of God.
The church that is alive and well is a growing one. Where there is no growth there is a problem. Think about some of these things:
· Some churches have parking problems - and some don’t.
· Some churches worry about having enough income – and some don’t.
· Some churches have tithers – and some have tippers.
· Some churches are bold enough and love God enough to reach out in His name – and some just sit in their shadows.
Some churches like to sing that old hymn, “What an Acquaintance we Have in Jesus” and “When the Saints, Go Sneaking In.” Some churches like where they are and fear where they could go.
There are many people in churches today who have let their loving embraces of the church become a choke hold that is killing the church. Why? Because they just hate change - no matter who it gives glory to. And they hold on to yesterday so tightly they prohibit anything that would help the church today. And if you don’t help the church today, you kill it tomorrow.
As your pastor, I promise that this church will change from time to time as it becomes necessary to reach new people. It must to stay alive. But I also want you to know that I will not institute changes simply for change-sake, and I will always take your feelings into account as any changes are suggested.
There is an expression that people use when someone asks them how it is going with them. They say, “Same-o, Same-o.” Jesus did not operate on a "sam-o, Sam-o" basis any more than this church will, or any more than you as Christians can.
Won’t you join me in the work of Christ by helping to bring our church into the community so that more and more people will be touched for Jesus? You might be wondering how you can best help; let me tell you.
The most important thing you can do is to go to the Lord in prayer. Pray for the leaders of the church and pray for other members of the church. And pray for us daily.
Then renew your commitment to the Lord through the church. Light the fires of your passion again so that we show our courage to conquer through the Lord Jesus.
And above all, make sure that we fully submit our hearts to God. That means we become willing pawns to what His will is for us. When we trust Him enough to lead us, we will then find the joy that we so often talk about.
INVITATION
