Skip to main content

Vision for the Church :: Friday E-Devotion

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he."   Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

There is a big difference between vision and tradition.  Some church leaders would have lots of trouble distinguishing the two.  Why is that?  I believe it is because we far too often fear leaving tradition more than we fear missing God's best for our lives and for His church.

That is why I am committed to sharing what God says and leading His church to see what He has shown me.  It is not easy.  It is of utmost importance.  Sometimes this creates conflict.  Often it creates excitement.  But most often vision and casting your vision is missed by leaders of the church.

As leaders we must do what it takes to share the vision God has given us.  We must speak the language of the people, share that vision in creative ways and do our very best to be where Jesus is.

So how do we help people see the vision God has given us?

Prayer.  Be a prayer warrior and friend of God.  "I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people."   Ephesians 1:18 (NLT)

Example.  Live the vision out.  "You have heard me teach many things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Teach these great truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others."   2 Timothy 2:2 (NLT)

Talk it up.  Use slogans.  Create stuff that passes on what you have seen.   Jesus did this for me in Luke 14:23 with his "compel them to come" speech.

Make Contact.  Make it personal.  Be convincing by giving it away every chance you get.  "Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not."   2 Timothy 4:2 (NLT)

Last and final thought; get a vision from God.  We do a disservice to the people we serve, we disobey God and we miss the greatest of days we may possibly ever see.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" (brand new book)

One of the most powerful preachers, writers and leaders of our time, in my opinion, is Francis Chan.  His first book, Crazy Love , revolutionized my thoughts about God's love as well as my interacting with God.  Now it is time for a brand new book from Chan being released tomorrow, September 1st.  The book is Forgotten God .   This is a phenomenal book about the power that Christians and the church can and must tap into.  All of it is within the Holy Spirit.  Francis talks about the power that was seen in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit began to move among people.  It is true that many have avoided or maybe forgotten what the Holy Spirit is all about.   And like the Savior who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurts.  We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things.  It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and ac...

inspiration from C.S. Lewis

There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share.  For me C.S. Lewis is one of those.  He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view. Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5 th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class.  It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before.  He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God. C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born.  It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian.  He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with...

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!