""Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," -- Mat 28:19
We will continue our journey today into how we can best Exalt Him. Every church needs a vision. The one I have stated is the main one. Making disciples, baptizing in the name of the Trinity.
Duke Ellington, the late jazz musician, composer and renowned band leader, was once asked to provide a difinition of rhythm. "If you got it," he replied, "you don't need no definition. And if you don't have it, ain't no definition gonna help."
Vision, thankfully, is not quite as elusive. However, I believe Ellington's definition can be adapted slightly to help us understand one reality regarding vision: Once you have it, you know it, but when you don't have it, you aren't sure what it will be like. Vision is a picture held in your mind's eye of the way things could or should be in the days ahead. What is it that God would have us do for Him in this world? That, my friends, is a profound statement. If we can answer that, we have the TRUE VISION. Vision for ministry is a reflection of what God wants to accomplish thru you to build His Kingdom.
Vision is not an exercise in promoting yourself, your dreams or your needs. It involves integrating your personal abilities and limitations within God's plan to accomplish what needs to be done and how it can be accomplished thru His chosen people. Dreams shun reality; vision builds upon it. The future belongs to the visionary people because they will define the future. It is the power of God working thru churches led by visionaries that causes that image of the future to become reality.
Vision statements differ from mission statements. Mission statements that might ring a bell are; "To know Him and make Him known"; "To reach the lost at any cost"; "To save the unsaved"; "To Evangelize, exalt, edify and equip." A vision statement gives you a target to aim at and a way to get there. Some examples of good vision statements are; "To provide the greater Garrett area with a church geared to the needs and life-styles of baby boomers who are nominal Christians, offering a ministry that is sensitive in personality and characterized by a loving, forgiving, accepting environment."
You can see how that differs from a mission statement. A vision statement not only says where we are going, but outlines the ways we are going to get there. Vision is not the result of consensus; it should result in consensus. We are victors in Christ and our vision statement should illuminate that victory. When we encourage people to pledge themselves to survival it is an admission of defeat. A declaration that admonishes people to hold the line as a means of facilitating effective ministry is not a vision statement but a death warrent.
One of the most effective programs in the business world is the MBO program, standing for Management by Objectives. Every successful company in the world today uses a form of this program. It establishes a goal and the way to get there and how it can be measured. A vision statement is to be God's MBO.
We need to focus on what it is that God wants us to do, provide a plan to meet that goal, and have steps in which you can measure where you are in relation to that goal. For starters, I believe we need to seek and know the mind of God better, that we might then, by knowing His mind, put into place a vision that will state what it is that He is doing thru us. But it all starts with worship.
True worship involves wonder, witness, and warfare; but we have to start with wonder. "Wonder is the basis of worship" wrote "Thomas Carlyle", and Emerson said that wonder was "the seed of science".
"Philosophy begins in wonder," said Alfred North Whitehead; so it appears that wonder is a priceless ingredient in the life of any thinking person.
The trouble is that wonder is a RARE ingredient. You do not often find it present in most modern worship. After all, what is there to wonder about. The worship of God and how we can glorify Him will bring us closer to that wonder. Last week we spoke of the Sacrifice and the Sensibility of worship that glorifies God. This week I want to speak briefly on the Sincerity and Spirit Filledness of a worship service that glorifies God.
Worship that is pleasing and acceptable to God flows from the heart. It is not just a matter of correct forms, adequate energy or high levels of enthusiasm. To bring God glory, worship must be the fruit of deep inward dedication on the part of those who worship. Outward expressions must be honest representations of inner convictions and commitments of the heart. In other words,
WORSHIP THAT GLORIFIES GOD MUST BE SINCERE.
WORSHIP MUST BE SPIRIT-FILLED
VISION IS EMPOWERING.
This is one of the key differences between a vision for ministry and a vision for business. In ministry, vision empowers people to serve others, ultimately serving God in the process. Worldly vision is inward-focused; God's vision for ministry is outward-focus. It may take us a while to define and adopt and put into action our vision, because God's vision for our ministry does not change quickly nor will it be something we will accomplish rapidly, but it may well outlive us.Worship that glorifies God has a vision and its people have a vision and they are putting legs and feet on that vision. That is what real worship is all about.
Martin Luther is reported to have said that God gave us 5 senses with which to worship Him and that it would be sheer ingratitude for us to us less.
But finally let me share this with you.
WORSHIP THAT GLORIFIES GOD INVOLVES WARFARE.
The great peacher from days gone by, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, once said, "In this Israel was not an example, but a type; we will not copy the chosen people in making literal war, but we will fulfill the emblem by carrying on spiritual warfare."
"Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle." (Psa 24:8)
"But You have cast us off and put us to shame, And You do not go out with our armies." (Psa 44:9)
A worshiping church must of necessity be a warring church, for true worship is spiritual warfare. The best example of this truth is seen in the nation Israel. From the hour that Israel was delivered by God from bondage of Egypt, the nation was constituted a holy army for the Lord. ""And it came to pass, on that very same day, that the LORD brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies." -- Exo 12:51
The nation's song of triumph at the Red Sea announced without apology, "The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is His name" (15:3) In short, Israel was a worshiping army, fighting the battle of the Lord. But Israel fell away from the Lord and was hauled away into captivity by the Babylonians. The temple was descrated and then destroyed. Why? Because true God glorifying worship had disappeared from the land. Religion was popular, but it was not penetrating. It was a veneer that covered the rotting foundations of the nation. The people fooled each other, but they could not fool God or His true servant, Jeremiah.
The sad thing is that the prophets were to blame. In his lamentations, Jeremiah wrote: "Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not uncovered your iniquity, to bring back your captives, but have envisioned for you false prophecies and delusions" (2:14). Disaster had come upon Jerusalem "because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed in her midst the blood of the just" (4:13).
This is a sobering message to us today. Our worship must be one of sacrifice, it must be sensible, sincere and Spirit filled and if all those are present there will be warfare, spiritual warfare.
We have focused today on a worship that glorifies God and the connecting of that worship with vision. We have spoke of vision for the church. Let's take these last few moments to speak to your vision, your personal vision. Every Christian is expected to live each waking moment in light of the special calling God has placed on our lives. That special ministry He has designed for you in His vision for your personal ministry.
As pastor God has given me the responsibility in leading the church. God has entrusted His vision to me to help me in leading this congregation in its ministry and overall development.
In the same way, God expects each of us, whether we lead a church or not, to take command over our lives and use them to further His Kingdom. Every Christian is called to live a life of ministry. Our greatest obligation while we are on earth is to know God more intimately, and to bring ever greater glory to His name by our efforts.
It is each of our's responsibility to aggressively seek to understand what God is calling you to do that distinguishes you from every other believer and makes you a unique ambassador for Christ. Let your vision move you into areas of outreach that may be uncomfortable, but will contribute to your personal growth. His vision reflects the real you.
As a called minister of the Gospel, I must ask you today. Who is the real you? Where are you in your walk with God? Is it time for a change? You can have the victory, but only one way, thru Jesus Christ. First, ask Him to be your Savior. Second, ask Him to be you Lord. Many have done the first and not completed the second. He is Savior, but not Lord. That takes commitment and the follow thru on that commitment. Why not make that commitment today and then He can be your Lord also.
Let's pray.
