Next Saturday, January 1st 2011, marks the first day of the decade when we begin what we are calling, “The 2020 Vision!” As I shared with you on Sunday, August 29th, (the day you voted to call me as your Pastor full-time) I believe it is certainly possible to grow our church at a rate of 15% per year for the next ten years.
If the Lord allows us to reach this lofty goal, at the end of this coming decade we will have grown from 90 to 350 in Sunday School each week; from 140 to 570 in worship each week; and, we will have baptized 338 new believers and added another 338 people to our church by Letter or Statement!
This morning, as we stand at the threshold of this amazing journey, I want to provide you with biblical answers to the three most vitally important questions we face about the 2020 Vision: “Why”; “How”; and “Why Now?”
Why? Because of Four Relevant Realities:
The COMMANDS from Above!
Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 14:23;
John 15:16; John 20:21
The CRIES from Below!
Luke 16:19-28
The CONDITIONS Around Us!
Revelation 22:14-15
The COMPASSION Within Us!
Matthew 9:35-38
How? By Renewing Three Commitments:
Renewed Commitment to our Individual Spiritual Growth
TALK to God Luke 18:1
LISTEN to God 2nd Timothy 2:15
OBEY God James 1:22; 4:17
SERVE God Matthew 20:28
Renewed Commitment to our Corporate Spiritual Growth
MEET with One Another Acts 2:42-47
MINISTER to One Another Hebrews 10:23-25
MENTOR One Another Proverbs 27:17
MULTIPLY MEMBERS Who Meet with, Minister to, and Mentor one Another 2nd Timothy 2:2
Renewed Commitment to our Numerical and Financial Growth
BEGINNING Relationships with New People
BUILDING Relationships with New people
Bringing New People to CHRIST
Bringing New People to CHURCH
Why Now? At least three great reasons:
Why us? Because we’re the Right FOLK!
Why here? Because we have the Right FACILITIES!
Why now? Because we do not know the FUTURE!
God has given us a great vision of what we can accomplish for Him through the ministry of our Church. I hope you will join me in praying for this vision to become a reality; and participating in the thousands of things we will have to do to see this come to pass. God bless you!
Showing posts with label 2020 Vision. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2020 Vision. Show all posts
Monday, December 27, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Ordinary Means
It was a joy today to preach Peter’s Pentecost Sermon from Acts 2:14-41. (If you are going to steal someone else’s sermon, for heaven’s sake steal it from an Apostle!) What an extraordinary servant, sermon, and number of salvations that day! Thank God for such divine intervention and blessings upon His people.
But, this has me thinking about how the Lord so often works through, “Ordinary Means” rather than “Extraordinary Means.” Reflecting on Peter’s sermon and the blessed and happy result, I am tempted (from time to time) to consider a day to be, “a down day” when we do not see immediate and quantifiable fruit from the efforts of our faithful people.
The truth appears to be that while the Lord continues to do extraordinary things in a few places, the vast majority of people who are saved and made disciples of Jesus are won and equipped one-by-one through the ordinary means of ordinary people doing ordinary things in ordinary churches.
I really don’t know quite what to make of this. I know that our job is to be faithful and let the Lord take care of the fruitfulness of our life and ministry, but I am always disappointed when we do not see more fruit from our labors.
I want all of us to do the ordinary things extraordinarily well. I want all of us to be extraordinarily faithful. I want the Lord to use all of us to accomplish extraordinary things through the life and ministry of our beloved church.
We have just experienced a great series of revival meetings. A great concert brought a great crowd of people to our church. We have just heard an update on our 2020 Vision for ministry in the future. I have just had the joy of being called as your Pastor-Teacher full time.
I want us to do the ordinary things extraordinarily well, and I join you in prayer that the Lord will choose to use us to do extraordinary things through us and for us for the everlasting Glory of His Son, Jesus.
But, this has me thinking about how the Lord so often works through, “Ordinary Means” rather than “Extraordinary Means.” Reflecting on Peter’s sermon and the blessed and happy result, I am tempted (from time to time) to consider a day to be, “a down day” when we do not see immediate and quantifiable fruit from the efforts of our faithful people.
The truth appears to be that while the Lord continues to do extraordinary things in a few places, the vast majority of people who are saved and made disciples of Jesus are won and equipped one-by-one through the ordinary means of ordinary people doing ordinary things in ordinary churches.
I really don’t know quite what to make of this. I know that our job is to be faithful and let the Lord take care of the fruitfulness of our life and ministry, but I am always disappointed when we do not see more fruit from our labors.
I want all of us to do the ordinary things extraordinarily well. I want all of us to be extraordinarily faithful. I want the Lord to use all of us to accomplish extraordinary things through the life and ministry of our beloved church.
We have just experienced a great series of revival meetings. A great concert brought a great crowd of people to our church. We have just heard an update on our 2020 Vision for ministry in the future. I have just had the joy of being called as your Pastor-Teacher full time.
I want us to do the ordinary things extraordinarily well, and I join you in prayer that the Lord will choose to use us to do extraordinary things through us and for us for the everlasting Glory of His Son, Jesus.
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