Setting A Vision

It is a common thing for churches to do some kind of vision Sunday during the month of January to set the spiritual tone for the year. I sometimes do this, and sometimes I don’t. This year, God impressed it upon my heart to set a vision and a focus for 2023. Why?

Revelation 2:4–5 ESV

4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

Why do we need a Sunday to set a vision and renew our focus?

Because it is so easy to abandon “the love you had at first.” Or you to depart from your first love! First in terms of degree. What ought to be the first or supreme love in our lives. We believers, who are still in these mortal bodies, still having the presence of sin within our whole person, have a tendency to wander!

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.

And what happens when we depart from our primary or first love? What is the direct consequence of this? V. 5- Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the WORKS you did at first. Or do the FIRST WORKS.

When the priority of our love is in order- we have a proper first love, or supreme love- in other words God is the object of our first love, what happens to our works? We do the FIRST WORKS! What happens when we depart or abandon our first love? Our works suffer. We stop doing the works of first priority.

What does that mean for us a church? We get derailed! We start majoring on secondary or tertiary or even later “ary’s.” Not that those things are unimportant, but they are NOT FIRST WORKS!

We say it this way to make it simple-

We want to make the main thing the MAIN THING.

When we have our love sorted out- when we make God the protos love the first degree love the chief love- then we do the supremely important works- and they become our focus! We love the Lord with all our heart, might, soul, strength- this is the first and greatest commandment and the second is like unto it- we love our neighbor as our self.

What do I mean?

What does it look like when a church gets its focus off the main thing? COVID- mask mandates, opinions of elected officials, the jab. What happened to churches that made these things the main thing?

What are the pitfalls going to be in 2023? What will derail us this year? Recession? Busyness? Self-centeredness?

What does it look like when a church gets its focus on the main thing? Good News about the good news testimony time, Alyssa. Can’t share that testimony because of livestream. If you know you know! Dear Alyssa with tears in her eyes shared a gospel story. She became focused on loving people, on spiritual new birth, and my heart swelled within me. And then one of you led us in corporate pray for a gospel need. And in that moment what happened to the focus of our church?

What I want to do this morning is to set our vision for 2023. And then to elevate one spiritual discipline that I want us to focus on for the year.

What is the vision of Faith in 2023?

Why do we exist as a church? What is our mission’s statement? It is everywhere in this church. It’s on the TV as you walk in the door, it’s on the screens every service, it’s on our website, I talk about it regularly. Do you know it?

Faith Baptist Church exists to EQUIP and INSPIRE people to KNOW and BECOME like JESUS for the GLORY of GOD

Equip- teaching ministry, bring to bear the authority of the Word of God in people’s lives. We have many different ways we do this at Faith, but a significant one is through the ministry of making disciples.

Inspire- our example, not just what we teach, not just what we say, but what we do. We want to be an example for other people to imitate!

Know Jesus- Why this language?

John 17:3 ESV

3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Become like Jesus- Why this goal?

Ephesians 4:13 ESV

13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

For the glory of God- this is our bottom- this underpins everything we do as a church, we are primarily doxoligical in our methodology.

Ephesians 3:21 ESV

21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

How are we going to move our mission statement forward in 2023? Last year we spent a considerable amount of time praying, and planning, and writing a 10 year vision statement. We set forward 5 primary spiritual growth goals for how we want this church to grow over the next decade!

Do you remember them? They are on the screens every service.

Disciple Making Culture; 2. Ministry Training Program; 3. Community Engagement; 4. Church Planting; 5. Global Missions

Here is our Vision folks! This is how we want to grow in 2023. We have already set out a plan, we have prayed over that plan, now we need to start taking baby steps of obedience in faith towards accomplishing that plan. How?

1. Disciple-Making Culture

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Why do we make this our priority? Why is this the main thing in our church?

Matthew 28:18 (ESV)

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Because Jesus, my Savior, my first love, commanded me with ALL AUTHORITY to do it.

What is our primary commission?

Matthew 28:19 (ESV)

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

This is the primary command Jesus gives us. To make disciples. All of us- the expectation if Jesus commanded it of us is that we should all be able to make at least one disciple in our lifetime.

How do we carry out this command?

Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV)

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We make disciples by going- into our communities

We make disciples by baptizing- This assumes faith in Christ, then baptism is the first step of obedience and also the entry marker of being a disciple of Jesus.

We make disciples by teaching- teaching what? ALL that Jesus has commanded us! To observe all that that He has commanded us. Takes a lifetime.

Follow ONE—Win ONE—Lead One

My heart is burdened for the middle statement. WIN ONE. Friends we need to see spiritual new birth. That is the hallmark of a healthy church. We must be able to spiritual reproduce ourselves in our community. This needs to be our vision for 2023. How are we going to do that?

That leads me to our FOCUS for 2023. And it is the same focus for accomplishing every aspect of our vision.

Our vision- grow our disciple-making culture- especially WIN ONE

Our focus this year for accomplishing this? PRAYER

1 Corinthians 3:7 ESV

7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

Matthew 9:38 ESV

38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

I want 2023 to be a year of prayer, individually pray for a harvest, corporately together as a church let’s pray for fruit!

2. Spiritual Partnership in Gospel Ministry

2. Was actually titled Ministry Training Program, but I want to call a mulligan. MTP was too narrow of a goal, and I think what we were actually seeking was to grow in interdependence, fellowship, partnership with other likeminded churches for the sake of the gospel.

2 Corinthians 8:1–4 ESV

1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints—

Two ways in 2023:

Ministry Training Program of the Midwest

2. Wisconsin Men’s Fellowship

This is our vision. How can you participate? What should your focus be? Prayer! Will you partner with me in praying over these things. Baby steps. Let’s bathe these things in prayer. God please do this work through us for your glory!

3. Community Engagement

Matthew 5:16 ESV

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

John 17:14–18 ESV

14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.

My idea for baby steps:

Honoring our police and fire departments (rib cook-off)

Every part of the body going into our community intentionally and prayerfully for the sake of the gospel

I want your ideas! (not just in this area, but any ideas you have!) Let’s do this together, but we need to go! God can’t steer a parked car. And if we are not heading in the direction of the main thing, we can derail our church really quick!

1 Thessalonians 4:9–11 ESV

9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10 for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, 11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,

Unintended yet God expected blessings of making the main thing the main thing. Makes it so much easier to do Eph 4.

Ephesians 4:1–3 ESV

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Satan does not want this in our church, and He will use anything and everything to disrupt. But when we are focused and praying and going together it makes unity so much easier.

I invite you to pray over this with me, and I invite you to help me! I can’t do this alone. I need organizational help, I need logistical help, I need people to show up (90% of ministry is just showing up!), I need you to pray with, let’s beg God together. God’s loves to work providentially through the prayers of His people. Let’s cooperate with God, all for His glory.

4. Church Planting

How long has Faith been in existence? 50 years. Why haven’t we reproduced ourselves as a church yet? I got to fellowship with many pastors this past week. Some of them are from new church plants and they are already in the process of planting another church. I know God has a different path for each person and church. But, I believe it is God’s will for churches to be planted! Do you?

Let’s pray about this together! Let’s pray and put some baby steps toward this!

Taylor & Lynsey Cranfill- Chicago IL

Bart & Kasey McNaughton- Sarasota FL

I would like us to be able to help plant a church in some small way.

Opportunity right now: Great Commission Christmas Gift- 30% for church planting

Next summer- 2024 we will take a mission’s trip to help a local church planter- pray with me about this! Help me with this!

5. Global Missions

Acts 1:8 ESV

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Summer missions trip to South Africa- go, give, serve

Grace Giving 2023-

Mission’s Budget 2023- $19,600

Grace Giving Commitments 2023: $15,680

General Fund Budget: $4000

Blessing Budget: $21,600 (Arch Ministries)

How is God going to do that? Pray! Would you pray with me that God will continue to do grow our desire and ability to do Acts 1:8.

Vision 2023:

Disciple-Making Culture

Spiritual Partnership in Gospel Ministry

Community Engagement

Church Planting

Global Missions

Focus 2023:

Prayer

Practical Application:

Men and Ladies Bible Study monthly (A Praying Church)

Morning Bible Study (Study on Prayer)

Wednesday Evening Prayer Service

New Church App- Private prayer group communication

How will you put into practice the vision and focus of Faith in 2023?

Let’s do it together.