Vision Sunday 2024

Background

If we have not had the pleasure of meeting my name is John Colunga and I have the privilige of serving as lead pastor here at New Day Pasadena

I also have the privilige of bringing this weeks sermon

So if you have your Bibles, please turn to Acts 14:19-23

If you forgot your Bible please use the one in front of you and if you dont have a Bible at all, please take home the one in front of you as a free gift to you

2023

We are a replant church

This means that this was a struggling church that was committed to staying in this area and in this community

But the church knew that a change had to be made

So the church voted to merge with New Day Church which was a replant in and of itself and has a heart to help other churchs’

2023 was this church’ first full year as New Day Pasadena

And because we are still here, and because of the Lord’s faithfulness -

There was a profession of faith last year

There was a baptism

We added 8 new members

We had a child dedication where to children were dedicated to the Lord

We added a community group to have 2 groups

We were able to bring on an Associate Pastor to lead worship and to help shepherd

I was able to step away from leading the youth as Mrs. Tresa stepped up to lead them

We had our Fall Fest and 9 other outreach events (Party at the Park)

We had 2 Easter Services

And as we reflect on these things, the question I have for you is, are we satisfied?

In one sense we are satisfied by the faithfulness of the Lord

We are satisfied with his blessings and increase

We cannot do anything apart from him and so we do not take the glory for the work that was done but we give it all to him

We are not comparing ourselves and boasting in our blessings or complaining about God’s work here

And so we are satisfied in God’s faithfulness to us

But we have to ask the question - are we satisfied in our work and purpose of being here?

You see, we come together to glorify God, for each of us to conform more into his likeness and image, and to help real people meet the real Jesus

Now I submit to you that this is a daily purpose for each of us

As long as we are living and breathing we should be seeking to bring God glory, to be more like Jesus, and to share Jesus with others

We should be satisfied in Jesus but know that our work continues

What we will find in our text today is that Paul has a chance to be satisfied

Background in Lystra

The Apostle Paul was called by God and bestowed gifts to preach the gospel of Jesus and to help establish Christs’ church

Paul is preaching in different cities and in each city there are those who listen and are saved through the power of the Holy Spirit, and there are those who reject the gospel of Jesus

Gospel Presentation

And today we find that Paul preaches this gospel in Lystra

And in Lystra there was a crippled man who heard them preaching the gospel of Jesus

And through the power of the Holy Spirit, Paul saw that the crippled man had faith

And told him to stand up

The crippled man did stand up and he walked

And as this deed that was done was seen by others the crowds viewed Paul and Barnabas as Greek Gods who came down to be among the people

And so the people bring before them sacrifices

And so Paul and Barnabas stricken with grief that the people would view them as gods

They tore their clothes and point them to the God of creation

That it is God who brings the rain and brings them good things

They should turn to Yaweh as their Lord

And it tells us that the people barely listened

And so this brings us to our text today

If you are able to stand, I ask that you please do so for the reading of God’s word. I’ll read it as you follow along,

Acts 14:19-23

19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. 21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

This is the Word of the Lord - You may now be seated

Immediately we find some disgruntled Jews who come from different cities and they persuaded the people to stone Paul

And Paul, does not die - the disciples grab him and save him, they move him to Derbe

And then we find that Paul doesn’t waiver from his calling from God and from his purpose as a Christian

Paul doesn’t allow the sin committed against him to stop him from walking in his purpose

That Pauls trust and faith in God helped him to stay obedient and on mission

Paul was committed to the Great Commission Matthew 28:18-20

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.”

What if Paul had gotten satisfied after being ministered to and regained health?

Paul has spread the gospel to others, he faced opposition for the gospel, he has gotten stoned and almost died for the gospel

If anyone could or should be satisfied in their work for the gospel, it is Paul

But if Paul had been satisfied, verses 21-23 and many other parts of the Bible would be non-existent

If Paul had said after getting stoned, I have fought the good fight, I have ran the race, I have kept the faith

Then how many churches may or may not have been planted?

How many of the lost may or may not have been reached?

But praise God that Paul was not satisfied

He preaches the gospel in Derby and makes disciples

He goes back to the cities whose people stoned him

He preaches the gospel to them and makes more disciples

He is planting churches in the very cities whose people stoned him and he is baptizing and teaching

And as he establishes elders in those churches he fasts for that specific need

And so I ask us again, praise God for his faithfulness in 2023 but are we satisfied in our work?

And the answer is no

As ong as we breathe we have a purpose, as long as we gather as a church we have a purpose, and as long as there are lost people in our community we have a purpose

And so we want to build upon on 2023

We are going to continue to grow spiritually and start our day with God, strive not to miss church, and to share Jesus every week

We are going to continue our Daily Bible reading which will incorporate the Old Testament

We are currently in the book of Psalms and the january reading plan is on your chair

We are going to continue our community groups and our outreach events

But we do want to start three new initiatives here that build upon these

First, We are committing to a vision of “Everyone for Everyone”

Big Idea - We want to become a church where everyone has a place to connect and grow regardless of their stage and status in life. We want to be strategic about this.

Sunday morning Bible Studies are strategic way to grow in our faith and also reach new people because they happen when most people are free, it is easier for us to provide childcare, and it also draws people to Sunday morning worship

We will continue to do Community Groups as they offer a different form of discipleship that is needed and effective. Groups will prioritize community, Bible Studies will prioritize learning. Both will complement each other and will offer a holistic approach to discipleship

Action Items

Continue our Senior Adult Sunday School classes

Add an Adult Bible Study this year at 9:15am to reach college/young adult/young families

Once those are established continue adding different communities to reach different people

In order to create a place for “everyone” we need “everyone” helping us to do this

Second, We want to continue to invest into our Kids Ministry

The worst kept secret is that we love our kids around here

We love them a lot and we want them to know the beauty and truths of God

And we say this all the time that parents are the primary disciple maker for their kids

But we also as a church need to help support the parents and have their back in helping them to disciple of their children

And there are many families who need help in this and who are looking for the help

So how can we help to meet a need and to aid in the discipleship of their children?

One of the main goals this year is to open a New Day School here in Pasadena and we want to start by offering registration for infants-Kindergarten

At a minimum - this is a way to help love, serve, and meet a need of the community

Yes, there will be a charge - but this meets the need as every single daycare I have called, has a waitlist

And to be honest, there are some daycares that I probably wouldnt send my son too - I’m just being honest

But also, this is a way to help start planting seeds of truth about God into these little ones

Parents who bring their will know that we are faith based. On the New Day School Website for Oak Forest - this is what it says

First and foremost, we believe that faith builds a stable foundation for a child’s life. Faith teaches children how to love and live. We believe in Jesus Christ and that the Bible is God’s word to us. We are connected to New Day Church and follow their statement of faith. Children sing faith based songs, learn Bible stories and scripture, and Christian values are integrated into our classrooms.

I cant wait for us to be able to invest in these kids

And as we plan and workout the details and renovations

We are also going to have in mind how we can better serve the kids on Sundays

Lastly, We believe that this can be a very effective outreach tool

When parents see a church that is taking care of their children well, and they become familiar with the building, location, and people, they can be more open to making this church their church home

As we model the Oak Forest New Day School, we know that the New Day School can meet a need, help to disciple kids, provide income to the church, and possibly bring in new families

Action Items

Invite/Share with families that we will have everyone for everyone - including their kids

Share the plans and create excitement

I ask that you would be in prayer over this

Third, We want to continue to be generous towards the Kingdom Work being done here

And I do want to highlight and point out that we are very generous church

Last year we tithed/gave over $250,000

We had 25 first time givers this past year

And when needs came up, this church responded immediately, not begrudgingly - but out of love and with a zeal for the Lord

And so as we continue to give and cast vision, I want to share that our biggest financial goal is to be able to bring Pastor Dillon Trimm on full time

And I hope you have had the pleasure of meeting him, and if you havent I’m calling him out, hes right here, come find him and get to know about him

We have been encouraged by him and his leading of worship, we have been encouraged by his preaching, and I am personally encouraged by him throughout the whole week

He helps to keep me accountable, he has great ideas, and he genuinely cares for you and this church

Simply put, 2 is better than 1 - But the right 2 are better than 1

He is a man who is faithful to God, faithful to the Word of God, and faithful in striving to live it out

He embodies what our purpose is and in many ways I am blown away by how gracious he is

And I want you to know that we are opposites in a good way

Which means we compliment each other in ministry

I can be too serious, too detail oriented, I can lean into reality more than having faith, and I’m generally a really happy person but my face doesn’t always relfect it

Dillon, he is so creative and energetic and positive, and faith filled, and he could be dead and tired inside but youll never know it because of how happy and genuine he is

And so even in our short time he has definitely helped me to be more faith filled and I have definitely helped him reign in the thousands of ideas he has

And so I truly believe that this church would greatly benefit with him coming on full time

With that, we would have to consistently give above and beyond our required 22K need

And so if you are here today and you have given to this church home, I want to say thank you

Thank you for sowing into the work that is being done here

I know we have talked and pushed, and encouraged giving a lot recently

December will always be a big time for us to encourage giving above and beyond what we do normally

But as we start off this New Year and start with this goal to bring Pastor Dillon on fulltime

Iwant to ask and encourage everyone to think and pray about what your next step in giving may look like

For some of us, we have been giving to the church for so long its now second nature

But I want you think about the first time you gave

Maybe there was some anxiety because you were on a fixed income and was behind on some bills

Maybe it was just your next step in obedience and you did it because a pastor said you should

Maybe you just saw other people putting money in a plate and you had no clue what was going on but you pulled out what you had in your pocket and just put it in the plate because you wanted to fit in

Whatever the situation, at some point in your life, you were a first time giver

And today we are still blessed to have first time givers - and if that is you - I want to say thank you

And so maybe you are first time giver and you ask the question what might a next step look like -

We like to teach something called the giving ladder

Where we go from being a first time giver, to an intentional giver, to a surrendered giver, and a lifetime giver

Being an intentional giver is intentionally looking at your budget and intentionally stating between you and God how much you will be intentionally giving

And again, this step is often hard with tight budgets and everything else going on in the world

But that is why we are working towards also becomming a surrendered giver

Where you come to a place where you recognize that all you have is the Lord’s and you are blessed as a steward of what he has given you

And so you are able to give cheerfully and with trust, and with obedience that your tithe and offering is already his to begin with

And then it propells you into becomming a lifetime giver - where you see the clear principles of giving in scripture, you are surrendered in your giving, and you commit that for as long as you live, you will give unto the Lord what he places into your heart

Action Items

And so theres application in this for each of us - what are your struggles in giving and where are you in this illustration? Where are you and where are you striving to be?

And your prayer and my encouragement for you is to be praying about that next step and what needs to take place for the next step to happen

Application

I see a church that is everyone for everyone

I see a Charlie Brazil who has been so faithful to his church but really faithful to the Lord

He is present and always encouraging

I see the Hansens who have been members here for a while teaching Sunday school and hosting community groups all while being present in their kids and grandkids lives

We have a new family in the Vitovskys who are hosting community groups and willing and able to help with whatever is needed (John doesn’t know this yet but I have projects lined up for him lol)

But the point is that our work is not finished

We want to keep reaching the lost and keep being faithful in the Kingdom work in this community

That as we are faithful here to our purpose here and continue to grow that God will continue to use us

Fasting

Just as Paul fasted for the elders that were appointed - I want to encourage us to fast for our next step in 2024

Specifically, what is your next step this year? Is it in serving? Is it in giving? Is it in evangelism? Maybe its just being more present or

And I want to encourage you to add to your next step - prayer for the lost, prayer for community, that God would draw people to us and that we would seek them

But pick a next step and pray for the community

And for 21 days starting tomorrow - you will fast

Simply pick something to fast from - breakfast, lunch, dinner, and in the time that you would be eating that meal, in the time where you are recognizing your hunger - you are bringing your request to the Lord

You are praying, reading scripture, maybe singing praises - you are spending time with God

If we fast but do not spend time with God then we are defeating the point

This isnt a diet or a way to lose weight

This is an intentional act of the heart to seek the Lord

If you have health conditions, you can refrain from social media, you can give up television, you can give up spmething tha you know will be hard to refrain from - but again, in the time of refraining from these things when you would usually watch tv, you are in prayer and worship

The 28th will be the last day of our fast and we will start resuming community groups, incorporate the new classes, etc.

Be intentional today and make a plan to join us in prayer and fasting for the next 21 days