Working Toward The Vision

INTRODUCTION

The past couple weeks have focused on the fact that we must, as a church, build a vision and set goals for the future

The old saying is “if you aim for nothing, you’ll hit it every time.”

We started in Isaiah 6, seeing how Isaiah responded to the Lord’s desire for a messenger

Ultimately, we took away the need to have the Word of God as our standard (“Hear From The Lord”) and to seek to be faithful to it

Once you have done that, individually, then it will naturally flow through our corporate ministry

Last week, we took some principles from Nehemiah 1 as it relates to developing a vision.

We must observe and evaluate the current situation we find ourselves in as a church

Then we need to reflect on it, and pray about what needs to be done moving forward

We desperately need God to grant wisdom and direction. So pray.

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Proverbs 3:5–6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Nehemiah was a Godly man who sought to please Him with his life, and sought the welfare of his people.

Let’s pick up in chapter 2 and see how God answers Nehemiah’s prayer to do great things

Read Nehemiah 2:1-10

God Will Provide The Opportunity

verses 1-3

When it comes to goals and direction, the human inclination is to make a plan and immediately carry it out.

Men, especially, have a reputation for being “fixers.” When a problem is presented, oftentimes they will immediately seek a solution and a plan to reach that solution.

However, when it comes to a ministry, it is most important that wisdom is sought for when to start…and patience is exercised until the appropriate time

Noah

Had to build the Ark for 120 years before the promised Flood of judgment

Abraham

Waited 14 years for the promised offspring (Genesis 16:16; 17:24)

Waited almost 500 years before they entered the Promised Land (430 years until the Exodus + 40 years of wondering)

Jacob

Labored 20 years for Laban before he left with his family and possessions (Genesis 31:41)

David

Waited nearly 15 years before becoming king over Judah and another 7 years before he would be king over all Israel

Apostle Paul

Acts 9 - Had to wait 3-days before he could receive his sight back

Galatians 1 - 3 years in Damascus before meeting the other Apostles

Acts 22-28 – he was in prison for about 5 years before being released

Nehemiah had to wait about 4-6 months after he received the report and prayed, before the opportunity was placed before him.

You never know how long God is going to have you wait before He moves you to where He wants you to be.

Our life may be a vapor, but God is eternal and sees the beginning from the end.

He is playing the long game

A. W. Tozer

Sometimes I think the church would be better off if we would call a moratorium on activity for about six weeks and just waited on God to see what he is waiting to do for us.

Q: Are we trying to force an opportunity before God is ready for us to pursue it?

Boldly Pursue The Vision

verses 4-9

As he was going to address the opportunity set before him, Nehemiah prayed to God first, and then proceeded to unleash.

Nehemiah had been thinking about what he would say for several months, and was ready to give a detailed accounting of what he would need

He knew about the permissions that would need to be granted for the provinces and the production companies

Are you consumed by the vision that God has given to you?

Is it the fuel that feeds your passion for ministry?

A vision is not merely a statement of wishful thinking…it is a proclamation of watchful thinking

When you become convinced of a vision, you keep a watchful eye on when and where to carry it out

King David had a vision to build a house for the Lord

Even though God would not permit him to build the Temple, David led the charge on raising funds (1 Chronicles 29)

Paul had a vision to get to Spain by way of Rome

Romans 15:22-28

There is no conclusive evidence that he ever made it; but he definitely tried to do so

Let’s pray that God gives FBS a unified vision that we relentlessly pursue.

Newsboys

I wanna live with abandon Give You all that I am Every part of my heart, Jesus I place in Your hands I wanna live with abandon

Expect Bumps In The Road

verse 10

Sanballat and Tobiah were not impressed at all with Nehemiah

Subsequently, they would work hard to try and discourage Nehemiah and the others from accomplishing what they returned to do

We must resolve now to not allow naysayers to divert us from the vision which God will grant us and empower us to carryout

William Carey was a self-educated shoe cobbler in England who had a vision of taking the gospel to India.

When he shared that idea with some ministers, one seasoned pastor called him a “miserable enthusiast” and told him that God would reach the heathen in His own way without human aid.

But Carey persisted and overcame setback after setback. He eventually got to India, learned and translated the Bible into almost 40 languages, founded a university that still exists, and saw God make a substantial impact on the Indian subcontinent.

Carey’s motto was, “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.”

We cannot allow obstacles to stand in our way of serving God.

People, resources, opportunities…there will always be an excuse of why we can’t.

But, the knowing that God goes with us is the only reason we need to know we can.

Matthew 28:20 behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

CONCLUSION

As we continue our search for a vision for First Baptist Shapleigh, we must keep these important principles in mind:

God Will Provide the Opportunity to carry it out

We must resolve to Boldly Pursue the Vision

Expect Bumps in the Road

R. A. Torrey

Pray for great things, expect great things, work for great things, but above all, pray.