Vision Sunday 1

We are Living Stones of Remembrance

Prayer: Thank you God that I get to know you, be with you and serve you. Thank you that I have a church and you have entrusted me to lead your church. Please shower your grace upon me and through me and upon your church. Let us love you, mature in you and endure in you. Let today be a day of remembrance, celebration and encouragement. Lead us.

MPT: Remember the mighty salvation of God. He was with you before, he is within you now he will be with you for all days

Problem then:

moving into the promised land without remembering the wilderness

moving forward toward the future without remembering the past.

work, work, work

slavery for 400 years

40 years of wandering

ahead: war

there will always be work on Earth

God says, stop and remember who I have been and what I have done

good news:

Our God was with us then, he is with us now!

Intro:

Happy New year!

Remembering the past year

church planting, being a church, reaching our city

Joshua 4:1–9 (ESV)

P1: Stones of remembrance

1-3

When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’ ”

background:

when the nation had finished passing over the Jordan

400 years of slavery (Passover)

40 years in the dessert (2nd passover)

marked a special day

entering into the territory that God had promised them

super duper exciting stuff to come

it was a very special day

of salvation

of remembrance

set up Stones

from the midst of the Jordan

V6-7 What are these stones for? Remembering

Stones of remembrance

Remembering God’s salvation, deliverance and faithfulness

as the psalmist says, “I will recount all your wonderful deeds”

What is the point of remembering?

for ourselves

for others

Remember God’s works of salvation in the past and in the present for the future

Remember to testify to ourselves remember to testify with others

Easy to cross the Jordan and look forward to whats ahead,

but if you don’t remember, you forget - super wise saying haha

forgetting God’s faithfulness in the past and present

because the God who was with Israel in Egypt and in the wilderness goes with them now into the promised land.

“God is the same yesterday, today and forever”

The God who has been faithful, will be faithful

the God who saved once, twice, will save again

The God who gave generously plans to give more

P2: Our Stones of Remembrance

12 stones of remembrance

in the midst of a river, God has set our feet firm.

God has saved us

salvation

God has delivered us

God has answered us

God has healed us

God has led us

God has blessed us with abundance

God has provided for us

God has grown us

God has been with us, God goes with us still

stories to remember from 2024- salvation, growth, deliverance, faithfulness to his promises

Baptism of Zeke Biggins (photos)

Baptism of Moses Richardson (photo)

a testimony to salvation

family discipleship

started a prayer team and saw Healings come from the prayer team (photos)

miraculous healing of a very sick member of our church who underwent both physical healing and spiritual healing in his own life, marriage, family. He should be dead, but by God’s power his life was saved, God is saving his marriage and has transformed his outlook on life

one family struggling for years to have children got pregnant this last year after coming to our prayer team for intercession

a third woman found peace after a year of family chaos, financial stress and a tough relapse, she found peace in prayer and the grace of God and is flourishing in our church

4. 13 new covenant members joined our family this year

plus 4 babies!

(picture of Mortinsons)

started with 40 people, now average 80 on a Sunday

5. New beginnings

a. 4 families that before this church plant had been separated from the church for years now attending, serving and building up this church

6. new friendships

a culture of a loving family, growing community groups (shout out to our women’s groups)

(photo of kelsey and anna)

7. Loving culture

friends, family, humility

outsider focussed

“go for the 1” “my one” language

Welcoming to new people

not here for the color of the curtains, here for the lost in the neighborhoods around us

Christians who have struggled finding community- disjointed from the church

1st mission trip, generous participation in the YEG

8. strong Sunday teams

set-up

band

production

hospitality

kids

connect

safety

every Sunday we have had people serving in these roles so that we have been able to have the experience we have on Sundays as a family

9. Financial provision (report)

through our church

Support from Winnemucca, Carson and Reno

YEG- $8300 goal of $7k

P3: You are Living Stones of Remembrance

8-9

And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the Lord told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there. And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day.

Stones for the people

Stones for yourself

Spending a week with grandpa

Joshua had personal remembrance- he set up stones in the midst of the Jordan for himself and the priests

we are Living Stones of remembrance

Testify

Write down and share a stone of remembrance with our church

Conclusion:

Remember God’s works of salvation in the past and in the present for the future

Remember to testify to ourselves remember to testify with others

God has been faithful, he will be faithful

he has been good, he will be good

God has been with us, he will continue to be with us