Live the Vision
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Recapturing Vision
Recapturing Vision
When most pastors preach on Vision they present a pretty statement that is supposed to be easy to repeat to others. It makes sense. They want to equip the people listening to them with an easy response to the statement, “Tell me about your Church.”
I have a friend named Freddy. He’s a pastor and someone that I trust a whole lot. Freddy and I were recently talking at a Pastor’s Retreat and he told me that his people have really learned their vision.
“So what is that vision?” I asked him, and he responded...
“Love God, Serve All.”
Here’s the thing though… I’m not gonna give you an easy response. I don’t want to answer that question for you. I don’t want to put words into your mouth. While phrases like, “Love God, Serve All” are pretty and they do a great job of capturing what it means to be a Christian, they don’t tell me about what you see in the Church.
Read
Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Look this section of scripture is full of stuff. Like I could preach a whole series just on this passage. Who knows, one day I just might do that, but for tonight I want you to here a few key phrases.
Let no one despise you for your youth.
Your age doesn’t limit you from being amazing people.
The disciples were no older than you when Jesus left them in charge.
Set an example.
Your words and actions matter to the people around you.
Life isn’t just about you and you are fully capable of affecting deep harm or love on others.
Immerse yourself in the good stuff.
As a person you can live into the good parts of yourself or the bad parts.
The people you’re around can tell what you’re living into.
Persist!
This isn’t too much for us to handle. You see the people around you? They are here to help.
When you aren’t living into the good, when you’re struggling to feel able.
We are the Church and as the Church we support each other.
So what about vision?
Last week Jessie did a great job of asking questions that would help you think of goals for yourself over this next year.
Tonight though, I want us to talk about who we believe we are.
I want all of us to respond to “Tell me about your Church”
And at the end I want us to recognize that our responses won’t all look the same but they are all telling one story.
Questions
Questions
Who is the Church?
Who is the Church for?
My Church is...
Who