Own The Vision- Connected

This time of the new year people are figuring out what they are going to DO this year....How will I accomplish goals, Maybe this year it is how am I just going to make it through this next year?

-Our country and culture is extremely focused on what they plan to do......I HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR YOU!!!!

John 15:3–17 NLT

You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other.

1. Jesus is primarily interested in being with us than doing through us

Remain- the greek word here literally means to take up residence or lodging. To stay and receive the hospitality of the owner as their guest.

he wants us to be with him and receive the presence and blessings of being his guest.... his friend.

-This will change the perspective of some today that Jesus is not first interested in what you can do for him.

-Jesus is initially interested in you being with him and being blessed by his presence, his company as he is blessed by you being with him.

-this word remain gives us the image of a house guest…how excited do we become when we know someone who we love is coming over to our house?

-We plan, clean, prepare, anticipate.....there is excitement that builds up when we know they are coming.

THIS IS THE concept that is being communicated here in this word remain

-Jesus is excited to have your undivided attention!

-There are times when he follows us around because without our attention on him we can’t hear where he’s leading.

-Remaining is to listen because Jesus is showing us truth....and he will show us truth in ways that will expand our understanding of him and his Father and their unconditional love if we remain

2. Our remaining/connecting will result in an overflow of obedience

This is not a dutiful work....when we remain in him....dwell, abide, take up residence in him he will fill us with his love

John 7:38 NLT

Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ ”

When we remain and take up residence in Jesus....connect with Jesus…we will be channels for his living water to flow from our lives.

-When we remain, connect.....we are filled and others are filled through our obedience

later Jesus in His quiet time with Our Father God prayed this as well

John 17:20–23 NLT

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.

Our connection/remaining/dwelling first to God fills us beyond measure and as we stay connected to him we become the source through which the world can remain in him.

Nothing here so far says that we need to be connected to the church.....

When Jesus was leaving to return to heaven he told the people there to go back to the upper room in jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit

-After the Holy Spirit fell.....under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Acts 2:42 says they devoted themselves to meeting together.

-So this became the normal for the people who followed the way of Jesus

Hebrews 10:23–25 NLT

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

The author is seeing that some people were either fearing for their life, or some were just getting out of the rhythm of meeting....either way people were fading away from the group.

-If you feel that you have nothing to offer in leadership, teaching ability, prophesy, any of the gifts mentioned

-It is still so important for your voice to be heard as we think of ways that we can better love each other and better serve one another and our community.

-AND we should do this more often as the day of Jesus’ return comes closer....so every month and every year we need to be getting better at this as we practice it more often. It will need to become more frequent because of the days, environments that surround his return.

So there is something for all of us to do in our community here.......and Paul in his letter to the Colossians starts to show their is a priesthood of all believers. Meaning that all of us are called to a ministry and in Colossae the people we starting to face some major issues in the community as well as theologically.

Colossians 3:15–17 NRSV

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

3. We have a responsibility to listen to the Spirit for each other......

-not as a substitute for one another, but as we live in the word and in the presence of Jesus he will give us words for one another

-This was not a word to the leaders of the church, but to he whole body of believers

- the wisdom that we hear in the word, but also from Jesus in our quiet time will be able to help guide and counsel others

-If we believe Jesus is saying something to us that is for someone else then it is important that we be obedient to share that with them.

-Have you tested it to see if it matches with scriptures and the Holy Spirit?

-This requires us to take time to dwell absorb....let it fill your life and permeate everything

Colossians 3:15–17 The Message

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

Ephesians 3:14–19 NLT

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

4. When we are connected to Jesus / together we can better understand and see the fullness of God.

-We hear the heart of the Spirit in different ways because of how he has made us....the message is the same, but how he communicates that to us is as different as each one of us....and together we can better see the nuances of God.

-As deep and wide as God is there are different characteristics to know and experience

-Each of us embody different characteristics and hear the voice of God through those filters

-When we know someone else has been with Jesus we can hear a fresh word in a fresh perspective because Jesus has been confiding in his people.

One Way we can OWN THE MISSION is through connection to:

Jesus

Each Other

I want to challenge each of us to OWN THE MISSION this year and

develop a life of connecting

in God

In Word

With each other

What is our plan?

I am committing to you as your pastor to

Resource you -developing new ways in our new world to assist us as a community to grow in Christ

Connect with you -