How’s Your Vision?

Proverbs 29:18 KJV 1900

Where there is no vision, the people perish: But he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Introduction:

The beginning of a new year is a good time to talk about our vision for our church.  Without a vision or a goal we will go nowhere and accomplish nothing.  With vision, we will have direction and purpose.

Events can occur in our lives have the capacity to get us off course, and lose focus of our personal goals and vision. Did anything happen in 2020 that caused you to veer off course of some of the goals that you set?  The same can happen to an organization such as a church as well.

About 350 years ago a shipload of travelers landed on the northeast coast of America.

The first year they established a town site.

The next year they elected a town government.

The third year the town government planned to build a road five miles westward into the wilderness.

In the fourth year the people tried to impeach their town government because they thought it was a waste of public funds to build a road five miles westward into a wilderness. Who needed to go there anyway?

Here were people who had the vision to see thousands of miles across an ocean and overcome great hardships to get there. But in just a few years they were not able to see even five miles out of town. They had lost their vision.

With a clear vision of what we can become in Christ, no ocean of difficulty is too great. Without it, we rarely move beyond our current boundaries.

This morning, I’d like to talk a little about vision.

I. VISION IS THE CAPABILITY TO SEE -- AWARENESS

John Maxwell made this statement about vision, “Vision is a picture of a desired future; a picture of something that I don’t possess right now, but it is something I want to see and experience, and something I want the people I am leading to experience. When the pastor and his or her church have a vision, they will put their energy, time, money, and personnel into achieving it.”

Essentially, vision is the ability to see where you want to be in the future.  Our dreams have to be bigger than our memories of the past.  Our dreams have to be bigger than the obstacles we will face.

Do you remember the vision of Joshua and Caleb?  When everyone else said that going on was useless because the inhabitants of the land were like giants, Joshua and Caleb dared to dream.

Num 14:6-9 (NLT)

Numbers 14:6–9 NLT

Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing. They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”

Where would we fit in that picture?  Are we the optimist or pessimist?

I heard about the schoolboy who brought home his report card. It had more than it’s fair share of poor grades. "What have you to say about this?" asked his father. "One thing for sure," the boy replied, "Dad, you can be proud. You know I haven’t been cheating!"

Having a vision is more than just looking on the bright side. It is looking on God’s side. Finding the vision God has for us takes time and prayer. It takes an awareness of our situation, our needs, our culture, our limitations. But it also requires that ability to see what God wants to do through us!

As a church, we need to have an awareness of the world in which we are living. Sin is accepted. Christianity is viewed as bigoted and homophobic. Cancel culture is trying to do away with anything that does not fit a certain agenda. Politics has polarized most people to one extreme or the other. On top of all of this, the current Covid pandemic has had a huge impact on our society and churches.

We have already seen some short term impact from Covid:

Interruption to our normal way of doing things.

Caring for seniors and the vulnerable.

Church attendance continues to fluctuate.

But there are also some long term impacts that we have yet to see. But it is important to have an awareness so that we can set some goals and have a vision of how to serve our present world!

Churches will shift the way they handle finances.

The world after the Spanish Flu experienced a global recession. In addition, not more than a decade later America would enter and go through the Great Depression. I believe a long-term effect may be in how churches steward their finances. I believe you will see a continued rise in bi-vocational pastors, churches diversifying the way their fund themselves, and more intentionality around creating rainy day funds.

Churches will adapt hybrid ministry models.

Moving forward, I believe churches will continue to utilize the digital platform.

In addition, another hybrid model coming out of COVID-19 will be the utilization of small groups. Researcher Warren Bird, president of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, said that as the COVID-19 pandemic fades away, the churches that “do small groups well” will most likely be “stronger” than those that do not. 

"In light of the pandemic, so much of church health today depends on a vibrant, small group system underneath the big gatherings, whether they're in person or online. Much like in the pandemic, the churches that are most threatened are those with preexisting health conditions … The churches that are going to have the hardest time re-surfacing will be ones that depended solely on the Sunday morning gathering. They will have a hard time re-gathering, rebuilding momentum, and reestablishing their mission as a church.” (https://www.christianpost.com/news/rick-warren-covid-19-revealed-a-fundamental-weakness-in-the-church.html)

Churches will have to navigate a deeply divided culture with deep trust issues.

There’s no denying that America was a deeply divided country prior to this crisis. It would seem that a crisis would unite a country, but in this “war” against the virus, it has revealed how fractured we really are—a fracture that at the root is over a particular vision for America, and thus power to execute that vision.

In addition, there’s no denying that America is full of opinionated people, who many times distort their opinions believing them to be truth—and whacking people over the head who disagree.

But what do you do when the “experts” have differing opinions in an already skeptical world? This politician says one thing, yet this other politician says another; this news station reports on a story this way, whereas another news station offers a different report on the same story; this doctor says this about the virus, but this doctor doesn’t agree and says this; or this is considered an “essential business” but these businesses aren’t.

In short, we are a culture confused as to who we can really trust. As a result, we are left to rely on our personal thoughts (which we aren’t fully sure of) and of those whom we personally see as an authority we can trust (a parent, teacher, pastor, or leader).

These are elements of our culture, which the current crisis has magnified. In the long-term, the church will have to sensitively, winsomely, and discernibly navigate a politically toxic, highly divisive, vociferously opinionated, and deeply distrusting culture.

People will still need Jesus more than ever.

With all the talk about how the virus will change life as we know it, one thing it will not change is the fact people will still need Jesus more than ever. However, this reality doesn’t mean we resort to evangelistic tactics used in the 1980s. Our culture is still a post-Christian one, which means that we must seek to engage people in contextualized ways.

In the days, months, and years after COVID-19, when America will be rebuilding, the church has an opportunity to give a glimpse of the kingdom of God. If the fall of humanity affected every sphere of life, then the redemption that Jesus offers should also affect every sphere of life.

The church must be part of the rebuilding of our communities and cities. We should participate in and develop mercy ministries that seek to help the hurting and broken, the vulnerable and marginalized. (https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2020/may/short-term-and-long-term-effects-of-covid-19-on-church-in-a.html)

Ask the Lord to open our eyes and be aware of the vision and goals that we need to set to help navigate through these times and reach the lost for Jesus and develop maturing believers.

II. VISION IS THE CONVICTION TO BELIEVE -- ATTITUDE

Throughout the Bible we see examples of God giving spiritual vision to ordinary people whom He had chosen for extraordinary moments.  Three examples from the OT come to mind readily.  You’ll see that each one possessed faith and a willing attitude.

1) To Noah, a man who had never seen rain, God gave the vision of a great flood that would destroy everything on earth.  

2) To Abraham, married without children, God gave the vision of a great people of whom he would be the father.

3) To Moses, raised as a prince yet siding with the slaves, God gave the vision of a great deliverance under his leadership.  Though at first he ran from the challenge, God would call him back and use him to guide a nation to its place of promise.

4) FAITH and a willing ATTITUDE

Steve Goodier says, “Both the hummingbird and the vulture fly over our nation’s deserts. All vultures see is rotting meat, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was. They live on the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with freshness and life. Each bird finds what it is looking for. We all do.”

You can paint any kind of picture you want to through your thoughts, through your attitudes, through what you focus on.  Let me encourage you—don’t let doubt paint on your canvas, Don’t let fear paint the picture for your life, Don’t let impossibility thoughts paint pictures on your canvas.

Take out the paintbrush of faith, the paintbrush of hope, the paintbrush of expectancy—Let that paint a bright future on the canvas of your heart. The kind of picture that you have painted is what you are going to gravitate toward, just like the hummingbird and vulture. If you want to change your life, you need to start by allowing God to change the picture you are painting.  Ask God for an awareness of a vision for your life for our church.

Satan’s greatest attack on the vision that God gives each of us is our attitude.

An attitude that says "No body else cares so why should I."

An attitude that says "No body appreciates anything I do so let’s see what they do when I don’t."

An attitude that says, “I’m not for it ... They’re not getting my vote, money, or help.”

An attitude that says, “We’ve never done it that way before, and I’m not going to change.”

Faith is the food that visions live on. Without faith, our vision will wither on the vine. May God help us to have ...

An attitude that says, “How can I be a blessing and show someone that I care and that Jesus loves them?”

An attitude that says, “Who can I help?”

An attitude that says, “I want to share the Gospel, or host a small group, or mentor a young person.”

An attitude that says, “I want to make sure I have a clear conscience before God and others.”

III. VISION IS THE COURAGE TO DO -- ACTION

After we see the vision, and have faith with a willing attitude towards the vision, then the next step is putting into action!  

Our three OT examples didn’t just sit around in committee meetings and talk about the vision.  Their faith and their willingness took the next step.  They became stewards of their God-given visions.  After the revelation came the responsibility to live and think and act in the light of what God had revealed.

1) Noah acted on the vision by preparing for the calamity to come, warning others as God had warned him.  For 120 years he labored to build the ark of safety that would deliver his family from danger.  For 120 years he preached to told others of the coming flood.  He was ridiculed, mocked, and scorned, but he was not deterred.

2) Abraham stewarded the vision by setting forth on a journey to place yet unknown, driven by the hope of a promise yet unfulfilled.  Along the way he stumbled a time or two, but the Lord helped  him to get back up and not loose sight of the goal.  

3) Moses, who fled from Egypt and spent 40 lonely years tending sheep in a barren desert, was given a second chance at the ripe young age of 80.  From the undying flames of a burning bush, God spoke to Moses and gave him his marching orders.  The Lord revealed what was to come, and Moses took ownership of the vision and did something!  He confronted the world’s mightiest ruler and demanded that he comply with God’s decree.  Although all the forces of Egypt were joined against him, Moses led his people in a victorious exodus out of their bondage!

Just as God worked in the lives of His children centuries ago, so He does today!  He is still calling ordinary people to follow Him and to experience the abundance of life that only He can give.  He is still the artist of dreams, painting in hearts the vision of what He can and will do!

Paul Harvey told about one summer morning as Ray Blankenship was preparing his breakfast, he gazed out the window, and saw a small girl being swept along in the rain-flooded drainage ditch beside his home in Andover, Ohio. Blankenship knew that farther downstream, the ditch disappeared with a roar underneath a road and then emptied into the main culvert. Ray dashed out the door and raced along the ditch, trying to get ahead of the floundering child. Then he hurled himself into the deep, churning water. Blankenship surfaced and was able to grab the child’s arm. They tumbled end over end. Within about three feet of the yawning culvert, Ray’s free hand felt something--possibly a rock-- protruding from one bank. He clung desperately, but the tremendous force of the water tried to tear him and the child away. "If I can just hang on until help comes," he thought. He did better than that. By the time fire-department rescuers arrived, Blankenship had pulled the girl to safety. Both were treated for shock. On April 12, 1989, Ray Blankenship was awarded the Coast Guard’s Silver Lifesaving Medal. The award is fitting, for this selfless person was at even greater risk to himself than most people knew. Ray Blankenship can’t swim.

Ray had the awareness of what would happen, he had faith that he could and the willingness to help this girl, but then came the important step -- the courage to get up and do something about it.

The courage of vision is to say "Lord if that is you, let me come to you walking on the water."

The courage of vision is to say "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

The courage of vision is to say "If God be for us, who can be against us."

The courage of Vision is to say "The trials of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory of the next life."

The courage of Vision is to say, “I’ll do my part to fulfill the Great Commission, to be a team player, to support my church, to reach the lost.”

Our mission statement reads that the Bible Methodist Church of Vandercook Lake exists to glorify God by evangelizing the lost and equipping the saints.  We came up with that statement several years ago, and it’s great on paper ... but we need to put it into action.  

Conclusion:

Walt Disney had a vision to have the most popular tourist attraction on the planet. In 2018, 58 million people went through the admission gates at the Disney World theme park alone. It sits on 43 square miles. Did you know that Walt Disney died before it opened? On Oct. 1, 1971, during the Grand Opening Ceremony, someone turned to Mrs. Walt Disney and said, “Isn’t it a shame that your husband couldn’t live to see this?” Her response, “He did see it — that’s why it’s here.”  

What do we see? Do you have a  vision for your own spiritual walk with God?  Do you have any dreams for our church?

Spiritual vision is vital to keeping our eyes on life’s ultimate goal.  We live in the present, but we must be focused on the future.  That is why it is important for us to practice the stewardship of vision by “walking in the light as He is in the light.”

The two most practical ways we can do this are to follow every day the light cast by the lamp of God’s Word and to pray unceasingly for spiritually open eyes.

My vision for our church this coming year is to become a church that is more healthy:

in our relationships with each other,

in our walk with God,

in adapting our outreach to the community, and discipleship.  

My goal is to help create an atmosphere of God’s presence and an environment for growth.