Write the Vision

As we continue rebuilding, the foundation consists of what we believe

We believe - the Bible to be the inspired Word of God, and our only infallible authority.

We believe   - that the Lord Jesus Christ and the Bible should have pre-eminence in the church, home and each person's life. By doing this, there is a joyful, useful, and victorious Christian testimony.

We believe - that we are commissioned by our Saviour to..."Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." We want to witness effectively in Douglasville, and to all parts of the world.

We believe - that the Lord Jesus Christ has left a legacy of joy to all who would commit their life to Him. 

We believe in being joyful here on earth and through all eternity.

And now we’re going to add some walls to our foundation. It’s now time to talk about the strategic plan.

Our Scripture text today is coming from the book named for the writer, Habakkuk.

Hab 2:2-3 - NLT - Then the Lord said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. 3 This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.

The title of our message today is, “Write the Vision”.

Habakkuk is one of what is called the minor prophets, not because of who he is but because the book he wrote, while significant, his writing is smaller than say Jeremiah and Samuel.

The Hebrew root to the name Habakkuk means to embrace, denoting a favorite of God and a struggler for his country’s good.

Habakkuk is petitioning God on behalf of his people, because of what he sees going on around him, and while this was written in 610 BC, it’s still not so different from what’s happening today.

If we look back at the first chapter of Habakkuk, this is what he sees and says to God,

“1:2 How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save. 3 Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. 4 The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted.”

When we look at all that’s going on around us today. Just from the headlines of the news feed I get on my phone, these were the stories on Fri

Active shooter kills 2, injures 4 at Kentucky homeless shelter

Man stabbed, killed in Southeast DC

School superintendent asks for parent’s help to curb on-campus fighting

A Black pastor is arrested for watering his neighbor’s flowers while they were out of town

Fires are raging in Oregon.

Droughts are prevalent and there are those who refuse to adhere to the drought protocols set by authorities, in some cases using 1,400 times the alloted amount of water.

People dying from taking what they believe to be natural herbs for weight loss and diabetes

And as all these thing rage around us, we cry out for help and wonder sometimes, God, do you hear me? God are you seeing what’s going on down here?

Pastor Ed went to visit a young man in prison yesterday, and I can’t help but wonder how many of those men have been unfairly or wrongly incarcerated. How many of them while yes they did commit a crime, and should be rehabilitated, after all that is what prison is supposed to do, how many were more harshly punished because of the color of their skin, not the nature of their crime?

How do you fight against the wicked when they wear the uniforms of those sworn to serve and protect, or they wear black robes and sit high looking down on the people who come before them in court.

What recourse do you have when the system that guarantees attorneys for those who can’t afford it, but they’re over worked, under paid, and ill equipped to handle the cases they’re assigned. What do you do when the object becomes less about justice for the defendant and more about winning and losing for the lawyers or instead of guilty until proven innocent instead of innocent until proven guilty.

God do you see what’s happening here?

His reply to Habakkuk was yes and He was taking care of it. It wasn’t quite that simple, but the bottom line was yes, God saw what was going on and He was taking care of it.

Now, be careful what you ask for because here’s the thing, God does answer when we pray, but we don’t always like the answer He gives. As was the case with Habakkuk.

Because God answered and he prays again and says, and I paraphrase, ok first, I know you’re holy and eternal, I get that, but wait a minute God, you’re sending those people in to punish us. They’re ruthless, are you planning to let them wipe us out?

But, but, but God you’re pure, you can’t stand evil, so are you really going to let them get away with what they’ll do? Are you going to let them swallow up people more righteous than they are?

Wait what? So did he just categorize sin? Well I’m not as bad as they are. At least I didn’t… It could have been worse. Don’t we still look at and try to categorize, minimize, and justify our sin. We try to compare what we do or don’t do to others.

When we want to feel better about ourselves, we will find someone and say, well at least I’m not as bad as them, I only ______. And when we want to have a pity party and complain to God that He’s being unfair, like that could really happen, but we find someone who we think is better off than us, who is, we think, being blessed more than us and complain about what we don’t have or didn’t get. Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it.

So Habakkuk complained again, and now he’s waiting for God to answer, so he gets in position. When you complain, when you pray, are you in position to see God’s answer? Have you made preparation for what you’re asking for?

Habakkuk gets on his guard post and he waits and

because He is faithful

because He is good

because He is kind

because He loves us

God answers a second time and this is what he tells Habakkuk, “Write my answer plainly on tablets” in the KJV it says “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets”. Today we write the vision on paper, posters, walls, websites, bookmarks, etc… Today we have so many things on which we write the vision.

The key point is to write it down. Why? “…so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.” We’ve all played the game where you verbally pass a message along and by the time it reaches the last person, the whole message has changed, important parts are left out, key information is changed and the last person receiving the message is left clueless and powerless to do what they’ve been instructed to do. So God said write it down, that way there won’t be any misunderstanding or at least it should be minimal; after all the Bible has been written down for years and there are still those who are misinterpreting it.

So, here it is the strategic plan for Love Christian Center. It begins with the mission statement. Merriam Webster defines mission statement as a brief description of an organization’s purpose and how it serves audiences through the types of products or services it provides them with. So the mission statement for a church is a brief description of the church’s purpose and how it serves the congregation through the services it provides them with.

Christ left us with the mission of the church in Matt. 28:19-20 when he told us to go and make disciples and teach them to observe whatsoever things he commanded.

So the mission of LCC is…

MISSION

Lifting up Jesus, winning souls for the Kingdom of God.

Jesus said, if I be lifted up, I’ll draw all men unto me. So, we lift up Jesus, by preaching his birth, his ministry, his crucifixion, his death, his burial, his resurrection, and his ascension.

When we can help non-believers understand what Christ did for them, when we can explain how much he loved them, we win souls for the Kingdom of God.

When we can tell them that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life—we win souls for the Kingdom of God.

When we can tell them that Jesus is the Son of God and that Jesus is God—we win souls for the Kingdom of God.

When we can unashamedly share the Good news of the Gospel of Christ; because we know that it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek—we win souls for the Kingdom of God.

When we know, that we know, that we know, that Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, that He was bruised for our iniquities, that the chastisement of our peace was upon him and by his stripes we are healed, and we tell it—we win souls for the Kingdom of God.

Are you winning souls for the Kingdom or are you getting all you can, canning all you get, then sitting on the can?

The next part of our strategic plan is the vision statement. While the mission statement is about our day-to-day activity, the vision statement describes what we want to be and do in our future.

Let’s unpack the vision. The vision of LCC is to…

VISION

Be a place where people come for enlightenment, encouragement, and empowerment to advance and enhance the Kingdom of God.

First, we want to be a place where people come, not just one where they watch the message online when they get ready, but a place where if they live in the area, they come to the church house and get involved in, the boots on the ground, ministry of Love Christian Center.

We want to grow to the number God says, but more than numbers, God is looking for dedicated disciples who will come ready to learn, ready to work, and ready to give to the Kingdom of God through the ministry of Love Christian Center. We desire this to be the place where you work out your soul salvation.

When they come it is our vision to enlighten them. We want to give them spiritual insight so they can grow in the ways and the things of Christ. So they can grow in wisdom. It is our desire to acquaint them with Jesus, so they can build a relationship with him.

We have those who will come in need of encouragement. It will be all they could do to just make it in the door on Sunday morning and we want to encourage them in their walk with Christ.

We want to encourage those

who have experienced the death of a spouse,

those who are in need of employment,

those who need a word to help them make it through the day,

those who need healing for their bodies

those who need healing for their souls

those who need healing for their wounded spirits

those who need direction for their confused minds

those who are in need of forgiveness

those who just want a fresh start

those who need love

Those who are coming without money, without price. We want to let you know that God’s riches are endless, they are infinite, they are right on time, and they are free.

We do this so we can work together to advance, we want to move forward, we want to take back what the devil has attempted to take from us. His only job is to steal, kill and destroy and we want to mess up that plan. We want to make his job as difficult as possible. We want to take back territory, we’re waging war.

We’re engaged in a war that we’ve already won, a war in which, one can put a thousand enemies to flight and two, ten thousand when God is our Rock.

Together we can enhance or increase the Kingdom of heaven. We can’t make better, we can’t improve on what’s already perfect, but we have been commanded to add to it through witnessing.

And finally, let’s look at the goals of Love Christian Center. We want our goals to be specific, measurable, and achievable and we have three.

GOALS

1. To win lost souls for Christ through evangelism.

Again, it is our responsibility to win lost souls, we must evangelize. The last command Christ left his disciples was to go into all the world and make disciples.

2. To biblically educate Christians through sound Scriptural teaching and preaching.

The Word tells us to study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth. We are teaching and preaching the unadulterated, unhindered, infallible, unchangeable, and if you read it, study it, meditate on it and hear it enough; unforgettable Word of God, the Bible.

If you avail yourself to the teaching by being at Sunday school and Bible study every week you will learn.

If you study the lessons you are given throughout the week you will learn.

If you attend Worship service every week, take notes on the sermon that’s preached, go home and study those notes, you will learn.

And our final goal is…

3. To equip Christians spiritually, physically and financially through comprehensive coaching.

So, here at LCC we’re not merely concerned with your spiritual growth, but with your physical and financial growth and stability as well. Because what we recognize is yes, while the ultimate goal is heaven, we want to equip you with the tools and training you’ll need to live and not just live, but thrive here on this earth.

So what does that look like? I’m so glad you ask.

It’s helping you learn what your spiritual gift is, then training and allowing you to use that gift for the work of the ministry and the edification of the saints.

It’s providing spiritual training such as new member’s class, how to be a teacher, a deacon, a minister or leader.

It’s learning how to make and stick to a budget - one that includes tithing and savings.

It’s learning how to start a business, legally.

It’s learning what your personality type is so you know how to more effectively work with others in the church.

It’s coming and expressing a desire to learn and knowing if it’s not something we’re already doing, we’ll work a way to get it. But you must have patience.

God said, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. This vision is for a future time.” This is what we’re working toward and we need you to get there.

Are you one of the soldiers God is looking for to carry the correct message to others? Many are called, but few are chosen. Are you chosen?

We don’t see it right now, this vision is for a future time…and it will be fulfilled. And when it seems like the Lord is tarrying he gives us this assurance, “If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place.”

God has given us a guarantee, if we will just continue to work, continue to preach, continue to teach, continue to study, continue to give, continue to pray, continue to wait on God, He is faithful to fulfil his promise. Don’t give up on God, cause he won’t give up on you, He’s able.

This plan of God is for the born again, baptized believer. If you’ve never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, today is a good day to do so, all it takes it a prayer.

Father God, I confess I’m a sinner, please forgive me. I believe Jesus is Your Son, that he died for my sins and now sits at Your right hand interceding on my behalf. Jesus please come into my heart, I give you my life, in Your name I pray, amen.

If you prayed that prayer for the first time, welcome to the family, you are now a part of the Kingdom of God.

For those of you who are already saved and this is a plan that you feel God is calling you to be a part of, we’d love to welcome you into this ministry. If you’d like to become a part of Love Christian Center, the doors of the church are open for church membership.