Every day is a day to be thankful. Every prayer is an opportunity to thank the Lord for who He is and all that He has done. Thank Him today for His goodness. Look around you, at your life, and take notice of His bountiful goodness to you. He is good and he does good. He withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly. He is good even to unkind and ungrateful men. Every good thing given comes from Him.
When we think of good, the Lord should be the first we think about. Don't fall into the trap of taking your life and the goodness intrinisic in it for granted. Look at it with eyes of faith, the eyes of a grateful heart. Look intentionally for all the goodness He has done for you; and then Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:4-5
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Thursday, November 05, 2009
God of the Possible and Impossible
...with God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26
For nothing will be impossible with God. Luke 1:37
With Him all things are possible, and with Him nothing is impossible. Pretty much sums it up, doesn't it? In these two verses God has covered the fact that He can do anything and everything, and there is nothing He can't do. The thing is, do we really believe it? Is our faith too short when God hasn't aswered our prayer or a situation is taking longer to play out or resolve itself. Because if the verses above are true, and they are, then the issue becomes one of our faith in God, not on God's ability. Instead of throwing rocks at God, maybe the rock needs to be self-directed.
The Bible is filled with examples of God's ability, God's power. In fact, we are told that no purpose of His can be thwarted (Job 42:2). So why do we tend to sell Him short and have our faith fall short? Let me give a few reasons.
1. God's timetable does not meet our own, and we have to wait longer, sometimes much longer than we think we should.
2. The situation is not resolving like we want it, or our expectations are not being met.
3. We have presupposed our will/desire is His will.
4. We have confused our will/desire as His will.
5. We try to impose our will on the situation.
6. We bow to the pressure of others or the situation.
7. We forget that God uses times like these to test our faith.
8. We forget that God uses times like these to strengthen our faith.
9. We forget that with God there is never a plan B, but it always has been and always will be plan A. In other words, God never has a contingency plan, because He never needs one.
10. We forget that God works at the speed of life, and at the pace of people, yet He is never slow.
11. We forget the real issue is never with Him, but always with us, as these situations usually highlight.
12. We really don't believe that God is who He claims to be, and can do what He has said He can do.
13 We don't want to deal with our sin that stands in the way.
I am certain this list is not exhaustive, but this is enough for us to think about. How about you, my friend, did you find yourself on this list? The real issue facing us in believing God is surrendering our will to His. So many times the issue in trusting God is trusting Him with the outcome, even if it is not what we want. Let us bow our hearts in submission to His will and trust Him to do the impossible, for all things are possible with Him.
For nothing will be impossible with God. Luke 1:37
With Him all things are possible, and with Him nothing is impossible. Pretty much sums it up, doesn't it? In these two verses God has covered the fact that He can do anything and everything, and there is nothing He can't do. The thing is, do we really believe it? Is our faith too short when God hasn't aswered our prayer or a situation is taking longer to play out or resolve itself. Because if the verses above are true, and they are, then the issue becomes one of our faith in God, not on God's ability. Instead of throwing rocks at God, maybe the rock needs to be self-directed.
The Bible is filled with examples of God's ability, God's power. In fact, we are told that no purpose of His can be thwarted (Job 42:2). So why do we tend to sell Him short and have our faith fall short? Let me give a few reasons.
1. God's timetable does not meet our own, and we have to wait longer, sometimes much longer than we think we should.
2. The situation is not resolving like we want it, or our expectations are not being met.
3. We have presupposed our will/desire is His will.
4. We have confused our will/desire as His will.
5. We try to impose our will on the situation.
6. We bow to the pressure of others or the situation.
7. We forget that God uses times like these to test our faith.
8. We forget that God uses times like these to strengthen our faith.
9. We forget that with God there is never a plan B, but it always has been and always will be plan A. In other words, God never has a contingency plan, because He never needs one.
10. We forget that God works at the speed of life, and at the pace of people, yet He is never slow.
11. We forget the real issue is never with Him, but always with us, as these situations usually highlight.
12. We really don't believe that God is who He claims to be, and can do what He has said He can do.
13 We don't want to deal with our sin that stands in the way.
I am certain this list is not exhaustive, but this is enough for us to think about. How about you, my friend, did you find yourself on this list? The real issue facing us in believing God is surrendering our will to His. So many times the issue in trusting God is trusting Him with the outcome, even if it is not what we want. Let us bow our hearts in submission to His will and trust Him to do the impossible, for all things are possible with Him.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Worshiping in Spirit, Truth, and Reverence
There is a tension, even to the point of conflict, between many in the church as to what constitutes proper praise and worship. You could generally divide these folks into two camps, those who follow the regulative principle and those who follow the normative principle. The regulative folks prescribing that God has laid out in Scripture what He requires and will accept in worship, and everything that is not in Scripture is forbidden. The normative folks prescribe that whatever is not prohibited in Scripture is permissable in worship. The are extremists in both camps from those who will only sing acapella from the Psalter to those who have a solo guitar riff with strobe lights and smoke, singing the Doobie Brothers as part of their worship. You go from the legalists to the libertines with all staunchly defending their position. So how do you determine what is permissable, what is pleasing to God, what brings Him satisfaction?
First, I think we need to take a step back to look at the whole of the landscape to determine what is the proper attitude we should have about this. There is a principle regarding Christian liberty in the practice of our faith in Romans 14:1-15:6, that is summed up in Romans 14:23...and whatever is not from faith is sin. I believe that God gave us this principle because for all of us, our definition of correct, or right, or proper is the way that we would do it. So there is some leeway, some room, and some forbearance to be given to one another in worship styles, music, and methodology. A good example of this is my friend, pastor Andrei, of Vision of Christ Church in Lviv, Ukraine. I preached at his church twice, once for a week on Covenant, and again over a long weekend on The Spiritual Life of the Church. This is a Charismatic church, and they speak in tongues during the prayer time in the service, and I am anything but Charismatic. At the end of my second time with them, as we were having dinner together at his home, Andrei turned to me and asked, "Does it bother you that we speak in tongues?" And I told him no, it did not bother me. To which he replied, "Good, because it doesn't bother us that you don't." So let us not look with contempt at one another, or judge one another because of differences in worship styles or methodology (Romans 14:3).
Secondly, let us acknowledge that there are guidelines for our worship of God, and God has been consistent with those guidelines through the ages. We can find these guidelines summed up in John 4:23-24 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth. (Italics mine) So we have defined for us who a true worshiper is, and how a true worshiper worships; and we see that God Himself seeks such people to be His worshipers. So worshiping in spirit and truth is how God wants us to worship and is His parameter of what He considers proper.
In Isaiah 29:13 God condemns the Israelites for their rote reverence of Him. They were going through the motions but were devoid of the Spirit. So even though what they practiced was according to truth, it was spiritually empty. In Job 42:8 we see that worship that is acceptable to God is based on saying what is true about Him. So proper worship must be both from and through the Spirit, and must be based upon what is true and right. There are many hymns and praise songs/choruses that are filled with incorrect theology that do not meet this criteria
Thirdly, we see another guideline in Leviticus 10:1-4. God only accepts worship that treats Him as holy and honors Him as God. Spirit led worship will always approach God as holy and honor Him as God. Proper worship always pictures God as set apart, as holy, and properly reveres Him as God. We see how a cavalier attitude and lack of reverence towards God in the Corinthian church led to many being weak, sick, and number of them sleeping (dead). Yes, I know it was for taking the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner, but the partaking of the Lord's Supper is part of our worship. This shows us that God is just as serious about being treated as holy and being honored by the church as He was with the Jews in Leviticus 10. This is what He expects from His people; and it makes me wonder if there are many in the church today who are weak, sick, or even sleeping because they worshipped (approached) God in an unworthy manner.
Fourthly, we see five principles at work in Colossians 3:16. One, it should be word based. Two, worship should be participatory. Three, worship should be more than one dimensional, containing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Four, it should be jointly edifying. Five, it should be God directed.
On being word based, the word of God is the truth, so if we want to worship God in truth, the foundation of our worship should be His word. It should dwell richly in us and be sung in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
On being participatory, the pronouns you and your in this verse are plural, so this is something that all that are gathered together should be doing. So it should not be observatory, but participatory. Any style or methodology of worship that prevents or hinders the joint participation of the gathered believers should be eliminated. Now this does not rule out solos, etc., but corporate worship is just that, corporate worship; and the style and methodology should promote and encourage corporate participation.
On being more than one dimensional, there is a richness and balance in the types and styles of songs, and this balance should be part of the corporate worship experience. It will cover all aspects from the richness of deep theology to soul stirring melodies. It should take us from the depths of love to the heights of joy while covering everything in between.
On being jointly edifying, as we sing His word together we are teaching and admonishing one another. There is an edifying power, and edifying effect on each other as we sing together or are sung to by soloists, etc. The word put to music will not return empty or void, without accomplishing all that God desires, and He desires for us to play our part in the dissemination of His word.
On being God directed, as this is the most important of all the principles. All worship should be God directed. It should be about God, focused on God, taking our attention away from ourselves and focusing it on God...His greatness, His majesty, His power, His love, His care, His grace, His provision, His faithfulness, His mercy, and all that His is and all that He does. This is a time for us to corporately present ourselves and our sacrifice of praise to God Himself before His throne. It should be a transcendent time in the presence of God for all who are gathered together.
We obviously have guidelines, but within the guidlines we have freedom, Spirit directed freedom which will always have the truth for both its anchor and its guide.
Monday, November 02, 2009
God's Provision
There was a popular song a couple of years back by Third Day, the foundation of which was Psalm 36:5-6. I wish they had gone ahead and exegeted the rest of that section so that we could see more of the beauty of God's provision for us. The following are the verses 5-9 of Psalm 36, with the heading of each verse giving us an area of God's provision that is highlighted in that verse.
In God we have:
Safety
35:5 Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Stability
36:6a Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains; Your judgments are like a great deep.
Security
36:6b O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
Shelter
36:7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
Satisfaction
36:8 They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of Your delights.
Sustenance
36:9a For with You is the fountain of life;
Spiritual Sight
36:9a In Your light we see light.
And Father, we pause now, and give You thanks for Your wonderful and marvelous provision. We thank you that You are able to do abundantly more than we ask or think, and that You do just that in the lives of Your children. Thank you for our daily bread, the cleansing from sin, and the availability of Your ear. Bless Your name now and forever. Amen.
In God we have:
Safety
35:5 Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Stability
36:6a Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains; Your judgments are like a great deep.
Security
36:6b O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
Shelter
36:7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
Satisfaction
36:8 They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of Your delights.
Sustenance
36:9a For with You is the fountain of life;
Spiritual Sight
36:9a In Your light we see light.
And Father, we pause now, and give You thanks for Your wonderful and marvelous provision. We thank you that You are able to do abundantly more than we ask or think, and that You do just that in the lives of Your children. Thank you for our daily bread, the cleansing from sin, and the availability of Your ear. Bless Your name now and forever. Amen.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Preaching to True Needs
There has been much discussion, both pro and con, concerning preaching to felt needs. As real as the felt needs are, both in the mind of the hearer and in the mind of the preacher, I believe that they are but the symptom(s) of a greater, deeper, ultimate true need; and that is a right relationship with the Living God. If this is the case, and I believe it is, then man's truest need is that of salvation; and what all men need, both saved and unsaved, is to hear the gospel preached. And what needs to be preached is a full orbed gospel, telling everyone all that is contained in the gospel, all that God has provided to meet man's greatest, deepest, ultimate need, which is Himself; and it is in the meeting of that ultimate need that all other needs are met.
Man needs salvation and all that salvation brings in all of its aspects. Underneath the umbrella of salvation there are many needs that are met that tie directly into salvation and what it provides. Let's look at the different aspects of salvation to see what all is provided by God to meet man's true needs.
Man needs the guilt of his sin removed from him. God has provided that through expiation.
Man needs the the wrath of God towards his sin to be satisfied. God has provided that through propiation.
Man needs the enmity between him and God, that has caused his alienation from God, to be done away with. God has provided that through reconciliation.
Man needs to be free from his bondage to sin and be out from under the dominion of Satan. God has provided that through redemption.
Man needs acceptance and a family to which to belong. God has provided that through adoption.
Man needs to be cleansed and have a fresh start. God has provided that through regeneration.
Man needs to be righteous as God is righteous. God has provided that through imputation.
Man needs to be innocent before God. God has provided that in justification.
Man needs a new heart towards God. God has provided that through circumcision.
Man needs to be able to live a life pleasing to God by overcoming sin. God has provided that in sanctification.
Man needs an advocate before God. God has provided that through Christ's intercession.
Man needs a hope for the future. God has provided that through glorification.
The felt needs of man really relate back to his greatest needs, his truest needs, which are spiritual. Man, at his core, is a spiritual being. If we as preachers would preach to his greatest needs, which are spiritual, then we would see his felt needs being taken care of and resolved. Preaching a full orbed gospel does just this, because the gospel includes all of the above. The gospel speaks both to the unsaved and the saved. To the unsaved it reveals his greatest and truest need, and to the saved it reveals all that God has done to meet that need. Understanding all that is provided in salvation is important and it is revealed in the proper preaching of the gospel.
Friends, our ultimate need is God Himself, a real and right relationship with Him. He has provided in His Son for that need. Look to Christ today as the only true satisfaction, the ultimate satisfaction for your greatest need, for all that you need is found in Him. Study and learn the gospel for it truly is good news.
Man needs salvation and all that salvation brings in all of its aspects. Underneath the umbrella of salvation there are many needs that are met that tie directly into salvation and what it provides. Let's look at the different aspects of salvation to see what all is provided by God to meet man's true needs.
Man needs the guilt of his sin removed from him. God has provided that through expiation.
Man needs the the wrath of God towards his sin to be satisfied. God has provided that through propiation.
Man needs the enmity between him and God, that has caused his alienation from God, to be done away with. God has provided that through reconciliation.
Man needs to be free from his bondage to sin and be out from under the dominion of Satan. God has provided that through redemption.
Man needs acceptance and a family to which to belong. God has provided that through adoption.
Man needs to be cleansed and have a fresh start. God has provided that through regeneration.
Man needs to be righteous as God is righteous. God has provided that through imputation.
Man needs to be innocent before God. God has provided that in justification.
Man needs a new heart towards God. God has provided that through circumcision.
Man needs to be able to live a life pleasing to God by overcoming sin. God has provided that in sanctification.
Man needs an advocate before God. God has provided that through Christ's intercession.
Man needs a hope for the future. God has provided that through glorification.
The felt needs of man really relate back to his greatest needs, his truest needs, which are spiritual. Man, at his core, is a spiritual being. If we as preachers would preach to his greatest needs, which are spiritual, then we would see his felt needs being taken care of and resolved. Preaching a full orbed gospel does just this, because the gospel includes all of the above. The gospel speaks both to the unsaved and the saved. To the unsaved it reveals his greatest and truest need, and to the saved it reveals all that God has done to meet that need. Understanding all that is provided in salvation is important and it is revealed in the proper preaching of the gospel.
Friends, our ultimate need is God Himself, a real and right relationship with Him. He has provided in His Son for that need. Look to Christ today as the only true satisfaction, the ultimate satisfaction for your greatest need, for all that you need is found in Him. Study and learn the gospel for it truly is good news.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Vision Casting, God's Way
Vision-casting is a term that has been in vogue in much of churchdom over the last few years. In fact, if you read many blogs or articles, you get the sense that any pastor that is worth his salt now days has this at the top of his priority list; and that it is a must if you are being the kind of pastor you should be.
In a recent paper by Tim Keller on how size affects church behavior, he posited that once a church gets to a certain size then the pastor should have staff in place so that he can spend his time vision-casting. Another popular blog that I check on from time to time recently posted a list they had run across of the top 10 attributes needed in a church planter, and number one was....vision...you must have it and be able to sell it. Two years ago I watched a video of a church service from a up and coming SBC church in South Carolina and whole service was about this vision that God was birthing in the pastor for the new and improved direction for the church. What was he doing? He was selling his vision to the church. I listened to a staff member of another church talk about what his responsibilities were, and how his performing his duties were enabling the lead pastor to spend more time vision-casting, as this was so important for this pastor to be doing. I use these examples to show how vision-casting is ubiquitous in the church and no section is immune to it.
What is vision-casting you might ask? Boiled down to its essence, it is nothing more than strategic planning. It is a business model and practice that has been co opted by the church and made to sound like it is indispensable for building and pastoring a church. Now don't get me wrong, some planning and thinking through critical issues regarding his church is needed by every pastor; but it is not the most important thing he does, and I don't believe it is even near the top of the list.
As pastors, if we truly need to have a vision for our church, would it not seem logical, even important, to see if the Bible gives us information or instruction as to what God's vision for the church is, so that we can then implement that vision. Knowing, after all, that it is His church, not ours, so any vision we have for the church must be in keeping with His vision.
In looking into the Scriptures for what the Lord's vision is for His body what we find is that His vision for the body is intrinsically tied to His vision for each individual believer, as He wants the same for each and every one of us. What is God's vision for each one of His children? It is Christ! Romans 8:29 tells us "For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren." This is God's vision for each believer, to become like His Son. Let's look at Ephesians 4:13 and 15 to see what His vision is for the individuals who make up the church, "until we all attain to ...the knowledge of the Son of God to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. ...we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ."
Christ likeness is the vision that God has for all of us that are His beloved children, and He will accomplish that in our lives. Philippians 1:6 says this, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." And I John 3:2 gives us this promise, "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is."
What is the means through which God will accomplish His vision for us while we are here in this world? It is the teaching and preaching of His word. And reading through Ephesians 4:11-16 you see that God has given pastors and teachers as the main means to carry out His vision of Christ likeness. Let's look at some verses that show us what Paul, the ultimate pastor, has to say about his responsibility in the carrying out of this vision. I Timothy 1:6 he says this, "The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." In Galatians 5:19 he puts it this way, "My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you." Finally, look at his God given vision for each person in Colossians 1:28-29 "We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works in me." Notice how the phrase every man is used three times here in admonishing every man, teaching every man, so that we can present every man. And what is the purpose for which Paul labors and strives in this admonishing, teaching, and presenting every man? It is so that every man may be presented complete in Christ, fully Christlike, lacking in none of the attributes of Christ. In other words Christ fully formed in them and them fully conformed to the image of Christ. Did Paul tell Timothy to be spending his time vision-casting? No, he told him to study to show himself approved, to preach the word in season and out, to guard the treasure entrusted to him, and to entrust it to faithful men who would do the same. It is the word of God that God uses to conform us to Christ. In fact, it is the the word put to music in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs by which we are to teach and admonish one another.
My fellow pastors and teachers, is Christ likeness your vision for your church, for each and every member of your church, each and every person that the Lord has allotted to your watch care? When you spend your time vision-casting is this vision of Christ in each of your people the vision that comes to your mind? If not, may I dare suggest that your vision is not God's vision. If you are spending time envisioning and planning for anything else other than this then you are wasting your time; and it is time that cannot be redeemed and effort that will be wood, hay, and stubble before the judgement seat of Christ. You will have labored in vain, you will have envisioned in vain if this is not your vision for your church.
In envisioning and planning, everything that the church does should be subservient to and facilitate reproducing Christ in each and every soul brought under and assigned to its care. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus commissioned the church to make disciples, not build ministries. Pastoral vision casting should be concerned with accomplishing God's vision as He has laid it out in Scripture, not coming up with unique and clever concepts to build ministries or attract crowds. As pastors, God's vision should be our vision. We are not allowed to have our own vision for the church, or to make the church according to our vision. If you will make God's vision your vision you can trust Him to build His church, and you will have built for eternity, and upon His word, which is the only sure and lasting foundation.
In a recent paper by Tim Keller on how size affects church behavior, he posited that once a church gets to a certain size then the pastor should have staff in place so that he can spend his time vision-casting. Another popular blog that I check on from time to time recently posted a list they had run across of the top 10 attributes needed in a church planter, and number one was....vision...you must have it and be able to sell it. Two years ago I watched a video of a church service from a up and coming SBC church in South Carolina and whole service was about this vision that God was birthing in the pastor for the new and improved direction for the church. What was he doing? He was selling his vision to the church. I listened to a staff member of another church talk about what his responsibilities were, and how his performing his duties were enabling the lead pastor to spend more time vision-casting, as this was so important for this pastor to be doing. I use these examples to show how vision-casting is ubiquitous in the church and no section is immune to it.
What is vision-casting you might ask? Boiled down to its essence, it is nothing more than strategic planning. It is a business model and practice that has been co opted by the church and made to sound like it is indispensable for building and pastoring a church. Now don't get me wrong, some planning and thinking through critical issues regarding his church is needed by every pastor; but it is not the most important thing he does, and I don't believe it is even near the top of the list.
As pastors, if we truly need to have a vision for our church, would it not seem logical, even important, to see if the Bible gives us information or instruction as to what God's vision for the church is, so that we can then implement that vision. Knowing, after all, that it is His church, not ours, so any vision we have for the church must be in keeping with His vision.
In looking into the Scriptures for what the Lord's vision is for His body what we find is that His vision for the body is intrinsically tied to His vision for each individual believer, as He wants the same for each and every one of us. What is God's vision for each one of His children? It is Christ! Romans 8:29 tells us "For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren." This is God's vision for each believer, to become like His Son. Let's look at Ephesians 4:13 and 15 to see what His vision is for the individuals who make up the church, "until we all attain to ...the knowledge of the Son of God to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. ...we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ."
Christ likeness is the vision that God has for all of us that are His beloved children, and He will accomplish that in our lives. Philippians 1:6 says this, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." And I John 3:2 gives us this promise, "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is."
What is the means through which God will accomplish His vision for us while we are here in this world? It is the teaching and preaching of His word. And reading through Ephesians 4:11-16 you see that God has given pastors and teachers as the main means to carry out His vision of Christ likeness. Let's look at some verses that show us what Paul, the ultimate pastor, has to say about his responsibility in the carrying out of this vision. I Timothy 1:6 he says this, "The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." In Galatians 5:19 he puts it this way, "My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you." Finally, look at his God given vision for each person in Colossians 1:28-29 "We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works in me." Notice how the phrase every man is used three times here in admonishing every man, teaching every man, so that we can present every man. And what is the purpose for which Paul labors and strives in this admonishing, teaching, and presenting every man? It is so that every man may be presented complete in Christ, fully Christlike, lacking in none of the attributes of Christ. In other words Christ fully formed in them and them fully conformed to the image of Christ. Did Paul tell Timothy to be spending his time vision-casting? No, he told him to study to show himself approved, to preach the word in season and out, to guard the treasure entrusted to him, and to entrust it to faithful men who would do the same. It is the word of God that God uses to conform us to Christ. In fact, it is the the word put to music in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs by which we are to teach and admonish one another.
My fellow pastors and teachers, is Christ likeness your vision for your church, for each and every member of your church, each and every person that the Lord has allotted to your watch care? When you spend your time vision-casting is this vision of Christ in each of your people the vision that comes to your mind? If not, may I dare suggest that your vision is not God's vision. If you are spending time envisioning and planning for anything else other than this then you are wasting your time; and it is time that cannot be redeemed and effort that will be wood, hay, and stubble before the judgement seat of Christ. You will have labored in vain, you will have envisioned in vain if this is not your vision for your church.
In envisioning and planning, everything that the church does should be subservient to and facilitate reproducing Christ in each and every soul brought under and assigned to its care. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus commissioned the church to make disciples, not build ministries. Pastoral vision casting should be concerned with accomplishing God's vision as He has laid it out in Scripture, not coming up with unique and clever concepts to build ministries or attract crowds. As pastors, God's vision should be our vision. We are not allowed to have our own vision for the church, or to make the church according to our vision. If you will make God's vision your vision you can trust Him to build His church, and you will have built for eternity, and upon His word, which is the only sure and lasting foundation.
Friday, October 02, 2009
Trust and Obey
...the consequences of faithfulness
are for God to determine,
not for us to anticipate.
Ian Hamilton
Banner of Truth
October 2009
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