Why do we need to talk about the vision of our church?
1 Corinthians 1:10 NKJV (10) Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Genesis 11:6 NLT (6) “Look!” He said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!
- The reason we talk about vision and purpose is for this thing called unity.
There are three things that make us who we are as a church:
Purpose – the reason someone or something exists.
This starts out with why we exist. Why did God call us and create a Springhill Church?
- Springhill Church exists to reach people with God’s grace, His unconditional love, and the life-changing power of His Word and the Holy Spirit.
This is our purpose in a very simple compact expression.
Mission – How you plan to arrive at your destination.
At Springhill Church, we organize ourselves around these four guiding principles to fulfill our purpose. We lead people to:
- Know Jesus – (Salvation) – To introduce people to a meaningful, life-changing relationship with Jesus.
- Encounter God – (Worship and Prayer) – We believe all of us need to have an encounter with the presence of God because it is impossible to stay the same after coming face to face with Him.
- Experience Life-Change – (Discipleship) – Real life-change happens as we grow in God’s Word and in the context of relationships with others.
Matthew 28:19 NIV (19) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations (ethnos – people groups)…
- Make A Difference – (Service) – We believe your life will never make sense until you discover, develop and fulfill your purpose and you use that purpose to serve and meet the needs of other people.
Matthew 10:7-8 TPT (7) And as you go, preach this message: ‘Heaven’s kingdom realm is accessible, close enough to touch.’ (8) You must continually bring healing to lepers and to those who are sick, and make it your habit to break off the demonic presence from people, and raise the dead back to life. Freely you have received the power of the kingdom, so freely release it to others.
Vision – What the end results look like. (Objective)
Proverbs 29:18 MSG If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.
What Limits God?
Psalms 78:41 NKJV Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited (pained) the Holy One of Israel.
- A wrong view of your life.
If your perception of life is limited to how you see your life being lived out as it is now, then that is the way that is always going to be. It becomes your reality. Get your eyes on something bigger!
Genesis 15:5-6 NKJV Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” (6) And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
- A wrong view of ourselves.
All of us filter our lives through the way we view life and if we want change then we must see ourselves the way that God sees us.
Numbers 13:27-33 AMPC (27) They told Moses, We came to the land to which you sent us; surely it flows with milk and honey. This is its fruit. (28) But the people who dwell there are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; moreover, there we saw the sons of Anak [of great stature and courage]. (29) Amalek dwells in the land of the South (the Negeb); the Hittite, the Jebusite, and the Amorite dwell in the hill country; and the Canaanite dwells by the sea and along by the side of the Jordan [River]. (30) Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once and possess it; we are well able to conquer it. (31) But his fellow scouts said, We are not able to go up against the people [of Canaan], for they are stronger than we are. (32) So they brought the Israelites an evil report of the land which they had scouted out, saying, The land through which we went to spy it out is a land that devours its inhabitants. And all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. (33) There we saw the Nephilim [or giants], the sons of Anak, who come from the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
Do you see yourself as a grasshopper or a victor that can do all things that God has called you to do? Do you see yourself able to go up and take possession of what God has already said is yours?
- A wrong view of God.
Are you praying boring prayers? We need to understand Who our God is.
Luke 18:27 NKJV But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
Mark 9:23 NKJV Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Jeremiah 32:17 NIV “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.
What Does a God Vision Look Like?
- A God vision will require faith.
It is a faith step. God requires faith.
Hebrews 11:6 NKJV (6) But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
- A God vision will require God’s help.
Dream a dream that God must show up for it to happen. Are we living life big enough? All the glory will go to God. Live life according to God’s bigness and not your smallness.
Isaiah 54:2-4 MSG “Clear lots of ground for your tents! Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big! Use plenty of rope, drive the tent pegs deep. (3) You’re going to need lots of elbow room for your growing family. You’re going to take over whole nations; you’re going to resettle abandoned cities. (4) Don’t be afraid–you’re not going to be embarrassed. Don’t hold back–you’re not going to come up short…
Exodus 33:14-17 NLT The LORD replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest–everything will be fine for you.” (15) Then Moses said, “If You don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place. (16) How will anyone know that You look favorably on me–on me and on Your people–if You don’t go with us? For Your presence among us sets Your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.” (17) The LORD replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.”
- A God vision will always impact more than just you.
It will always be bigger than just you and yours. Your life is really about impacting other people’s lives; your life intersecting with other people’s lives.
Ephesians 1:8-12 MSG He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, (9) letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, (10) a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. (11) It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, (12) part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.