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Given to Prayer Series | Part 4

God, Help Us to See What You See

Vision 2017

 

 

Proverbs 29:18

Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law.

1.) the PEOPLE – ahm – “the body of citizens of a religious or political entity,” i.e. church

 

2.) VISION – hā-zahn – “word of revelation”

God’s SOVEREIGN will

We live by faith not knowing what the future holds but knowing who holds the future

 

God’s REVEALED will – “word of revelation”

Critical to know God’s revealed will i/o to discern His specific will for your life/family/church

 

The “word of revelation” is the Word of God – Law, Prophets, Psalms, Gospels, Acts, Epistles, Revelation – OT and the NT

 

(2 Peter 1:19-21) ¹⁹ So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. ²⁰ But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, ²¹ for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

 

God’s SPECIFIC will

The more committed to God’s revealed will the more likely you’ll discern His specific will – His vision for His church

 

But if we don’t pay attention to it…

3.) UNRESTRAINED – yip-pā-rah – “without direction,” “to allow to ignore or neglect a particular work that they are called to” (c.f Ex 5:4)

 

Whose vision? God’s vision (a specific will), a vision to accomplish His mission (revealed wil)

 

We are called to a mission that we cannot step away from

To make gospel-centered disciples who are totally surrendered to the mission of Jesus.

 

“Where are you at?”

Dutch Cove

“Oh yeah, now that’s on a dead end road, right?”

No.. there is nothing dead-end about Dutch Cove

 

DUTCH COVE IS ALIVE 

• Because Jesus is alive
• Because Jesus is still on the throne of grace
• Because Jesus is still on His mission to take the dead and give them new life
• Because Dutch Cove has returned to the passion at her founding to be a Missionary church
• Because you – in faith – have joined Jesus on mission

Dutch Cove is as alive as her risen King Jesus

 

DUTCH COVE IS A DESTINATION CHURCH

A destination:

1.) Where everyone can meet Jesus.

Whosoever kind of church

Age, life stage, far from faith or near to God

As Paul wrote in 1 Cor 9:19-23:

To the slave, a slave

To the free, free

To the Jew, a Jew

To the Greek, a Greek

To the strong, strong

And to the weak, weak

²² …I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. ²³ I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.

 

Gospel-centered church – committed to the sovereignty of God and clear about the agency of man – JX calls people to surrender

 

A destination:

2.) Where life change happens together

As we follow Christ together – albeit on a bumpy road

 

– and as we apply the gospel to every part of our lives – no mater how much it sometimes stings

 

– be sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Phil 1:6)

 

Connect people to Jesus, connect the power and grace of the gospel to every day life, and connect one another in gospel-centered community.

 

The church – DC – is not a place you go, it is a people to whom you belong

 

A destination:

3.) Where followers of Christ are equipped to be leaders in the church and community

The most attractional quality of a church are her people who are surrendered to Jesus

 

A destination

4.) Where followers of Jesus are intentionally connected to and passionate about His mission in our community, in our country, and across the globe

to make disciples of every tribe, tongue, people and nation

 

That see our community through the eyes of Jesus – in desperate need of the saving grace and hope of X

 

Core Commitments

1. We exist for the glory of God alone

– not for our church name not for our personal fame but for the glory of God alone

– so everything we do, we do it for the glory of God alone

2. We operate under the AUTHORITY of the Bible, with the PRIORITY of the gospel, going forward in the UNITY of the Spirit

3. Pray first, and keep praying

4. Go where God is blazing

5. We know that we are better together

– enlist everyone i/o to engage anyone

– age doesn’t matter (young or old)

– we want to be a church that reflects the family of God – full of grand parents and grand babies – and we will be intentionally discipling everyone

6. We commit to Better as the standard

7. We absolutely, by faith believe, that the best days are still ahead

 

 

My prayer for our church – Ephesians 3:14-21

¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, ¹⁶ that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,

 

 ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;

 and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

 

And know this, as we commit our way to Him.

As we – according to His revealed will – see what He sees for His church

That our best days are still ahead

 

²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, ²¹ to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

 

Method: ADD – add to our number not for the sake of numbers but because that is an indication that lives are being changed and there is revival in our community (c.f. Acts 2)

 

1.) ATTRACT:

• The most attractional church is the one who is full of surrendered Christ followers.
• There is a noticeable difference in your life and in your church, not because of what you are doing, but because of what Christ Jesus is doing in you.

 

4 Unmistakable Qualities of a Church

Full of Surrendered Christ Followers

1. Redeeming Authenticity – humbly yielded to, and open about, the Holy Spirit’s work in us

 

• We are not yet God’s finished product.
• As we follow Christ – albeit on a bumpy road – and as we apply the gospel to every part of our lives – no mater how much it sometimes stings – be sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Phil 1:6)
• There is no one perfect here, but praise the Lord we worship a perfect God who has redeemed us and is transforming us into His image

 

2. Loving Connectivity – you will find gospel-centered faith family

 

(Gal 6:6-10) ¹⁰ So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household [family] of the faith.

 

3. Distinctive Quality – Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Cor 10:31)

 

(Col 3:16-17) ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

 

4. Faithful Consistency – in our walk, as we follow Jesus, that we will love God and love others and fulfill the Great Commission

 

• Inviting and Investing in the mission 

• ..as Ambassadors of Christ Jesus, (2 Cor 5:19-20) ¹⁹ …God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. ²⁰Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us;

 

2.) DISCIPLE:

• Both a verb and a noun – it is what you do because of who you are – a disciple is not a disciple who is not making disciples

 

• Matthew 28:18-20

If you have surrendered your life to Christ and He is your authority, then as you are going you are making disciples

 

4 Phases of a Gospel-Centered Disciple

1. Surrender

2. Grow 

3. Serve 

4. Go

 

3.) DEPLOY

Leaders in the church and the community

Vision

Serving in the Family/at home

Serving in the kingdom/

30 in 30-part of discipleship