Vision-More Dramatic

From the Thrive Conference at Bayside Church in Granite Bay, CA... Ray Johnston gave the message at one of the sessions. He spoke on what he's being taught by very young leaders at Bayside. The young 19-30 year old innovators have challenged Ray (and me) to stretch our current thinking about the church and its effectiveness.

I'll be sharing seven aspects of what the church of the future (or the church WITH a future) should/must look like. In striving for a God-directed ministry accomplishing the impossible... here is the first characteristic.

1. Vision has to be more dramatic!

Vision that's boring... is just... well... tiresome. No one wants to follow a lackluster vision. You really can't even call it vision.

Anything dramatic has some aspects of 'drama' in it. Vision with drama sounds like something worth checking out and connecting with.

It's time for the church to mix it up (again). Get a vision that takes your breath away. I had that when I landed at Impact 11.5 years ago. I don't need more drama in my life. But I could use more dramatic vision in my church and my life.

Everyone Has A Dream... The X Factor Devotional - Day Thirty - February 19, 2010

“He said to them, ‘Listen to this dream I had.’”
Genesis 37:6

In 1989, a movie called “Field of Dreams” was released.  Kevin Costner played Ray Kincella, a 37 year-old man who had never done a crazy thing in his life until he heard a voice one day that said, “Build it and he will come.”  You see, Ray had had a stormy relationship with his dad.  As a rebellious child of the 60’s, he scorned his dad who loved baseball, refusing even to play catch with him.  His father died before he could make things right.  When Ray plowed his cornfield over and made a baseball field, everyone said he was crazy for following his dream, but through the magic of the movie he could be reunited with his father as a young man.  The theology is certainly not correct, and the plot is nowhere near reality, but that is what makes the movies fun to watch.

One thing is for certain; people will come to a place where their dreams can be fulfilled.  God’s field of dreams is not in Iowa, but rather in the hearts of His people.  How do we know what a dream looks like?  This list below gives us a good description of what a God-given dream looks like:

• A God-given dream will stir your passion.
• A God-given dream will be humanly impossible to accomplish.
• A God-given dream will make an impression on you for a lifetime.
• A God-given dream will cause you to exercise strong faith.
• A God-given dream can be very scary.
• The enemy of our soul will attack a God-given dream.

Prayer Focus: Pray Impact will be a true “field of dreams” where people can find and fulfill their dreams.  Pray the whole congregation will be united in our dream to see more changed lives.  Pray we can be one so the world can be won.  Pray for church leaders to have discernment for decisions that affect this dream.  Ask God to protect our dream from the enemy.

Un-Finished Dreams... The X Factor Devotional - Day Eight - January 20, 2010

“….so I sent messengers to them with this reply:  ‘I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down.  Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?’”
Nehemiah 6:3

Dr. Haller Nutt of Natchez, Mississippi, had a dream.  He wanted to build one of the greatest plantation houses in all of the South.  Being a doctor and cotton farmer gave him the wealth needed to accomplish this dream home.  He made his sketches and searched the nation for the best architect to make his dream a reality.  He found Samuel Sloan in Philadelphia to design it.  It was going to be an octagon-shaped mansion with eight rooms on each of the six floors.  All of that was going to be grouped around a middle piece, a six story rotunda that would be capped with a 16-sided Byzantine onion-shaped dome.  It was going to be beautiful with nothing else like it in all the South.  Dr. Nutt went all over the world to purchase the very best furnishings for this masterpiece.

As soon as construction had begun, tragedy struck.  The Civil War erupted.  All the workers left to fight.  Dr. Haller Nutt lost everything during the course of the war.

During that time, he moved his family into the basement of this grand mansion so that they might be safe and have shelter.  Dr. Nutt died in 1865 before the war was over.  The family continued to live in the basement.  In fact, they lived there for over a century, 111 years!  Finally, some relatives donated it to the local historical society.  To this day, it stands as a monument to an unfinished dream.

In chapter 6 of Nehemiah, enemies tried to stop him from completing the dream that God had laid on his heart – that of rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls.  But Nehemiah stayed focused.  He completed his God-given dream in record time to the praise of His glory.  He is a role model for us today.

Prayer Focus: Pray God will enable us to complete the dream He has given us in such a way as to bring Him glory and expand His kingdom.  Pray He will remove any enemies or naysayers who try to steal our dream and prevent it from happening.  Ask the Lord how you can take ownership of this vision using the time, talents, and treasures He has given you.  Where do you feel God is leading you to stretch to fulfill God’s calling on Impact’s people?  You are a part of this body and definitely needed to fulfill the vision.

Are You Dangerous? The X Factor Devotional - Day Seven - January 19, 2010

“Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9                                                                                                                                                         

When we are called by God our Savior out of sin’s bondage, we begin to journey with Him.  We follow Him as our Lord and Boss into the promised purpose of the future, our destiny.  Along the way, God will stretch us and enlarge the horizons of our vision.

Jim Elliot, the great missionary who gave his life trying to reach the Auca Indians said, “Am I Dangerous?”

If we are honest with ourselves, we may feel we are utterly ordinary and commonplace.  We profess to know a power the world cannot reckon with.  But, we are often spiritual pacifists in this battle to the death with principalities and powers in the heavenly places.  Oh, that God would make us dangerous!  That He would stretch us to places of risk!

How do we get there?  According to Joshua there are several principles:

   Choose to be strong.
   Choose to be courageous.
   Choose to be obedient.

Read Joshua 1 and write down everything God commands him to do.  Then reflect how these commands compare with what the Lord is calling you to do.

Prayer Focus: Pray 2 Chronicles 15:7 for our church, “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” 

Ask God to equip you with strength, courage, and submission to Him to follow the path He has placed before you.  Pray these traits for our church, as well.

Can You See That? The X Factor Devotional - Day Six - January 18, 2010

“Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”
John 4:35

Imagine this scene....

Jesus is gathered with a small group of followers on a hillside overlooking the area.  With a sweeping gesture of His hand, He says “Some think there are still four months until harvest, but I say, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest.”  The followers squint their eyes, straining to see what Jesus sees, but they recognize no gleaming fields of grain.   With puzzled expressions they turn to Him, as if to ask, “Where exactly is the grain ready to harvest?”  Knowing their hearts, He says, “I’m not talking about a physical harvest of grain, but a spiritual harvest of people.”  Patiently, He continues, “Dear ones, you must look above and beyond the distractions to see the people.  It is to them that I came to give life and give it abundantly.”

Just as He wanted them to see the spiritual harvest, He wants us to do the same today.  And, just as they needed to look above and beyond, so do we.

Prayer Focus:  Right now, at this crucial moment in the history of our church, God is checking our vision.  As we continue this spiritual journey, He’s determining if we can see what He really wants us to see.  And He’s challenging us to be obedient to Him as we carry out what His spiritual vision demands that we do. 

Today, ask yourself, “What can I do to check my spiritual vision and ensure that I see what is right?”  What Do I need to see?  Who do I need to chat with? 

What action should I take?  Where do you want me to go?  When?  I’m open!  I’m saying “yes” before you even ask!

Out of the Box Vision... The X Factor Devotional - Day Four - January 14, 2010

“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.”
Ephesians 5:17

Historical records are filled with the amazing (and often amusing) words of men whose vision was clouded on some important subjects.

On World Population...“The population of the earth decreases every day, and, if this continues, in another ten centuries the earth will be nothing but a desert.”  Montesquieu, 1743.

On Anesthesia...“The abolishment of pain in surgery is a chimera.  It is absurd to go on seeking it today.  Knife and pain are two words in surgery that must forever be associated in the consciousness of the patient.  To this compulsory combination we shall have to adjust ourselves.”  Dr. Alfred Velpeau, 1839.

On the Atomic Bomb...“That is the biggest fool thing we have ever done.  The bomb will never go off, and I speak as an expert in explosives.”  Admiral William Leahy to President Harry Truman, 1945.

Though well meaning, these men just didn’t see things with an open mind.  They looked at the natural world and concluded that certain things simply were not possible.  As we consider their words, be challenged to not look at the spiritual world and conclude that certain things are not possible; for, with God, all things are possible.

Today, it’s time to think out of the box.  Hindsight is 20/20.  So is spiritual hindsight.  Pray that on our spiritual journey the entire church family will experience the unifying power of seeing and believing God for something that is beyond what we could ask or think.

Prayer Focus:  Get alone with God and ask Him for spiritual vision.  Ask God to see with His eyes.  Reach Up to God in prayer for wisdom and insight to think what God can do through you in this spiritual journey we are all on!  Believe God for something way beyond the ordinary… what we can think of and count on!  Let him speak into your life with a challenge … and then take the challenge!