The Chase: Apprehensions
Vision= Seeing what God sees
Requirement: 1. God’s timing; 2. Human readiness (often via hardship and obedience); 3. Awareness of the vision and believing it.
✓Vision reminds us that God has a plan for our lives!
✓It is not something we chase...though we may think this...it chases us. “IT” is the reason we were created & called.
Chasing the Vision (Understanding that the vision is chasing us and God has gathered FOL for its special tasks and we’ve inventoried and assessed our preparation (and lack thereof) for the task). We’ve been called for a task and time like this! (Esther 4.14)
Jacob’s Dream/Vision:
- Jacob was running & He “happened...lighted...”upon this place)
- Vision is often the affirmation of an earlier promise- [BEAUTY OF VISION IS CONVERGENCE OF PASSIONS...GOD’S/OURS!!
- This is the third announcement of the seed that blesses to the third in the line of descent Genesis 12:2-3; Genesis 22:18; Genesis 26:4.
✓You must awake and move from dream to action: Pillows...pillars...vow...provision
✓The Lord is here! (Gate of Heaven)...access!!! God spoke the vision. (PROVISION)
(Jacob got the blessing; Isaac blindly gave the blessing; now God is!)
✔When we accept Vision (our partnership with God to meet an unmet need) then Provision responds to God’s hand on your life!
✓But as the fulfilment of this promise to Jacob was still far off, God added the firm assurance, "I will not leave thee till I have done (carried out) what I have told thee."
✓The beauty of vision is that God rides shotgun in your life until it is fulfilled! When you grasp that you have a vision; you should grasp that God has grabbed you.
☛Challenges to congregation: Pray for faith. Pray for buy-in. Pray for incredible favor! Pray for the needs of our service areas (1 mi. radius/5 mi radius).
Possessing the Vision (Grasping the opportunity with our minds, hearts, souls and strength. Assessing the opportunity before us and numbering the myriad of options we have to serve those who don’t know our Savior. Seeing and seizing this window and maximizing it like the biblical character who increased his talent 10x.)
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Phil 3.12
☛Challenges to congregation: Ask ourselves what some of the unmet needs of our surrounding community?
- How could be live out the gospel with our expanded facilities?
- What do teens see as needs?
- What do seniors see as needs?
- What do teachers/students see as needs?
- What do parents see as needs? What are training needs of community?
Why?
✓God’s provision always meets an unmet need
✓People will be blessed when vision happens
✓God’s message to Jacob “I will bring you back to what I have promised your family”
Closing Challenges:
- The purpose of God’s Kingdom is to influence things back into God’s control/influence
- The Church was Called by God, qualified by Christ and equipped and sent by the Spirit to influence culture and society with integrity, excellence, compassion.
- A building isn’t the only way to “play ball”, however, it helps alot when you have a diamond or court or field.
- Let’s walk in authority (AG to Irgens “Because I can”; AG to Landgraf “We need jobs/training”)
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