The Vision of the Church
The Vision of the Church
(Proverbs 29:18) Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
The vision of the church is for us to grow into a church that resembles that first church. We want to be everything that the first church was.
To grow in power. (Acts 4:24, 31-33) And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: (31) And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. (32) And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. (33) And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. As we worship the Lord with greater unity and fervency, then we will have greater power in our prayers.
To grow in numbers and members. As we bring people to church, we want to see them receive the gift of salvation. (Acts 2:1-4, 38-41, 46-47) And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. (2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. (3) And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. (4) And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (39) For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. (40) And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. (41) Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. (46) And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, (47) Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
To continue teaching and praying the apostolic message. (Acts 2:42) And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
To see all the miracles that we read about in the Bible. (Acts 2:43) And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
To grow in the grace of God. Let us see the different types of people and their levels of commitment to God and to the church. The different levels of commitment are: community, crowd, congregation, committed member, and core.
Community. People in our community who do not attend our church. People to invite to come and visit our church.
Crowd. These are people that have visited the church several times. These are people that we want to visit in order to get them to come to church more often.
Congregation. These are people that attend church on a regular basis; however, they have limited commitment to the church or its teachings.
Committed member. These are the ones that are faithful to church attendance and its teachings. Those that are water baptized in Jesus’ name after repentance, have the baptism of the Holy Ghost speaking in tongues, living a godly life, and support the church through their tithes, offerings, and prayers.
Core. They are those committed members that want to be workers and leaders in the church.
Conclusion
Everyone has a measure of commitment and a measure of grace; (Ephesians 4:7) But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Let us grow in our level of commitment to God and to the church. Growing in God’s grace is growing in faith and commitment. (Job 17:9) The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger. (Romans 1:17) For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Let us strive to greater levels of dedication to God.
We do this by:
1. Loving God with all our hearts.
2. Having true fellowship with God through our prayers and worship.
3. Walking with God in a closer way each day.
And let us commit ourselves in a greater way to the church.
We do this by:
1. Being faithful in church attendance.
2. Following the church’s teachings.
3. By supporting the church with our finances and prayers; (Malachi 3:10) Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
© 2010 Mark Starin