A Vision and a Future
VISION WORKSHOP
Vision is linked to Mission.
Mission – has to do with your purpose or objective. What
is the goal that God has given you to accomplish?
Vision – has to do with visualization. It’s being
able to “see” in your mind what the results should
be like.
When God saved you, why did he leave you here on planet earth?
So that others may be saved.
To teach us lessons. This helps us to be able to “grow” in
our faith, and in our relationship with God.
To enjoy life here. God did create us to enjoy life (among
other things), and once we know Him that really is possible!
For parents to raise children, so that the human race can
continue, but especially so that individuals will be born
who can come
to know and love God.
It wouldn’t work to take us away. There is a bigger plan.
God has a very intricate plan worked out, and each one of us
have
an
important
part in it. God wants to work through us to reach the
world for Him.
What “missions” has
the Lord given to the church collectively (as a group)?
Matt. 28:18-20 – make disciples
Evangelism
Teaching -- instruction
Baptising – churches established.
Love each other
Bear fruit
Pray
See Jesus through our love
Sent to minister
Unity
Be witnesses
Personal sacrifice
Use our gifts
Peacemakers
Build each other up
God’s glory
Edify body of Christ
Speak truth in love
Grow up
Equip saints
Growing together in love
teach others to teach others … to
teach others to teach … others
to teach others to teach others…
to teach others to teach…
Who among us can do it all?
No one!
Observe Jesus’ own personal “mission” statement:
Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man is come
to seek and to save that which was lost."
What does this statement tell you?
Purpose
“
For…” it explains why he sought out Zacchaeus. There
was a reason behind it … Jesus was
seeking a lost man so that he would be saved.
Just as Jesus had a mission, we have a mission – we just
need to discover what God’s specific
purposes are for us.
Identity
“
the Son of Man” this phrase was used in the Old Testament
to refer to the Messiah. Jesus identified His role in God’s
plan in His “mission statement”.
Now
“is”-- the mission had to do with what He was
to do in the “now” – at
that time.
Our mission is not something for us to do in 50 years.
It’s what God
wants us to start doing now (even if it’s preparation
for the rest of the mission).
Place
A mission may be linked to a place. Jesus’ mission
required Him to be there in that place at that time to
meet Zacchaeus.
Activity
A mission involves doing something. “Being” is important – that’s
who we are. But “being” empowers us for the “doing”.
God’s mission for us will involve us doing something.
Object: people
God’s missions always are about people. What He is going to do in our
lives and in the lives of others. Discovering a new place, might be an exciting
thing to do, but unless there are people there, it’s
not likely that it is a mission from God. He is interested
in people.
What do you see as being really important in and
around your life?
Family, seeing people saved (there’s limited
time).
As God places a burden upon your heart, you will
tend to place
importance on whatever that is. Typically those
things that you see as important will be involved in your
mission in some way.
Has God given you responsibilities concerning that?
A mission from God is no excuse to ignore responsibilities
that He has clearly given us. Such responsibilities
can often be a guiding factor in “fine tuning” the
mission.
How am I important to God?
Immensely!
How does that impact upon his mission for me?
It’s an important mission! Not one to
be taken lightly. Be serious about discovering it and living
it.
Is there an individual or a group of people that
you especially feel burdened for?
Again, when God lays a burden upon your heart,
it will be evident.
Are they in a particular place?
To reach a given group of people, you need to
somehow get to where they are.
What in particular is God doing among them, or
needs to do among them?
Blackaby - Experiencing God (book) – Jesus
said that He did what He saw the Father doing. It was like an
invitation from
God to join Him.
How does that relate to you?
What have you noticed God doing lately? Is that
God’s invitation
for you to join Him in that work?
As you work out what your mission is, then
you can begin to ask yourself what it will “look” like
when it takes place. Imagine what it
would be like to be there when it happens.
Imagine what it will be like later
on when you are looking back
at having accomplished it. Picture
of meeting Jesus in heaven and talking
about what it was like.
This will not only give you a better idea
of what God wants you to do, it will also help you to do
it better – like an
athlete practicing before an event
just by thinking through it all.
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