The Power of vision series, Vision keeps us healthy
Eric A. Snyder, Minister Farwell Church of Christ
December 2, 2002
About 350 years ago a shipload of travelers landed on the northeast coast of America. The first year they established a town site. The next year they elected a town government. The third year the town government planned to build a road five miles westward into the wilderness.
In the fourth year the people tried to impeach their town government because they thought it was a waste of public funds to build a road five miles westward into a wilderness. Who needed to go there anyway?
Here were people who had the vision to see three thousand miles across an ocean and overcome great hardships to get there. But in just a few years they were not able to see even five miles out of town. They had lost their pioneering vision. With a clear vision of what we can become in Christ, no ocean of difficulty is too great. Without it, we rarely move beyond our current boundaries.
A missionary society wrote to David Livingstone and asked, "Have you found a good road to where you are? If so, we want to know how to send other men to join you." Livingstone wrote back, "If you have men who will come only if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all."
Mark 9:1-9 And he said to them, "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power." After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." He did not know what to say, they were so frightened. Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
Prayer
I. Disciples wanted to stay on the mountain
It¡¦s easy to identify with these Guys here because they wanted to stay on the mountain longer. That¡¦s natural whenever we are in a good place we tend to resist something newer because we fear losing what we have. But Jesus wants us to see the whole picture.
I have these pictures on my wall at home they are called Photomosaics, each picture is composed of little, very small pictures of a variety of different objects, and when you stand back you can see the whole picture. Vision is a lot like that. There are a number of small pictures but Jesus has a larger picture in mind.
Peter says let¡¦s build some places to worship. We could stay here forever. Which might be tempting when we encounter something incredible.
However, it tells us a more complete picture of what vision does. We know that vision brings clarity, but it only brings clarity when it is fully understood and then embraced.
Peter¡¦s statement here is premature because he has not seen the whole picture. He has only seen part of the picture. It is at this point that he begins to form his own idea of the future.
1. Vision brings change when it is fully understood, because we seek to align our vision with the vision that God has set for us.
That¡¦s why you were so inspired in your experiencing God study, Because you were seeking the direction that God is going and are desiring to join Him there. We need to grasp picture and understand that we cannot stay on the mountain forever.
Change does not mean that we change the message of truth. The old story still is a bedrock for faith here. However out methods must change.
In the past 50 years we have seen an incredible difference in churches, families and society. People have moved away from denominational loyalty and toward churches that are driven with mission and multiple staff.
We have moved away from a society where people put front porches on their homes and sit outside and talk to the neighbors. To a society where people build back decks and build privacy fences.
We have moved into a society where e-mail is more used that postal mail. Where you can shop without talking to anyone else.
We are in an economy where people may be forced to work during church activities. A generation that can have a meal in under 60 seconds. We live in an era that has massive media and technological improvements yet all of this progress we thought we were getting more time for family, friends, faith and fun. But we have ended up with less.
These are all issues of changing life that the church must learn to deal with.
2. Vision brings completeness it is only after this experience is complete that the disciples were able to finally understand what God was trying to say. Peter looks up and sees 3 of his 2 of his favorite characters talking with his friend and gets ahead of the plan. Do you think the direct audible voice told peter that Jesus was of first importance?
I notice that at this point Peter decides to be quiet. Now he will have some healthy questions later on but he now has a more complete picture of what God wants him to know.
3 . Vision brings conflict when it is not fully understood or embraced. Deciding to only own part of the vision will result in fear and frustration. Using the word vision is not enough to ignite a small group or Sunday worship, it must be a word that is packed with meaning. It must not be used as a hollow word to motivate people for the short term. Jesus has given his followers a vision statement for the rest of their lives. It is a statement that they will use to rate the effectiveness and meaning in their ministries. It is a ruler to which the must measure themselves.
Each church has a different vision for the future, the truth is that adding staff is not vision, building a building is not vision, adding church programs are not vision. They are aids to assist in the true vision and they are steps to help accomplish God¡¦s vision for the church.
True vision is specific and states where we are going, but it is not encumbered by the hindrances of time.
God has given us a vision.
It is a vision that leaves no one behind.
It is a vision of promise and hope
It is a vision that demands the involvement of people in ministry
It is a vision that reaches out to a community in need of meaning
It is a vision that allows God to build an environment where people can experience his presence is Worship, Small groups and Service.
There must be a draw for our Guests to desire to return
There should be a good reason for you to come, this should be a place where you find answers to get through the week
This should be a place where you are encouraged to seek Jesus personally
II. The vision is on the mountain
But after vision is understood on the mountain it is our responsibility to take that vision to everyday life. The picture of the future must be articulated when the time is right. When the leaders are in full understanding of God¡¦s plan. That is probably why Jesus asks his disciples to not say anything until he is resurrected.
This wouldn¡¦t make complete sense to them until it was completed in his rising from the dead. You see later in this text they were talking about what the resurrection of the dead had to do with everything.
Once it is fully grasped it needs to be articulated effectively
Vision brings communication
Healthy churches communicate
One person wrote that there are some of us love to take the simple and make it complex. Some of us thrive on taking perfectly obvious matters and making them as obscure as possible. My neighbor¡¦s car has on it a bumper sticker that says, ¡§Eschew obfuscation¡¨. After about a half-hour with the dictionary, I found out that means, ¡§Keep it simple, stupid.¡¨
Vision needs to be spoken in a way that is understood by all.
Clear communication and interactive dialog is required in moving forward. Everyone needs to have a clear picture of what is happening.
When a church is not clear about vision and purpose all progress grinds to a halt and the church is still for a while. There are two main causes in miscommunication in the church.
Either the people are not hearing or the leaders are not clear.
There was a man who lived up in upstate New York and he was getting tired of the cold weather, so he decided to go to Florida. His wife was on a business trip at the time so he called her to let her know what he was doing and to tell her not to go back to New York but to meet him in Florida.
When he arrived he sent her an e-mail to let her know he was there, but he got a few letters wrong in the address and instead of going to his wife the e-mail went to a little old lady in Iowa, who was a pastors wife. And whose husband had died the day before.
The little old lady turned on her computer ¡V read the e-mail, screamed and fainted right on the spot. Her family and friends who were there came in saw her on the floor ¡V and when they read the screen they understood why she fainted..
„« Dearest darling just wanted you to know I arrived safely
„« Looking forward to you being with me, tomorrow
„« Signed, your husband ¡V PS, it sure is hot down here¡K
The vision is on the mountain, you can see forever, being alone with God should refocus your efforts for his plan for your life when some tough questions are answered.
The mountain allows for incredible sight, the vision needs to find it¡¦s way to the valley
III. The ministry is in the valley
Ministry takes place where we get our hands dirty, where God¡¦s plan and purpose for the future is drawn up, executed and lived out.
After you have understood the vision you have to go back to the valley of need. So you need to identify your valley of need.
Where is it that you do ministry? Is it in the routine at work that tries your patience and tests your integrity?
Is it in your home life that frustrates your spirit and compromises your completeness?
Is it among friends that damage your self worth and keep you ashamed?
Where is your valley of ministry. What will you do differently to minister more effectively?
Vision brings commitment. Once we understand what God desires to do with us personally we will become more committed to his plan for our life. As a church body when we fully grasp his plan for our future we will become naturally committed to Him and His goals for this church as well.
When Julius Caesar landed on the shores of Britain with his Roman legions, he took a bold and decisive step to ensure the success of his military venture. Ordering his men to march to the edge of the Cliffs of Dover, he commanded them to look down at the water below. To their amazement, they saw every ship in which they had crossed the channel engulfed in flames. Caesar had deliberately cut off any possibility of retreat. Now that his soldiers were unable to return to the continent, there was nothing left for them to do but to advance and conquer! And that is exactly what they did.
True vision does not completely ignore the past, it builds on it and learns from it.
Ministry and vision are about people. Finding people and pointing them to Jesus.
Signal Ellen
If you need to make a commitment this morning to Jesus with your life, ask yourself if today is that day.
A Haitian minister illustrated to his congregation the need for total commitment to Christ. His parable: A certain man wanted to sell his house for $2,000. Another man wanted very badly to buy it, but because he was poor, he couldn’t afford the full price. After much bargaining, the owner agreed to sell the house for half the original price with just one stipulation: He would retain ownership of one small nail protruding from just over the door.
After several years, the original owner wanted the house back, but the new owner was unwilling to sell. So the first owner went out, found the carcass of a dead dog, and hung it from the single nail he still owned. Soon the house became unlivable, and the family was forced to sell the house to the owner of the nail.
The Haitian pastor’s conclusion: "If we leave the Devil with even one small peg in our life, he will return to hang his rotting garbage on it, making it unfit for Christ’s habitation."
