Vision Sunday 2023
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· 3 viewsVision Core Values Grow Deep Grow Wide Make Impact
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Romans 12 Mission Cycle for Amazing Grace Church of The Nazarene
Our mission statement, let’s say it together: “Building an authentic community of believers who love God and love people.”
Today is vision Sunday, where we roll out our vision for the 2023-2024 church year.
Last year was an amazing blur! Kidding a wonderful and blessed year for amazing grace. March 5th I will give a state of the church report and really get into what our ministries did last year.
Today we want to set in place a new vision for a new year that begins March 1st.
Remember our “Vision of the future is built on the vision of the past.”
This year I want us to focus our vision. We will use Romans 12 and integrate that passage into not only our Mission cycle but also our core values.
In the coming year I want us to “See great things for God, attempt great things for God, and realize great things for God.” Dale Galloway 20/20 Vision
Everything we do as a church is for God! Any accomplishments is because of God! Its not about us it’s about Hime.
Our attitude should be we decrease so he can increase!
Our focus is on Him and His vision for Amazing Grace and His Kingdom.
That His kingdom will be on earth as it is in heaven!
18 Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is one who keeps the Law.
A church with no vision is a boring church. I think we are a church with a vision and there are inward and outward signs that God is leading us.
That is why Vision Sunday is important to us as a church. To see if our vision is God’s vision, and for Amazing Grace I believe it is!
I have learned 4 primary Characteristics of a vital, growing, and impactful church
Worship that expresses the reality of the living God and joyfully celebrates Christ’s victory over sin and death.
Preaching and teaching that faithfully expounds the Word of God while relating to the burning issues of the day and the pressing needs of the people.
Caring and supportive relationships between individuals, Christ, and one another.
Outreach into the surrounding community that is imaginative, sensitive, and compassionate.
The stronger a church becomes the greater its impact will be in the community.
I found a picture of this is a single and powerful passage Romans 12.
Are you ready to dig into this passage and see what God has in store for Amazing Grace in the New Church Year?
This is our Romans 12 Mission Focus. As we look into each of these three we will see how that relationship is affected by our core values.
Let us start with the most important and vital relationship God.
With God we grow deep by growing and maturing together as disciples in relationship with God.
The Core values here :
Loving Relationships: We encourage authentic relationships by spending quality time with one another, carrying one another's burdens, serving, and celebrating life together. Change happen do life together.
Inspiring Worship: We gather to worship God in a variety of inspiring, relevant and creative ways with the intention of embracing worship as a lifestyle. Expressing joyfully the reality of a risen savior
Disciples make disciples - Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
This year I want to see everyone join a small group.
This can look different than in times past.
I have 24 connections to Amazing Grace on the Bible app. And many read together various devotionals.
We need to think outside the box.
For example Ken and Stephen Butler have the Christian Motorcycle Association, which I consider a Small Group of Amazing Grace.
You see if you have something you’re passionate about think can it be used as a small group. More one this in the Town Hall later today.
1 Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
4 For just as we have many parts in one body and all the body’s parts do not have the same function,
5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually parts of one another.
6 However, since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them properly: if prophecy, in proportion to one’s faith;
7 if service, in the act of serving; or the one who teaches, in the act of teaching;
8 or the one who exhorts, in the work of exhortation; the one who gives, with generosity; the one who is in leadership, with diligence; the one who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 Love must be free of hypocrisy. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good.
The transformation Paul speaks of will only happen in small groups.
Are the small groups including people who do not know Christ? How well do we know our neighbors?
Small Groups is also a great way to introduce Amazing Grace to the people around us. Without the anxiety of coming to worship not knowing anyone.
This is also seen in Acts 20:20
20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was beneficial, and teaching you publicly and from house to house,
You see the Church gathered on Sunday and house to house during the week.
We strengthen our relationships with one another by deepening our relationship with God. Loving God is directly tied to every other relationship in our life.
So we move from God to Individuals
Here we grow wide with a steady stream of people putting their faith in Christ who did not know him before. Together we are reaching our neighbors.
Core Values
Passionate Prayer: Prayer must pervade everything we do. We gather to continually seek the face of God, His strength and His anointing. The more we connect with God the greater our connection with each other
Relevant Teaching: We teach Biblical truth to people using trained and gifted leaders. The Holy Spirit helps us apply God’s Word to our daily lives. Teaching through living how God’s word relates to the burning issues of the day and the pressing needs of the people.
This is where we are praying together and as a church
This is inviting people to small groups and church events.
This is us intentionally living a life God can bless
Wednesdays there is something for everybody
Caravan
Souled Out Youth
G.A.P. (Grassroots Apologetics for Parents). There are 10-12 of us that meet to discuss issues facing our kids. This is a discussion group for everyone!
There are events throughout the year that we can invite others to come.
We saw several from the community bring their kids to VBS.
Advent, Lent, and Easter are wonderful times to invite people
The picture of this is in Romans 12:10-16
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor,
11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
Now we move to Community
We make an impact by meeting the real and most significant needs of the community.
Chip Ingram “Meeting real needs for the right reasons in the right way.”
We need to connect with the community to see what the needs are.
Sandy Wingfield is really the ambassador for us right now in this area. Her clothing ministry man! I can’t wait for her to share with you in the Town Hall Meeting.
The Core Values
Holistic Stewardship: God requires us to manage with wisdom, compassion, and prayer all the resources, spiritual gifts, and relationships with which we are blessed.
Intentional Outreach: The Holy Spirit equips and sends us out to build relationships, meet needs, share the transforming love of Jesus, and invite people into Christian community.
How well are we using our gifts?
Every event of Amazing Grace should have outreach as an organic part of the DNA of that event.
The picture Romans 12:17-21
17 Never repay evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all people.
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people.
19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
20 “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
As we learn what the needs are we should be on the frontline to support and help in that need!
This is fulfilling our mission of building an authentic community of believers who love God and love people.
This is the Romans 12 Mission Cycle of Amazing Grace Church of The Nazarene!
All of this is in the packet you should have received when you came in.
So this year I want us to “See great things for God, attempt great things for God, and realize great things for God.” Dale Galloway 20/20 Vision
Let’s pray.
There is a potluck and town hall that everyone is invited to. We will be gathering there in about 30-40 minutes.