Vision Sunday - 12th Mar 06 - message outline

Vision Sunday

What kind of a church shall we be?

A. Our core beliefs and values
The 3 Cs
Christ-centeredness – Jesus is our center – NOT a person, a family or tradition
Culture of affirmation – presence of Faith, Hope and Love. A faith to believe God will do great and mighty things even though we may or may not see it.
Christ-like Character - integrity, love for God and passion for souls, righteousness, grace and mercy etc

B. What sort of a church are we?
Some core beliefs
The authority of the Scriptures
The doctrine of salvation, Heaven & Hell.
The doctrine of the Trinity - God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The eternal judgment and second coming of Christ

C. Core Values - expanded
Beside Biblical integrity, we have the following core values.
1.Courage & Faith.
2.Excellence but yet not being perfectionistic.
3.Faithfulness.
4.Generosity.
5. Innovative.
6. Kingdom Oriented.
7. Pragmatic & Common sense
8. Servanthood.
9. Spirit-led.
10. Integrity and accountability.

D. Desire Characters – The "Soul" of our Church
Gene Getz – in his book "The measure of a Church" stated these basic characteristics: We would strive for as a church:-
Honesty
Self-control
Ethical behavior
Generosity
Wholesome talk
Lack of Bitterness
A spirit of forgiveness
Morality

These qualities are repeated in all of the Epistles of Paul to the church in Corinth, Thesalonica, Galatia, Colossee, The Prison Epitles, Peter's letter, and The book of Hebrews - see the concluding remakrs in Chapters 12 & 13

E. Some key emphasis that will help us get there – the 4 Ws
WORSHIP - Awed by His glory – a real community of faith is a community of worship.
WEEP - Prayer & Intercession – "if my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray…" (2 Chronicles 7:14) Mourn for the lost, mourn, for so few are mourning.
WORD - Knowing and Living the word
WORKS - making service our lifestyles, a manifestation of our love to the Lord.

F. Conclusion : Let us get Practical & Realistic
1. The church exists to win the lost for Christ. Let each of us try to reach one person per year. Ask for one, put in some action, pray for the person unceasingly.
2. The soul of our church – obedient to the Great Commandment & Great commission!
3. Spiritual Health and Culture is more important than mere numbers - Help us fulfill it! You are the answer! It can and it will happen here!
4. When we dare to ask, and ask for the right things – God will answer!