Henry Blackaby insists we must not confuse our dreams and our vision with God’s revelation. 

“...the world functions by vision. But God does not ask his followers to operate by vision. God’s people live by revelation. Proverbs 29:18, although widely used, is also widely misapplied. The popular translation is, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (KJV). A more accurate translation of the Hebrew is: “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint” (NIV). There is a significant difference between revelation and vision. Vision is something people produce; revelation is something people receive. Leaders can dream up a vision, but they cannot discover God’s will. God must reveal it. The secular world ignores God’s will... For Christians, God alone sets the agenda.

That got me to thinking.  A ministry founded on my dreams and my vision...

1. Will, more often than not, be based on my needs and preferences.
   
   
2. Will, likely, risk only what I feel I can reasonably accomplish on my own.
   
   
3. Will result in a desire for comfort and ease more than risk and challenge.   God’s revelation, though, may stretch us farther than we ever imagined we could go.  
   
   
4. May be driven by my human nature and desire to impress others rather than glorify God.
   
   
5. May seek to respond to what are only perceived preferences and desires rather than real needs. 
   
   
6. May pursue opportunities that may not be from God at all.  The result is distraction or busywork that keeps the ministry from accomplishing all God intends.  The Nike motto, “Just Do It”, is never a good strategy for ministry.
   
   
7. Tempts me to mimic what others are doing rather than pursue the unique ministry God has for me. 
   
   
8. Is developed based on resources readily available rather than believing, “If God has called us to do it, he will provide the resources.”
   
   
9. Will tempt me to rely on “how we’ve always done it before” rather than a unique, innovative strategy from God. 
   
   
10. Requires me to “sell” that vision to bring others on board.  But, where God’s revelation is at work, I simply need to tell the stories of God at work among us.

Bottom line, my own dreams, my own vision, may actually hinder cultivation of that intimate relationship with God that I claim to crave so much.  But, where God’s revelation is involved, I can go forward with confidence, knowing that if my own will is attuned to his revelation, I cannot fail, regardless of the results.

PREACH IT/TEACH IT!
Chasing Answers to Life’s Questions: Studies in Ecclesiastes

Looking for sermon ideas and teaching notes? Refreshing study in God's Word?
FREE preview and teaching helps for January Bible Study 2012.

November 14, 2011
Bonsack Baptist Church, Roanoke
10:00am-12:00 pm

November 14, 2011
Lebanon Baptist Assn. building, Glade Spring
6:00-8:30 pm

November 15, 2011
New Lebanon Baptist Association office
10:30am-12:00pm

Facilitated by Dr. Robert Moore, pastor of Bonsack Baptist Church.  Teaching helps provided by Leon Castle, retired Minister of Education, Charlottesville.  Get more information about the Preach It/Teach It! event series.

OTHER VIRGINIA BAPTIST EVENTS

Pastors Sabbath Retreat
November 14-16, 2011
Eagle Eyrie

Volunteers Needed in Galax
Hillcrest Baptist Church in Galax is working to partition off some of their new building in order to make a worship center.  This would be a great place for volunteers to work (inside and would be warm even on cold days), and they really need the help. If you're interested in helping, please contact Pastor James Cowley at 276.233.2530 or Darrell Fletcher, VBMB Field Strategist, at 888.674.4373.

The Power of Working Together

At a Midwestern fair, many spectators gathered for an old-fashioned horse pull (an event where various weights are put on a horse-drawn sled and pulled along the ground). The grand-champion horse pulled a sled with 4,500 pounds on it. The runner-up was close, with a 4,400-pound pull. Some of the men wondered what the two horses could pull if hitched together. Separately they totaled nearly 9,000 pounds, but when hitched and working together as a team, they pulled over 12,000 pounds.
– John C. Maxwell

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Five-year old Johnny had just seen his new baby brother christened.  Now, he was crying in the back seat of the car as the family headed home.  “What’s wrong, son?” the father asked.  “The preacher prayed that brother and I would grow up in a Christian home.  But, I want to stay with you and mommy.”

Who is Jesus?

In his book, With, Skye Jethani tells about a test that Scott McKnight gives every year to his incoming group of college students. The test begins with a series of questions about what the students think Jesus is like. Is he moody? Does he get nervous? Is he the life of the party or an introvert? The 24 questions are then followed by a second set—with slightly altered language—in which the students answer questions about their own personalities.

McKnight is not the only one who has administered this exam; it has been field tested by other professionals as well. But the results are remarkably consistent—everyone thinks Jesus is just like them. McKnight added, "The test results also suggest that, even though we like to think we are becoming more like Jesus, the reverse is probably more the case: we try to make Jesus like ourselves."

McKnight's personality questionnaire confirms what the French philosopher Voltaire said three centuries ago: "If God has made us in his image, we have returned him the favor."

Click links to read articles.

• Between the Extremes: Learning to Spend Time Wisely 
  

• Why Churches Don’t Grow 
  
  
• Spreading the Word: How Team Teaching Helped Our Church and Saved My Ministry
  
  

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