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Vision into practice
We believe that, having had
time over the past year to listen to God, and discern His
voice, He has given us a new vision; ‘to be a church called
to be His people, to worship, service and grow, and to see
lives of all ages continually transformed through the power of
the Holy Spirit’. We now need to put God’s vision for His
people into practice. We need to learn how to live out this
vision every day, everywhere!
For this reason I believe it is
vital to work out together how, in partnership, we activate
God’s vision into action; and so over the next few months we
will be taking each strand of the vision, and learning how
each one of us is being called to play our part.
I have been reading an
excellent book on ‘all member ministry’ called ‘The Trellis
and the Vine’, and it emphasises and reminds the reader that
partnership in the Gospel is the normal Christian life! The
authors suggest that the ‘Gospel itself demands that we
stand with our leaders in profound unity, teamwork and
solidarity – not because of their personalities or gifts, but
because of our common partnership in the gospel of Jesus
Christ. There aren’t two classes of Christians – the partners
and the spectators. We are all in it together’.
This means that, as committed Christians, we
are signing up for
active involvement – for being partners
together in a great enterprise: going out to
share the
good news of Jesus Christ
in our local community and wider world!
Isaiah – The Suffering Servant
In the past few months, in the evenings, we have been looking
at ‘Living in the world but not of the world’ as we have
journeyed through 1 Peter - a letter of exhortation, and
encouragement, written to Christians in Asia Minor who were
suffering for their faith.
As we look at how God may be calling us to put our Vision into
practice in the morning sermon series – it has been suggested
that we focus on some chapters of Isaiah in the evening. I
believe that this will complement our teaching in the morning,
and continue to help us work out how we live in the world, but
not of the world. That is exactly what the work and call of a
prophet was, and still is today. Their role was, and is, to
speak for God, confronting the people and their leaders with
God’s commands and promises. Because of their confrontational
stance and the continuing tendency of people then, and still
today, to disobey God’s will and way, prophets can find
themselves alienated by others who prefer to conform to the
way of the world, rather than to submit to God’s rule and
reign.
I hope and pray that as we look at what it means to serve and
suffer as a disciple of Christ – looking at the Suffering
servant in Isaiah, it will equip us also to put our vision
into action as we worship, serve and grow, and see lives of
all ages transformed and healed through the power of the Holy
Spirit.
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