As
Pastor called by God into ministry, I have been given a vision
to fulfill God's purpose in the Body of Christ. Ephesians 4:8-12
states, "He gave gifts unto men for
the perfecting of the saints and edifying of the Body of Christ
. . ."
What
Dee Dee and I are doing is clearly writing the vision for this
ministry so the partners will know it, and it will be established
in their hearts. With understanding and purpose, we will fulfill
the charge that God has given us.
The
vision that God has given us, is to first teach
and develop a "spirit of faith" in the
partners, who in turn teach it to others as the congregation grows.
Secondly, God has given us a
specific geographic area. Our plans are to provide
a spiritual, social and economical structure to that area,
so we will be able to meet the needs of the whole man. The vision
consists of a great sanctuary, recreational facilities, a battered
woman's home and much more.
Habakkuk,
whose name means "Embracer", was instructed to
write the vision so all who read it would know that the answer
to all of their problems was in the vision. We embrace the Word
that the Lord has given us and we are acting on His Word. The
Vision is the Answer! Proverbs 29:18
states very clearly that without a vision, you can forget it because,
". . . the people will perish."
Isaiah
46:10>
reads, "Declaring the end from the
beginning . . . " Our job is to clearly explain
the purpose, goals, objectives, strategies and plan of action,
to successfully bring forth The Vision. Without goals, progress
is haphazard, uncharted and difficult to measure in accountability.
Purpose and motivation are fed by goals. Objectives equal direction
and will help us to see where we are going. They are essential
to the goals, and consistent with the purpose and vision of the
ministry.
Years
ago in a dream, God showed me where he was taking my life. He
said, "Go and teach my people the power of God that they
have within them." Now I see why we are called Spirit of
Faith Christian Center. This ministry will have to develop a "spirit
of faith" on the inside, and learn
how faith comes, how faith grows, and how faith operates.
It is the partners' responsibility to teach others as they come
so they will have the same "spirit of faith".
Without faith, it is impossible to please God.
God
is successful! Thus, it is God's plan for this
Ministry to be successful. It is God's nature to succeed. We are
created to succeed in everything we set our hands to do. Joshua
1:8 states, "then we shall
make our way prosperous, and then we shall have good success,"
but this is contingent upon us keeping God's Word, following His
instructions and adhering to His divine principles. One major
divine principle in God's Word is that we must have faith. It
is God's Will that we know that this is what He requires of us.
Before
we can do anything, we must first know that God is the rewarder
of those who diligently seek him in faith. Jesus instructed us
to occupy (to do business) until He comes. We are about our Father's
business, but in order to see people born again and made disciples
we must first have faith.
Planning
is vitally important to bringing forth the vision of God. It has
been said that he who fails to plan, plans to fail. Every partner
who has resources to compliment the needed departments in this
ministry must begin to step forward and bring the effectiveness
of their ministry into full view. Each partner is a very important
part of this ministry. God is depending on us to implement
the plans and He will work it out step-by-step.
Now,
there must be a strategy in this plan. "How and where
am I going to commit my resources?" God's answer to this
question is your strategy. Hallelujah! But remember this: Seek
God to determine where to commit your resources, because "Everyone
Is Needed and Everyone Is Important!"
I Corinthians 12:14 reads, "For
the body is not one, but many." So it is, that
there are many parts but one Body. As Pastor of this ministry,
God has made me the head, but the head is ineffective without
the hands, feet, legs, arms and other parts. Everyone is important
in bringing the goals, objectives and vision to pass. We must
organize to have proper management in the executing of
the vision that God has given to "US."
We must begin to organize everything!! Organization is
God's first principle. Before He gave His best, He organized.
If we want to be God's best we must organize. Organization is
a social system, deliberately established to carry out some definite
purposes. The organization assigns a position to each of its members,
and the member has a specific part to play in the organization's
collective program. The church is not an organization, but it
is an organism (alive!!). This organism must be an organized-organism.
