Pastor Tony Ashmore recasts the vision of LifeGate Church in this Sunday morning celebration.Vision Sunday
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, March 04, 2012
www.mylifegatechurch.com
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Sermon Notes:
Vision Sunday, March 2012
Our Vision: (What we are purposed to do as a church)
A regional church sharing the life-giving message of Jesus with West Georgia and the World.
Our Model of Ministry: (How we are going to accomplish that purpose)
MOVING PEOPLE FROM EXPERIENCE TO DESTINY
“Christ loves us and by his blood he set us free from our sins. He lets us rule as kings and serve God his Father as priests. To him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 1:5b-6
Big Idea
When Jesus was on Earth, the majority of His attention was given to two groups of people: the lost and leaders. He has not changed. Our attention should be on seeing the lost saved, then “making disciples” (Matthew 28:18-20) by helping the saved lead at the highest level possible. Note in Revelation 1:5-6 that 2 of the 3 Biblical avenues for the Holy Spirit (Kings, Priests and Prophets) are mentioned. Jesus made us Kings and Priest but we need a prophetic voice (Ephesians 4:11-12). The local church serves as a Prophetic voice, equipping and arranging the saints for the work of the ministry, helping saints become better Kings (leaders) and Priests (connectors—from the name of the Priestly tribe: Levi, which means ‘connect’—Genesis 29:33 MESSAGE-“Leah became pregnant yet again—another son. She said, "Now maybe my husband will connect with me—I've given him three sons!" That's why she named him Levi (Connect).”). If we are going to accomplish, be obedient to, the Heavenly Vision God has given our church, then each member must find our destiny—our place in the Kingdom. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:33 when we do that, when we put Kingdom priorities first, then we will find all we searching for in our personal fulfillment—we will live the rich and satisfying life He died to give us. (CEV: “But more than anything else, put God's work first and do what He wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.”)
So let’s look at our strategy, our model for accomplishing what the Lord has asked us to do:
“Christ loves us….”
Experience – Create a culture where people can experience God’s love, forgiveness and freedom. Create an atmosphere of safety for each other, where people are celebrated, not just accepted or tolerated. Create an atmosphere where God’s presence is welcomed and our utmost desire.
“…lets us rule as kings…”
Connect – Create a culture where people can connect easily and develop Biblical skills for victorious life. No one has ever accomplished anything great without connecting to others. We need healthy connections to empower the life God intended us to live. We need mentors, models, friends and partners and those connections need to be on the journey of Christ-life with us.
“…serve God, His Father, as priests…”
Dream Team – Create a culture where people can serve God in their church and develop their leadership skills. We were designed by God for specific good works, created with a purpose and a destiny—our personal gifts and ministry. The Bible teaches that those gifts and that ministry, our serving, our doing good, is to be done first within our local church (Galatians 6:10). In that atmosphere, we learn to serve and lead, as servant leaders, well. We empower God’s plan for the transformation of this world—the local church. Again, when we put His plans, His purpose, His Kingdom 1st, we will have all those other things we desire—our fulfillment, our needs, our ministries—added to us. The Dream Team is our foundation for ministry as a local church. As each person, each member, becomes a minister, our Kingdom influence grows, creating new opportunities for ministry, creating new opportunities for ministers, and reaching more people for the Kingdom—transforming our region into a place where the name of Jesus is famous and celebrated.
“To Him be glory… “
Servolution – Create a culture where people can fulfill their destiny in
God by sharing His hope all over the world. As we experience God, as we make healthy connections, as we learn to serve and lead in excellence, God will open great doors of opportunity to us to make Kingdom impact here, and around the world. We are experiencing that as a church. It is this “and” way of doing things that releases our destiny. Instead of “I can do my thing or I can get involved in my church”, we begin to think Scripturally and partner with our local church in our own lives. Then we begin to make an impact in our church. Then we begin to make an impact in our region, then throughout the world. And that fulfills the Great Commission, which is our destiny.
Because we follow this model, we have students (the next generation who are looking for a voice) who want to pursue ministry as their vocation. Because we follow this model, those students will have places to serve, to fulfill their destiny as we plant more campuses locally and nationally, and as we find more and more strategic partnerships around the world.
Because we follow this model, we have young adults who do not plan on leaving their present vocations or careers, but want to fulfill their destiny and are finding opportunities to make a difference, a big difference, in the lives of people here and around the world.
Because we follow this model, we have men and women in the 2nd half of our life journey who are finding their place as mentors and models to those behind them in this journey--helping marriages, encouraging singles, giving people tools to find freedom, providing resources to entrepreneurs and business people.
Because we follow this model, every person can find their destiny, can find fulfillment and live the rich and satisfying life that really matters.
The key that makes the model work is movement—moving from experience to destiny. Are you moving, or are you parked?
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