Well, as you all know it’s been a while since I’ve blogged. No good excuse…just hasn’t been high on my priority list lately. But, after taking a couple of months off from the blog world I’m now ready to throw my hat back in the ring…hopefully a little more consistently.
So, I want to address a subject that I see as a real problem among Christians and especially Christian leaders. You see, as a pastor now for almost 20 years I’ve been exposed to just about every dysfunctional leadership quality a minister could legitimately tolerate. And quite frankly, the older I get the more it sickens me. What is it? Poor vision!!! I really don’t understand how we “Christians” can proclaim that we love Jesus when many of us never go out of our way to ever invest in the lost. We say we have a vision to “see His kingdom grow” or “win the sinners”; but, quite frankly, all it is…is words!!! I read a statistic some time ago that basically said that 90% of people who call themselves Christians have never or never will lead anyone to Christ.
Can I tell you what I believe the American Christian’s vision is today? Themselves!!! Bigger houses!!! Nicer cars!!! Larger 401K’s!!!
Now, for those of you who have big houses, nice cars, large 401K’s, don’t shut me out! Those things aren’t evil in-and-of-themselves; however, when they begin to rule and dominate our spiritual perspective…then our eternal vision becomes skewed. What about you? How’s your vision? Is it on Jesus and His life-changing message? Just a few questions.
Over the years of watching and observing leaders who are visionaries, I’ve come up with a few things I feel a genuine vision will cost you:
1. Your passion. Why did we ever think a true vision would just come to us without any work? If there’s one thing I’ve realized about following God’s vision for my life is that I’ve had to work my BUTT off to get to where I am. Our church has experienced tremendous success these last three years, but it didn’t just happen!!! There’s been a great deal of prayer, dedication and elbow grease put into this church plant.
Can I tell you a secret? I’ve found that many (not all) of the pastors I know are lazy. Sorry, but that’s what I’ve seen. I realize I’ll probably get all kind of hate email on that one. But, that’s my genuine observation. My encouragement to anyone who gets into the ministry and isn’t willing work…GET OUT…YOU’RE WASTING SPACE!!!
2. Your Creativity. I believe God created all of us to be like Him (You can check it out in the first few chapters of Genesis). God is a creator and He created us to be creative (like Him). So, if that’s the case…then why is it we (His church) can be the most uncreative people in the world? No wonder lost people don’t want to come to our churches. If I had to sit through most of the church services I’ve heard about…I’d probably regurgitate. Most have no preparation, no forethought, no structure and no organization. Yet we complain about how the world needs to get into church. Why? They can sleep at home!!!
3. Your Friends. When a person adopts a God-given vision it will cause them great hardship. Often times at the expense of vital relationships. Believe it or not, when pursuing a vision it’s not unlikely that many of your closest friends/family will become your greatest critics. You could very well be labeled as an arrogant dreamer (like Joseph in Genesis 37:1-11) or even abandoned. So, if you’re bold enough to buy into God’s vision for you…you’d also better be ready for some extremely disappointing relationships.
4. Your Will. Many people I know automatically assume pastoring a church was my occupation of choice. However, if I would’ve been given a choice of careers it would not have been as a minister. When I finished high school I traveled 500 miles to South Carolina in order to study for the ministry, but there was a war waging inside me. What was that internal war about? Well, believe it or not my ambition was to coach high school football…God had other plans. At some point, I had to surrender my will. Every person who truly embraces God’s vision will have to cross that bridge. God’s will or our own?
Now, not everyone is called to be a preacher…I realize that. But I believe everyone will come to a point in their lives whereby they’ll have to surrender to God’s will and relinquish their own. If they do not, no matter what they do it’ll never bring peace or fulfillment. Have you surrendered your will over to God?
5. Your Traditions. Christmas is my favorite time of year! I love Christmas trees, lights, snow, presents and everything that makes-up the whole Christmas spirit. Why? Because it reminds me of the birth of my Savior and His willingness to become human so He could pay the eternal price for my sin. The entire season speaks to me about His love…every single tradition.
Here’s my problem with traditions. They can sometimes lose their effectiveness if we’re not cautious. If I were to give my wife flowers every day for six months it would eventually become very old. For first couple of days it would probably be ok. But, at some point she would probably deposit those same flowers in a most inconspicuous place…if you know what I mean. The tradition would lose its luster!
This is characteristic of lots of churches. They get accustomed to business as usual. Everything is mechanical and has lost its meaning. Many people ask me why we don’t serve communion at CommonGround more frequently…it’s for this very reason. I don’t want it to lose its significance in the lives of our people. So, that’s why we take it periodically.
As I close, I want to challenge everyone to become a visionary for God. Allow God to reveal to you His vision for your life. There are many things we can afford to miss, but His vision for us is not one of them.
Neal
