2013 Vision Casting Communication Team- MSG
Opening:
pastor- Welcome every1one, thank you for coming and taking part in our 2013 Vision Casting Sunday as we have designed the setting to be in homes, just a little filled, sitting & scattered around and personally close, able to touch one another. I want to already do that by reaching out to identify two of four of our motives were One) no glitz, no glamour, no lights, no media, but simple face to face epilogue and dialogue. Second, this is more like in Mark chapter two, where they were all in the house to be with Jesus and that’s where friends of a man showed faith to lower him down to Jesus and he walked away forgiven and healed from that house meeting.
So ahhh as we get further started let’s here the passions of our Vision Casting Communication Team and then we’ll pant in prayer for God’s Presence to permeate..;
Passions (1 min per person)
1 Anthony shares,
What I really been thinking about is…how this vision speaks to everyone who is a part of the BCC. What God has been doing at the BCC in Ames before we-all of us got here and what He will continue to do here even after us. This is not about us doing but rather about us being. My hope is that what you hear today will speak to how you see your part in WHO WE ARE and WHAT WE ARE BECOMING as a church body.
2 Jeremy says
what i am really excited about and passionate about is...
I just want to say that at the intersection of knowing God is Always is also His Care of ppl.
3 Vanessa speaks
What I am overly enjoyed about is that this Whole body Christ is part of the Vision. God created us in HIS Vision and now who we are in Jesus connecting the puzzle pieces together.
4 Peter: articulates,
What I’m excited about and what the vision does for me is it brings into focus who we’re meant to be as a body. I think that even a first-time visitor has some sort of idea of what we’ll talk about today, but the vision takes a general experience and feeling about BCC, something that we’re aware of but can’t quite put our finger on, and sharpens it down to a few words. It articulates a clear sense of identity and purpose that I believe will allow us to confidently move forward together into what God has for us.
pastor...,
Let us pray... pastor
min. Dr. jeremy vanessa peter t.
Introduction:(pass out the handouts and writing utensils)
pastor,
We have been treading and trudging out a trail to seek for Truth as a Ministry Leadership Team and in this season as a Vision Task Force. We have been addressing and dealing with the depth of our subject today for about 8-10 months. Perhaps as time permits, i hope to insert anecdotes of stories of how this all was Revealed, Received, and Believed initially nearly one year ago, then with MLT, then by an Anointed and awe-striking agreement with sister Ana and I.
But right now i want to remind you of the team’s passions; and focus your internal spiritual sight to see beyond what our Executive Leader describes as the difficulty of articulating and casting this content abstract enough to encompass all that it entails; but practical & relevant enough with handles so we can grab and hold on to it. (ex.- of concept, concept, concept, then tangible held)
As pastor and leader, i am excited for this Jesus journey and feel as though we are onto eternity’s cutting edge again. Please follow along on the notecards passed around in the Text of:
1 John 4:16-17
16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.
Please fill in your Blanks with these six simple words,
“We are the Heart of God”
“We are the Heart of God”
PT: 2 meanings, the edge, 1 John 4:16-17
16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.
There are two ways we want to look at the statement “We are the heart of God.”
1. From verse 16, we can say that we are God’s heart because we know and believe His heart is toward us. We know and believe this because He has shown us His love.
- Exactly one chapter earlier, we read, “16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us....”
- John 3:16: “God so loved the word” - that includes me, you, us
So far, all this is coming from the disciple “whom Jesus loved.” John in particular had a revelation of Jesus’ love for him, and he wanted us to have that same revelation.
- Romans 5:5: “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
- Psalm 139 says, “17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
We could go on and on - there’s a reason why some people call the Bible God’s love letter
God’s love, His thoughts, His heart are toward us. That is one meaning of “We are the heart of God.”
2. The second meaning is found in verse 17: “as He is, so also are we in this world.” When we say, “we are the heart of God,” it also means that we represent the heart of God to the world.
- John 13:35: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
- Earlier in 1 John 4:7: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”
Because God’s love has been poured into our hearts, we can in turn, take that love and show it to others. “We are the heart of God.” We receive God’s heart, and we represent His heart to others.
- Verse 19 is a good summation: “We love because he first loved us.” Turn it around: “Because he first loved us, we love.”
When Pastor first shared the phrase “We are the heart of God,” I, in my independent thinking, thought, “That will never do, we’ll have to work with that phrase, change it around to make it acceptable.” And I wasn’t the only one who struggled with it. It seemed the whole Ministry Leadership Team had difficulty accepting it. I thought, what would someone outside BCC think if they heard us say, “We are the heart of God.” Surely it would come off arrogant or boastful. Maybe they would even think we’re blaspheming.
But as I considered these two meanings, I realized that it captures who we are as a body. Some churches may form around different things like a set of beliefs or specific mission, but I believe that BCC has always had a humility - something that says we’re just after the heart of God. It’s a humble attitude that says, “God has been so generous to me (and to us) in pouring His love into our hearts. We want to live in a way that reflects His love.”
pastor-
peter observes and overviews these occasions very well. i only note...
One, as we mentioned earlier, this process started after the unanimous alivening intrigue of Brian Houston’s principle relating it to who we are...
Then in A Leadership Training & Discipleship workout project, it was actually peter t. who penciled in the reflective soul searching of attending a conference with another Christian camp...
We often discover what we are and who we are by what we are Not, peter thought we are “like”
And all of us had an AHAAAA moment...mmmmm
i secondly note, the sheer uneasiness, even the bold, brassy, nearly blasphemous, and unbiblical the statement seems. I too struggled with it, wrestled with The LORD about it making suggestions to HIM about it.
But two members responses helped assure what i received from Christ.
Sister Holly... her longstanding ministering beside us had a greater appreciation for not about still something we have to do, but rather finally being something... “We Are”
The other person, Minister Lawrence..., though always in meekness and servanthood,,, he was really eagerly firm in courageously believing and encouraging us if God said it, then let’s look at the nature of God’s Outlandishness stretching us beyond our comforts and faith!
“We are / the Heart / of God”
Content:
This is broken into three phases, two words each.
Each phrase identifies an entire study and shapes into a definable piece that perfectly fits like a puzzle. Please listen.
I. "We Are" mas. Bolles unfolds
I John 4:11-12
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
Our identity is no longer individual but communal. We are joined together in the love God has for us and that reality is only manifested as we love one another from the heart.
I John 4:18
18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
Our love for God is only made genuine through the day to day testing and maturing through the loving of people. We have all given people hugs, sometimes met with awkwardness, other times with skepticism, and other times with assurance and acceptance. We are learning to live into the embrace of Heaven that casts out all fear of rejection, fear of hurt, and fear of being misunderstood. The real work of the Kingdom is a desire to love all people and to press through all the obstacles that leave any residue of mistrust, resentment, and offense. Healthy relationships are marked by patient endurance, forgiveness, humility, communication, grace and honesty.
I John 4:19-21
We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
We can never separate love for God and love for people; they are inseparable.
There is an ending incredible line...
I. “the Heart”- Vanessa’s contribution shared
"The Heart" , When asked to reflect about "The Heart", because I am a visual person, my first thoughts were..."What does that look like?
We know that physically the heart is a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through our system by a rhythmic equation. The blood flows so that all of our vital body systems are sustained, and it is located in our chest area and we ALL have one.
And we know that there is another side the of the Heart, its the one that is feeds our Soul and Spirit. It is that part of us where our emotions dwell. It represents our will and desires.
The Bible says about this part of the heart is at:
Luke 12:34 "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Proverbs 4:23b "for it is the wellspring of life"
Proverbs 15:13a "A happy heart makes the face cheerful",
Luke 6:45b .."for out of the overflow of his heart his mouths speaks.
Proverbs 27:19 b.."so a man's heart reflects the man"
It confirms that there are are two sides about "the Heart"...so when I put the two together...again my question is What does that look like?.
My answer to that question became "blood red" because ...It's looks like JESUS!
My question to you is ...What does "the Heart" look like to you? What should it look like for the body of BCC? As we start this journey...God will lead us to his heart..which is Jesus..I
I distinctively love how Jesus is at the center of the vision. Jesus is clearly at the Heart.
III. “of God”- Anthony’s contribution
In Acts 5:38-39
Gamaliel spoke
38 And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.”
I don’t know if Gamliel knew exactly what he was saying, some scholars say he was trying to be neutral and not get involved. But there is something that he said that we should pay attention to.
But if it is OF God
The Bible is very SPECIFIC when it comes to the things OF GOD.
The Apostle Paul stated in 1 Corin 8:6, “6 But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life..
Apostle Paul repeats this same message about God and who HE is in Colossians 1:15-16
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.
Genesis 1: 27 So God created human beings[c] in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
In Genesis 1 verse 1 we know that the Bible has to be specific, there was a spirit of God, we were made in the image OF GOD, THERE is a kingdom of God, in the beginning there was the Word and the word was with God, and the word was God therefore we know there is Word but not just any Word but the word of God.
The covenant was written not just with any old finger but with the finger of God. Jesus was not only known to be the son of man but He was also known to be the son of God.
Phili 4:7 and the peace of God, (not just any old peace) but the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
So when we think about “of God” it points that there is a divine side that is distinct from the human side. I believe God has been calling us to recognize through the Word that there is a difference. And His desire is that the divide side-God is represented in the human side –man! With Jesus being our example!
Of God—It is our desire as a body to study out what is genuinely sincerely in God’s heart; to study who God is, out of that we hope to discover His heart.
Transition toward Questions and Dialogue:
We hope we have communicated the:
Who: We, God, Christ When: 2013, start now on,
What: the Heart How: Study, discovery, structure
Where: starting @ sanctuary, BCC
Why: identity, who we are, becoming, comes culture
We likewise hope to communicate the value and purposes of God. How this directly links to your piece of the puzzle and our role to add to and advance The Kingdom of God.
Perhaps peter you could talk to us about the hurdles God had to bring us over... and the hang ups we allowed The Holy Spirit to go deeply into us to help us overcome and envision clearly...
… We want to now together hopefully help every1one find their own trail that we pioneered and paved along the way by creating dialogue through questions & discussion and/or your first responses.
What questions come to mind or how can we help you by addressing your thoughts?
jeremy you had something you wanted to say? piece regarding the it’s OK to have and wait in the silence period...
And also know there are NO questions and issues off limits, but straightforward liberty to approach anything...
Staff generated Questions on your behalf
EL writes- “So you’ve shared this vision with me, and I’m excited about it, and I believe it does communicate who BCC is. But what am I supposed to do with it today, next week, this month?”
AL writes- “How is this to shape the long term culture of BCC?”
pastor’s going there...
Well I too would like to lift our Team’s awareness and Propose a Question for us all...
Recently in a Task Force planning and preparing meeting, we discovered and deemed that BCC’s core loss along the way and years that sense of comradery and genuine fellowship. In the process of the loss, we have grown apart with possible breaches that feel like barriers that potentially have broken up Christ’s new commandment of loving one another as I have loved you thus deteriorating by this all men would know you are my disciples. Or like walls of separation that stops the Life flow of the River of God, or quenching of The Holy Spirit.
Thus the #3 of 4th reason why we arranged a far more personal, small, yet a sampling of our ministry ministry in order to provide an intimate environment and atmosphere just reachable, shoulder to shoulder, face to face not in rows of chairs all facing forward.
Within this context, i lift our question, what factors, frustrations, maybe just season of life, or broken trusts, offenses, or unmet needs have contributed to the potentials of these things i have mentioned?
We want to regain your trust and 4 of 4 Start Over, Begin Again.
Where do church plants and new ministries typically begin? in Homes and Houses, The Excitement and Exploration of Eternity as Brand Spanking New.
God’s Presence and Moment by Moment Touch by HIS SPIRIT
I will finish with this testimony story about the awe-striking of Christ with Sister and I the day i believe Jesus Spoke to me....
i was going to call peter t. but, The Holy Spirit spoke to me and said only call your wife first. So, I quickly redirected my dialing to sister Ana...
she received it with God’s glee and Glory, joyously embraced it without any hesitancy.
She proceeded to tell me, Honey... the other day...
The Most LOVING people we know, you just are...
different if not nearly opposing doctrines, yet our definable, definite, incomparable and unmistakable characteristic and trait was LOVING.... We are the Heart of God.
Well, we have presented, now you who have received...
Would two or three of you pray in our closing and new destined beginning...
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