Loyal, OK

 
Pastor Leon Seaton

What Is Your Vision?

Ah, the joy of a New Year – a time to make resolutions! Max Lucado offered some interesting ideas:

• Love God more than you fear hell

• Once a week, let a child take you on a walk

• Make major decisions in a cemetery

• Only harbor a grudge when God does

• God has forgiven you; you’d be wise to do the same

One writer has noted that “The Christian experience is a whole new life accompanied by signs, wonders, and God’s Spirit living in us and revealing Himself to us every day.

This is where Jesus fully expects us to walk, where we influence those around us! Jesus prepared said that we would do even greater things than He did!

God’s will and plan has not changed! You are as much of a disciple as the Twelve were. You have the same Holy Spirit inside of you, you have the same faith and the same Great Commission that they received.

You may be thinking “Wait! I’m not an apostle.” I agree! However, miracles come from God, not us. When Peter and John healed a cripple the people were amazed at their power. Listen to Peter’s response: “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His Servant Jesus.” (Acts 3:12, 13)

If we do not walk in this power then we must ask why.

Three levels of Christian experience:

First, we need to be saved. This is the "Bless me, Lord" stage.

Second, we need rescued from a crisis; the "Help me, Lord" stage.

Third, we want to experience the fullness of God’s Kingdom. This is where Jesus walked. It is experiencing God’s presence at all times. It is seeing God’s power revealed to others through us. Saints at this level say, “Here am I, send me.” Their dominate thought is "I belong to the Lord; though He slay me, still will I trust Him."

This is our goal – the level where the devil fears us.

I trust that your vision, your dream is to walk at this level!

Matthew 28:18-20: Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

If it were not for the early church and their commitment to Christ you might be worshiping Baal today. If it were not for the Pilgrims we would not have our religious freedom. If we do not do our part the future will miss this church.

We have a wonderful church. I am thrilled at our spiritual progress. But, there is always more to do… just like whatever secular field you serve God in.

Jesus' final instructions to the church had 4 points:

1. GO

2. DISCIPLE All Nations

3. BAPTIZE them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

4. TEACH them to obey everything I have commanded you.

The Book of Acts is the story of their accomplishments; but the book has no formal ending because we have picked up where they left off. The OU football team has won several national titles. But it was not all done by the same coach or players. Equally, we carry on the work started by the early church.

It is not our ministry; it is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He teaches us, He empowers us and He guides us as we do the work of God.

First Corinthians 12 lists the gifts the Holy Spirit provides you so that you can do your part:

• The message of wisdom

• The message of knowledge

• Faith

• Gifts of Healing

• Miraculous powers

• Prophecy

• Distinguishing between spirits

• Speaking in different kinds of tongues

• The interpretation of tongues

The gifts are to help everyone, not to show the rest of us how spiritual we are. Without these gifts we are working in our strength, not God’s. Verse 31 ends the chapter with this command, “Eagerly desire the greater gifts.” The KJV states, “Covet earnestly the best gifts.”

If you earnestly desire the greater gift, what are you going to desire?  Pentecostals focus on tongues and interpretation of tongues.  I certainly agree that these are valuable gifts. However, the greater gifts minister to greater needs.

Our nation needs the wisdom of God. We need to ask God to give it to us so we can share it!  Knowledge knows how to use the wisdom of God.

Faith is a powerful entity! All things are possible to the one that has faith according to Jesus.

All of us know of miracles and healings that need to take place, but do we have the faith to step out and begin asking for miracles?

Prophecy is properly explaining and applying scriptures. It makes God’s message so powerful that the lives of men and women are changed forever.

Jesus healed all kinds of diseases. People tore open roofs to get their loved one in front of Jesus so they could be healed. Peter’s shadow falling across people sitting on the street increased their faith so much that they were healed.

Jesus told the people that if they were unwilling to believe His words that they should at least believe the miracles. Paul told them that he came, “Not with persuasive words, but with the power of God to do miracles.”

Jesus told us that we can do even greater things than He did.

Let me put it this way. Do you honestly pray that every person in the Lomega area will become committed Christians? Are you committed to seeing that happen during the next few months? If not, then we need to get a new vision. I have to tell you that for the past 3 or more years that some weeks my goal was to merely survive the week!

That has changed! My health is improving, now I’m asking the Lord to increase my faith!

If we are going to make a dramatic difference in our community we need to love everyone so much that they know we love them.

As Jesus hung in agony on the cross He prayed for the people that lied about Him, tormented Him and demanded His death. He prayed, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34).

God heard that prayer. On the Day of Pentecost three thousand people repented and were baptized! Do we have the heart and courage to pray for the lost like Jesus did?

Consider the passion and love that led John Knox to plead, "Give me Scotland or I die"?

George Whitefield was also a great man of God with a powerful burden and vision. He prayed, "O Lord, give me souls or take my soul."

Henry Martyn was so grieved at seeing people trapped in false religions that he prayed, "I cannot endure existence if Jesus is to be so dishonored"!

Stephen was one of the first deacons. His godly power and courage caused him to be stoned to death. As he died he prayed, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” Do we have that much faith?

Our prayer lives tell us volumes. But if our prayer life is limited to our needs, the needs of our family and church, we fall far short of what God has intended. We are also to pray for our nation’s leaders. Our church has a lengthy prayer list for those that are ill. But are we seeking to win this area to God?

Growing this church will take care of itself if we will be committed to fulfilling the Great Commission. Our goal is not to preserve our heritage. That too will be taken care of as we bring new people to Christ.

Wednesday evening I watched as our ladies served a meal to the kids of our community before the weekly Kids Club met. Wow! They showed the love of Jesus in their enthusiasm and joy in serving God and feeding the kids.

Now… let's minister with equal energy to the 300 or so people that surround this community!

Think of the love that Moses had for the Children of Israel. He spent over a month on the top of a mountain fasting and praying. God gave him the two tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments on them. As he descended from the mountain he was amazed at the sin that the people were indulging in. It was awful!

Moses did two things. First he confronted their sin and pronounced God’s judgment. But then he prayed an intercessory prayer: "Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. But now, if You will, forgive their sin--and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!"

That, my friends, is love in action! Moses was willing to forfeit his eternal life for his people, even though they were guilty of wicked rebellion!  Paul made a similar statement as he grieved over the Jews rejecting Jesus. In Romans 9 he sounds very much like Moses: “I am telling the truth in Christ; I am not lying, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, [...]Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. (Romans 9:1-3; 10:1)

God will honor our prayers just as much as He honored the prayers of Moses, Jesus, Paul and Stephen. God loves everyone… even those that abuse His name. We need that same love!

How big is our field of ministry? Actually it is quite large for it includes the entire world. However, at this point we need to start closer to home.

Loyal’s zip code is 73756; in 2007, 302 homes had this zip code. However, our church includes people from Dover, Kingfisher and Yukon, so I estimate that we serve about 400 people. Many of them serve God in other churches and that is good. However, others do not. Our responsibility is to reach the unchurched for the Lord.

Also, many believers are not involved in a church in this area. We need to reach out to them as well. Nationally less than 50% of the population attends church on a consistent basis, so it appears that at least 200 people really need us…and we need them!

What is your vision? What is your level of commitment to Jesus Christ? Is it “Lord, save me” “Lord, help me” or is it “Lord, send me!”

January 11, 2009