TITLE:
The Future of this Church: Dreams and Hopes (2 of 5)
TEXT: Acts 2:15-17
PROPOSITION: This church depends on our ability to dream big dreams.
QUESTION: How?
KEY WORD: Dreams
SCRIPTURE READING: Same
INTRODUCTION:
- What I am not talking about:
- Brain activity while you sleep
- Direct revelation from God
- Mysterious and mystical messages
- What I am talking about:
- Your imagination
- Ability to see the future
- Think about the possibilities and to create
- Grand things that can become reality
- What are your dreams and hopes for this church?
The case for Dreams and Hopes
- Nehemiah 2:11-18 – When all is bleak – get a dream of
the future
- Luke 24:13-35 – When all is bleak – have a hope of the
future
This Church needs a Dream and a Hope for the Future
- What is we don’t have a dream?
- Dreams of members of this church
- Home for aged
- Christian School
- Day Care Center
- Here is a short list to get you started (See below)
- I have my own list of dreams
- Develops ways to proclaim the gospel
i.
Use radio, TV, internet
ii.
Use our personal contacts, FRAN
- Seek the lost and working to change lives
- Biblical education past this building
- Members grow and develop, work hard, all participate
- Plant other congregations – US and abroad
- Quality of its leadership – train, equip, prepare
leaders
- Turns on the light for people in darkness
Conclusion
- See quote below.
- We must clearly understand what our “business” is.
- Let’s do some dreaming about our future as a church.
Here is a list to get you
started
- Confident, excited church
- God first in our lives
- Unified – of one mind
- Dedicated
- Joyful
- Heaven bound
- Known for our “walking the walk”
- Display the fruit of the Spirit
- Obeys the Bible
- A forgiving church
- A soul-saving church
- A praying church
- A church that stands for right and opposes wrong
- Trusts God
- Reaches out to the community
- Worshipping church
- Family atmosphere
- Makes sacrifices
- Strong fellowship
- Known for our love of each other
InfoWorld, Q&A section, by George Morrow –
“An article in the Harvard Business Review called “Market
Myopia” talked about how some people didn’t understand what business they were
in. for example, the railroad people didn’t realize they were in the
transportation business; they thought they were in the railroad business. Had
they realized they were in the transportation business they would have invested
in the airplane. The telegraph people thought they were in the telegraph
business instead of the communications business. In 1886 or so, they could have
bought all the telephone patents for $40,000. So obviously these people didn’t
know what business they were in.”
“I used to think these guys were really
dumb because they didn’t know what business they were in. Then I asked myself,
“What business am I in?”