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“Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained…”
by Pastor Ivan Veldhuizen
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This verse from Proverbs 28:19 literally means we go every direction in chaos if there is not a decisive purpose to direct us. Initially, it may seem good and necessary as a church to be everything to everyone, but we cannot be. And neither does God expect it. Paul, for instance, was called to be a light to the Gentiles, while Jesus was called to find the lost sheep of Israel. In brief, that was the specific purpose of their ministries. These incredibly gifted men acknowledged their scope of ministry (given by God) and with confidence and lack of guilt, went at the task designed for them.
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Our Mission is to inspire religious people
to develop a meaningful relationship with God, one person at a time.
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What does this really mean? In brief, it means that our primary purpose is to help people understand the difference between religion of the church and a relationship with God…and then help them begin and develop that life-giving relationship.
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George Barna, in his book, Evangelism That Works,
states the following: “Millions
of Americans attend churches that promote Christian doctrine
but do not translate that doctrine into a personal
commitment to Christ or a changed lifestyle. Millions more
simply define themselves as Christian because they are
American and they perceive the national religious character
to be generally “Christian.” To these people, you are
automatically Christian until you consciously choose to
declare yourself to be something else. From a biblical
point of view, the multitudes in this segment are not
Christians; they are self-deceived, unregenerate people who
have placed their trust in the wrong things…. Most of those
adults in the cultural Christian camp have yet to make a
true profession of faith in Christ.” |
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Did you know that 88% of Americans consider
themselves religious, yet only 4% can tell you
what is meant by “the gospel”, what John 3:16
says, and what the great commission is. These
are the absolute basics of true faith in Christ,
yet very few have a grasp on these simple
elements. According to the most thorough
research done, we can surmise that of those who
attend Protestant churches on any given Sunday
morning, only half are born-again Christians!
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Our communities are filled with people who are
religious, but have never experienced that
life-changing relationship with God. Many have
given up on God because they have never found
Him in their previous church experience. They
were offered form or function, but were never
shown the real thing!
I see these “religious” people coming from four
primary church experiences:
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Liturgical-
offered form and function without substance
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Legalistic-
taught that the “do’s and don’ts” were the
primary issue of the gospel message
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Lethargic-
the doctrine was correct, but there was simply
no spiritual life there
· Liberal-
substituted the majors (new birth) for the
minors (social action)
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Each of
these church types have some good elements, but have somehow missed
the essence of the gospel: Christ died for our sins to give us new
life, which we must choose to receive.
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Proverbs 28:19 in the King James states,
“Without a vision the people perish.”
This vision will enable us to see many people find new life in
Christ!
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For the glory of God, and for
the sake of needy people, may we continue to inspire religious
people to develop a meaningful relationship with God, one person at
a time.
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