The Key to Your Successful Future... step two.

How do you grow a successful life, a successful business or an effective church?   Like I said earlier, successful churches/ successful businesses move forward because they have a vision, but what’s the next step?   Many people have dreams but a dream is not worth a dime unless you do something with it.  There’s a lot of people that spend hundreds of ours planning their next move, planning their strategy and so forth.  I am all for planning, but honestly, there are thousands of stagnant churches that invest large blocks of time planning but nothing ever happens.  What’s up with that?

Here’s what’s up with that … they forget that successful endeavors require faith.  You’ve got to step out in faith.  You must take a risk.  It’s scary to move from the planning room to the playing field, but you will never win the game studying film.  You’ve got to get into the game.  You must step out in faith.

What are you believing God for today?  Most of us are believing God to help us make it through the day … okay that’s a start, but God is bigger than that.  When was the last time that you prayed a pray that caused God to pause and say, “Hmmm, he just prayed a prayer that got my attention.”  Now, granted …. I know that God cares about every detail and he listens to the small prayers that we pray, but when was the last time we prayed a BIG prayer.   When was the last time that we prayed a prayer that said, “God, if you don’t, it won’t.”

Faith is about believing God.  What are you believing God for?  It’s time to take the next step.  Faith is calling those things that have never happened and speaking about them as if they had already happened.  This is what Romans 4:17 says:  ”…the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.”

What would happen if we realized that God could raise up our dead churches, our dead careers, dead marriages?  Our life would change … our world would be a better place.   What’s keeping this from happening?  God is waiting for us to ask and He is waiting for us to BELIEVE.

It’s time to take the next step.  Remember, when you take the next step, it can be scary.  In fact, the Apostle Peter got out of the boat and took a step of faith.  Then, fear over took him and he sank.  Jesus reached down and bailed him out.  That sounds like a good sermon series …. beginning October 19,  Stevens Creek’s new series will be BAIL OUT.  Start praying that God will use this series to touch our lives and our church.  Stay tuned for more.

 

Marty

 

martybaker@stevenscreek.net

The Key to Your Successful Future

During a recent management team meeting, we began talking about Outreach Magazine’s list of the Top 100 Largest Church and the Top 100 Fastest Growing Churches.   A question was asked if there was a common thread that ran through the fastest growing churches on the list.  I have not gone through all of the websites of these churches yet (I will probably do that over the next few weeks), but I believe that I will discover a common thread.  

The common thread that runs through all of the fastest growing churches in America is not music style, nor is it drama, nor is it small groups, or even a giving kiosk, but I believe the common ingredients are two things:  Vision and Faith.

This is true not only for growing ministries, but also for growing businesses.  Many of us have heard the verse that says, “Without a vision, the people perish.”  Well, without a vision the church will not grow.  Without a vision, your life will not be what it could be.

What is vision?  Vision is that mental picture of the future.  You need to know where you are going.  Vision is the ability to see beyond the majority of people around you.  Vision is the difference between a stagnant church and a growing church.  

For a church, specifically Stevens Creek Church, I see vision as who we are becoming.  We are a church that helps people say “Yes to God!”  We help people take their next step in their spiritual journey.  We communicate this in a famiiar phrase:  We want you to Love God, Love People and Serve the World.  We are becoming a church that does that.  I say that we are becoming that church because I know that we are not there yet.  Every day we take our next step in living out that dream.

Do you have a vision?  If you don’t, you will be marking time.  Without a vision your life will drift from one season to another season.  Stop for a few hours and really think through and pray through this idea.  What is God’s vision for me and how am I embracing it?

I say it frequently, “God wants to do immeasurable more than we ask or even imagine.”  The problem with that concept is this: “We seldom take time to imagine the possibiliites.”  If we don’t think it, then we can’t see it.  If we can’t see it, then we cannot go there. What are you seeing?   If you can tell me what you are seeeing, then I can tell you where you are going.

How do you get a vision?  First of all, you ask God for it.   It begins with a simple prayer that goes like this:  ”God, help me to see what you see.”  I am sure pastors reading this blog would say, “That’s a no brainer, but what’s my next step?  Not only do you need to ask God, practically speaking, you need to hang out with people who have been where you want to go.  You need to talk to leaders of growing ministries.  You need to walk on their property and see what God can do.

For years, I have visited successful and effective churches and I have prayed, “God give me this anointing. Give me the ability to do this and even more.”   If you want to grow in your vision, then get outside of your weekly routine and see what successful people are doing.  Then, go back to your place and dream new dreams.  Allow God to use those experiences to formulate a vision for your life.  Don’t cut and paste someone else’s dream, but allow God to birth a new one in you.  Stay tuned for the next step….

Marty 

martybaker@stevenscreek.net