HEALTHY CHURCH: God Speaking to You
Paul writes the book of Titus to a young man left on the island of Crete to lead and organize the new churches that had been started there. Paul had a dual focus on starting new churches and strengthening the churches that had been established. He left Timothy in Ephesus, primarily with the same calling as Titus, and then accompanied Titus to the island, where they evangelized and discipled new believers. Most likely, the gospel first came to the island of Crete through those who repented and received Christ on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Now, Paul was encouraging Titus in this work.
Paul and Titus had an ongoing relationship that included Titus joining him on his third missionary journey. He referred to him as “my true son in our common faith” (Titus 1:4 NIV). In Titus 2:1, Paul admonishes this young man to proclaim things consistent with sound doctrine.
Charles Swindoll stated, “How seriously do you consider your beliefs about God in the overall scheme of your life? The book of Titus reminds us that our beliefs about God impact every decision we make.” This story on the island of Crete and the book of Titus became a reality because God clearly spoke to Paul about what He had called Him to do.
Paul heard from the Lord on the road to Damascus, and then in Acts 13, the Holy Spirit told the church in Antioch to “set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” In Acts 16, Paul had a strategy for the next phase of this calling, but we are given a great illustration of how all church planting and church strengthening journeys should begin and continue — from God’s mind and heart to you. Jim Carpenter stated, “As Paul and his team traveled in Asia, revisiting churches that had been established in a previous journey, the Holy Spirit would not allow them to continue to preach the gospel in Southern Asia.”
Jim continued, “Then they tried to travel north, but again the Holy Spirit prevented them. Perhaps a bit confused by the Spirit’s restrictions, they headed for the seacoast town of Troas, and during the night, God communicated with Paul through an amazing vision. Paul saw a man of Macedonia ‘standing and begging him to come over to Macedonia and help us.’ This is how the gospel was carried into Europe because Paul listened to the voice of the Lord.” What was Paul’s response? Acts 16:10 says, “After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”
Vision comes from God’s Word and God the Holy Spirit. When Paul listened and obeyed, the gospel jumped continents and came to Europe. Churches were planted, and people became followers of Jesus because God communicated His vision to His man. God is a visionary God, and He has dreams that include an extraordinary plan for you and your church (Eph. 3:20-21). God’s better future for us and His church is meant to be discovered and expressed. This future-oriented, vision-driven direction of God is seen in Titus 1:1-2, which gives Titus this progression — faith in Christ, knowledge of truth and the hope of eternal life.
Vision is a part of being human and how God designed us. Are you planning a vacation? Are you thinking about building or buying a home? Are you completing school soon? Are you preparing for a job change or career move? Are you considering how you build up those in your church and strengthen them in discipleship and multiplication? The reality is that God designed you to be future-oriented and even though you live in the present, you think about time, plans and the dreams in front of you. With very few exceptions, you have things you look forward to in the here and now, not only in eternity.
Vision is essential to life and ministry. It is not optional but is a gift from a gracious God to be able to look forward to something. There are a couple of things to notice about vision:
• Vision serves your spiritual walk. It enables you to look forward to what God wants to happen. In our training, we teach principles based on the Word of God. The Nehemiah Principle teaches that God’s vision must lead to prayerful planning, resulting in a comprehensive task list set out upon a timeline. What needs to be done, when does it need to be completed by and who is responsible for making sure it happens?
• Vision is for all of us. Every believer and every church should strive to hear His voice, follow His direction and obey His every command. Vision does not require some super gifting or special skill set. God has a vision for you and your church. Paul was committed to finding and following God’s vision. Your role is not to forge your own vision but to wait upon God for His. Psalm 32:8 (KJV) says, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” This emphasizes that vision is not only for everyone but also for every day. Just as we breathe, eat and sleep, you also pray, seek Him, hope and dream.
• Vision also brings joy and makes the journey exciting. It enables you to look forward to something with a smile on your face, knowing God has a better plan and a better way. Knowing that all things work together for good enables us to endure the more difficult and most challenging seasons of life and ministry. Hebrews 12:2 says this about Jesus: “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross…” He had a vision of what His death, burial and resurrection would accomplish. Vision makes you a better servant of the Lord. When you imagine things better, it makes you better because you have faith and hope.
• Vision is ongoing, connecting you to God in a mysterious, supernatural way. Vision is always moving, progressing, evaluating and recalculating. Vision is a never-ending, ongoing conversation between you and the Holy Spirit. God’s vision is intimately connected to the needs of real people. The vision Paul saw was of a man begging for help. His purposes and ways are often mysterious, but it’s clear His heartbeat is for wayward people, living in the darkness of their sin. He wants you to reach them, and He has a plan for you to help. What is your vision to reach the people in your neighborhood and your zip code?
The Lord communicates His vision to His leader. Whether through a startling vision, a quiet inner voice or a gradual, settled sense of conviction, the Lord wants to communicate His vision for your church, and He wants to communicate it to you.
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Larry Barker
Director of Church Planting and Church Health Larry Barker submits a weekly column titled, Healthy Church Solutions, designed to strengthen and encourage the local church.
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