Vision and focus

Matt sent me an invite to post here, so I am taking him up on it. He may be sorry. : )

Where is your focus with respect to FBC The Colony? What is most important to you? Do you sense that our church has a unified focus to reach the community? I don't.

If you've been around our church long enough, served in a particular area, or just observed our general condition over time, you've probably figured out that we're not the happiest or healthiest of congregations. Just stick your head into the sanctuary during a business meeting for 5 minutes some time, and I think you'll get where I am coming from. : )

I bring this up for one main reason: God willing, we're going to have a new pastor in the next few months. And when this man comes, we need to be prepared to embrace him and follow his lead as he develops a vision for FBC and The Colony. In Ephesians 4: 11-13 we read:

"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

God has already appointed and anointed the next Pastor for our church. There is a place that God wants to take our church, and the Pastor will be the main conduit for that vision. IF we let him. Too many times we get caught up in what we want, what we like or dislike, etc. and lose focus on what HE wants. The church was not created to be a country club, catering to the needs of long time members at the expense of the community at large. Quite the contrary.

In Matthew 28:19, the Great Commission instructs us: 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 . . .

We can't be focused on the Great Commission if we can't take our eyes off ourselves. So I challenge you to have your spiritual vision checked this week. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Why do you attend FBC The Colony?
  
• Where is your focus?
  
• What are you holding onto that might prevent our church from fulfilling the Great Commission?
• Does the staff and leadership of our church spend too much effort trying to make YOU happy instead of ministering to the community at large?

Lastly, I would ask you to pray for our church, our new Pastor and his family -- wherever they may be, and the Pastor Search Team. We are working hard, praying together, and seeking God's will for our church. It would be a great encouragement to us if we knew that others were focused on the same outcome.