What is Your Vision for our Future?

What is Your Vision for our Future?        8-11-24 Kelly Durant 

 

Proverbs 29:18

18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.       Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

 

2.I want you to answer this question. Does history just happen from circumstances or do people make the circumstances happen?

Do random events make up our past or did people plan those events? For Example, did World War II just happen, or was it planned to happen? If you think things just happen on their own, think again.

 

At that time all of the world’s leaders conspired and fought hard to obtain their positions. Everyone had a vison for the future. For example, the Germans wanted to rule the entire world and cleanse it ethnically! The Americans dreamed to stop that evil and have each country’s sovereignty and ethnicity respected! It’s the same war today; it’s either oppressive dictatorships or republics with freedom! As described in the Daniel 2 statue, either iron or clay.

 

The world’s nations have a dream or vision inspired by their leaders but note that man proposes but it is God who disposes! We know the outcome of the past; God was on the side of the Allies as it wasn’t yet time for the anti-Christ to arise. Hitler was a type of anti-Christ, led by hate and the occult, but God allowed good to conquer evil then because Christian people fought. The question for you and me today is: What is your dream as an individual? The world leaders are going to do what they do and sadly wars and misguided goals destroy millions. But what can we do within the confines of our local world?

 

3. MLK Jr. said: I have a dream…I have a dream that….

Do you know what that was? It was that all the people would one day live without discrimination being judged by their character, and not by the color of their skin. This was a good dream, and much has improved since the 1960’s. It was needed and still needs to be envisioned and practiced everywhere but man’s sin of not having love for his neighbor stubbornly persists. The world needs Jesus! 

 

People do catch visions, or idealistic dreams and often these dreams are announced by men of God onto the people who want to accomplish something of value. We all want a cause to give our life to. It is better to die for something than to live for nothing! Right?

 

So, what is your dream for us to accomplish in this city? Corps?

It is God, and only God that permits your or my dreams to become reality. I propose we teach our children and family members the ways of the Lord, and that we all shine our lights of good works in the community, and pray that, even though we are few, that the community gets impacted by the Word of God! Proverbs 11:10

When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices; And when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.

 

4. Here is another dreamer, a globalist-conquer-the-world type one: Did you know that when Napoleon met the Russian leader at the border of Europe after he had conquered Europe, said, “I will invade Russia, I will march on the streets of Moscow”! 

 

Napoleon had a dream. But the wise Russian leader responded, “Man proposes, but it is God who disposes!” Soon the winter snow caught and froze almost all the soldiers of Napoleon’s army and so many died that Napoleon had to retreat and He returned never to reach is dream. He was from then on reduced and defeated.

 

His dream was not within God’s will. His dream was only for himself and his desires. He was building his kingdom, not God’s kingdom. This has an analogy to many churches today, they want to grow, be rich, and take over the regions, but their dreams are for their own grandeur, and not for God’s glory. And sadly, people who get burnt from being a part of a “chosen-frozen” church that dries up in scandal due to an unrighteous pastor or corrupt congregation often lose their faith, vision, and dreams to serve Jesus! We must be careful what we are following! If it is not to grow God’s Kingdom, then we know it will fail as man’s kingdoms all fall and fail! The globalist today are building a world system, but it will only last a short time because Jesus will return and destroy it!

 

5. What is your dream, for God’s glory, or for yourself?  

How many of you are planning your future right now?

How many of you had a dream say 5 years ago and now you are living that dream now? Did you plan to be where you are today? God’s grace has brought us all through a lot of trials and hard times. 

 

Many people, including immigrants, often plan big to become rich and live the American dream only to never reach their goals! They are like Napoleon, deceived they have obtained something, not seeing how it will soon all be lost when adversity comes. Adversity comes to everyone and we cannot even walk without God’s hand pulling us through! Having the wrong dream in life makes you miss God’s plan as much as not having any dream at all!

 

Here in the scripture of Proverbs 29:18 we read that the people faint, the people lose hope, they perish if there is not a vision or dream to live for. People, you and I, we all get depressed without a dream to get better. The reality is the average person does not even have dreams for their lives. Some do get rich but the ones who gain the world are going to regret it one day when judgement comes. Mark 8:36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

 

6. We know we need faith to get God’s support. We must have God’s dream for our lives, in order to have confidence that God will answer us in our prayers. Most of just want our basic needs covered, right? 

James 1:6-7 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

 

There are many Christians that have not quite learned to have a dream for God yet and then have faith to carry it out.

It takes work, it takes study in the Bible and trying many things to discover what God’s goal is for you, what you are called to do!

If your dream in life is within God’s dream then you are going to have success and progress, happiness, peace, and blessings.

Jesus gave us dreams to do God’s will. He said in Matthew 6:33

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

 

Here we invite people to worship Jesus, we enroll the youth, and we teach the youth and adults God’s Word, and we know we are doing what will accomplish God’s blessings! 

 

7. Once your soul is saved you understand you are going to heaven to live forever in God’s Kingdom of love and happiness then after that all you want to do is live to see another soul saved too!

Your dream then will be focused on others, not yourself.

 

Jesus commanded us all in Mark 16:15

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

 

Jesus imparted a tremendously huge vision on us to win others to His Kingdom and that is a big challenge! If we consider the entire world, Christians are only about 20% of all the world’s religions! Today, we must have a tremendous vision in order to convert the 80% that do not seek God on Sunday or any day, and it starts with you and me converting our neighbors, family, and coworkers.

 

8. Why is there a Salvation Army in 130 countries, with over 3,000,000 members of Soldiers and volunteers carrying out the world’s largest rehabilitation service to alcoholics, and help to the poor? Plus, it has all happened in around 150 years! How?

 

You and I are here because William Booth had a dream that was in God’s will! Why am I here with the Salvation Army doing what I do? Because I caught God’s dream for my life! I had to forsake my dreams for God’s dreams and His are so much better!

 

In the verse of today, we understand we must obey God’s law to be happy with a future. In other words, history is full of examples of people who did not dream within God’s plan and their end was frustration and losses, never achieving their goals! I challenge you today to dream God’s dreams for our children, our community, and Corps.  

 

Dreaming within God’s plan, we will be happy and blessed achieving what God intends for you and me to accomplish! And for our children and babies, are you and I challenging them to dream of becoming someone great serving God? Or is your goal for them to build a personal kingdom? All things are a loss if not done for God’s kingdom? 

 

Have you dedicated your will and your dreams to God? Today, I challenge you to do it! Do you have God’s vision or your own?

What can we do for those who are in our community to bring them to God? 

Make Jesus Proud of You: Be Daring! Be Bold!

Make Jesus Proud of You: Be Daring!     Kelly Durant

 

Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

 

2. Some people love excitement more than others. There are some people that love adventure, being in somewhat dangerous situations, while others are happy to just stay at home and be inside of their safe space wishing the world would just go away.

 

For example, I know of people, who love to drive their Jeeps on top of the Colorado mountains, almost flipping them over, having their hearts pump wildly for the thrill, and this is rewarding for them. This involves risk, but it is fun for them and I hope they have insurance!

 

And then I know some people like how my mother use to be that would only go to the grocery store and to church on Sunday and never wanted any excitement at all. The world has all kinds of people. But all of us take decisions ‘to do or not to do’ many things, but when it comes to our faith and Jesus, we must choose ‘to do’ as it says, “nothing ventured, nothing gained’ as God expects it of us.

 

3. People will do bolder things when they are with others in a group than when they are alone. I recall when I was young there were people who would not want to do anything, but if a group was going somewhere, they would go too, even if it meant danger.

 

Think about Jesus and the disciples, he only had a group of 12, not of 12,000 or more like some mega churches, and they later on their own, going out two by two, accomplished great things spreading the gospel. Mark 6:7 And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.  Here we frequently only have a dozen of faithful ones!

 

We must never lose our vision of what we are to accomplish in life as Christians, and that is of the saving of the souls of the lost, of bringing love and comfort to the hurting, of obeying Jesus to love God and others as ourselves. 

 

4. Have you thought about it, The Salvation Army was founded on being risky and exciting! Every day the Officers and Soldiers would go out and preach on the smelly muddy street corners and sometimes a few hundred at a time would come forward around a bass drum to cry, repent, and pray to receive Jesus! How glorious that must have been to have witnessed that!

 

But at the same time, many of them got hit with tomatoes and other objects as they brought the good news to others. But did that stop them? No! Even after they knew about Samuel Logan Brengle almost dying from blow from a brick, they continued on, even going around the world to start up new outposts, missions, and Corps.

 

Samuel Brengle spent about a year and a half in a hospital bed recovering from a skull fracture that some violent demon inspired person did to him. But his heart was for God, and he wrote several books on holiness, he used his time to learn about God and today we honor him by studying his theological contributions. You cannot stop a man or woman of God, wounded or impaired, they will continue on in the fight for good!

 

5. Lately we have studied the book of Acts. What did we learn of Peter, John, and of the other disciples? Many of them went to jail for preaching Jesus! The idol worshipping pagans, and the hypocrite Jews, did not want to hear it. But did even being jailed stop them from talking about Jesus? No!   

 

Have you ever made Jesus proud of you by going to jail for Him? I got that opportunity a couple of times. Once it was in a small southern town in Rio Grande do Sur, Brazil. The police stopped me with machine guns for passing out salvation flyers at some apartments. One policeman got really mad and was yelling in my face that I was preaching blasphemy and if it were for him, I should be locked up and tortured as the way the Catholic Church historically use to do it!

 

He took offense because in the gospel pamphlet as it mentioned that God had to turn His back on Jesus a few hours to allow Him to die for our sins. God allowed Jesus to die on the cross to be the ultimate sacrifice for us, but obviously this man did not know theology very well. I am thankful I was set free after being about 5 or 6 hours in that tiny facility. I have seen angry red hateful faces many times while out preaching a loving peaceful Jesus. God sees what everyone does. The world is a dangerous place and people are lost, ignorant, and really need Jesus! 

 

6. So when something bad happens, it sometimes scares you, or others nearby, to not want to be risky or carry out the mission of preaching Jesus. My friends, if you can ever learn something in life, learn this, never let anyone intimidate or belittle you for standing up for your faith! Remember, Peter and John had boldness, and God expects us to have boldness and the Holy Spirit power as well!

 

Let’s read on the reaction of the people to Peter and John’s boldness. Acts 4:18 So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

 

Can you do that? Can you not do anything in life but proclaim the good that Jesus has done in your life? 21 “So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done”. It happened to them and will to us!

 

7. Later in this chapter we see they prayed for boldness, and they stood on God’s Word to give them strength. They quoted Psalm 2, one of my favorites, as it affirms the final destiny of the evil people of the world who hate Jesus.

 

 Acts 4:23 And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? 26 The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ.’ Now look up Psalm 2 to hear the rest of it. Vs.3“Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. 5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: (skip down to the final verses) 10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

 

8. So it is clear, we must be wise and stand with Jesus no matter the cost, no matter how the red-faced demons who hate us for proclaiming Jesus’ message yell at us and insult us, hit us or even jail us, we have God’s boldness power!  

 

To serve in this Salvation Army Church, when you serve Jesus for real, you need to be thick skinned, you need to be bold! No one respects a wimp. I was at the International Market the other day and the young Hispanic cashier I knew went to a Hispanic church (because I had seen him with other Christians before) and I asked him about his faith. I said, “You are a Christian and you go to church, don’t you?” I was hoping to start a conversation.

 

He said, “Hum” and nodded his head about one inch to indicate yes. I thought within myself, how sad! He has no boldness; he is almost ashamed to admit he is a Christian! Then I had another terrible thought, ‘Could it be some of the people in our Corps Church are the same way?’ Are they also afraid to admit they love Jesus and come to worship here’? Please, let’s be bold and make Jesus proud of us!

 

 9. The decision is yours day by day, hour by hour, will you be bold for Jesus? All day long we will meet people who were like the pagans mentioned in Psalm 2 who want to undo us, or like the hypocrite Pharisees who hate us for standing for Jesus who is righteousness, holiness, and God’s love.

 

In the Christian faith, you had better get use to adventure, excitement, danger, risk, resistance, and the battle. You are not in a Salvation Army just to look pretty in uniform, you are here ‘to fight for the good’ and to be so full of the Holy Spirit that your glow attracts others to want to get to know the Jesus you talk about!

 

Is Jesus proud of you? Am I and your leaders proud of you? How long has it been since you have come with a testimony to talk about who you shared your faith with? Jesus expects it of you and if you get persecuted, it will motivate you even more as the Holy Spirit will be filling you up. Be sure you live to reach the poor lost souls out there who need the hope of salvation, or you will regret it after death in heaven when you arrive empty handed! Let’s pray…