PEORIA FRIENDSHIP M. B. CHURCH

        
Welcome

 

 

 

  "Where Ministry Is A Priority"

"Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever i have commanded you: and, Lo, i am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen"

(Mt. 28:19)

 

 

 


 

The Vision
Prov. 29:18-Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he,

What is "vision?" The mission of the church is a broad and general statement about what we hope to accomplish and who we wish to reach. Mission is the philosophic underpinning of ministry; vision is specific, customized, distinctive and unique to a given church. All churches who have Christ as there Head have the same mission (Matthew 28:19-20), but all do not have the same vision. The spiritual implication of a vision is something that is seen but not with ordinary sight or with the natural eye. it is mainly prophetic in character, divinely inspired and supernaturally given.

The vision of the Old Testament prophet usually pointed to the nature and activity of God for a specific people to accomplish a specific object with the end results being that God received glory. Within any God-given vision, God takes the initiative and gives revelation to the shepard of the flock to give them His message and their marching orders, and to show them His future actions concerning them and them only.

Vision empowers people for service, facilitates productivity and causes selectivity; for one person cannot do everything. It is not the result of consensus, but it should result in consistencies. It is conceptual but it is also proctical and detailed. Vision entertains no fuzzy perspective. It asserts control over one's environment. It is determined by our receptiveness and level of participation to receive God's blessing. Vision is a focus upon the future; a thinking ahead rather than dwelling on the past. Its purpose is to create the future which is not etched in stone. It is about change, not maintaining the status quo; and change is a natural risk and unavoidable outgrowth of vision...nothing ventured, nothing gained. Vision is a bridge from the present to the future. It presents a clear mental image of a preferable future imparted by God based upon an accurate understanding of who God is and one's own self. Vision dreams the most possible dream, not the impossible dream. It stretches our abilities, especially our ability to dream. It entails great depth of understanding, detailed knowledge of facts and potential. Visions are not wild-eyed schemes born in a vacuum, but they are rooted in reality. Tjey grasp the "bigger" picture. Dreams shun reality where vision builds upon it.

Hearts are to be surrendered to vision and based upon what we know vision to be, it eliminates the sense of personal ambition.  There can only be one vision in the church at any given time, and it should originate with the pastor otherwise you go from "vision to di-vision"

If we follow the vision that God has set before us, the drudgery of following old models mired in mindless traditions and meaningless routines will be done away with. The pressure to search constantly for new motivational bimmicks is eliminated where there is vision. The future belongs to the visionary who causes the uncertainty of the future to become a reality.

"THE CHURCH MUST GRASP THE REALITY THAT TRUE/REAL MINISTRY BEGINS WITH VISION"

Formula:
GOD-(takes the initiative and gives revelation concerning the future)
FORESIGHT(anticipation, contemplation, expectation, preconception,hope)
plus INSIGHT(discernment, discretion, intuition, perception,recognition,sense) equels VISION

The Pastors Desk
From The Pastor's Desk
 
 


PART 2: FORGIVENESS - THE PATTERN

TWO: THE CONFRONTATION

After having felt the sting of an offense, a wounded person has a responsibility to act.  Jesus said, "If your brother sins against you, rebuke him" (Luke 17:3).  Since this word rebuke sounds harsh, we need to remember that everything Jesus taught must be understood according to the principle and motive of godly love.  The rebuke He was calling for will therefore be in the best interest of the one who has harmed us. 

One meaning of the Greek work Jesus used for rebuke was "to honor," or "to give due weight or value."  Such usage shows why the same word could be used in the sense of "to reprove, rebuke, admonish, or sharply censure."  To hold people accountable for their actions is a way of honoring them.  It shows that they are important enough for us to take their actions seriously. 

From the beginning, however, we should keep in mind that the deciding question must be, "What does Christlike love require?"  At times, a direct rebuke is not called for.  Sometimes we can pray as our Savior did on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for thy do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34).  Such love can "cover a multitude of sins" that are beyond the capacity of the offender to understand at the moment.  This is often true of little children, of the spiritually immature, or of those who don't have the Spirit of Christ.  Again, however, we must be careful that our mercy is in the best interest of the other party and not merely a self-deceiving effort avoid confrontation. 

If loving confrontation is called for, it can be gentle.  The rebuke Jesus called for will sometimes require no more than knowing look or a loving touch.  On other occasions, a simple question like, "Do you know how that makes me feel"?  Or a statement like, "You mean too much to me to overlook what you did," may be the only neccessary rebuke.


Home Daily Bible Reading

 

 

"When you open your heart to the Savior, He opens your mind to the word."

Home Daily Bible Reading,

Monday, May 24,- Sunday, May 30, 2010

 

 

Monday, May 24, "Godliness and Contentment " 1 Timothy 6:3-10

Tuesday, May 25, " Seeking a Lost Sheep" Luke 15:1-7

Wednesday, 
May 26, "Searching For a Lost Coin" Luke 15:8-10

Thursday, May 27, "Welcome a Lost Son" Luke 15:11-24

Friday, 
May 28, "Rebuke of the Unprincipled" Jude 8-16

Saturday, May 29, "Admonition to Faith and Mercy" Jude 17-25

Sunday, May 30, "Contend for the Faith" Jude 3-7

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Prayers for the Men & Women in the Military

"Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Ian Moore  - Marines - Iraq
Joann James - Navy  - Guam
Cle Hollingsworth - Army - Iraq
DeMArco Morgan - Airforce - Germany

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