A Vision Focused Church | Acts 2:37-47
Is there such thing as a perfect church? If you find a perfect one, please do not join it because you will ruin it. I asked ChatGPT: “It is important to note that no church is perfect in an absolute sense, because they are made up of imperfect individuals. However, churches should strive to continuously work toward improvement.” The vision of our church is to be a “multigenerational, multiethnic, multiplying church, that raises up the next generation of disciple makers, church planters, missionaries, and world changers, to reach Naples to the Nations.” Our vision is born out of the tension between what is and what could be. We have a deep conviction based on Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations and deep dissatisfaction of living in a broken, fallen, divided world. It has been said that “vision is a clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction that it should be.” We long to see the day where SWFL and the Nations are reached for Jesus. We long to see a day where the next generation follows Jesus and changes the world. We long to see the day when the sun never sets on the ministries of our church. We believe that the mission is worth the sacrifice.
Acts 2 tells us about what took place on the day of Pentecost and how the early church was formed and grew. Luke gives us a description of what it looked like for those early believers to chase after the vision that the Spirit empowered them to do. The early church did not just go to church, but they were the “church” in their community. The early church was not a perfect church, but, like us, was an imperfect church following a perfect Savior and saw Him build His church through them. In the early church, we see what a vision focused church looks like. A vision focused church is committed to a clear and compelling forward-looking direction based on the promises, principles, and purposes of God.