Pastor Dave Martin ~ Cross Creek Community Church ~ Jan 1, 2012

“Visionary Faith”

Gen 12:1-5 and Selected - Part 1

‘Cross Creek Chronicles’

ILL - About 350 years ago a shipload of travelers landed on the northeast coast of America. The first year they established a town site. The next year they elected a town government. The third year the town government planned to build a road five miles westward into the wilderness.

In the fourth year the people tried to impeach their town government because they thought it was a waste of public funds to build a road five miles westward into a wilderness. Who needed to go there anyway?

Here were people who had the vision to see three thousand miles across an ocean and overcome great hardships to get there. But in just a few years they were not able to see even five miles out of town. They had lost their pioneering vision. With a clear vision of what we can become in Christ, no ocean of difficulty is too great. Without it, we rarely move beyond our current boundaries.

Have you ever “Dreamed” of what could be?  Is God stirring your heart?

Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no vision [revelation], the people perish…”

“Visionary Faith, Calling, Dream” – Is a God initiated prompting to an individual or group to accomplish His kingdom purposes on earth… We see this pioneering faith repeated many times throughout scripture… ie Nehemiah in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, King David & Solomon in building the Temple for the Lord…

“Vision is foresight with insight based on hindsight”  “Vision is a picture of the future that produces passion”

• “Vision is acting upon the big picture God lays upon the heart” – dm
• “Vision is extremely important in the local church… you lose your way when you lose your vision”. - dm 
• We must have vision as individuals & also as a church… Why we exist, where are we going… Priorities?
• Let’s look how God worked in the life of Abram (Abraham) & how He’s working in life of Cross Creek…

Genesis 12:1-5 ¹ The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. ² "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." ⁴ So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. ⁵ He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

I.  Great Call…

God uses Ordinary People with Extraordinary FAITH

Abram was from Ur of the Chaldeans, a wealthy, populous, sophisticated pagan city 220 miles SE of Baghdad (Iraq).  They worshiped idols, engaged in much wickedness… Abram was an unbeliever with extraordinary faith.  The Word of the Lord came to him… he responded by faith in obedience. The Lord called Abram out of the pagan world to a major task for God… begins with traveling to Canaan…

• God Seeks People - 1 Sam 13:14 “… the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart…”
• God Sovereignly Calls - Amos 3:7 Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
• God Supernaturally Enables - Moses, Abraham, Gideon, Elijah, Paul, Peter, Moody, Graham, You, Me…
• Understand, God works the same today through His people… The Cross Creek Chronicles of people with extraordinary faith stepping out in faith in obedience to God’s call upon their lives…
• God always uses ordinary people with extraordinary faith to accomplish great things on earth.
• Elmer Towns speaking on “The Gift of Faith in Church Growth” calls this type of faith a “spiritual gift of faith” supernaturally bestowed upon individuals within a body of believers (Not, a saving faith)
• This extraordinary faith is sometimes called: vision, insight into what God desires to accomplish…
• God supernaturally grants protection, provision or an ability to impart His blessings… God works through that person, He grants discernment into matters… God instills a divine certainty and trust that He will intervene, that His power is available to do things ONLY Almighty God can do…

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

“Visionary Faith sees the Invisible”… Great Call - God uses Ordinary People with Extraordinary FAITH

Do you believe God exists? Are you exercising visionary faith?  IF you are then there will be a PRICE to pay…

II.  Great Cost…

God uses Ordinary People Willing to Pay the PRICE

• Abraham believed God and was willing to pay the price for his faith… A step of faith to take a long dangerous 1500 mile journey as a 75 year old man… No social security benefits, 401K, or retirement… willing to pay price… Willingness to follow God’s leading may require leaving familiar surrounding…
• My “safe havens”… Price of surrender to God’s will not your own, taking up His cross daily Lu 9:23

• Personal Choices – consequence to every choice and action… even tiny “details” 
• Personal Character – absolutely essential, no shortcuts, bypassing… God sees the heart 
• Personal Commitment – what does it take for you to quit?  Get discouraged? Whine? Sin? 

Obedience, Faithfulness, Perseverance – using your Time, Talent, Treasures… remember the life of David? 

Acts 13:22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.' (Faith obeys God…)

“Visionary Faith Dreams the Incredible”… God uses Ordinary People Willing to Pay the PRICE

• You will NEVER dream God sized dreams if you are chasing after your own fantasies… or picking/choose…
• God called you to Pastor or teach or serve? Yet find yourself unwilling to pay the price of surrender…
• Perhaps in 2012, it’s time to stop playing the “spiritual Christian” scene and begin to be one! Grow-up…

Looking good on outside… but not willing to pay the price… I call it “sophisticated Christianity”…

I Read a story about a rather old fashioned sophisticated lady, who was planning a couple of weeks’ vacation in Florida.  Being sophisticated, she also was quite delicate and elegant with her language. She wrote a letter to a particular campground and asked for reservations. She wanted to make sure the campground was fully equipped but didn’t quite know how to ask about the “toilet” facilities. She just couldn’t bring herself to write the word “toilet” in her letter. After much deliberation, she finally came up with the old fashioned term “Bathroom Commode,” but when she wrote that down, she still thought she was being too forward. So she started all over again; rewrote the entire letter and referred to the “Bathroom Commode” simply as the “B.C.”. Does the campground have its own “B.C.?” is what she actually wrote.

Well, the campground owner wasn’t old fashioned at all, and when he got the letter, he couldn’t figure out what the lady was talking about. That “B.C.” really stumped him. After worrying about it for several days, he showed the letter to other campers, but they couldn’t figure out what the lady meant either. The campground owner finally came to the conclusion that the lady must be asking about the location of the local Baptist Church. So he sat down and wrote the following reply: “Dear Madam: I regret very much the delay in answering your letter, but I now take pleasure of informing you that the “B.C.” is located nine miles north of the campground and is capable of seating 250 people at one time.

I admit it is quite a distance away if you are in the habit of going regularly, but no doubt you will be pleased to know that a great number of people take their lunches along, and make a day of it….. They usually arrive early and stay late. The last time my wife and I went was six years ago, and it was so crowded we had to stand up the whole time we were there….. It may interest you to know that right now, there is a supper planned to raise money to buy more seats..... They plan to hold the supper in the middle of the B.C., so everyone can watch and talk about this great event..... I would like to say it pains me very much, not to be able to go more regularly, but it is surely not for lack of desire on my part.... As we grow older, it seems to be more and more of an effort, particularly in cold weather..... If you decide to come down to the campground, perhaps I could go with you the first time you go ... sit with you ... and introduce you to all the other folks. ... This is really a very friendly community.

Sophisticated?  Don’t be a sophisticated Christian… Be like Like Abraham… 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'… God uses people willing to pay price…

Great Call - God uses people with extraordinary faith… Great Cost – Ordinary people willing to pay the price…

III.  Great Promise…

God uses Ordinary People to Accomplish His PURPOSES