For His Kingdom: Vision 2024, #4 | Mac Hammond
Recap
In his fourth installment of his “For His Kingdom” series, Pastor Mac reiterated the Vision goals for 2024. And then he asked those in the congregation and online to consider being involved in accomplishing the vision. He encouraged us to consider investing a portion of our lives either in the form of service or finance or prayer. Before they decided on whether they would be involved, he asked the congregatns, “Is there not a cause for you to move outside your small circle of self-concern and begin addressing the needs of the world… people you’ve never met and places you’ve never been to? When you consider the price that our Lord paid on the cross for people to be saved… is there not a cause?”
Dive Deeper
Reiteration of the financial goals for Vision 2024:
A. Compass Relocation, a specially designed space for special needs children: $100,000.
B. Get Connected Center, an area that will enable us to focus on newcomers and connection in general between believers: $100,000.
C. Internship Program, a program for youth up to 29 years old to learn through hands-on opportunities in the various ministries at church: $75,000.
D. Winner’s Minute, Winner’s Way Local, $225,000.
E. Global Church Planting: $2 million. $200,000 is the cost to plant one church. There are different levels of partnership. The Captains Circle is for those who give $200,000 to plant one church. Churches can sponsor the planting of a church as their missions program.
Is there not a cause?
Pastor Mac asked the congregants to consider their level of participation in being involved in accomplishing the vision.
He asked them, “Is there not a cause? Is there not a cause for you to invest a portion of your life, whether it comes in the form of time or service or finance or prayer? Is there not a cause for you to move outside your small circle of self-concern and begin addressing the needs of a world that you’ve never even been to or met? Is there not a cause when you consider the price that our Lord paid on the cross for people to be saved?
If you’re a believer, you’ve been bought with a price. You are no longer your own. Is there not a cause?
Some people in America think they’ve got problems. But if they were to see the way the average person lives in other parts of the world, it would change their thinking about human suffering. Is there not a cause?
The world is full of darkness, pain, and human suffering, yet there’s an answer to those problems. Is there not a cause?
Are you a cause-oriented person?
To the extent that you are a cause-oriented person, you will either succeed or fail in life.
A person without a cause will live a mediocre, average kind of life.
To find any significant sense of fulfillment or contentment in life, you’re going to have to be a cause-oriented person.
You have to be a cause-oriented person to make a difference in other people’s lives.
People that do not have a cause will cower in a ditch in front of their adversary.
That’s what we see was true for Israel. The armies of Israel cowered in a ditch because they were afraid of the giant Goliath. David asked them, “Is there not a cause?”
Facing Goliath, David said, “Is there not a cause?”
The question, “Is there not a cause” was asked by David, when he was a simple shepherd boy.
The story of David and Goliath is a revelation of how you can be an overcomer and experience the rewards of being an overcomer. It’s a revelation of how to succeed in the things that God has called you to do in this life.
Unless you become a cause-oriented person, you’ll never do anything worth doing. And as life passes you by, you’ll become more and more frustrated. To be fulfilled in life, there has to be something more important than self. You have to be a cause-oriented person.
Read About It
1st Samuel 17:1–11 and 25–29, “Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim. 2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines. 3 The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. 4 And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. 7 Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him. 8 Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” 10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. … 25 So the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.” 26 Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 27 And the people answered him in this manner, saying, “So shall it be done for the man who kills him.” 28 Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” 29 And David said, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?”
Discussion Questions
Do you have a cause in your life? If yes, what is it?
Are you a cause-oriented person? If not, why?
Can you identify with David when others doubted his motives?