THE VISION IMPERATIVE, #5: “The Commitment” | Mac Hammond
Recap
Pastor Mac gave the last message in his series entitled, “The Vision Imperative.” Since it was the last message, that made it “Commitment Sunday.” He talked about commitment being the final step to whatever we need or desire from the Lord. Without commitment, he said, not much is going to happen in your life. Many people avoid commitment and, instead, are always seeking the proverbial “backdoor” of a situation. Pastor Mac said, “You can’t go through life that way. The only blessed person is a committed person.”
Dive Deeper
Vision is an absolute scriptural imperative for the believer. Everything else in your life is equipping to fulfill God’s purpose for your life. And so, without a vision, everything else just kind of hangs in the balance and doesn’t accomplish very much. Vision begins with your personal life.
There are several layers of vision. The first level of vision begins with God’s individual plan for your life. Vision comes to you through the Holy Spirit of God.
Your vision is just a composite of all of the other visions in the body of Christ that the Lord brings together to produce a corporate impact on the world in which we live.
No believer can function alone. First Corinthians 12:12 says the body of Christ is many members, not one. Each member has its gifting to add to the body.
God has a place that pleases Him to put you in the body of Christ. That means, there’s a church where the giftings God has given you will supply that church.
The second layer of vision: you go from your vision to a corporate vision, which will be your local church.
All the elements of your vision become a resource to the larger vision of God for that company of believers. Ultimately, our vision is to impact the world. We can’t do it alone. We join ourselves together with others in a corporate vision.
We’re talking about the church’s vision, which is simply a part of what you’re going to be developing as a personal vision in terms of how you fit in the larger body of Christ. And so, commitment is the final step to the fulfillment of God’s purpose and the blessing that goes with it.
Luke 16:12, “And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?”
God’s not going to give you clarity of your vision or resource to accomplish it until you’ve been “faithful in that which is another man’s.”
The first place in which you commit yourself is another man’s vision (or woman).
The first vision you’re going to have an opportunity to be committed to is your local church.
If you want to have clarity for your own vision and the resource to accomplish it, you’re going to have to be committed to another man’s vision. Together, we are able to fulfill God’s purpose for us in bringing change to the world in which we live.
Psalm 50:14 says, “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High.”
The first part of this verse talks about offering unto God thanksgiving. To be thankful is the attitude shift every human being needs to have. People come to God when they have a need. It’s important to understand that you need to be thankful before your need is met. You’re thankful before the need is met because you’re thankful for the promise.
God promises us things in His Word when you become a believer. Then thanksgiving is not tendered for what you have already received from Him. It’s tendered for the promises that are available to you by faith.
Read About It
1st Cor. 12:12, “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.”
Luke 16:12, “And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?”
Psalm 50:4, “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High.”
Discussion Questions
There are different levels of vision for our lives. What is the first level of vision you must have for your life?
What is the second layer of vision for your life?
What is the attitude shift every believer needs to develop?