Vision Sunday Sermon
Happy New Year, everybody, and welcome to Highlands Fellowship! I hope that each of you have had a wonderful time celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I also hope that you have each really embraced this idea of a new year and a fresh start, and that you have this extra level of excitement and focus as we enter into a new year.
I want each of you joining us at all of our locations, in all our different venues, online, and on TV to know that I love you, and I’m so glad that we get to share in these moments together. Today is really a special day for our church as we start this new year, because today is Vision Sunday. As I was thinking about vision and what that means, I think that in the church world today, the problem we have is that a lot of people go to church and then go home. They attend church but often don’t understand the behind-the-scenes philosophy—like they’re almost blinded to what some of the values and direction of the church actually are.
What I’d like to do today is remove some of those blinders so that we can all see what I believe God has for our church and so we can be in agreement moving forward. I also believe what the Bible says about vision and what it means. Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Habakkuk 2:2 says, “Then the Lord replied, ‘Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.’” We need vision, and we are the heralds. We run with the vision that God gives us, but it must be clear. We’ve got to have clear vision.
Mission and Vision
The mission of Highlands Fellowship is to help people experience life with Jesus. Actually, let’s all say this out loud together: “The mission of Highlands Fellowship is to help people experience life with Jesus.” This is a phrase you’ve probably heard quite a bit if you’ve been at Highlands for any length of time. It’s also a phrase that we live by. We truly desire to help people experience life with Jesus.
However, that’s a pretty broad statement. So how do we narrow it down? How do we get focused on just a few things over the next year or two so we can see progress, recognize the wins, and celebrate those wins together? That’s where our vision comes in. The mission is to help people experience life with Jesus. That’s where we’re going. But how do we get there? That’s the vision. It will take us to where we desire to go.
I don’t know about you, but I like things to be simple. I don’t want things to be complicated or clever but difficult to understand. I want to be able to remember it, share it, and let it motivate me to live beyond myself. My prayer today is that you hear the vision I believe God desires for us as a church and that we will do everything we can to fulfill it because it comes directly from God’s Word.
Here’s the vision for Highlands Fellowship: We as followers of Jesus will focus our efforts to make disciples, love our communities, and change the world. Let’s say this out loud together: “We are going to make disciples, love our communities, and change the world.”
We are not about making a name for ourselves. We’re not about building a denomination or just building buildings. Our mission is to help people experience life with Jesus, and we will do that as we make disciples, love our communities, and change the world.
Make Disciples
This is what Jesus teaches us to do in the Great Commission. Matthew 28:19-20 says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
One criticism of the church today is that we do a good job of reaching out to people, but after they accept Christ, we don’t always do a great job helping them grow deeper in their faith. On the flip side, some churches grow deeper but become inward-focused. It’s not one or the other—it’s both. We’re called to reach out and grow deeper.
Our method for making disciples will focus on small groups where people can grow spiritually and be cared for. We’ll invest in small group leaders through training and provide resources. We’ll also offer Spiritual Formation Courses twice a year. The first course, "Unshakable Faith," will take place in February and address foundational questions about Christianity. Then, we’ll launch our small groups in March. This process will take time, but we believe God designed us to live in community with other believers.
Love Our Communities
We believe God has placed each of us in our communities for a purpose. Loving our communities involves tangible, practical ways to glorify God. Matthew 5:16 says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
When we work at food pantries, fill backpacks with food for kids, support foster families, or care for first responders, we do it all to glorify God. We desire to truly love our communities, constantly seeking ways to show the love of Jesus wherever He has placed us.
Change the World
Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” We’ll continue to invest in global partners, offer mission trips, and expand G3 Conferences to equip pastors worldwide. We’ll find where God is working in the world and join Him there.
Unity and Commitment
The early church described in Acts 2:44-47 was unified, generous, and impactful. They believed in Scripture, relationships, and generosity. Their unity made them unstoppable, even in the face of criticism and persecution. Today, we must protect the unity of the church because God desires unity, while Satan seeks division.
As a church, we will give our whole lives to God, work together to accomplish more, and make a difference in our communities and the world. Together, we will make disciples, love our communities, and change the world for God’s glory.
Let’s pray.