Grace Fellowship

Martin Luther said, “I am so busy now that if I did not spend two or three hours each day in prayer, I would not get through the day.” Sir William Temple said, “God is perfect love and perfect wisdom. We do not pray in order to change his will, but to bring our wills into harmony with his.”

God’s vision includes us. Prayer helps us to know and embrace that vision. It is not unusual to hear people talk about how busy their lives have become, welcome to planet earth. Jesus warned that this would be a ploy of the enemy to distract us from what is really important. Some of the early church fathers can help us rethink these priorities. Martin Luther was a man of vision yet he recognized his own inability to accomplish it without prayer. The Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). Vision causes us to focus on our priorities and stay on track. If we allow God to establish these priorities, they will have eternal value.

*”John Wesley averages three sermons a day for 54 years, preaching more that 44,000 times altogether. To do this he traveled by horseback and carriage more than 200,000 miles, or about 5,000 miles a year. At the age of 83, he was upset to discover that he could not write more than 15 hours a day without hurting his eyes. At age 86, he was ashamed to admit that he could not preach more than twice a day and he was angry that he would sleep until 5am. At the age of 88, he was still traveling on horseback and preaching.”

What keeps a person alive and moving forward past the age most have stopped? It is the power of a God-given vision that gives purpose and meaning to living. Colonel Sanders discovered, “finger lickin’ good” chicken at 70 years of age. 

Ray Kroc introduced the world to the Big Mac at the age of 70. Picasso was still painting at 88. George Washington Carver became the head of the Agriculture Department at 81 and Thomas Edison invented the mimeograph machine at 85.

Some of our goals may seem small compared to these mighty visionaries. But, the purpose isn’t to become driven by performance, but alive with purpose. Titus 3:8 tells believers to be careful to maintain good works. Good works are filled with purpose, passion and love for the Lord. They are motivated by and birthed from love. Dead works are those we do in an effort to win God’s favor. His favor is a free gift. He has already given us His approval in Christ Jesus! The difference in good or dead works is the motive behind them.

What makes Grace Fellowship different from other churches, even charismatic? It is this message of faith, grace, peace and the finished work of the cross.

Matthew 5:1-2 “When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions… (The Message)

No one accomplishes a vision alone, not even Jesus. He was able to draw huge crowds with the help of His climbing companions. They were apprenticed, committed and teachable. Greater crowds were drawn after Jesus’ ascension than during His lifetime, but why? They owned His vision. A hand full of men empowered by the Holy Spirit and Jesus’ vision changed the course of the world forever. The only one who didn’t have the vision betrayed Jesus and then hung himself. A vision causes ordinary folks to do extraordinary things, but without it people perish.

Have negative circumstances robbed you of your God-given vision in 2009? You don’t have to stay there. The Lord has not lost the recipe for filling us with the Holy Spirit. Our prayer should be, Lord rejuvenate us again in 2010 and make Your vision alive in me!

*Excerpt taken from Be All You Can Be by: John C. Maxwell