Baseball In Heaven
Two old guys, Abe and Sol, are sitting on a park bench feeding pigeons and talking about baseball, like they do every day.
Abe turns to Sol and says, "Do you think there's baseball in heaven?"
Sol thinks about it for a minute and replies, "I don't know. But let's make a deal: if I die first, I'll come back and tell you if there's baseball in heaven, and if you die first, you do the same."
They shake on it and sadly, a few months later, poor Abe passes on.
One day soon afterward, Sol is sitting there feeding the pigeons by himself when he hears a voice whisper, "Sol... Sol..."
Sol responds, "Abe! Is that you?"
"Yes it is, Sol," whispers Abe's ghost.
Sol, still amazed, asks, "So, is there baseball in heaven?"
"Well," says Abe, "I've got good news and bad news."
"Gimme the good news first," says Sol.
Abe says, "Well... there is baseball in heaven."
Sol says, "That's great! What news could be bad enough to ruin that!?"
Abe sighs and whispers, "You're pitching on Friday."
THE VISION WILL COME TO PAST
*Habakkuk 2:1-3
2 I will climb up into my watchtower now and wait to see what the Lord will say to me and how he will answer my complaint.
2
Then the Lord said to me, "Write my answer in large, clear letters on a tablet, so that a runner can read it and tell everyone else. 3 But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed".Proverbs 29:18 says; "Where there is no vision, the people perish"
The reason that you live is because of the vision.
-You would not be here today if it hadn't been that God gave someone a vision for this ministry.
-The vision is what keeps you going when you want to give up.
-The vision keeps you going when things are not going as you planned.
-When you feel like throwing in the towel remember the vision.
The VISION of Open Arms Church is a training center that will develop pioneers of urban ministries; providing a network of support and accountability.
How?
Find the lost
Offer God's free gift of Salvation
Restore (restoration is not an easy process)
Give (it is better to give than to receive)
Instruct (you are dealing with hard headed people)
Volunteer (the lord needs people that will step up to the plate)
Equip (part of the great commission is to teach and make disciples)
How do you accomplish your vision?
The lord has given you a scripture; *Isaiah 58:12
"Those from among you shall build the old waste places;
"You shall raise up the foundations of many generations";
"And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach",
"The Restorer of
7Streets to Dwell In"SOME OF YOU MAY BE DOING ALL THAT AND STILL YOU FIND YOURSELF SAYING; "WHERE IS EVERYTHING GOD HAS PROMISED"
The Lord sent me to tell you; Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed".
-The reason you are in Ybor City is for you to fulfill a vision.
The historical context of Habakkuk comes before the Babylonian captivity of the Israelites in about 600 B.C.
-This passage was a challenge for those who would become captive by Babylon.
-The challenge at hand was that things were going to get hairy to the point of even losing their freedom but God had given them the vision of returning to their promised land some day.
THE QUESTION THAT YOU PROBABLY WANT TO ASK ME IS.........
HOW DO YOU WAIT FOR THE VISION TO COME TO PAST WHEN EVERYTHING AROUND YOU IS APPOSED TO THE VISION?
1. Stand and don't leave your watch
*Habakkuk 2:1 says; "I will climb up into my watchtower now and wait to see what the Lord will say to me and how he will answer my complaint".
Paul would say;
*Ephesians 6:11, "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11
lPut on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the 2wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against mprincipalities, against powers, against nthe rulers of 3the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 oTherefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand pin the evil day, and having done all, to stand.4A. It takes everything that God has made available to stand
Truth
The righteousness of God
Being prepared with the Gospel of peace
faith
having your mind covered with the helmet of salvation
The sword of the Spirit (The word of God)
Praying with all prayer and supplication in the spirit
B. You must separate yourself from those that don't understand the vision.
-Others won't understand you because your vision is not a common one.
-Don't worry about what other churches are doing. HOOK UP WITH THE VISION OF THE HOUSE.
-Be alert (Listen to what the Lord is saying through the Pastor and leaders)
2. Write the vision down and get it into your heart.
The Lord said to Habakkuk in (verse 2); "Write my answer in large, clear letters on a tablet, so that a runner can read it and tell everyone else".
The VISION of Open Arms Church is a training center that will develop pioneers of urban ministries; providing a network of support and accountability.
How?
Find the lost and the needy
Offer God's free gift of salvation
Restore those that are broken.
Give (It is more blessed to give than to receive)
Instruct (Part of the great commission is to teach them to obey all things)
Volunteer (the Lord needs physical bodies to communicate the Gospel)
Equip
-It's great that the church has taken the time to write it down but you must have it written in your hearts so that you can tell others.
OUT OF THE ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART THE MOUTH SPEAK'S.
3. Go with the vision of the house
NOTICE in (verse 2): "The watcher received the vision and communicated it to the runner. It became the job of the runner to read the vision and tell everyone else".
*Ephesians 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry,
nfor the 5edifying of othe body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith pand of the knowledge of the Son of God, to qa perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 6-The runner was like the mail man would be today.
-He took the message to the people.
-The members here are the runners
NOTICE:The vision of the watcher became the vision of the runner.
-If you want the job done, you have to do it yourself.
- The vision must become a way of life to you.
- FAITH WILL MAKE THE VISION BECOME A REALITY("WITHOUT FAITH IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD")
-It takes obedience. ("OBEDIENCE IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE")
-It takes faithfulness.
4. Its not in your time but in the Lord's.
(verse 3) " the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed".
Everything on earth has a time;
the writer of Ecclesiastes wrote this; *Ecclesiastes 3:11
, " God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. 12 So I concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they can. 13 And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.CONCLUSION:
Only four things
1. Stand and don't leave your watch.
2. Write the vision down and get it into your heart.
3.Go with the vision of the house
4. It's not in your time but in the Lord's