I am an unabashed fan of the Message version. On the other hand, I have grown over the years to dislike the NIV version more and more. The NIV may be useful for a novel like quick read through the scriptures, but for making a point in teaching, it is practically worthless. The Message has its limitations, no doubt, but it is a breath of fresh air to my mind and heart.  

Scan over this much quoted verse in Proverbs about the need for our people to have vision and soak in the power of the Message’s freshness:  

If people can’t see what God is doing,

            they stumble all over themselves;

      But when they attend to what he reveals,

            they are most blessed.

Prov. 29:18, Message

In light of this revelatory verse, what are we to do as leaders of congregations who aspire to do something significant with our people in tow?  

1.  Capture THE vision that God has for THIS church.  Did you know that each church has a unique vision. That truth is evident if you look at Paul’s message to all of the churches he cared for or if you look at the seven churches in Revelation. Each had their God-given distinctives. What are yours…for now, for this place?  

2.  Communicate the vision…like a record with a skip in it. I have people stand up at least every month and repeat our vision (it is so memorable and poetic upon hearing it once they have it down pat!). Most have tears running down their cheeks as they finish the vision repetition time.   

3.  Live out the vision…day after day, hour by hour. Tell stories that illustrate how you personally are doing it…then capture those in your group who are doing it on video and show their story during your weekend gatherings — make heroes out of them. There is no anointing on your preaching without accompanying life change on your part.  

4.  Visionaries have one thing in common: they can see what is about to happen (it’s really good if we have taken care of obvious sin issues) and then they bring attention to those issues and get people charged up with their forecasts.

In my last church, I stood in front of a couple of dozen people and foretold exactly what would happen in that city in a matter of a few years. I told them it would be very hard, but that we would re-define to the Church worldwide several ideas and would become nationally very well known and would grow very, very large.  

I don’t think one person there thought I was sane that day minus one — Janie, my lovely and talented wife. Fifteen years later to the day, we had grown from a couple of dozen to 7,500 per weekend and had planted about 40 churches. You know much of the rest.  

Great things are afoot! Tell the God Story of what is around the corner. It’s true you know.