Characteristics of a God-Given Ministry Vision

Hello everyone. Welcome to the Worship Q&A podcast. I’m Dwayne Moore. Each week we try to answer questions that worship leaders are asking. Today I’m excited to talk to you about six characteristics of a God-sized vision for your ministry. Or, to put it in the form of a question, what do I do if I sense God has given me an idea or a ministry vision for something in the future? How do I know, and what can I do about it?

Well I hope you had a good Easter and had an amazing time with your church. You’re probably, like many of us, worn out from it. I want to encourage you as we look forward, just thank God for the opportunity he gave you to lead those Easter services. Now get some rest, much-needed rest, if you can at all. But I wanted to bring you this podcast today and this week, so it can help us all look forward to what may be next or what’s out there in the future. And that’s why I want us to talk about your ministry vision and talk about how we can sense, or if we can sense, and if we can know if God is moving us toward a new idea or a new approach to something.

One of my favorite things to do is lead a worship leader intensive. Really, a better word for it, to describe it, is a retreat. We do it each fall in the month of October. This year we will be in Louisville and also in southern Indiana, right in that area. We can only take a few people, so we’re select with that, but I love doing these intensives because we get to talk about how we can be visionaries for our ministry and how to move our ministry forward.

One of the things that we look at are these six characteristics that I wanna talk to you about today. Distinct characteristics for a God-given vision, a God-inspired vision. So whatever he has for you, you can be sure that every vision, so to speak, that he gives us, it will have six distinct characteristics. All of them can be clearly seen when God commissioned Joshua to lead his people into the Promised Land. And this is what I teach about, is one of the things we teach about, in the worship leader intensive.

So the first characteristic is that it’s bigger than you think. God told Joshua he was “giving them all the land I swore to their ancestors that I would give them.” That’s Joshua 1:6. It’s been estimated that the total territory for the Hebrews was upwards of 15 million acres. Imagine that. Well, it would be hard for anyone, including Joshua, to fathom that much land mass. So it’s bigger than Joshua could really think. On an even grander scale, Joshua most likely had no idea that he was a type of Christ, symbolizing through his own obedience and actions how Jesus would later save his people from their sins. God is always working through our lives to do things which are much larger than we can comprehend or see at the moment.

Not only will the vision God’s giving you be bigger than you think, number two, it’s harder than you can do. Joshua had been given a God-sized assignment. Leading a million Israelites across the Jordan to posses a new land certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. Like Joshua, following God’s plan means we’ll be in over our heads. We can roll the stone, but only he can raise the dead. In other words, we should do what he tells us to do, and then watch and anticipate what only he can do. Did you catch that? Let me say that again. In other words, we should do whatever he tells us to do, but then we need to watch and anticipate what only he can do.

Number three, it’s better than they can imagine. Joshua knew something about the Promised Land. He’d spied it out when he was a young man. So he knew what Moses meant when he said it was a land flowing with milk and honey according to Deuteronomy 26:9. Joshua had seen the Promised Land. The Hebrews had not. The story is told that during the dedication ceremony of Disney World, someone turned to Disney and said, “Isn’t it a shame that Walt didn’t live to see this?” Miss Disney replied, “He did see it. That’s why it’s here.” Often God will give one man or one woman a vision of what can be, a glimpse into the future that others around them simply can’t imagine for themselves. And as visionary leaders, we really shouldn’t expect them to.

Number four, it’s more restrictive than you might like. Visionaries usually don’t appreciate boundaries. We enjoy thinking outside the box and being free from limitations. Yet God gave Joshua some clear boundaries. Although the area they were being given was huge, it was nonetheless limited. God said, “Your territory to extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river Euphrates, all the Hittite country, to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.” That’s Joshua 1:4. This flies in the face of the “name it and claim it” mentality, as though we can have anything or go anywhere we want. It’s only if the Lord wills James 4:15 says. We love that God said to Joshua in verse three, “I will give you every place where you set your foot.” However, a far-reaching promise like this is often followed by a verse where the Lord begins to show us boundary lines that he has put in place for our vision.

Number five. The fifth distinct characteristic of a God-inspired vision is that it’s impossible without faith. Don’t miss this. Faith can move mountains. Faith can soothe their fears and calm the storms. Just read Matthew 8 to see that. Without faith, it’s impossible to please God, for we must believe that he is God. That’s in Hebrews 11:6. Joshua led the people of Israel by faith. They watched the walls of Jericho fall because of their faith, Hebrews 11:36. Great visions and God-sized plans require great faith, but it’s not faith that we try to conjure up in our minds. It’s not pseudo faith with no basis to stand on. Real faith comes by hearing the Word of God, Romans 10:17 says, and God told Joshua over and over that he would be with them, that they would be successful if they carefully obeyed him. If you know your vision is from the Lord, then go forward in bold faith.

And finally, number six. This is the sixth characteristic, but a vital characteristic for a God-inspired vision. The Promised Land for the Israelites wasn’t heaven. It wasn’t anything like heaven. There were battles still to be fought and won. It would not be comfortable or easy. God’s intention for his people was that they would be a light to the nations, Isaiah 49:6 says. Whatever plans God has for us as children, you can be sure those plans are to ultimately bring glory and honor to his Son. He created us to glorify him. Isaiah 43:67 says, “Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth. Everyone who is called by my name, who I created for my glory.” He has us here before the nations of the world to show forth the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. That’s in 1 Peter 2:9.

So ask yourself: Is your vision in any way motivated by self-glory, self-improvement, or greed? Once all impure and selfish motives are scraped away, does your heart still burn with a vision to only bring glory and honor to your Savior and bring his light to the world? If so, embrace God’s word to Joshua as his word to you. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9.

So here’s what I want you to meditate on, and I need to do the same. Meditate and pray through these powerful verses to help build your faith and hear God’s voice and direction. Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 16:9, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Jeremiah 10:23, “I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.” Psalm 139:24, “And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 5:8, “Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow.” Proverbs 4:11, “I will teach you wisdom’s way and lead you in straight paths.” And Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.”

Father, please give us ears to hear and minds to comprehend just a little of all that you want us to do and accomplish on this earth. Help us not to be overwhelmed. Help us to take steps toward the vision you’ve given us. Help us to be bold. Help us to apply these distinct characteristics, to check, to see if the vision is a God-given one. And if so, help us to move forward in faith. Thank you so much. Amen.

Hope you’ve enjoyed today’s podcast. Please consider signing up to be a part of our worship leader intensive. Go to our website, nextlevelworship.com/training, and click on the worship leader intensive image to apply. We would love to have you. Thank you so much.