I have a dream

I have a dream for Victoria

Martin Luther King Junior is probably best known for delivering his “”I have a
dream”” speech.
In that speech he let his imagination loose as he conjured up what a society
without racial prejudice would look and feel like.
I want you to do the same. I want you this morning to use your imagination to
do the same with the church.
I feel compelled to be honest with you today and say that I am aware that in
my spirit there is a holy discontent with the status quo.

A God-given urge to see our church, Victoria thrive and develop into a new
phase of its ministry.
I feel like Joshua who, when he saw the limitations of the nation said “”there
is more land yet to be possessed”” and God has called us, here, today to be the
ones to possess it.

Victoria has had a wonderful past and could have a dynamic future, but that
future is in our hands.

Its leaders in the past have been faithful and skilful shepherds of God’s
people
and I am very conscious that as I speak to you today I stand on the shoulders
of giants.

But – the great danger of being part of a church that is relatively full most
weeks is coasting.

Because most of our structures work well and our services happen without too
many hitches we can sub-consciously delude ourselves into feeling ‘we’ve made
it’

don’t let the memory of a great past rob us of an even greater future! As the
church stands today we cannot be satisfied
We cannot be satisfied

while there are people in Eastbourne who have not yet heard about Jesus
Christ in a way that will inspire them to follow him.

We cannot be satisfied

while there are people in our friendship circles, at work or in our families
who think that church is tedious, untrue, two-faced or irrelevant

when in reality the local church is the method God has chosen to reach the
world he loves – Eastbourne in particular!
Right throughout history God has been on a personal quest to reach and
transform the lives of people who have been lost to his love. Lost people matter
to God and therefore they should also matter to us!
These are dreams, but they’re also convictions
And the difference between an opinion and a conviction is stark – on opinion
is something that I hold but a conviction is something that holds me!
So here are eight dreams, eight convictions about what a healthy church looks
and sounds like.

And like all dreams they have the character of ideals to strive for rather
than projects to plan. After all, unless we know what we are striving for we are
unlikely to see it realised.

and they are in no particular order.

I have a dream of a Biblical Church

where the wonder and the truth of the Bible pervades every member’s lifestyle
as we live according to God’s plan for our lives.
Where the preachers understand the word profoundly in order that they can
teach it clearly, fervently and compellingly
a church where the power of the Holy Spirit is felt through the anointed
proclamation of the Word
I have a dream of a Biblical Church

I have a dream of a Passionate Church

Where we are in love with Christ to such a degree that it naturally spills
out into our every day worlds of the family and the workplace
where everyone who comes is enthusiastic about what God is doing here.
where we urgently and consistently pray for the church and the people God is
bringing into it –
and where prayer at every level is an inspiring experience which connects
with God and moves His hand in Eastbourne and beyond.
I remember doing a public event where the church communicated the meaning of
being a Christian with compelling excellence. One of the ladies in the church
(who I think had brought a friend along) came to me afterwards and said “I was
really proud of that – but is that feeling wrong?” “Of course not,” I said
“God’s done something great today, why shouldn’t we be pleased with what He’s
done?”
I have a dream of a Passionate Church

I have a dream of a Worshipping church

where worship is done with excellence and in a contemporary style because
these qualities glorify God and inspire his people
where worship gives everyone, including unbelievers, a flavour of the sheer
joy there is in Christ!
where worship is not confined to to an hour and half on Sunday but spills
over into our lifestyle in the way I live and relate to the people around us
where the experience of worship motivates and equips us to serve the Lord for
the other days of the week
I have a dream of a Worshipping church

I have a dream of a Loving church

a church where every person can know that they are accepted and loved by
other people.
where the burdened can find strength, where the sinner can find life change,
where the hurting and find comfort and reassurance
a church where love extends to exhortation to live more like Jesus Christ
a church where our caring for one another is a hallmark of our identity
I have a dream of a Loving church

I have a dream of a well-led church

where the leaders are people who inspire others to follow because they are
recognised s men and women of God
where leaders are people who act with compelling humility and calm
resolve,
Who set high standards of integrity for themselves before expecting them of
others
I have a dream of a well-led church where the leaders at every level are
trained for their task and have mastered the arts of influence for God and take
seriously the call of God to train their successors
After all, “”he who thinketh he leadeth and hath not a following only taketh a
walk in the park””!
I have a dream of a well-led church

I have a dream of a Gifted church

where we intentionally help one another to discover our God-invested gifts
and are empowered to use them.
where we each know and use our spiritual gifts – and I believe that as a
church it is our duty to help people discover their gifting – because that’s how
we grow in the Lord to make a difference in this world
By doing this we will develop a culture where we serve with maximum
effectiveness and minimum weariness.
I have a dream of a Gifted church

I have a dream of a Holistic church

where there are small groups of people who help one another walk with God –
in every part of life.
where a small group is more than a home bible study as it touches deeply the
lives of the people who attend in a holistic, practical and authentic way.
where the small groups are places where people can know and be known, love
and be loved, celebrate and be celebrated by a supportive group of fellow
Christ-followers
I have a dream of a Holistic church

I have a dream of a Evangelistic church

where we bless the community of Eastbourne with activities which address the
sensitive touch points in people’s lives
where our stepstone events impact people’s lives at the points where they
most hurt – (workplace, sexuality, marriage, family life etc.)
where people with a gift of evangelism are identified and released to use
their ability in our locality and to the four corners of the globe
I have a dream of a Evangelistic church

And those are my dreams for the church.

Martin Luther King Jnr’s “”I have a dream”” speech was given over 20 times.
Most notably on 28th August 1963 at the Lincoln memorial in Washington DC. That
speech cost him his life.
realising these dreams for Victoria may cost no less.