The Church That I See

A VISION OF THE NOW AND NOT YET

The Church that I see;

I see a compelling community of people following Jesus.

I see a church that is growing. I have seen 20 adults and children meeting together being joined over time with many families, single people, children, and teenagers.

I see a community of people whose hearts are for the poor and who generously sacrifice their time, money and energy to bless their communities and who minister with the poor at home and around the world in practical ways.

I see hundreds of people who feel part of a vibrant, loving group who are passionately following Jesus. Sometimes they meet in small groups where they know and are known, sometimes they gather in larger numbers but still welcome in the stranger and those on the fringe.

I see a people who invade their world equipped to live out their Christian faith in a creative and contemporary way. I see them dispersing from times together filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to live differently, set free from oppression and with an answer for the questions of life. I see a people encouraged to be creative and to express giftedness with excellence.

I see a regional expression where people are connected across the county and cities of the area, supported and equipped to influence their communities, places of work and networks for Jesus. Where respect for His church grows and permeates.

I see increasing evidence that the Kingdom of God is in motion, in the lives of the people, in their friends and colleagues and neighbourhoods. I see people receiving healing, being set free from oppression, marriages restored, children brought home, finances rescued, communities rebuilt.

I see that the younger generation are not being lost but that children, teenagers and young adults flock to Jesus and they lead their elders in worship, ministry and understanding. I see a place where the lonely can belong and the elderly are accepted and valued too.

I see a people who are obsessed with making followers of Jesus, with training them and equipping them. A group of people who are characterised by unselfish lives of sacrifice and service – like Jesus’ life.

I see a group of people who grow in understanding the bible. I see people who learn to love the Word of God and know its nourishment every day. A place where people are equipped to make sense out of life, a place where people come as a first resort rather than the last.

I see a gathering of people who hunger and thirst to worship their God. I see all sorts of expressions of worship of the highest quality and inspiration and a people who are passionately in love with Jesus and throw themselves before their Lord in words, songs and actions of praise and intimacy.

I see an environment in which many leaders are identified, trained, blessed and released to lead, to take risks, to fail, to try again. Leaders who innovate, gather people and even plant new churches.

I see people who have such a love for Jesus and who know His love and mercy in such a real way that those who watch these people are magnetically drawn to Him, those who are at the lowest ebb can know hope and get another Holy Spirit empowered chance at life.

I see a church that knows it exists for those who don’t know the good news. I see a people who will do anything, change anything, risk anything, sacrifice anything to share the good news that, although we are a sinful people, Jesus died to save us all and set us all free.

The church that I see is a compelling community of people following Jesus. The church that I see is Leeds Vineyard.

David Flowers
Presented at The Vine, 7 November 2004

With thanks to Leon Evans