The Chicago Vision: An Elder's Perspective
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The VISION: An Elder's Perspective
The VISION: Praise and Worship
HANDOUT
This flyer contains the Vision Statement and highlights of the Ministry Center Model. (PDF ~ 1.3 MB)
MINISTRY CENTER MODEL
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It is very
exciting to open our eyes and envision what God is going to do in the Chicago Church.
Sunday evening, May 6th, marked a day of new beginnings for
the church, something you could call a day of spiritual clarity for all of us. God has continually stated that He wants the
blind to see (Luke 4:18-19) and to
see people who are lost become saved. (Matthew
9:35-38) And Jesus counseled the church in Laodicea to buy from Him "salve to put on your eyes so
that you can see." (Revelation 3:17) From these passages and many others, it is
clear that God wants us to have vision, to be able to see where we are going and
how we are going to be used by Him. Obviously,
we will never be able to see everything clearly because God can "do immeasurably more than all we can ask or
imagine." (Ephesians 3:20) But that's what's so exciting about being a Christian. We never know exactly what's going to happen
or what God has planned for us to do.
As you read
through Acts 2, it's hard to imagine
what it must have been like at Pentecost, when there were people from all over
the world in Jerusalem
and they each heard the gospel message, which Peter presented, in their own
language. In quoting from the prophet
Joel in the Old Testament, Peter said, "Your
old men will dream dreams. Even on my
servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days." (Acts 2:16-18) I believe we
are living this out right now in the Chicago
Church. Even for myself, an older man, the Spirit has
been poured out on me and I, too, can live a visionary life!
I thought
it might be helpful for many of us if I wrote down what I was thinking that
evening as I opened my eyes to the working of God in the church. Here are several points from the perspective of
an elder and some of my thoughts regarding the vision presented on May 6th.
- "From him the whole body, joined and held together by
every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." (Ephesians 4:16) There's nothing that encourages me like
seeing different people used by God in many different ways. The slide that
was projected with all those areas of service which each of us can give to
God was very exciting for me to see.
It will be so inspiring for each of us to be focused in our "gift
area" and using talents that God has given us to serve.
- My eyes have been opened to the
needs for our youth and family ministries.
There is certainly a need in the church and in our society for
families to be united as a light to the world around us. Imagine our neighbors noticing our
families and asking us about our church and the impact of it. This is a hostile world we are living in,
and there's a need to shine like stars as we hold out the word of
life.
- Imagine an entire church of
committed disciples who are living like the brothers and sisters in the book
of Acts-surrendered to Jesus and embracing the cross. There's nothing quite like reading through
the Book of Acts. We see people
being baptized on a continual basis and problems being solved because of
hearts embracing the call of Jesus and surrendering to Him.
- The heart of missions was very
clear in the presentation. There's
no doubt that God will bless us with a tremendous amount of money that can
be given to further the gospel in overseas' missions in Ukraine and Moldova. I envision many
disciples making trips there during the summer months to experience a
missionary adventure and to teach and preach in a foreign land. Each of us has so much that we can
contribute in countries that have no deep Christian roots.
- It is very inspiring seeing
missionary efforts come to life right here in our own Chicagoland area.
I'm certain that some of us will be moving to better meet needs in other
ministry centers or to plant new ones altogether. With this new local mission mindset, there
will be more and more opportunities to see the lost be saved because of their
proximity to ministry centers and the giving hearts of true
disciples. God is going to stretch
us.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we
ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be
glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever
and ever! Amen. (Eph 3:20-21)
Let's
all pray for God to open our eyes to see things that we have never seen
before. And let's pray for God to use
each of us in ways that we have never been used before in serving Him. And to Him be glory in the church. Amen!
Jeff Balsom, Elder
Chicago Church of Christ Vision Statement
We envision generations of authentic disciples—intent on loving God and embracing the cross, surrendered to Jesus, committed to His mission, determined to discover their God-given gifts to serve His kingdom and advance the Gospel—who accept his call to go anywhere, do anything, give up everything, and become whatever God bids us to be.
We envision dynamic cross-cultural Ministry Centers, regional ministries within 30 minutes of every soul in Chicagoland, staffed with an evangelist to preach the Word, an elder to shepherd our members, a teacher to fortify our convictions, a Youth and Family minister to inspire Christ-likeness in our homes, deacons to minister, and a worship leader to guide us to new heights in our congregational and individual worship.
We envision House Churches in every neighborhood, town, or village, along with Task Groups for specialized ministry needs, with each disciple steadfastly committed to the 'One Another Way' and connected through healthy discipling relationships.
We envision training future elders, evangelists, teachers, campus ministers, youth and family ministers, deacons and worship leaders, providing expert initial and ongoing teaching and preparing teams to begin new congregations throughout the state of Illinois and beyond. We envision serving the Ukrainian and Moldovan Churches by helping them to reproduce for their harvest field these same parameters for health and growth.
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Glorious
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El Viaje
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Sermons
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Bulletins
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The Chicago Church of Christ publishes a bulletin every three weeks with news, inspiration and announcements. Click to view our latest edition:
December 16, 2007
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Journey Study Series
( 7 items )
When
God created the world and mankind, He began a great journey with each
of us in mind. The Bible records the history of this journey and
directs us to discover Him through Jesus Christ. This edition of
studies is designed to help us establish our pilgrimage with God by
teaching many of the principal truths of Scripture to make learners wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:13)
The
Bible is our compass—helping us navigate the journey of life through
the valleys and mountains. Therefore, this study template uses many
pivotal Scriptures between Genesis and Revelation, beginning with the
creation and ending with the hope of heaven. Many users will appreciate
the familiarity of the themes—God, The Word, Jesus, The Gospel, The
Promise, The Church and Eternity. The studies begin with God and end
with God because it is all about Him.
Countless
people were involved in the development, use and review of this
outline, an outline that will be periodically reviewed. We will remain
committed to communicating God’s truths to the world in the best way
possible. It is up to the user of these studies to make sure that, in
advance, they know the original context of all verses. And
remember—these are merely a tool for helping people understand God.
You, your own example and Jesus living in you through the Holy Spirit
will be your greatest asset.
Please remember that
we are teaching people, not studies. Adaptation will be necessary on
many occasions. God will put some people in our paths who are on their
deathbed, others who have more time and capacity for learning, young
people of great inquisitiveness and many other kinds of people, because
God wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:4)
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