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Moving Forward with a Unified Vision

Bruce Hill

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.--Colossians 2:6-7


When the church steps out on the word of God, is there any limit to its possibilities? When those who believe in the power of God ban together as one solid unit that is rooted in Him, sustained by Him and directed by Him, there is no limit to its potential.


When the church is on one accord it can move mountains of frustration and achieve what others think is impossible.


A praying church can do more than anyone suspects. Wonderful things happen when the church decides to prayerfully move forward in unity with vision of Christ beaming in the horizon.


We must hold on just as our fore parents held on. We must march forward in unity, just as those before us marched. If we feel weak along the way we must remember that “help is on the way.” The world asks a penetrating question about this little community that has been witnessing for this for many years. It asks the same question asked in the biblical record, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”


As Christians, we are determined to walk in love and in unity of purpose. The God we serve will never forsake us and we will never forsake Him as we boldly move into each new horizon of minis


This text focuses on Paul as he writes to the Christians at Colossae to continue their unified walk in Christ.


The church at Colossae was one that reflected many of the struggles of the Gentile believers. The gentile world was surrounded by many philosophical ideas that kept them meandering in and out of the faith. In one instance the church dealt with mystery cults and in another it was mysticism. From Gnosticism to Qumran style Judaism, the church at Colossae found itself debating how all of these beliefs related to its own experience.


Paul wrote to the Colossians as the elder statesman of the church, but he had never visited them or seen them personally. His word of encouragement to them was simple: keep focused on the main reason you became Christians, faith in Christ. He urged them to walk in Christ, remain rooted and built up in Him and to maintain the faith.


Paul constantly presented them with the vision of Christ and he challenged the Colossians to know Christ. Knowing God would promote unity of spirit. In Colossians 2:2-3 Paul wrote, "That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ. In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." The phrase being knit together in love emphasized the need for unity and oneness as they sought to live Christ centered lives.


Moreover, Paul encouraged believers to continue their faith walk with the same commitment and determination they showed when they first came to Christ. Colossians 2:6 says, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:" Simply put Paul encouraged the Colossians not to turn away from Christ, or to dream of going beyond him." Their power and effectiveness would come from keeping a clear vision of Christ in front of them.


As we consider what Paul said to the Church at Colossae, today believers should apply the same principles to our current circumstance. We should move forward in Christ in three areas:


MOVE FORWARD IN THE WISDOM OF CHRIST: The church must remain unified in its knowledge and understanding of Christ. The vision of the church unified and glorified must be crystal clear in the mind of each member as the church marches forward. It is that vision that helps us march forward in confidence. We don't know the way but we constantly have God to show us the way.


Every now and then we ask the Lord....show me the way. " The church is the instrument that God has used to bring forth "HIS" blessing to God's people. The church is not a building, but an assembly of baptized believers in Christ. Yet, God has used the assembly of believers in ways that have brought forth his favor.


Our people have been blessed because of the church, the Old Ship of Zion. We have worshiped underbrush arbors and abandoned saw mills. We have lifted our voices to God in empty barns with sawdust floors. We have praised Him in the chill of winter with logs burning in huge heated stoves.


We have sweltered, without air conditioning, in the humid and scorching heat of a thousand summers. No wonder the song writer thought of the church and declared, "Tis the old, Ship of Zion. She has landed many a thousand. King Jesus is the captain. Get on board. Get on Board." We have Three Areas to Consider:


MOVE FORWARD IN THE WORK OF CHRIST: The church must move forward in unity as it pursues the work of Christ which is saving souls and reaching out to the world with a hand of compassion. We seek to save souls because we ourselves have been saved.


The bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:11 says, "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." That's a result of the forgiveness of Christ. Even more have been touched by the mercy and compassion of Christ as the church reaches out to help the less fortunate and to respond with love and compassion to the needs of people.


MOVE FORWARD IN THE WORSHIP OF CHRIST: We must resist all temptations to detour to other paths and remain firm in our worship of Christ. When we worship, we ring a bell that resonates throughout the community and declares that our God is king. When we worship, we testify to the importance of God in our lives. In Matthew 5:14 Jesus said, "Ye are the light of the world, a city that sits on a hill that cannot be hidden." When we worship we let our lights shine.


When we assemble on Sundays each believer says to the world, God is a good God and we believe it! As we move, tell the story. Finally, brothers and sisters, as we review where we have been and see the challenges ahead, we must prepare to move forward telling the story of our journey as we go. Who will march forward into the future telling the story of our past as we hold up the blood stained banner? Who will tell the story of how God brought us a mighty long way?


Who will tell the story of our march through hardship and trouble into this present day? The church at Colossae was encouraged to stay unified in the wisdom of Christ, to walk together as one unit to perform the work of Christ and to maintain its worship of Christ. Today, the church must do the same.


We must go forward committed to tell the world about our risen savior.


We must tell the world of our determination to go forward into the unknown. I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but I know what God has done in the past. I know what God is doing right now!


"I do not know how long it will be or what the future holds for me, but this I know, if Jesus leads me, I will get home someday! It doesn't matter what the future brings as long as we are on the Lord’s side!


I'm convinced that there isn’t a CROSS that we won't be able to bear; A MOUNTAIN that we won't be able to climb! An ENEMY that we won't be able to defeat; A BATTLE we won't be able to win! A DARKNESS so dark that we won't be able to see the light! A TRIAL that we can't make it through; and a TEST that we won't be able to pass!


As we move forward, we should keep the vision of the He who has saved clear in our mind. Let’s, move forward in unity and never lose hope. The old hymn, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name. On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other Ground is sinking sand!

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