It was a fitting occasion for Life Changers Church to share the Vision for 2024 that God had placed on our hearts, as we celebrated our 25th birthday anniversary as a Church. As we looked back at our Church’s history, we thanked God for His many miracles since 1999, when our story began because Wally and Shirley Gerstmeier said yes to Jesus. Our hearts were lifted up with the reminder that our longstanding success is a global story, as friends and partners from around the world messaged their congratulations, cheering us on in the ministry. We were reminded that our years of labouring in love is a testimony of God’s grace and faithfulness, for which we are all eternally grateful for and give God all the glory.
Someone once said that we over estimate what we can do in a year, but underestimate what we can do in ten years. Witnessing all the miracle breakthroughs in our story, we are overwhelmed by the goodness and kindness of God, but it is the children who have grown up and thrived in our Church becoming leaders, which is the true measure of the hand of God in our success story. Gabe shared how 3 texts from Genesis 33, Genesis 48 and John 4 about the plot of land that Jacob bought and gave to his son as his inheritance, can help us see that there is always something significant in the natural. Those seemingly ordinary decisions that we are making today have eternal ramifications and can influence our future!
Our story has never been about building a Church, but about the people who we get to share our lives together with, as we sow seeds and partner with God and His people in ministry to build and grow His Kingdom. It is not about our ease or our comfort or our will, but to fill the House of God with His people. We don’t just exist for Sundays, but for the light of God to break into the darkness of the world 24/7.
As we stood on the precipice of our 25-year anniversary, we looked ahead at what God is calling us to, knowing that our future is not determined by the size of the building but by the size of our God and our love for His people. Mark Van Pletsen shared the vision for 2024 which is ‘Build my Life’. Magnets with our Vision were given out as a reminder, not just to put on our fridges, but for the message to get rooted deep into our hearts for us to take to heaven.
TODAY’S CHALLENGES ARE YESTERDAY’S OPPORTUNITIES AND LAST YEAR’S DREAMS
Proverbs 29:18 reminds us that without vision, the people will perish. The power in the local Church is knowing that we don’t only get to experience the jubilation and the joy, but also in the mourning of tragedies and how we handle the offences and the challenges.
Life Changers Church’s mission has never changed and will always be to ‘Reach far, Raise up and Release wide’, which is ultimately God’s great commission. We have done this by reaching out to those who are far from God, seeing the lost and dead people found, and becoming saved and walking alive in Christ. We have discipled and raised up leaders in Christ and have seen lives and marriages restored. And we have released people to see the Kingdom of God advanced, not with a Life Changers brand, but with their own story to create in what God is doing with their lives.
Our Vision for 2024 challenges us to build our lives on nothing other than Jesus, as our Cornerstone. Mark shared some key building factors from his own home renovation project journey that we could consider for our own lives, which he called ‘Tips of the Trade’:
- Spend more on the Architectural process
- Use a ‘Master Builder’
- The things that matter most are often unseen (foundation)
- Find the Cornerstone!
- Count the cost
- Build strong
- Invest in materials that will last
We need to be building our lives on a solid, brick and mortar, hard cement foundation, which can only be the rock of Christ, so that our lives will not crumble. The sad truth is that 85% of South African’s identify as Christians, which does not align to the horrific rape, crime and corruption statistics of our nation.
James 1:22 tells us that we need to be doers of God’s Word and not just hearers. We give the devil too much credit for when things go wrong in our lives. We don’t go to Church just to be blessed but to build our souls up brick upon brick on our foundation of faith. Just like with our own children, we need to be teaching them the right way to behave so that they will grow up with manners and with good character.
Mathew 7:24-27 shares that it is a wise person who puts into practice what they read and hear. Storms will always come, but the foundation of our lives will determine the outcome. This passage from the Message translation says it plainly.
God’s Spirit is our Master Builder who lays the foundation and puts Jesus as our cornerstone. We live on the Word of God and everything we consume goes into our foundation. Going through storms is a gift, for they reveal the cracks in our foundations.
As we keep our eyes on Jesus and look to eternity, let us consider our Vision for 2024, and ask God to reveal the cracks in our foundation that need fixing. Let us also ask ourselves these questions:
- What are we building in 2024 that will last into eternity?
- How are we building it?
- What will you choose to build into your life in 2024?
As we focus on our vision, let us declare these words together as a Church:
I declare my commitment to building my life upon the teachings of Jesus Christ, to walk in His ways, and to live according to His Word. I desire no other than Jesus as my guide, Jesus as my strength, and Jesus as my source and hope. I will seek to embody His love, compassion and grace in all that I do. I will build my house on the Rock of Ages that never fails me!