3 Wonderful Joys Of A God-sized Vision

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When I graduated from seminary in 1981, Carolyn and I immediately launched out to start a new church. We started with virtually nothing: no people, no building, no equipment, no programs and almost no money. Our parents seemed to understand—as a rookie pastor, it was “the only job I could come up with.” Yet it was for us the beginning of a God-sized vision.

I’ve trained church planters on every inhabited continent. This was on a visit to Ivory Coast in 2002.

After 13 years of blood, sweat and tears, that church was well-established. We knew it was time for a new God-sized vision. Instead of seeking a more comfortable role in ministry, we did the same thing again. We started a new church with even less resources than the first time.  

Now our parents questioned our sanity. We were leaving a secure position to start again with nothing and trust God to build a church. But we had a God-sized vision and trusted Him to see us through.

What happened? God was faithful once again. The church reached people for Jesus We never lacked. In fact, God provided abundantly!

But just 3 years later we started fresh again. This time, we joined a new and unique God-sized vision: the vision of Dynamic Church Planting International (DCPI) to equip leaders to plant one million churches.

A million church vision was certainly something that could only happen if God was in it!

For 18 years we have labored with DCPI to fulfill that great vision. And the vision has grown—it is now a vision to equip leaders to plant 5 million churches!

Has it been worth the risk? Absolutely! The ministry impact keeps growing. Last year (2015) DCPI trained over 25,000 church planters on every inhabited continent of the world! Those leaders will plant churches that will reach tens of thousands who will follow Christ.

We human beings are funny. On the one hand, we long for significance. We want to be part of something bigger than we are, something that will make a difference in the long term, a God-sized vision.

But on the other hand, we want security, comfort, and an easy road.

Recently I heard it said that “Human beings are much more likely to avoid pain than to pursue gain.”

Can you relate? I can. I want to be part of something big, but if it involves risk, I think long and hard about it.

So here is my thesis for this article: Real faith and confidence in the Lord means embracing a God-sized vision and it’s a very joyful thing to do.

By embracing a God-sized vision, I don’t mean we sit on the sidelines cheering those who have stepped out in faith. I mean that we ourselves step out in faith to make it happen: we put our necks on the line, we risk failure, risk our resources, risk our “reputation,” even risk our safety.

Why do it? Here are 3 wonderful joys of embracing a God-sized vision:

01. Living by faith gives us a chance to see God do miracles.

Do you remember the story of Jesus (and Peter) walking on water? It’s found in Matthew 14:

“Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ ‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come,’ he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.” (Matthew 14:25-29 NIV)

Q & A:

Question 1: How many people walked on water besides Jesus?

Answer 1: Only one, Peter.

Question 2: How many disciples could have walked on water if they would have stepped out in faith?

Answer 2: Probably all of them.

Question 3: Why didn’t the others walk on water?

Answer 3: No one besides Peter stepped out in faith!

Question 4: Where might we be if we had stepped out in faith?

Answer 4: The past is behind us. The future is unknown. The only thing we have control of is the present.

What will we do right now to embrace a God-sized vision?

Maybe you’re afraid of water. Maybe you’re afraid to step out in faith into the deep. That’s understandable. But as someone has said, “If you’re going to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat.”

When we get out of the boat, we see God do miracles in the fulfillment of a God-sized vision!

02. You get rescued when you sink.

You might be thinking, “Yes Mark. But don’t forget that Peter sank. And I don’t want to sink and drown!”

I hear you. I don’t want to either. But remember that Jesus rescued Peter when he began to sink:

“Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.” (Matthew 14:29b-31a NIV)

Isn’t it interesting that fear caused Peter to sink.

Peter had good reason to fear—he was walking on water on a stormy sea! But the Lord rescued Peter as he rescues all who step out in faith.

Not only did the Lord rescue Peter, He also rebuked him: “‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’” (Matthew 14:31b NIV)

When we step out in faith to reach a God-sized vision, we must not allow fear to overwhelm us. That is when we’ll begin to sink!

But even if we begin to fear and sink, Jesus is always there to rescue us.

We might start to sink. We might suffer. We might agonize. We might even die. But even if we die, Jesus rescues us from the penalty of our sins and we have eternal life. We cannot lose when we pursue a God-sized vision that He has put in our hearts!

03. When the God-sized vision is fulfilled, we know God did it because we certainly couldn’t! 

“And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’” (Matthew 14:32-33 NIV)

Do you think Peter’s faith was increased by this walking-on-water incident? Surely part of the reason Peter became the leader of the early church was that he stepped out in faith to walk on water.

Likewise, when we embrace a God-sized vision and step out in faith, we’ll grow as leaders and Christ-followers.

And when we see a God-sized vision fulfilled, we’ll stand back and say, “Wow, God came through. We know He did this because we surely couldn’t.”

Then we’ll worship God for all He has done!

Question: Is there a God-sized vision you are pursuing now?

I’m not saying you have to be the point leader for the vision. God may more likely have called you to a team of people pursuing a great goal.

Have you answered the call?

If you don’t know the God-sized vision He might have for you, one of the best ways to know it is to go on a Vision or Prayer Retreat. To learn the why’s and how’s of such a retreat, see my articles on:

• Who Needs a Vision Retreat?

• 7 Steps to a Productive Vision Retreat

• So You Think You Can’t Take a Prayer Retreat?

Why Should We Read Christian Biographies?

"Christianity Questions and Answers" podcast CQA 044

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As a grade schooler, I loved to read biographies from our school library. Daniel Boone, Thomas Edison, Davey Crockett and others captivated and inspired me. That was 50 years ago. Yet still today, I love to read good biographies. Especialy Christian biographies.

Pastor Marty Schoenleber

In this podcast, Pastor Marty Schoenleber introduces us to the world of Christian biographies and answers to related questions such as:

• What are the benefits of reading Christian biographies?

• How can we make sure we remember the lessons learned from Christian biographies?

• What about listening to audio books?

• What are some good biographies to read?

• Are there any to stay away from?

Listen to this podcast to learn answers to these questions and why we should read Christian biographies.

Here are some of the great Christian biographies mentioned in this episode:

• John G. Paton – The Autobiography of a Pioneer Missionary to the New Hebrides (Vanuatu)

• Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas

• Series of biographies: CHRISTIAN HEROES: THEN & NOW by Janet and Geoff Benge. Some of my favorites:

• John Williams

• Hudson Taylor

• Corrie ten Boom

• S. Lewis

• Adoniram Judson

• The Life and Diary of David Brainerd

• Brutchko: The Astonishing True Story of a 19-Year-Old American, His Capture by the Motilone Indians and His Adventures in Christianizing the Stone Age Tribe by Bruce Olson

Who is Marty? Marty Schoenleber Jr. has been a pastor, a church planter, a seminary professor, and an author but his favorite roll is as husband and father. These days he serves as one of the elders and teaching pastor at Trinity Church in Watseka, IL as well as his continuing work as a prolific blogger and missional strategist. In his blog he attempts to be “provocatively opinionated.”

Marty blogs at https://chosenrebel.me

You can see Marty’s books HERE.

You can also email Marty at chosen-rebel@hotmail.com

Marty wrote about some Christian biographies in this article.

For more stories and Christian testimonies see these resources on my website:

• The Oranges, a guest post by Jim Carpenter

• A Miracle Story from My Friend Jay

• My Heroic Great Grandpa and the Pre-Titanic – Part 1

• Why I Burned My Sister at the Stake

• My WORST Christmas Ever

To learn more about this “Christianity Questions and Answers” podcast and how to submit your questions, click HERE.

To receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord click HERE.

To develop your relationship with God, get my free eBook “10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth” click HERE.

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5 Reasons God’s Definition Of Success Is Wonderful

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Far from accomplishing God’s definition of success, I felt like a total loser in college . The semester before my final semester, I failed a required theology class. I was totally embarrassed and terrified that I would not get to graduate with my class.

One of the biggest reasons I like to follow the Ohio State Buckeyes is that they are perennial “winners” like in this 2010 Rose Bowl game I got to attend with my dad and church friends. But that isn’t really God’s definition of success so I try not to take it too seriously.

What happened? See the end of this article for the rest of this story.

Everyone wants to be successful, at least in some way. Mothers usually want to be successful mothers. Employees usually want to be successful employees. Athletes want to be successful athletes. Students (hopefully!) want to be successful students. But what is real success? What’s God’s definition of success?

Is success being “the best?” It is extremely hard to be the best, the richest, the strongest, the smartest, the most talented, the most amazing.

There are 7 billion people on this planet and only a handful become the “best” at anything. The rest of us live with being OK, average, nothing special, an ordinary Joe.

So you and I might not feel like “a success.”

But here’s some wonderful news: we are all successful if we live by God’s definition of success .

What is God’s definition of success? Success is pleasing Jesus.

That’s it: pleasing Jesus.

“So we make it our goal to please him.” (2 Corinthians 5:9a NIV)

Here are 5 reasons I think God’s definition of success is absolutely wonderful:

01. Everyone can be successful according to God’s definition of success.

Success is pleasing Jesus. Pleasing Jesus begins with receiving God’s gift of salvation.That is possible for anyone.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 KJV)

Whosoever means anyone. It means you!

Here’s how being successful works according to God’s definition of success:

• Success begins with receiving God’s gift of salvation.

• Once you’ve received salvation, you are acceptable before God forever.

• Once you are acceptable, you have eternal life.Once you have eternal life, you are eternally successful—you’re wealthy beyond imagination, forever free from sin, a child of the King!

If you haven’t received salvation, God wants you to do so right now. 2 Peter 3:9 says that God “is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (ESV)

If you have never been saved, please do so by following the instructions in this link for salvation.

02. Pleasing Jesus is far easier than trying to please people.

People pleasing can be frustratingly impossible to accomplish.

Recently I wrote an article that received about 50 comments on Facebook. Most liked the article and thanked me for it. But a few were unreasonably critical. One demanded an apology and a retraction.

The great thing is that Christians are not responsible to please people. The Bible says “Our purpose is to please God, not people.” (1 Thessalonians 2:4b NLT)

The Apostle Paul went even further and wrote “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10 NIV)

That’s a strong statement—our goal can’t be being both a people-pleaser and a God pleaser. We have to choose between the two.

I find that even trying to please myself is quite difficult. So when I remember that my goal is to please God instead of people, including myself, it makes life much easier.

03. How to please Jesus is clearly defined in the Bible.

Some might feel they don’t know how to please Jesus. But God has made it very clear how to please Him in the Bible.

God instructed Joshua to “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

(Joshua 1:8 NIV)

To be prosperous and successful, we must follow God’s Word.

Likewise, when King David was turning over his kingdom to his son Solomon, he gave his son this instruction on success:

“Do what the Lord your God commands and follow his teachings. Obey everything written in the Law of Moses. Then you will be a success, no matter what you do or where you go.” (1 Kings 2:3 CEV)

Sure, not everything in God’s will for you is written in the Bible. Some things you’ll need to discern through prayer. But that also is also a clear process. To learn how to discern God’s will in prayer, read my articles on:

• How to Hear From God

• Strategies for Hearing from God

04. It’s not difficult to please Jesus

Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30 KJV)

People think there are a lot of difficult rules and regulations in the Bible, but there really aren’t.

Sure, there are instructions like the 10 commandments. But the 10 commandments and other Bible regulations are rules we know are good to keep anyway:

• Don’t lie

• Don’t steal

• Don’t be unfaithful to your spouse

People who think it is difficult to keep God’s rules probably don’t understand what they are.

If pleasing Him is our goal, it becomes easy to obey the Bible. His Spirit empowers us and gives us joy in obeying.

To learn how to get help from God’s Spirit, read my articles on:

• 3 Steps to Get the Help You Need Today

05. When we fail, there is a success reset button.

Everyone messes up trying to please Jesus. But our mess-ups (sins) can be overcome.

God has told us clearly that when we make mistakes, we can be quickly forgiven:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 ESV)

This process is very much like a child disobeying and asking forgiveness from a parent. When a child makes mistakes, the parent doesn’t disown the child. But there is a barrier until an apology is given and received.

So it is with our heavenly Father. He wants us to restore fellowship when we mess up.

And now, the rest of the story: What happened when I failed the required theology course in my senior year of college? Thankfully the guidance counselor found an equivalent class that I could take via correspondence during my last semester. I worked overtime, passed the class, and graduated with my classmates.

But even if I hadn’t had that “do over,” God’s definition of success is NOT: 

• Graduating with your classmates from Bible college

• Having more than others

• Doing something others haven’t done

• Being the “world’s best”Being the “big boss”

Success is pleasing the Lord Jesus—a goal that’s easy and enjoyable to accomplish.