Tenet #4 We purpose to be continually renewed in our vision and our mind.

The church at Antioch was a year old and in continual revival when the Holy Spirit instructed Barnabas and Saul to leave on their first missionary journey. When they rode back into Antioch some months later, things had changed: the two men were now called Paul and Barnabas, and they were now returning with an amazing report of souls saved and churches planted. Antioch had changed too, tumble weeds and dust blew down main street, there was not a soul in sight – the church windows were boarded up. Paul and Barnabas had to search for the believers and call them together again so they could give their report. What had changed in the Antioch church? A similar change happened in Jerusalem and Toronto, and we’re afraid it could happen to us. So we have tenet #4.

The action in tenet #4 is ‘we purpose’: we determine, we act, we work on it. Jesus said the work of God is to believe on Jesus. Continually invest in developing, changing up, growing, our faith: our vision and our thinking.

Renewing means transformation. Tenet #4 demands more than maintenance, change is necessary.

Our vision is to be renewed so:
1. It is relevant to new times: new levels of fruitfulness and expansion require new creativity.
2. It shows what is ahead of us: to be who we are we must continually press into the future.

Our mind is to be renewed so:
1. We know who we are in Christ and know what we can accomplishthrough Him.
2. We conceive, conceptualize, and imagineer our way into a greater future.

For tenets to be effective, we each must adopt the ‘we’ into ‘me’.

So here we go with scriptures we all know, but look at this:

Be strong and courageous  – so you can obey.
Joshua 1:7 “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.

Meditate on the Word – so you can obey.
Joshua 1:8 “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

I will renew my MIND to who I am and what I can do in Christ.

I will renew my VISION like Nehemiah, David, and Joshua did, by comparing my reality to the Word and passionately communicating what we need to do to change the world.

So that my ATTITUDE, my world view, culture, will prepare me for war: tell me what weapons to sharpen, and direct me in war: tell me what fight to pick, and which hill to defend and which hill to take.

People don’t prepare without a purpose, they don’t pick the right battle by a lucky guess, and staying in my purpose happens because I prepared to stay in my purpose.

Tenet #4 We’ve determined to never stagnate and we would like tenet #4 to insure that those who follow us won’t stagnate either. Thus it is determined: Each of us will continually invest in changing up our vision and developing our thinking in Kingdom culture.

here’s the staff chapel High Definition version:
http://vimeo.com/83572962