Vision for the Mission
by Dan Gibson
January 14, 2026 · Cornerstone Apostolic Church (Chattanooga, TN)
Kind: teaching
Scripture: Proverbs 29:18, Genesis 37:6, Genesis 50:19-20, Genesis 12:1-2, Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2, Ephesians 4:11-13, Acts 2:44-45, Proverbs 29:18

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/dan-gibson--vision-for-the-mission
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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Well, I want to uh say again, it's good to see all of you. We're glad for our online this. We'll see how all this works. I know we're we've got some new things going on, but uh uh we want to welcome everybody tonight. Uh and then uh right after this, we will join in the uh in the main uh room to uh worship together. So, and it's good to have that little one with us. Yeah. Hey, it's okay. It's okay. It's okay. That's right. U but as you all know we are we are studying uh this month uh actually this year we're studying greater um but this month we're focusing around a vision and uh I know I I went back to try to catch I was in class with pastor but I was trying to see if it did go through. So really and truly there was a lot of that information did not uh get out. So I took and I'm going to use some of the scriptures he used. So uh if you missed last last week, it's just going to be in a different version. Uh but uh but I took some of the scriptures that we used last week and I'm going to use them uh tonight. But I want to talk to us and I know that all of us have the definition of what vision is, but I'm going to use this in a little different form. And I want to talk to us tonight about having vision for the mission. Having vision for the mission. Uh so we need vision for the mission, right? Um but when you look at the definition of vision um it is an act or power to see simple to be able to see. And then when you look at the definition of mission it is a special task which is given to a person or group that is charged. Those people are charged to do and carry out this mission. So when you look at the two together, there has to be a vision, but not just vision. You have to have it's it gives you the ability to see the mission, right? It gives you the ability to see what you're going to be doing.

Key verse tonight, if you turn in your Bibles to Proverbs, the 29th chapter, verse 18. We used this one last week, but I want to uh share this with you out of this scripture. And the scripture simply says this, where there is no vision, the people perish, but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Um I I I looked at that scripture and the last portion of that scripture says this, "But he that keepeth the law, happy is he." The first portion has to do with vision. The second portion of that scripture has to do with law. And that is uh God's divine uh instructions and the things that God shares with us along the way. He may give you revelation of something. Um and so uh it's more than just having a mission. And you've got to really have an indepth vision of how that mission looks. Uh that's why we do planning. That's why we we strategize. That's why we set and talk about things because we want to know that what God has given us that we are we are projecting that type of vision that how are we going to get this? How are we going to get there? And so, um, I was, uh, just kind of giving some examples through the scripture. Um, I happened to, uh, be reading along and just thinking about, uh, what I would say tonight.

And, and, and I wanted to touch on Joseph. Joseph was one of those young men in the Bible that was favored of his father and, uh, had 11 brothers. He had uh he had a favorite coat, didn't he? Everybody knows that story of Joseph uh and his and his coat of many colors. Well, that was given to him because he was favored of his father. And uh and so it it brought tension between him and his and his brothers. in Genesis the 37th chapter verse 37 I'm sorry 37th chapter verse 6 let's go to verse 6 and this was what was said Joe and he said unto them here I pray thee the dream which I have dreamed for behold we were bundling our sheets and how many of you know what we're talking about here. You've probably seen the pictures of them. I don't know that too many people bundled sheav around here. Um, but like those big That's right. Yeah. They they they would pull the the wheat together, the sheav together, and they would put a wrap around them and they would But uh Joseph is seeing this in his vision and he says, "We were bundling sheav." And he says, he said, "Mine stood upright and behold the sheav which you were bundling." This is I'm paraphrasing here. He said, "These were bow bowing down. They were they were giving in honor and they were giving in obedience." And so we see the sheave of Joseph up upright and the rest of them were bowing down. and his brothers, the scripture says his brothers, uh, they they got really angry. They said, "So, what are you telling us is that we're going to we're going to bow down to you. We're going to give you're going to look at us and and we're going to look at you and bow down to you." And the scripture says that he they were they were angry the more they were they hated him the more. I I want to stop right there and say this that uh I and I want to encourage somebody today. A lot of times God gives you the vision for what you're going to be doing. He gives you uh an insight and don't be don't be discouraged when other people can't see that. Don't be in encou uh discouraged when when when somebody comes along and says, "Oh, really?" because they don't they're not looking through the same lenses that you God has given you. Those lenses that God has given you, the the dreams that he's given you, you're seeing those things. If we would notice this though, Joseph was a dreamer and then we find him being raised u in Egypt due to a lot of the turmoil that was among his brothers and him. He was sold into slavery and now he's growing up in Egypt. Now, you know, when God gives you this great vision, he doesn't really give you the uh the foresight, the ability to actually see the ups and downs, does he? But we can honestly say this that a lot of times God gives us insight and then we know that the ups and downs comes in life, right? There are going to be times that there's going to be things that we have to endure. Uh and if you're living for God and you're doing the things you know to do for God, there are always going to be challenges. Always. But what we did not what his brothers did not realize as he was actually giving some some uh fornowledge of some things that was going to happen things that was going to take place. Joseph made his way to the palace so to speak. He made his way to to a place in the kingdom that he was able to give instructions. He was able to give uh he was able to give order. uh he was able to be in charge of some things and now we find that his brothers they are in a famine time in the land and they come to Egypt why are they coming to Egypt it has nothing to do with Joseph does it now they didn't know that they were hungry and they come to Egypt and they find their brother Joseph You see, we don't see the things that God sees. We don't see what God is doing in our life. We don't see the outcome of what God may give you that portion. As a young lad, he was given a portion of insight. It was through a dream. Not necessarily understanding that this was going all going to happen in Egypt. Not not understanding that he was going to be a ruler. not understanding those things. All that he knew was that God had showed him that he was going to be here and they were going to be here and they didn't like it.

After all that was said and done though, the scripture turns and tells us exactly what everything was about. Look at Genesis 50 verse 19 and 20. Genesis 50 verse 19 and 20. Somebody grab that scripture for me. Genesis 509. And it's on the screen here. You can just read it from the screen. Joseph said unto them. And 20. Yes. for you evil against me. But God to bring it to people. Notice the scripture says that there was this all of these things the brothers were up to no good. Right? what you set out to do in evil, God already had it figured out and he already knew what the end result was going to be. And even though maybe we don't realize that, but sometimes, you know, um this happened many years ago, but I had a I had an individual that actually had uh was giving me some instruction. Um I was young and they were they were older. I'm not gonna say old, okay? We don't say that, Brother Tim. They were older and it and it was it was pretty harsh. The the instruction was kind of harsh and and guess what? It hurt my feelings. It hurt my feelings. But then on later down the road, years later, it was like that's exactly what he was saying. And and I know for I know for a fact he wasn't trying to hurt my feelings. I know that. But because of what was being said at the time, we were hearing I was hearing that rough gruff voice and it was, you know, matter of fact. And the truth was it was God speaking through that that guy and was speaking words that I would one day understand but at the time I wasn't getting it. This is what was happening to Joseph is he was getting dreams and he was sharing them with his brothers and his brothers wasn't getting it. But God had a plan. I am so thankful that no matter what it may look like and that's why we cannot we cannot jump to conclusion when things happen in our life and we cannot look at uh things that take place in our life and say you know that that was a bad situation we don't know that the truth is the story still being written the story is still being put together and sometimes we've got to look we've got to look at what's going on in our life and say this is not over yet. This is not the rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say. How many of you know who Paul Harvey? I got there's a few of you. But but there Oh, yeah. You don't know, huh? Okay. That's okay. But that's not the end of the story. You've got to wait until the end of the story. We can't jump to conclusions and say, "Well, this is that's not the will of God." Because we really sometimes we don't know exactly what the will of God is. How many of you would admit that? Is there's times in your life you're saying, "Okay, God, what?" And you're saying, "No, yes, I I I don't know." And and what we have to do is say, "God, I trust you." Amen. We have to say, "God, I trust you." Another example, and this is this is another one that I that I uh was thinking along the lines in Genesis the the 12th chapter, verse one and verse two,

we've got a man here, excuse me, we've got a man here by the name of Abraham. How many you know what? How what? Yes, please. How many of you know what who Abraham was? What was he called? The father of nations. Many nations. The scripture gave him that title. But he he did he didn't start off that way, did he? He didn't start off that way. God came into words and said says, "I want you to leave where you at." Somebody read that for us. said unto thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house unto a land that I will show you. Number two, read number two. and I will make thee a great nation and I will bless thee and make great and God said he was going to be a great nation. His name was going to be great. He was going to be in charge of some great things that was happening. But but it didn't start that way. He said, "I I want you to just be obedient. You get up and you go to a land and I'm going to show you. Now, there's not many of us that sit in this room that just jump up and go, right? Thank you. Thank you so much. There's not many of us in this room that just jump up and go. I mean, you you would say God, if it's God's voice, you'd say, "Is that really you?" How many How many of you would say that? Is that really you? And that's just that's just in our nature, though. I mean, you know, we we uh we plan, we do things that God uh that that we feel that God's blessed us with, but then when it comes right down to it, when God starts giving us instruction, we we've got to have it. I mean, you you going to have to yell this, Lord. And that's Abraham. The Lord told him, he says, "Get up. Get get up. get get get away get away from your your homeland. And he said, I'm going to show you where you're going to be. And if you do this, you're going to be great. I think it's important that we realize that God speaks sometimes in order for us to do and do the great things that he has for us, we've got to do things by faith. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. That's where you going to be? Yeah. Right. It was hard in all my life. So true. So true. And and and again, sometimes God has to there is a process that God will take you through. Um you know, sometimes he'll take you into um he gives you the shock, so to speak. How many you know that sometimes that's a shock when you first realize what you're getting ready to do. And then and then he it's like uh then he starts putting other little pieces of the puzzle together and you're saying, "Okay, all right. Now I'm I'm getting a little more at ease with what you're saying now, God." Again, these are practical things that you and I have to learn if we're going to find the will of God for our life. if we're going to walk in greatness and we're going to really see the vision that God has for our our future and for the things for the for the church is we've got to follow after him with faith and saying, "God, I I know what you're saying, but you're going to have to make it clear. Make it clear, God."

The vision for the church was was that it would be for the kingdom, right? And we're going to talk a little bit in the New Testament now. And if you would again, if you'd turn with me, uh let's let's turn to Matthew 4 verse uh let's go to verse 28. I I think most of you would understand why I would want to read this one, but Matthew 4 um and let's go to uh verse 28 there. Somebody have that Yes. Is it there? Oh, I wrote that down wrong. Let's go to Matthew 28, verse 19 and 20. You know that one. I think I just uh put a dash somewhere that I shouldn't have. Matthew 28 verse 19 and 20. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all the things whichever I have commanded you. And lo, I will wi I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen. He tells them, and this is the vision that Jesus Christ uses for the people of God. He said, 'You are to go and teach all nations. You're to go and be a witness. You're the to go and make disciples. the early church. We know uh from the scripture in Matthew the I mean uh in Acts the 2 chapter, we know what the early church had to say is there was God added he adds to the church daily, but it takes you and I doing our part. The church does just doesn't flourish by itself. I know this. God gives revelation and the and people are joined together mysteriously and I'll say it that way. Mysteriously those people are joined with somebody else of like faith and it's like what what just happened? It was a God moment. I'm sure that if I was to ask you today how many of you about your experience there would be a lot of you that said there that it that it had nothing to do with a big group getting together. God started dealing with you and then he gave you somebody you probably could name them or or some group that you became acquainted with and God reveals some things to you. That's how the church grows. But you have to have a kingdom mind. God gives us the vision of the kingdom and the mission is that we teach and we preach and we go into nations healing them, baptizing them and we know that God is the healer, but we do our part. It takes the it takes the faith of a man or woman laying hands on someone believing that God is going to do that. Right? That is the church's mission is that we go beyond the walls of this building and we find somebody else to witness to. That we find somebody else that that we can tell about the kingdom of God, the kingdom and his righteousness. Those are the things that God gives us the vision for. Amen. We go and we baptize. We we go and we we teach them.

Real quick, I'm just going to ask one or two of you if if you could share with us maybe your testimony. Maybe there's something in your testimony that you you want to share that God uh showed up through an individual or maybe it was a revelation of of of the oneness of God. Maybe it was revelation of the baptism in in his name. Whatever it may have been, somebody real quick, go ahead. I'm a just naturally a landscaper. So about five years ago I was in backyard trying to prepare some stuff and um this um it was an inspiration came to me and it said you are wasting your time. And I said, "Lord, you tell me again." Yeah. But he didn't tell me again. This is what he did. Immediately I lost every landscape, not right. So I asked him to say it again. He did. He took the desire. Oh my. How about that? There were a lot of things after and see that's the way God works is is is there's things that he'll show up. He reveals things to you. How many you thankful for revelation? I I mean if it hasn't if it you know I want God to show up in some type of revelation. I I want him that is something that I always of God. You show me. Don't I I you know I I don't want everybody around me speaking into my life and and telling me what God told them. God you talk to me. How many you believe he can do that? He has. He has. and and you want God to speak into your life. Maybe one more somebody. Yes. When I was 18, I was a full I So then I just stepped away. Sure. When we were in North Dakota, we were saw these girls. Yeah. That's right. Sure. Amen. Amen. And see that those are those are those are lifech changing events. Those are things and and you you're talking about sometimes God takes situations like that and he puts you in a position to where you know you're like, "Okay, what do I do?" you know, and and then then God starts showing showing you people. He starts showing you um I mean, how many times has missionaries been birthed out of God in a vision or in a dream or something like that? God shows you people and you're trying to figure that out. You're trying to see what that's all about. And the whole time God is preparing you.

And and the truth is sometimes we need to like we was talking Sunday is God help me with the pro I need to see see that through eyes where I can see the progressive way. You know that that where I can see as far as I can see and then as it moves I can see more. I can see more. And it's not something that I just see one little dot or I see one little one little spot of what God is doing in my life. I see. I can see more. And that is that's what Joseph was getting caught in God begins to give him dream after dream. And now his brothers are getting so angry. That's why he ends up being that's why they thought he was being sold. Uh but the truth was God had a plan all along. He he he knew what steps he needed to take. He knew where Joseph needed to be. He knew that he needed to move along the line. And and that is that's that's something that we have to ask God. God, show me what it is that you want for my life. We are supposed to build people up. That is that is the church. That is our today's church is we're to build people up. We are to we are to find those people.

The let's turn to uh uh Ephesians the 4th chapter. Ephesians the 4th chapter uh verse 11. The scripture here says that he gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors, and some preachers for the perfecting of the saints. Notice that scripture, what it says there. It's for the perfecting of the saints. It's it's so that that the saints can grow. It's so that people can grow. That tells me that there should be encouraging words that comes out of our mouth. Whatever area that God uses you in, there's going to be some building up, right? There's going to be some things that he builds us up with. The perfecting of the saints is for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the faith and knowledge. He he's saying that all of these things, this is why we have these callings. This is why that each and every one of us, we have our own calling. You may not call yourself any of these that we just called out. You're just But he did call you to be disciplemaker, didn't he? He called you to go and find those people, witness to them, tell them of God, tell them. And he's we're there to build people up. We're not to tear them down. A lot of times, you know, we get caught in that loop of, you know, well, thus sayeth the Lord, and then then we go down this gloomy road. No. Uh that's not the plan of God. There may be there may be some things in that road or in that that travel in that journey that you take that is a little different. And sometimes it can get we get sad along the way. I I could probably we could probably say that Joseph had some sad days. Uh-huh. You're in a bottom of a pit by yourself and then you get out of that and you get falsely accused and you get thrown in prison. Now, I I'm I'm I'm just being human here. Those are the those are the things that we have to think about. And so, when God is moving, sometimes it gets tough. Sometimes it gets to the place that we're saying, "Is this really God's plan?" But yet, we move anyway. We allow God to move us. We allow God to to show us. We allow God to to take us to this place and this place. And we don't know why. But then there comes a point that we realize, you know what? This entire time, God, you have been moving me. You have been directing me. You have been carrying me in paths that I did not realize. You know, we we read the scripture about paths of righteousness for his name's sake. There was nothing in the scripture that said that those paths were were smooth. Didn't say that those paths would be straight. It didn't say that those paths would be would be perfect. You know, we we do have people that can speak that into your life and say, you know, thus sayeth God, everything's going to be smooth from here on out. I'm sorry. I don't think that God had anything to do with that. No, because there are things that we go through in life because he he shows us there there is a valley that sometimes we got to go through. He teaches us in those valleys. He he he tells us that sometimes it's even death valley, but he's going to take us through it. He's with us. Those are those things that we have to realize is that yes, we're going through valleys. Yes, we're going through. We're talking about paths of righteousness. Paths of righteousness. It did not it did not declare that everything was was just lovely. But what I do want is I want the will of God while I'm in there. That's why it's so important that we stay close to God and we stay we stay in his presence. We stay close to him and say, "God, I need you in my life. I need you more today than I did yesterday." Why? Because today's challenges is not the same as yesterday's challenges. Today's challenges could be those those really tough challenges. I uh just in in in prayer just remember my son-in-law but I got some news today and I I just again just one of those blows that just like really and I'm not talking about Logan. I'm talking my other brother, my other son-in-law, but but I got that and it it just it was like the news, you know, come and and we're having MRIs done immediately and you know, there's things that just those things that go through your head and and you know, we're we're living for God, folks. We're serving him. We're we're doing what we know to do. We're doing all the things we know we're supposed to do. It still happens to us. There's still trials. But I do know this that God always works things out. He always works it on his behalf. He He's got a plan behind all of it. And that's what I lean on is I I know God that you have a plan. I know that you have a promise. I know that there there's things that's going to happen in our life and and and and and I I I I'm not fluffing this today, okay? I I'm just speaking real here. There are things that we have to understand that if we're walking in the presence of God, if we're if we're walking in the visions that God has given us, there is a mission that we have to fulfill. And that mission is is that we are to be disciples. And we're to be disciplemakers. We're to be those people that that take the message to others. How many times have you been praying for others and you had yourself physical condition that you was like, "God, I I I would like for you to heal me, but I want you to heal my brother." That that's that is the way that that works. I I don't know how many times I've been in front of congregations over the years and and and be chilled to the bone standing there witnessing the the presence of God and knowing that God was in the room, knowing that I was sick in my body and somebody else needed prayer, lay hands on them and God healed them and then myself I felt renewed. Why? Because I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. never said that the road would be easy. Never said that that that the that things would be easy going. We are to serve people with love. Amen. I

want to read one other scripture and and I know they did they probably didn't get this scripture, but Acts 2, Acts the 2 chapter verse 44 and 45. Acts 2 verse 44 and 45. Somebody read that for us. All of these needs he the scripture was saying there was there was things that they would give up because they loved people. They loved doing the thing of God. They loved doing what God had led them to do. They had the vision. They had the mission. And let me tell you something. When you've got the mission of what you're supposed to be doing, uh, it makes you do some crazy stuff, doesn't it? I think we've got witnesses in this room that you you're saying, "Why did I do that?" Now, Brother Tim, I know that you had grandkids that you had to get over here or you had to you had to get yourself back over here around your kids, but the truth was it was still a hard thing. It was still a hard move. There was things that and you're here and you're here for a reason that it's not just uh uh because of kids either. I was just saying but but the thing is there there's reasons behind way the way God moves us. There's reasons why that God puts you in certain paths. There's reasons for that. We have to we have to live for him in love. Focusing our vision on the mission that God has before us.

Go back to our our uh our verse, our key verse again. Where there is no what? vision, the people perish. Where there is no vision, the people perish. They're going to perish because they have lost the mission. Again, I'll go back to what I was saying about the mission. The scripture says here where the people perish where the there is no vision the people perish but he that keepeth the law happy is he knowing God's direction his divine direction in our lives that is knowing God knowing his laws knowing what he's capable of doing. When you know that, then you don't have a problem losing the mission. You don't have a problem losing the mission. Keep the vision, but know the vision and mo know your mission. Amen. You got to know this. You've got to know that God, you have a you have a mission for us.

Let's pray together. In the name of Jesus, God, we love you. We thank you, Lord, for your word. We thank you for truth. And God, help us, Lord Jesus, that we keep our our vision strong and that we keep the mission in front of us, God, that we know, God, that you're working all things. Everything that we do, we do it unto you, Lord, for your kingdom, for your glory, for the things that you know. We know that you're working things out. We know, God, that you're working through things, Lord. You're working them out for us and for you, Lord, for the kingdom, for kingdom-minded. God, we ask you, Lord, that you would reach down tonight. God, help us to be what you have called us to be in this day and hour. Lord, we know God, we know, God, what our mission is that is to follow you. Teaching all nations, Lord, in the name of Jesus. And everyone say in Jesus name. Jesus name. Amen. Amen. God bless you. I appreciate you for being in our Bible study tonight. In Jesus name.