Part 8 - Team Spirit
June 5, 2016 • Charné Pretorius
Part 1 - The Power Of A Dream
March 6, 2016 • Pastor Bert Pretorius
Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do super-abundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us. (NKJV) Where there is a team there can be conquest. Wherever conquest is required, there is cause for calling together a team. In the absence of a team even a gifted individual can never achieve what would have been achieved had there been a team. Having a dynamic team starts with having a dream. Throughout the Bible it is clear that God is a visionary God that has a multitude of dreams for us (Jeremiah 29:11; Psalm 139:17). He created us as a manifestation of His dream, in His image and with His unique ability to dream. Our ability to dream is inherent to our very nature. Because it is part of our being, it can be applied for both good and evil. This means that we can literally dream ourselves to death if we allow our focus to fall on physical evidence and factual information as opposed to on what the Word says. A dream can be defined as a condition or achievement that is longed for. Having a dream speaks of being able to visualize beyond the current reality (for good or evil). In our walk with the Lord, dreams and visions form an integral part of the Holy Spirit’s communication with us. Pastor Cesar Castellanos often says that dreams and visions are the language of the Holy Spirit. John Maxwell writes: “I believe God wants us to dream big dreams because He is a big God that wants to do big things and He wants to do it through us.” Sadly we easily loose our ability to dream. This happens when we stop believing in the dream that God has for us. We find a good example of this in Genesis 11:27 where the dream of being God’s people and living in the Promised Land was given to Abraham’s Father, Terah. Unfortunately, Terah did not complete the journey on which he embarked with his family – he settled in Haran, the place where his son Haran passed away. Sometimes we stop dreaming as a result of disappointment, loss, failure or trauma (Proverbs 13:12). When we fixate on these things instead of maintaining our focus on the dream and purpose of God, it becomes easy to passively settle for mediocrity. When the dream is lost, the ability to continue is also lost. Without a dream there is nothing that inspires, no common goal that can unite and no direction or expectation that urges us on. In the absence of a dream we fail to set goals and stop asking God to help us. Being without a dream paves the way for a purposeless, wasted life with no direction. As God’s children we have a responsibility to refuse to settle for anything less than what God intended for us. It is on us to inspire those around us with the vision we receive from God, all the while understanding that we are under construction, en route and not yet perfected. We have to, deliberately and with pre-determined focus set our minds on living remarkable lives that will honour the Lord. The blueprint for such a life is found in aligning our dreams with the Lord’s dreams. When His dreams and purposes become our dreams and purposes, He enables us to realize it (Psalm 37:4; John 15:7; Ephesians 3:17-19). Be challenged this week to assess your own life – where have you settled for less than what the Lord originally intended? Are you living the dream in your marriage, as a family, in your ministry, community or any other significant area in your life? Did disappointment and doubt quench your excitement? It can all change as you lift up your eyes again to firmly fix your gaze on the Author and the Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) and His most beautiful dream for your life!
Part 2 - Unity Of The Team
March 13, 2016 • Pastor Bert Pretorius
Habakkuk 2:2 Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. (NKJV) Where there is a team there is conquest. One is always too little to achieve greatness but a team unified through a dream can achieve far above even the most gifted individual. Throughout the Bible the importance of having a dream is emphasized numerous times. The Lord dreamt about every individual ever created (Isaiah 29:11; Psalm 139) and then created us in His image, with the inherent capacity to dream and envision just like He does. Dreams underpin reality in a significant way since it becomes the foundation of what we meditate on, resultantly speak and so pull into the reality of the physical realm. What we dream determines what we confess and what we confess defines what we get… Because dreams are so powerful, it is extremely important that we should dream with the Lord instead of dreaming our own selfish, often negative, dreams. When we dream in accordance with the plan and purpose God has for our lives there are no limits to what the Lord will do for us (Ephesians 3:20). A God-dream finds it essence in the heart of God – it is devoid of personal agendas or selfish motives. As such it has the ability to work unity in a very special way. The unity achieved through a common goal, was part of the success of the Early Church as seen in the book of Acts. The New Testament Church embraced the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, communion and prayer as an integral part of their existence (Acts 2:42). Not only did they regard these four elements as crucially important, they did so in unity. On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out through a powerful manifestation of the presence of God as the believers were praying in one accord (Acts 2:2). Every member of the church in Acts had one dream, one goal – to spread the Gospel and win souls. Individuals grouped together do not equal a team. A team comes into existence only once every member of the team sets themselves and their personal agendas aside for the purpose of embracing the team dream and actively working towards the joint goal. Just like a hybrid animal (such as the mule) combines the best qualities of two pure breeds at the cost of being barren, so a God-dream, mixed with selfish, human dreams, will produce nothing but a team of hard workers that do not have the capacity to multiply or do anything other than just laboring to make the leader. This is not what the Lord wants for us. Paul teaches his spiritual son, Timothy that he should make it his mission to entrust everything he learnt to trustworthy, able people (2 Timothy 2:2). In a successful team, the leader works not to achieve what will benefit him/her personally but instead the leader’s ultimate goal is to empower every team member to be the best they can possibly be. When we make God’s dream our dream, it brings out the best in every single individual involved. As we die to ourselves, we come alive to God’s original plan. Working together we achieve infinitely more than ever possible on our own. Even gifted individuals cannot achieve optimally without the backing of a team. A Chinese proverb sums this up beautifully in saying that individuals play the game, but a team wins the championship. Jesus made God’s dream clear in a few simple words – loving God and loving people (Matthew 22:37-38). In Matthew 28:19-20 He tells His disciples how to execute the dream of God – “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” Up until today, this still remains the dream and the strategy – to love every soul enough to not only connect them to the Lord through salvation, but also to teach them how to do the same for others. Join us this week as we start dreaming with God again, taking hands and joining hearts across the manifold divides of culture, age, status and too many differences to name, in pursuit of this one thing – that none should perish
Part 3 - Stronger Together A
March 20, 2016 • Pastor Charnè Pretorius
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (NKJV) Having an excellent team is important in any area where conquest is desired. Even in the World, this principle has been widely taught and practiced. An individual without a team has no clout, no sustainability and hardly any voice in the bigger picture. To the extent that a team can be mobilized, a dream can be realized… Team by implication denotes unifying around a common goal. In saying ‘yes’ to a particular thing, we always say ‘no’ to something else. When a team unites around a shared, agreed-upon goal, they become a powerful force against anything that can damage or oppose the cause they stand and work for. Within the context of a pre-determined goal, diversity and different skill sets become an asset that regardless of the differences, work together towards the final outcome. An excellent example of this is found in Genesis 11:1-9 where humanity united in their quest to build the tower of Babel. God’s response to their resolution clearly indicates the tremendous power locked up in having a unified team. In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus invites us to become part of His team. He poses this beautiful offer in response to seeing how weary and overburdened the people around Him were. When we place ourselves under God’s yoke, making His dream our dream, His goal what we live for, His way of doing our way of doing, we partake of the blessing of being part of His team – bearing an easy yoke and a light burden. Just like oxen placed in a yoke do the work together instead of each one on their own, God wants us to yoke-up together in pursuit of achieving the Kingdom-dream that none should perish and all be saved. Being yoked together requires of us to know who we are in relation to the other team members and also to learn and understand who we are yoked up with. In this process a multitude of strengths can be applied to conquer individual weaknesses and jointly achieve a goal that could never be reached by any one member of the team on their own. In order for us to enter into the rest God has for us, He wants us to take up His yoke exclusively – His way of doing, unpolluted and undiluted by any of our own opinions or preferences. In order to do this it is of crucial importance that we should position ourselves to learn His way of doing. Being a member of a cell group, attending church, training and encounter weekend provides us with invaluable training in this regard. As we receive the Word and align our way of thinking and doing with the standard set out in the Word, we can become unified in the way we do life. Teamwork is always compromised where personal agendas are mixed into the team goal (Proverbs 18:1). It is the joint goal, the one dream that creates a common sense of frustration and desperation to change and grow in all the team members. Growth and change is the natural outflow of frustration. Deliberate growth towards a pre-determined goal, sets us up for breakthrough in that it inspires specific, joint action that can take us forward. In the Kingdom, there is tremendous power in praying together. God responds to and answers Word-based, faith-filled, fervent prayer (James 5:16). He commands His blessing wherever there is unity (Matthew 18:19). A team united in prayer, will also find themselves united in action. Be encouraged this week to yoke yourself up with a team that has given all their burdens and heavy loads to the Lord in order to take up His burden and His soft yoke. Join us as an active, participating team member as we push back darkness, pray and actively work towards bringing in the multitudes!