Pastor Brian Watts sharing at 2014 Envisioning.
Wednesday the New Hope family drew together to begin the 2014 Envisioning – a time of fellowship, teaching, and vision casting for the upcoming year. Pastor Brian Watts introduced New Hope’s 2014 theme Hallowed Be Your Name as a prayer for the restoration of God’s name. Believers should see this focus translate to a passion for God’s glory.
The next morning began with a brief, silent field trip out of the church to look for God’s glory revealed in the sky. Uncle Jonnes Bakimi then had the group describe the different aspects of the glory of God observed. He reminded everyone that no one remains neutral in God’s presence: either you fall down in worship or you turn away. His prayer for the duration of Envisioning and this year is that we all might behold the glory of God and appropriately respond to it.
Pastor Brian transitioned from discussing Hallowed Be Your Name broadly to examining the fatherhood of God revealed in his father heart. He focused on the believer’s identity as the determining factor in their relationship to Father God rather than anything they did. The affirmation of sonship comes at the beginning of a life of service though we often expect the reverse as revealed in Mark 1:11 when God addresses Jesus saying, “You are my son and I am well pleased.” Thus, the Christian life flows out of identifying where God is already at work and joining in with what he is already doing. This removes the impulse to be always doing in order of receiving recognition. Pastor Brian encapsulated his message in the phrase “Be-Do-Be” as the ultimate aim of the Christian to rest in the identity of being God’s son and let everything else flow from this identity.