Vision Sunday 2024 | Brett Esslinger

Welcome to the Saints Church Glastonbury podcast! We are a local church network based in Alberta, Canada. We go to places no one wants to go and do things no one thought possible so that anyone and everyone can discover hope and life in Jesus.

This week is our Vision Sunday - listen in as we provide updates on some things and announce some new and exciting initiatives that lead us in the direction we feel God is calling us to.

Scripture References:
- Ephesians 3:20
- Psalm 84
- Romans 12
- Luke 4
- Matthew 28
- 1 Peter 3
- 2 Peter 3

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Creators & Guests

Host

Brett Esslinger

Senior Pastor of SAINTS CHURCH | Author of #HopeNotHype | #YEG | Nacho Enthusiast

DE

Host

Desiree Esslinger

Senior Pastor at Saints Church

What is Saints Church Glastonbury?

A Modern Expression of a Timeless Tradition. A local church in the Glastonbury Neighbourhood of West Edmonton. Sr Pastor Brett Esslinger.

I love Vision Sunday and we are very mindful with Vision Sunday. At times we can make these kind of moments just about announcements and doing different things and new things, and that happens and that is happening. New things and that happens and that is happening. But this year, that phrase, now more than ever, speaks to the urgency that is burning inside my heart To see lives changed through the power and presence of Jesus. Now more than ever, is more than just a line and a prayer. It's a declaration that we're hungry for more of Jesus, that we're hungry for his presence, we're hungry for his spirit, that we don't just seek the hand of God but we seek the face of God, now more than ever, is a statement that says we're just not here to learn things.

We're here to become disciples who make disciples. We're here to become disciples who make disciples, that we're here to carry the hope and life and freedom that's found in Jesus. And there's an urgency in this season. There's an urgency in our city. There's a desperation in the world around us that we have tried to fulfill and find hope, life satisfaction. We've tried to find joy, We've tried to find contentment, We've tried to find purpose through anything and everything except for this. And there is an urgency, my friends, that says it's time for us to boldly declare that there is one way, there's one truth, there's one life, and it's found in Jesus. It's time for a church to be bold and courageous and to rise. If you have a Bible, we're going to make our way to Psalm 84. As you're going there, because we love bringing paper Bibles to church here and I'm just saying that in faith, because we're not super great at it, but we're working at it and as I was sharing earlier, in Romans 12, it says to honor one another and as you're turning to Psalm 84, I just want to take a few minutes to honor a few people. It's amazing to celebrate Rudy, but as we are sharing about CityServe, could we just take a moment. You're going to need your hands for this. Could you just take a moment to honor? We have a founding team, a courageous team of three incredible women that said you know what? We're going to take this on, we're going to get this thing up, we're going to get this thing running, we're going to get this thing started. So would you join me in honoring our founding CityServe team Barb Hooper, Sue Murda and Bev Eslinger.

Come on, can we just give it up? We were praying for three years asking the Lord how can we serve our city? What can we do? What can be the thing that we put our hand to that will change the landscape of our city, that will bring hope in life? What's the thing that we can do? Because there's so many things that could be done, but how many know that if you do everything, you're probably doing nothing? So what's that one thing that we could like step into and lean into and just go? This is it.

And when that phone call came last year, I knew in a moment that that was it City serve. Now here's what's crazy. When you think about giving two million dollars away of goods in our city. We gave away more than our annual church budget. Come on, that's crazy that we get to be this conduit of blessing. It's an honor and a privilege to do that.

I want to just take a moment to also didn't the team do a great job on the vision video? I thought it was really great. I want to honor Levi and Daniel. Levi created all the visuals and Daniel actually created the music, so that was all in-house incredible team. Thank you, Levi, Daniel and I like to honor by surprise.

So I want to thank Gordon Glendon Meberg. You may or may not know, Gord, he's the chair of our board, deacon board here and is an incredible blessing in my life and you don't know it always, but in your life. And we would not be here, Desiree and I would not be standing here, Our church would not be in this moment, in this season, seizing these opportunities, if it was not for Gordon, Glenda and the way that they stand and the way that they pray, the way that they lead courageously. We honor today Gord and Glenda Niebuhr. I feel like I'm winning an Oscar. I feel like I'm winning an Oscar, Except it's real. You know, those speeches are amazing because they're actors.

I'm going to talk in a moment about Pastor David and Jean McGrew. We'll get there. We're going to honor them in a moment. Of course, she walked away to handle something, but I got to honor my wife.

It's not easy to be married to me for many reasons, but we, you know we mean what we say when we say we follow Jesus one step at a time. Know we mean what we say when we say we follow Jesus one step at a time, and that just means dropping whatever needs to be dropped to do what the Lord is asking us to do in any given moment. And the way that that's. I'm taking a moment to honor you. Just so you know you just walked in and I'm just doing that right now. Just so you know that I'm talking about you and not some other woman in my life which, if I was, I'd be talking about my mom. But the way she just makes things work and makes our family work allows us to do what Jesus is calling us to do. So I thank you, I love you, I honor you, and I don't know how to do this, but I feel like we don't have a band, that's fine.

I feel like we need like a praise break moment. We need to like honor the Lord today. And so here's just before we clap, before we clap, before we clap, here's how, here's how, here's how I'm going to invite you in a moment to stand your feet and we are going to clap, we're going to shout, we're going to give praise, we're going to give honor and we're just going to declare that he's a good God and we're just going to give him thanks, honor and praise. You're like, this feels awkward. We'll get used to it. It just is what it is, because sometimes giving honor and being full of gratitude and expressing it out loud can feel awkward. So we're just going to take a moment. There's no music, there's no nothing. It's just us. This is a roar of praise from Saints Church to the Lord, saying Jesus, thank you for leading us and guiding us, Thank you for a bold future. We put our hope, our faith and trust in you.

Come on because you stand to your feet for a moment and can we honor the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords. He's worthy of our praise, he's worthy of highest praise. You're worthy, god. We magnify you, we glorify you. Come on, there's no one like you. We thank you, jesus no one like you.

We thank you, jesus. You have good plans. You have a hope and a future. Come on, why don't you just stay standing as we read the word? Psalm 84 says how lovely is your dwelling place. Lord Almighty, my soul yearns and even faints for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises. What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage. Verse 10,. A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else. I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked Verse 12. No, I got to read verse 11 first. For the Lord, god, is our son and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing for those who do what is right. O Lord of heaven's armies, what joy for those who trust in you. Come on, this is the word of the Lord. This is the word of the Lord. Why don't you find your seat? I'm going to talk about plants. I'm going to talk about how we're going to talk about it in the next couple of weeks. We put together a whole bunch of other resources. Just kind of come alongside to explain the how, because I really felt like my just kind of come alongside to explain the how Because I really felt like my role today is not necessarily to describe the how, but to describe the urgency and to describe what God wants to do here.

In Luke 4, when Jesus is reading a scroll from Isaiah describing his mission he was describing our mission to set the captives free, to see the oppressed released. He starts talking about wholeness and freedom in life. Wholeness and freedom in life. In Matthew 28, he says all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Now I'm giving it to you that you might make disciples, that you go out into the whole world and make disciples. He passes a responsibility to us and that piece of scripture known as the Great Commission, at times and seasons in the life of the church has actually been the great omission. It has been the thing that we have pondered and we have postured, but we have not found sustainable ways to shift our perspective to say I am called, chosen and appointed to be a disciple who makes disciples.

That is the call for every believer. There is not a single person in this room that is exempt. And while you might be looking at me going, well, you're the disciple-making guy. No, no, no, no, you're the disciple-making guy and girl, person, man, woman, child. Because the same resurrection power that brought Jesus back from the grave lives inside of you, and the enemy of your soul, who comes to steal, kill and destroy, would be content if you did nothing with that resurrection power. That word in the original Greek language for destroy is to actually render useless or to paralyze, to keep you frozen. He's happy if you sit here. He's happy if you like it. He's happy if you sing. You're like no, he's not, he is, as long as you keep it right here. If this doesn't get out there, if that freedom that you're walking in just stays with you.

So the mission of the church we have that saying, you know, at the end of every service. Sunday service might be over, but church is just getting started. Church is just getting started because the moment you step outside of this building, you carry the hope and life and freedom that's found in Jesus. We understand that the church, this is not the church, you are the church. This is the church building. This is the sheep shed. At best it's the sheep shed. This is not the church. You are the church. So on Vision Sunday, I humbly stand before you and I want to honor you for your passion to pursue the presence of Jesus. I don't know if you've noticed, but something's shifted in the last six weeks, worship shifted in the last six weeks. What that signals to me is not some air or energy or vibe that shifted, it's a heart change that says we want more of Jesus. We want the real deal. We're not here for entertainment, we're here to worship Jesus, honor his name and then to step out and do anything and everything we can to reach as many as we can with this hope.

In 1 Peter 3, 2 Peter 3, I always mix it up 2 Peter 3 says this. But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. So when we say in Psalm 84, better is one day in your course than a thousand elsewhere, we begin to understand that we're talking about being caught up into a moment where nothing else seems to matter, because you're experiencing the fullness of the presence of God. Then it says this in verse 9, speaking of the end of the world, because it wouldn't be a fun Sunday without talking about the end of the world as we know it. He says the Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, meaning talking about Jesus coming back. You're like when are you coming? I have plans. You know everyone. I don't know if you thought it was coming at the eclipse, but he was not coming at the eclipse, I don't know if you've.

Scripture does say no man will know the day, the time or the hour. So if somebody tells you they do, you already know they're wrong. And if they're selling you a book, don't buy it. It says the Lord isn't really being slow about his promises. Some people think Watch this. He says no, he is being patient for your sake. He's being patient. He does not want anyone to be destroyed but wants everyone to repent. He's being patient. You know I've said this before.

Okay, I guess I can get a little bit of trouble on Vision Sunday. Right, that's okay. I have conversations sometimes. I'm not going to name names because I don't think they mean what. They know what they mean or mean what. Anyways, I don't even know. I'm trying to be very nice. Here's what happens. People tell me that I need to preach about hell more and let people know where they're going. And let people know where they're going, and I think they mean that in a good way. But I could also talk about Jesus, the hope that he offers, and where they could be going.

We don't shirk the reality of eternal separation. We do not revel in the fact that someone may spend eternity without Jesus. So we will be honest that you can choose Jesus or you can choose to live without him in this life and into the next. You can choose Jesus or you can choose to live without him in this life and into the next. But we're not here to celebrate somebody going to hell. We're not here to say, see, I told you so. Because if that person is my friend or in my world or in my sphere, I have to ask myself did I do everything that I could to make that person, to let them know about Jesus, to let them know that they had options? And by options, let me be very clear about what I mean about options, just in case this gets clipped and puts into a soundbite. I don't mean that there's many ways to heaven. I mean that they have a choice Jesus and everything else. That Jesus is the option that they have a choice. This is the option that they have a choice.

But our responsibility is five-fold ministry leaders, which is the gift. This sounds self-serving, but Jesus said this leadership group is the gift given to the church so that the church could come and rise to maturity, and our job is to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry. Thankfully, our name is in Scripture, so it's very clear Saints. That's what we're here to do equip the saints. And so this next season, for us as a church, isn't about doing things as much as it is about becoming the person that God has created you to be, and we do that by diving deeper into the Word. We do that by spending time in His presence in prayer. We do that by sharing this hope in life that's inside of us, because there is a mantle of responsibility on every believer. Share what Jesus has done, and we don't know what we don't know. So there's a responsibility on us as a team to provide the tools and the strategies for you to accomplish all that God has called you to do. That's what we're going to do, but may we not mistake the intentionality of a season for the urgency of a season.

This isn't equipping season. Equipping season generally culminates into ascending season. So we're at the beginning of a whole new journey where Jesus is equipping us. Now, what does that mean? He's equipping us, he's resourcing, we're studying his word, he's transforming us. He's preparing us for something and there are moments and there's people in this room that he's preparing to send you into conversations and send you into offices and send you into schools and to carry that hope in life and to speak about Jesus. He's preparing, he's equipping you to send you and release you. There's people in this room that he's stirring dreams and visions in your heart. He's calling you to plant churches, to reach new communities and new cities. There's people in this room he's calling you to go to different countries.

A quipping season is like a seed season, where we plant, we water and the sending season is where you grow, all the new life pops out and then we say you're growing, now it's time for the going. I know you were hoping for more hype, but we don't deal in hype, we deal in hope. I want to mention two things. Pastor David and Jeannie McGrew are with us. Pastor David is joining us. Our team is a theologian in residence. What is that A theologian in residence? What is that? A theologian in residence is one who's trained in theology and is involved in the life of the church to help the church think theologically about their work and to help the church explore and express their theology In times of growing social unrest. The theologian in residence will work with the pastoral and eldership teams to research, study and articulate a clear and biblically based position on the major issues facing the church and society today. This world is crazy, does anyone notice? And they're coming for your kids and you're like. That seems sounds extreme. No, there's an intentionality on the other side of the coin and we're just waking up to the fact that they've been coming after your family. They've been breaking down your home, and by they I don't mean any one person. I mean, the enemy of our souls has a strategy and he's been releasing it on the earth and we've been buying into it in the church. But we say this far and no farther. We're building a house for the next generation, and to build a house for the next generation, we have to honor what was we have to understand so we can build on their shoulders, so that we can accomplish all that God has given us. Pastors David and Gina are going to allow us and help us and serve us in this way, to be rooted and grounded in the word, because we don't need another good idea, we need God's idea, and Pastor David and I are embarking on a new journey. We're starting a new ministry together to help and resource churches, called Church Help, and we're excited to be tied together to equip and resource churches in Canada Help, and we're excited to be tied together to equip and resource churches in Canada and across the planet. But right here at home, it's a season for equipping the same. That's what Saints Global is all about, and the team's going to put a QR code on the screen if you want to join Saints Global. It's like Facebook, without all the drama, and if you bring drama, I'm just going to remove you. I'm not an egalitarian. I don't believe things have to be fair. If you cause problems, you're out. This is a community and we're growing together. We're encouraging one another. This is a safe place for us as a church family, to connect online, to be resourced, to grow. You're going to read the Bible there. We're going to talk about it. We're going to study the Bible there. We're going to connect people to new believers' pathways so that if they have questions, you don't have to have all the answers. You just have to know somebody who does. And the one who is the answer, who's Jesus. So, saints Global, I'm just going to invite everybody. You know why, saints Global? I'm just going to invite everybody. Why don't you get your phone out and aggressively scan that? And if you've missed your moment, we've tried to make it as simple as possible. You want to join this platform? You want to join the daily devotions tomorrow? It's saintsglobal. You just type that into your web browser. Easy, as easy as it comes, saintsglobal, and I can tell you the platform is only as good as the people that are on it, and you're some of the best people that I know, and so together we can grow, because if we don't have an online strategy in a largely online world, we're missing out on what God wants to do in us and through us. Saints Global. Second thing, tess, can you bring my phone? Sorry, this is a lot more matter of fact than maybe you're used to. I don't have the same jokes for you today. I left that to Danny, which is really trusting the Lord. Every year we do a Heart for the House offering, and I mean by every year. We started, we've done it once, we did it last year. Heart for the House is an annual offering. That's a sacrificial offering. We pray, we ask the Lord what we're supposed to give to propel the vision and the mission of the house forward. We don't have. It's not a campaign. We don't have targets, we don't have things. It's an opportunity for all of us to turn to the Lord, and this is separate from our tithes. This is an opportunity for us to ask God what would you have me do to invest in what you want to do here? It's through these opportunities that we can launch brand new programs. We're launching, actually, a brand new daycare, as soon as we get final approvals one day so we can serve our community in a brand new way and we were able to use the Heart for the House funds to do what we need to do to get that going. If we didn't have the Heart for the House funds, we couldn't help CityServe launch to serve the city in the way that they are. And what we did last year is it was one day and we gave all on that one day, and that's amazing. This year that date is June 23rd. It's June 23rd, but I heard a few things and how many know that the best leaders listen and I heard from a number of you saying, hey, it would have been nice if I could kind of give along the way, it would be nice if I could give leading up to it. It would be nice if I could kind of plan a little bit. And so I'm letting you know now that it's coming. But we're actually opening up the heart for the house fund today and we're opening it up right now and there's going to be a QR code that's going to come up. So if you say, hey, I want to start giving intentionally, I want to be a part of it, I want to be a part of what God is doing, then you can do that. The team's going to load whatever needs to be loaded. And why I'm scrambling here is that Desiree and I, as we were planning and preparing for today, we said we're going to give the first. So I'm going really fast, and so I'm literally giving the first $1,000 to the Heart of the Fund Heart for the House Fund today, right here, right now, in this moment, so that I could be the first and I can sow the first seed. So I'm going to e-transfer right now. I'm doing it right now, deandre, I'm doing it right now. You're trying to beat me, and that's not good, or it's great, and that's not good or it's great. So, if you want to plan and prepare and give, we don't have a campaign number. I do have a dream in my heart for a number, and there's six digits, because I just know that the vision is large and the city's need is huge. But I also know that all that we need is in the house. Ephesians 3.20 says Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations. We're building a house for all generations, forever and ever. Amen.