Dream Big

This sermon will inspire the listener individually and the church as a whole to dream big dreams in their attempts to reach, teach and keep the souls God has entrusted to their future. Built around the need to retire the current debt of the church so resources will be freed to save souls instead of service debt, this message encourages each person to consider becoming a part of the solution in making the vision of the church come to pass. The teaching closes with a promise of future teachings on how to participate in the church's plan to pay off the mortgage and reach the lost with the resources God provides through His people.

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First Service

Only fools and free men dream big dreams.

It takes a decision to be free from the fears and feelings that limit others who live in a world that everyone can see and believe in.

Boldness and courage belong to those who are willing to attempt the impossible and achieve the heretofore unattainable.

Before 1954 it was thought by many that it was impossible for a human to run the mile in under 4 minutes. On May 6^th of that year an Englishman named Roger Bannister broke that impossible barrier. Six weeks later the second person followed suit and within a decade high school runners were turning in times under 4 minutes. Today it is the standard by which all middle distance runners are judged.

One man dreamed the impossible dream and achieved the unattainable goal and now it’s no big deal, everyone expects it.

Only fools and free men dream impossible dreams.

Key Scripture Passage: Psalms 126 NKJV

1 ¶ When the LORD brought back the captivity of Zion, We were like those who dream.

2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."

3 The LORD has done great things for us, And we are glad.

Do you have a dream? I’m talking about a life dream … something bigger than you … I do … several actually.

Among them I dream to one day enter Heaven’s gates and hear, “Well done good and faithful servant …” (Matthew 25:21)

But, that’s not the end of that dream. My dream also includes me standing close enough to the gates to see some of you when you enter Heaven. It is my hope to hear God say, “Well done …” to you as well.

I guess this comes with the heart and grace of being a pastor. Like a father who cares for his children and raises them to be happy and successful in life, I care about your future, both here on earth and your eternal future as well.

Hebrews 13:17 … those (pastoral leaders) … watch out for your souls, as those who must give account (unto God for you) …

You are God’s children and I am His servant, His steward, caring for you as one who must give an account for your soul to Him when it comes my day to stand before Him.

This is why each service is designed to affect your life in a positive way both spiritually and practically. This is why our staff members pray and work very diligently for you, hoping that God might bless you with resources and that you would invest them in eternity.

This is why we dare to give you bold dreams to pursue believing that your greatest day is yet ahead, encouraging you to see yourself as a winner, an overcomer in this life. This is why we create opportunities for you to participate in reaching the world for Jesus. This is why we have two men leaving this morning to share the Gospel in Greenland. I want you to reach for the stars and have a vision for the whole world on your shoulders.

This is why we teach you how to walk in the blessings of God and boldly challenge you to attempt what few others will attempt because they fear failure, hardships or costs. The greatest failure of all is to fail to try. Honestly, I had rather we reach for the stars and fail by only reaching the moon, than to reach for nothing and succeed.

Thirty eight years and nine days ago a historic event occurred … perhaps the greatest accomplishment of mankind since time began.

It was not without great risks, great efforts, and great costs and on top of that, it seemed impossible. It would never have happened if someone had not been daring enough to dream and dream big.

Sometimes it’s hard for a runner to muster the energy, amass the courage and embrace the dream of winning a race when they find themselves, late in the race, so many laps behind the leader.

That’s where America was in the late 1950’s and early 60’s.

Russia was our arch enemy during these days of the cold war when superpowers were busy positioning themselves for world domination through intimidation of weapons which could cross continents and deliver mass destruction. This superpower was poised to take over the whole world and control its destiny under their communist philosophies.

On January 2, 1959, Russia launched Lunar 1, the first unmanned space explorer to achieve the velocity necessary to break earth’s orbital gravity and venture out into the frontiers of space coming within 6000km of the Moon’s surface. That’s only about 3700 miles, almost the exact distance as it is straight from Washington DC to Moscow. Russia’s aim was to put a man on the moon.

On July 20, 1969, two men did land on the surface of the moon. However they were not Russian, but were on a US mission named Apollo 11. Neil Armstrong, an American, uttered those famous words, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

What got the United States into the game? What caught us up and got us ahead? What made us eventually win that race? An inspired dream that united the hearts and minds and resources of people.

May 25, 1961 President John F. Kennedy made his historic speech which committed the United States to a mission impossible, putting a man on the moon.

“Now is the time to take longer strides - time for a great new American enterprise - time for this nation to take a clearly leading role in space achievement, which in many ways may hold the key to our future on earth.

I believe we possess all the resources and talents necessary. But the facts of the matter are that we have never made the national decision or marshaled the national resources required for such leadership. We have never specified long-range goals on an urgent time schedule, or managed our resources and our time so as to insure their fulfillment.

Recognizing the head start obtained by the Soviets with their large rocket engines... and recognizing the likelihood that they will exploit this lead for some time to come in still more impressive successes, we nevertheless are required to make new efforts on our own. For while we cannot guarantee that we shall one day be first, we can guarantee that any failure to make this effort will make us last. We take an additional risk by making it in full view of the world, but … this very risk enhances our stature when we are successful. ...

I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.”

Old Glory, the broad bannered flag of the United States of America, still flies over the moon today and will stand there for thousands and thousands and thousands of years to come as a testimony to what a people can do when they embrace a dream, pool their resources and work together till the job is done.

It is written in the annuls of history that: “Never before had the nation been so united toward a single goal.”

The Kennedy Space Center in Florida was literally mobbed with almost 700,000 people who came to see the launch for themselves.

Among the honored guests: Vice President and Mrs. Spiro Agnew, former President and Mrs. Lyndon Johnson, Army Chief of Staff General William Westmoreland, four cabinet members, 33 senators, 200 congressmen, 14 governors, and 56 ambassadors. Almost 3,500 accredited members of the news media were occupying the press site with representation of 55 other countries, including the Russians.

On July 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong stepped off that ladder and took our one small step for man, but one giant leap for mankind. The impossible dream had become reality.

President John Kennedy was a big dreamer but so also was Neil Armstrong and the other 11 Americans who hold the honor of being the only 12 men who have ever set foot on the surface of the moon.

Somewhere these men were trained well. Proverbs speaks to that:

Proverbs 22 KJV

6 ¶ Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Often we disconnect right here with this scripture standing alone. However, let me connect the next verse as a part of the training up we should be teaching our children. If we don’t who else will?

7 ¶ The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

Evidently these Astronauts were trained, well trained, trained to be givers not takers, lenders not borrowers, participators not just spectators. These men looked beyond themselves to greater things.

Just like Joseph in Genesis 37, these men were all big dreamers. They dreamed of giving more, not just getting more. They dreamed of caring for others and not just caring for themselves.

I told you that I have several dreams. My biggest dream right now is the dream to build a bigger sanctuary to accommodate the growth of our church and community. I was recently informed of a new study just completed in the Golden Triangle showing that Southeast Texas is slated to grow by no less than 100,000 new people moving into this area within the next 3 to 5 years.

Even if this was not true, the fact that there are so many people already living in our several communities and in communities like ours all over this nation and around the world which we minister to and who do not yet know Christ as the Risen Messiah, pushes me, convinces me to grow our church and grow our resources beyond where we are to reach, teach and serve these individuals and families while we have the chance.

As I said, I have a dream to grow but I cannot right now in good faith feel the leadership of God to take this church into greater debt, the size debt it would take to build a sanctuary and the education, recreation and fellowship space we need to double the efforts and the outreach of our church. First I must keep what we have secure and the vision we hold safe and protected from the enemies which would love to burden us down, hold us captive and enslave us to paying for debt service instead of paying for souls.

So, in order to accomplish the impossible, we must first take a bold step of faith and attempt with our best efforts to retire our existing debt. With God’s help together we can do this.

Today our assets total more than 4 million dollars on this property alone. We owe approximately 2.1 million dollars on the mortgage and we have no other debt. It would amaze many of you to realize that the electricity bill for our church is between 1000 and 1200 dollars per week, this coupled with the building and liability insurance, the mortgage of $17,000 plus per month, the maintenance and upkeep, the CPA, the equipment, supplies and repairs all come out before we begin our ministry to the community, our nation and the world … then there are the missionaries and the salaries of our weekly workers from our nursery and janitors to our administrative and pastoral staff. Believe me it is amazing what it takes just to get this 12 acres mowed when it needs to be so it can look good and presentable as a representation of God’s House, our Church.

We are good and faithful stewards of every thing you give to God and God gives to us and we have a twenty year history of not asking for more. We take what comes in, we bless it and we do our best for God with it.

During the past building programs, from the sanctuary you are sitting in to the educational and administrative wing next door, from the worldwide broadcast of our services to the mission’s efforts around the globe, we have not asked you for more. The exceptions to these have been very few and very far between.

However, today we start a new campaign and we cannot accomplish this dream without your serious and continual support. Before we attempt to build I have a dream to pay off our existing debt. I want to attempt to retire the 2.1 million dollars just as fast as we can.

It will take givers not just getters, doers not just hearers, participators and not just spectators … dreamers – big dreamers.

People who dream of giving more and not just getting more.

People just like you.

Without apology I am asking each one of you sitting here and those of you listening to our broadcasts to consider helping us completely erase the debt of our church so that we can put the money you give to greater use reaching more souls for the kingdom.

I challenge you to not endanger the church’s ability to pay our current ministry costs by designating your normal tithes and offerings to this special fund … I am asking that you to give more, above your normal giving, give thoughtfully, prayerfully and sanely, do not give what you do not have, but give what you can from the bottom of your heart and mark it to be used as debt retirement. One hundred percent of everything you designate will go directly to pay off that debt.

Soon I will be sharing some specific goals with you which we can all work toward together. Make this a matter of prayer and stir your faith to believe God for our success. I believe that as the church comes out of debt, miraculously so will you and I am going to teach you how to do it by the faith and practice of God’s Word.

The Lord Himself will turn our captivity and we shall be more able ministers of the Gospel of Christ as we are set free from the bondage of our current debt and boldly stand free to dream and dream big.

You know, several years ago we took a family vacation and drove West. We went through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California, stopping at tourist sites along the way. One leg of our vacation found us in the city of Las Vegas. Wow! The Lights, the hotels, the casinos … it’s one impressive place.

I cannot imagine how much money it takes just to pay the electricity bill for one night on the strip or in one casino for that matter. Ready to leave that place I wanted to impress upon my children the hazards and temptations of being lured into the trap of thinking that gambling is an easy road to getting rich quick.

In an effort to teach them life principles I asked them to look at all the glitter and all the gold and all the people gambling and all the money on the tables, some players winning, others losing. When their eyes were about to pop out of their heads with the prospect of winning millions of dollars for only a quarter, I reminded them that:

Las Vegas, the hotels, the casinos, and all the glory was not built on winners, but on losers.

The opposite is true with in the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom is built on winners. It’s a win, win situation with God. You invest your finances in God’s Kingdom and He invests His Kingdom in your finances. And He pays 100% of the time.

Paying off the 2 million dollar debt may seem like only one small step for man but it will be one giant leap for mankind as we cover the whole world with the Word of Almighty God.

Lets do it for Jesus and His Bride, our Church, and for those who still need saved.

Dream and dream big. Together we can do it!

What can you do?

Will you ask God right now to show you what He wants you to do … then commit to do it.

Set yourself a giving goal and ask God to help you achieve it.

Dream of being a paymaster in His Kingdom. Dream and Dream Big!

You are the only thing limiting God from blessing you.

Lets pray now and soon I’ll be sharing some more specific steps we can take to make this dream become a reality.