There appears to be a significant surge in church planting at this time across a wide spectrum of denominations and church groups, not just in the UK but also around the world, despite the difficult circumstances that everyone faces.

There are a few challenges (actually, there are many!) leaders face in dealing with these challenges, but there is food for thought in taking more than a casual look at Nehemiah.

What’s the Vision?

Let’s start your thinking process by asking if you can clearly articulate the vision you have for the church you are involved in. Do you see how all the pieces fit together like a giant jigsaw puzzle? Hopefully, you don’t have a piece missing. The big thing that helps with a giant jigsaw is ensuring that you have a picture before you of what you are building. This is true for what we are doing in the life of the church; you must always have a big-picture dynamic. When you lose sight of the big picture of what God has truly called you to do, you start to struggle and lose your way—discouragement sets in, and energy wanes. Scripture warns us clearly, “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint” (Proverbs 29:18). Without vision, you begin to diminish God, as well as the things on your heart. The capacity of God to do big things becomes a challenge. That’s why we need to encourage one another to constantly talk, pray into, and inspire the people with you by always portraying the big picture that God has called you to.

The Importance of True Vision in Ministry

But it has to be a true vision. Years ago, I encouraged a church that I was pastoring to increase their evangelistic activity by introducing “Project Century”—winning 100 to Christ by the end of the year. It was a bold initiative, but it was mine, not inspired by God. Two months after the launch, I attended a leaders’ conference hosted by John Wimber. During ministry time, I was approached by one of Wimber’s team who asked to pray for me. It was very moving, and after lots of tears, I was on the floor when he leaned over me and said, “One other thing…” “What?” I said nervously. “God says, ‘My people are not a project.’” I wanted the earth to open and swallow me up—but it was true, we must never look on people as a project. I always have suspicions when leaders say that God has told them to plant, build, or send 1,000 or 10,000 of ‘this and that.’ Why not 765 or 8,764 new churches or other ‘things’? It’s us that like to round things up. Still, if you have heard God say a number, stick with it—I’m just making a point.

Nehemiah: A Model of Big-Picture Vision

Presently, one of the great heroes you may be looking at, because there’s a lot of interaction going on regarding vision and renewing your vision, is a character in the Old Testament called Nehemiah. One of the great things that can inspire you in Nehemiah is that he was always a big-picture person. He had an end goal, and he knew with clarity what it was. Absolutely nothing deterred or distracted him from achieving that goal. When you fail to have a big picture of what you’re doing, many distractions will pull you away from where you’re going, and you’ll lose the inspiration you once had.

For Nehemiah, his big-picture vision was rebuilding a city, the temples, and the walls, and of course, in the Old Testament, it represented the presence of God, the power of God, and that they were the people of God. It was a display to the nations of what it was like to walk with a living God rather than dead idols. For him, when the walls were down and the temple had been ruined, it represented that the presence of God had been removed, the power of God didn’t exist, and they were no longer a light to the nations. You are planting churches and communities in every town, village, and city across Europe, God willing, that are communities with the presence of God, moving in the power of God and displaying to a secular society in Europe that God is alive and can break into your life and bring transformation.

You must be like Nehemiah. You must constantly keep the big picture in front of you. The phrase often used for talking about Nehemiah in the big picture is that he was “burdened.” There was something in Nehemiah’s heart that was burdened until he saw the big picture become a reality. Because he was burdened, there was no compromise. He constantly focused on where he was going and what God was doing. He was totally, relentlessly passionate from day one right to the end of his life, and he never got overwhelmed by all the details. In fact, if you read Nehemiah, it’s just so great; he’s consumed with the big picture.

You get little phrases like this in Nehemiah 4:6: when he’s facing all opposition and people mocking him, he says, “So we built the wall.” That was his response to all the criticism; he just got on with it. And then I love this in Nehemiah 6:3: he says, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.” In other words, he wasn’t even going to get off the wall for a moment to be distracted from what he was doing because he was so focused. You are doing a great work. It doesn’t feel like that sometimes, but you cannot afford to get side-tracked in what you are doing. If you keep the big picture before you, you won’t be distracted.

Nehemiah 6:11: “Should such a man as I run away?” They said they were going to come and kill you, you must flee, you must run away to safety. He said, “Should such a man as I run away?” What does that mean? Well, can a man like you, who’s called of God, run away? If you are called of God, you can’t think of any reason why you should not continue to fulfil the vision that God has given to you. You need to be burdened for the big picture that is before you. So, if you are planting a church or about to plant a church or are involved in one right now, keep the big picture before you constantly. Have a vision of what this church is going to look like.

Inspiring Vision Through God’s Promises

Everything will be contested. Because they’re battlegrounds, you need to keep the big picture before you. That’s why you need to be burdened. Potentially, there are many setbacks, what helps you face them is ensuring you have an inspiring vision soaked in the promises of God. Things that God has declared in His Word are a huge inspiration for vision. Why? Because they are promises. Why is that inspiring? Because you can have absolute assurance that the promises are going to come to pass. You have a faithful God who doesn’t break His promises. You have the assurance in your heart that what He has begun, He will bring to completion. All you need to exercise to receive these promises is faith, and it’s faith that inspires you because you’re believing the promises of God.

So, what has God said about what you are doing or what you are planting? Ask yourself that question and then live there. Don’t move from that place. Don’t let anything rob you of believing God that the things He’s promised can surely come to pass. You’re coming out the other end of this strange time, I believe, with more faith to believe God for even greater things. Jesus did say about your church that He would build it, not you, and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. Live in that promise. He said you will be the salt of the earth in your city or town. You will be the light of the world.

He says of your church plant, you’ll be like a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. You’re going to be a house of prayer for all nations. You’re going to be the joy of the whole earth. You’re going to be a royal priesthood and a holy nation. You’re going to be a family made up of every tribe, tongue, and nation.

These are things that God has promised about the church plant that you are involved in at the moment. When you read the book of Ephesians, you just see picture after picture after picture of the kind of church that God has promised to build through you in your towns and cities. It’s just so encouraging to be soaked in these things.

In Ephesians, we see pictures of the church like the fullness of Him who fills all in all, God’s dwelling place by the Spirit. Through the church, the wisdom of God is manifest. The church is like a community; when it’s all working properly, it builds itself up. The church is radiant and spotless. The church is like, in Ephesians 6, an army that’s fighting spiritual warfare. You can be inspired by all these wonderful examples of vision of what God wants to do.

Some of your vision also comes from the past. When you look at the Old Testament and see characters like Nehemiah, the Bible says they are given for your instruction and for your encouragement. It’s good to look back at these great saints. Of course, throughout the Old Testament, you see story after story of people who were fulfilling the big picture vision because of the promises of God that He’d given them. It wasn’t in their own strength; it was because of what God had said. In the New Testament, you see the early church and the model laid out in the early church. They are full of the promises of God for you as well. Your church will look like the church displayed in the book of Acts. The reason for that is that the DNA in the early church is in you.

It’s the same Jesus building the church, the same Holy Spirit working in you that was working 2000 years ago. It’s the same anointing upon you and the same vision they had that you have now because the DNA is in you. Andy McCullough has a brilliant book called Global Humility, in it he uses an example; “All the tree is in the seed.” What he means is when a seed is planted by God, all the potential to make that seed become a tree is already there in the moment that it’s planted. If you’re in a church plant and you’re struggling, it’s a wonderful promise to remember.

On the day of Pentecost, when the seed was planted, all the potential for what God was going to do in the earth was planted on that day, and it’s never changed. The Spirit of God is poured out on all flesh. Remember the promise to your children, your children’s children, and all who are far off. You are still the recipient of the same thing. It’s important for inspiring vision. It’s not how many churches you plant, but what kind of church you plant. It is better to plant ten churches of such quality that they will multiply themselves in the years to come than rush around planting a hundred churches that will fade away in the first year or two. It’s not how many; it’s the kind of church you plant.

The Role of the Holy Spirit in Fulfilling the Vision

Finally, you will have an inspiring vision when it is anointed by the Holy Spirit, which causes you to be anointed by the Spirit of God as well. Consider Acts chapters 1-7. Ringing in their ears were the words of Jesus, “Go into all the world, baptising everybody, teaching everybody that all authority is given to you. Go, go, go!” Yet nothing much happens for quite a few years. In chapters 1-7, they don’t go planting churches; they don’t go to Judea, Samaria, or the ends of the earth, even though they were told to do so. Then you get to chapter 7, when Stephen is martyred. In chapter 8, it just goes everywhere.

What happened at that time was that the DNA, the kind of church that Jesus was building, was learned, taught, and experienced, and then was replicated everywhere they went. When it comes to Acts chapter 11 and they hear that all these non-Jews have been saved, they send down Barnabas to check them out. He’s gone to check them out to see if they are the real deal. It says in Acts chapter 11, when he saw the evidence of the grace of God among them, he was so glad. What did Barnabas see? He saw what he’d experienced in Jerusalem in chapters 1-7, and he realised that this was the real deal.

It wasn’t taken as a formula or a blueprint. It wasn’t a functional movement. It happened supernaturally because it was fuelled by the person of the Holy Spirit. In today’s world with the digital world at their fingertips, a lot of people see stuff they like, copy it, and hope for the best, without all the hard work that went into the person who wrote the book in the first place and the anointing upon that community to do it. You may try to copy it without hard work and without the anointing, and you wonder why it doesn’t happen. It’s obvious, but that’s the world we live in. Everyone’s trying to copy what everyone else is doing without the anointing. You don’t need to be like that. Why? Because the Holy Spirit will inspire your vision by anointing you and your communities, and then fuelling the vision into reality. You and your church plant need this kind of anointed vision.

Your heart is to pour what God has given you into a new generation. I don’t think it’s just about age. It’s about mums, dads, grandparents, young people, students, married couples, and singles—everybody that’s in this new generation. It’s like one generation needs to impart something to another generation. Your challenge is this: to teach this new generation the big picture story as much as you can and remind them of the promises of God and inspire them by looking at the book of Acts and the model and tell stories. But that’s not all… they still might lack an inspired vision because, unless you have the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon you as a community, you will not have the resources to fulfil the vision that God has given to you.

The answer is that the church of Jesus, more than anything else, needs a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. You need His power and dynamic. You need to be hungry and thirsty, and you need to cry out to God for that. Romans 15:13 is quite a well-known little verse: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

The things I have mentioned are all in that verse.

Our inspiration will not come from trying to be trendy or trying to be novel or trying to come up with brand new ideas that no one’s ever thought about, but rather being big-picture people soaked in the promises of God and anointed by the Holy Spirit.

You may even have nothing new to say because it’s all been said before, but you can, like Nehemiah, burdened for the purposes of God in your day and generation.

If you want God’s best in your life and desire to make your life count, you likely need to be prepared to travel a road that includes a measure of adversity.

This road is ever-present, and it is incredible how God uses these challenging times to shape us, making us fit for His purposes. Adversity is a reality we all face. It encompasses those dark moments when we feel tested and tempted, hurt, misused, and abused. It is during these times we feel depressed, anxious, fearful, thoughtless, sinful, and sorrowful. Such experiences are part and parcel of life. At Emmanuel Sheffield, we often hear how God uses these trials to strengthen our faith and refine our character, reminding us that we are never alone in our struggles.

Understanding Adversity

Dark moments are inevitable, and God never promised us a life free of them. The crucial question we must ask ourselves is: How will we respond to them? Our response to adversity is influenced by several factors, including the duration of these dark times. For some, these periods of hardship might extend beyond what seems bearable—hours turning into days, weeks, months, or even years. This leads us to wonder: Why has God allowed such prolonged adversity in our lives?

There is a fundamental truth that these dark moments last only as long as necessary for God to fulfil His purpose in us. This means that these times have a defined limit and a specific purpose. They endure only as long as needed for God to accomplish His plans. Often, we do not understand His purpose, prompting us to question, “God, why are You allowing this? It seems so pointless and senseless. I’m just in pain, and it continues endlessly.” While we might not see the reason, God does because He views our lives from beginning to end.

The Story of Joseph

To illustrate this, let’s delve into the life of Joseph, whose journey exemplifies how God uses adversity for a greater purpose. Joseph’s trials began in his teenage years and extended over thirteen years of intense hardship.

In Genesis 37, we learn about Joseph’s early life. Jacob, Joseph’s father, lived in Canaan, and Joseph, at seventeen, was tending the flock with his brothers. He brought back a bad report about them to their father. Now, Israel (Jacob’s other name) loved Joseph more than his other sons because Joseph was born to him in his old age. Jacob even made Joseph a coat of many colours, a sign of his favouritism, which incited acute hatred among Joseph’s brothers. In their better moments, they could barely speak a kind word to him, if at all.

Joseph’s situation worsened when he shared his dreams with his brothers. In one dream, his sheaf stood upright while his brothers’ sheaves gathered around and bowed down to his (Genesis 37:5-7). This dream fuelled their anger and animosity. Joseph then had another dream where the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to him (Genesis 37:9). When he shared this with his father and brothers, his father rebuked him, and his brothers were even more jealous. Despite the animosity, his father kept these sayings in his mind. Things had gone from bad to worse – and more was to follow.

One day, Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers who were pasturing the flock in Shechem. This journey marked the beginning of a series of unfortunate events. Tired of Joseph’s dreams and their father’s favouritism, his brothers plotted to kill him. They threw him into a pit and later sold him to a caravan of Ishmaelites heading to Egypt, where Joseph was sold to Potiphar, the head of Pharaoh’s bodyguard. Things got worse and worse. Imagine Joseph’s relief when pulled out of the pit by the Ishmaelites – saved! Only to discover he would now probably walk alongside camels – destination: Egypt. Not good.

From Slave to Prisoner

In Egypt, Joseph faced a new set of challenges. As a slave in Potiphar’s house, he started with menial tasks, but his diligence and integrity soon caught Potiphar’s attention. God was with him but did not rescue him. Potiphar entrusted his entire household to Joseph’s care (Genesis 39:4-6). However, Joseph’s good looks attracted Potiphar’s wife, who tried to seduce him. Joseph refused, staying true to his principles and loyalty to Potiphar (Genesis 39:9). Angered by his rejection, Potiphar’s wife falsely accused Joseph of trying to seduce her, leading to his imprisonment.

Prison was a harsh and unjust punishment for Joseph, who had done nothing wrong. Yet, even in prison, Joseph’s character shone through. He found favour with the prison warden, who eventually put him in charge of other prisoners (Genesis 39:22-23). During his time in prison, Joseph, blessed by God with the ability to interpret dreams, interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s baker and butler, accurately predicting their fates (Genesis 40:12-19). Despite his accurate interpretation, the butler forgot about Joseph after being restored to his position, leaving Joseph to languish in prison for several more years. And the clock ticks, years pass, dreams fade.

These years of suffering and injustice could have easily led Joseph to despair. Yet, Joseph remained faithful and steadfast, trusting in God’s plan even when it was impossible to see the end. His unwavering faith and integrity during these dark times prepared him for the role that God had in store for him.

The Transformation

One day, Pharaoh had disturbing dreams that none of his advisors could interpret. It’s now time for God’s intervention in Joseph’s life. The butler, remembering Joseph’s gift, mentioned him to Pharaoh. Joseph was brought before Pharaoh, and with God’s help, he interpreted the dreams, accurately predicting seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine (Genesis 41:25-32). Impressed by Joseph’s obvious wisdom and discernment, Pharaoh appointed him as the second-in-command in Egypt, tasked with preparing the nation for the upcoming famine (Genesis 41:41-43).

Joseph’s journey from being a favoured son to a slave and then a prisoner, ultimately leading to becoming a powerful leader, demonstrates how God’s plans can unfold in ways beyond our understanding. The thirteen long years of adversity were crucial in shaping Joseph’s character, wisdom, and leadership abilities. Through these trials, God prepared Joseph to save not only Egypt but also his own family and many others from the devastating famine.

Joseph’s story is a powerful reminder that God’s timing and purposes are perfect, even when we cannot see or understand them. His dark moments were necessary for God to accomplish His purpose, which was to place Joseph in a position where he could fulfil a significant role in God’s plan.

Embracing Adversity

Reflecting on Joseph’s life, we can draw valuable lessons for our own journey through adversity. We all experience dark moments, and it’s natural to question why we are going through such difficult times. It’s essential to remember that these moments are not without purpose – God uses them to shape our character, strengthen our faith, and prepare us for the roles He has planned for us.

When facing adversity, our response is crucial. Rebelling against these dark moments only prolongs them and can hinder God’s work in our lives. Instead, we should strive to trust God, even when we don’t understand His plan. Trusting God involves several key practices: reading and meditating on His Word, maintaining a consistent prayer life, and remaining obedient to His guidance.

Reading the Scriptures helps us understand how God thinks and works, aligning our minds with His will. It also provides us with the strength and wisdom to navigate our trials. Prayer is essential in building our relationship with God, allowing us to communicate our fears, doubts, and hopes, and to listen for His guidance.

On top of these things, obedience to God’s Word is vital. It demonstrates our trust in Him and our willingness to follow His path, even when it’s difficult. As we remain obedient, our trust in God grows, enabling us to face our dark moments with confidence and hope.

It’s important to recognise that the length of our trials is determined by God’s purpose in our lives. Sometimes, the dark moments may seem to last indefinitely, but they will only endure as long as necessary for God to accomplish His work in us. If we resist these moments, we may miss out on the growth and preparation that God intends for us.

God’s ultimate goal is to conform us to the likeness of Christ. This transformation requires perseverance, courage, and faith. Through our trials, God teaches us to trust Him, to be diligent, to be courageous, and to keep our eyes on Him. As we yield to His shaping, we become more like Christ, equipped to fulfil the unique purposes God has for each of us.

In moments of deep darkness, when it seems like there’s no end in sight, it’s crucial to remember that God is always with us. He sees the beginning and the end of our journey, and He knows exactly what we need to become the people He created us to be. Even when we can’t see the light, God is working behind the scenes, orchestrating events for our good and His glory.

So, if you are going through a tough time, hold on to the promise that God is with you. Trust that He has a purpose for your pain and that He will see you through. Use this time to draw closer to Him, to deepen your faith, and to let Him shape you into the person He wants you to be. Remember, no matter how dark the moment, God’s light is always shining, ready to guide you through.

Trusting God’s Plan

Joseph’s life story serves as a profound example of how God can use adversity for His greater purpose. Despite the many years of suffering and injustice, Joseph’s unwavering faith and trust in God led to a remarkable transformation, from a slave and prisoner to a powerful leader in Egypt. His journey illustrates that our darkest moments can become the stepping stones to fulfilling God’s purpose in our lives.

When we face our own adversities, it is vital to trust in God’s plan, even when we do not understand it. By staying faithful, reading His Word, praying, and being obedient, we align ourselves with His will and allow Him to work in and through us. Our trials, no matter how painful, are opportunities for growth, shaping us into the likeness of Christ and preparing us for the roles God has planned for us.

As we embrace our journey through adversity, let us remember that God’s timing is perfect, and His purposes are always for our good and His glory. By trusting Him through the dark moments, we open ourselves to experiencing His love, grace, and transformative power in our lives.

And just as Joseph emerged from his trials to fulfil a significant role in God’s plan, so can we, if we remain steadfast in our faith and trust in God’s unfailing promises.