Kingdom-Focused Vision

BF and AF are new markers in my historical timeline. Since the electrical fire that destroyed our Harvest Baptist Association Mission Center on July 11, many conversations now reference things before the fire and after the fire. One thing that is not fire-related is my conviction that we are to be focused on the Kingdom of God and that we should celebrate Kingdom-focused vision whenever it shows up. In the past week, I have seen two examples of Kingdom-focused vision at work. Our New Church/Mission Starting Team met last week with the pastor of a new church plant, Country Church in Runaway Bay. This new church has been blessed with the gift of a church building and six acres of land (debt free). The gift came from a non-denominational church that had ceased to be viable, but had a kingdom vision that extended beyond their own life cycle. The local congregation no longer exists, but the kingdom-focused vision carries on through the birthing of a new congregation that will be a participating member of HBA. A few days later, a representative group from our Executive Ministry Team met with a group of leaders from Primera Iglesia Bautista in Decatur. We met in the building that is being given (debt free) to this growing congregation by another congregation that had completed its life cycle and was no longer viable. Primera now has room to continue to grow and expand. Their vision is to grow in that current location and to start new missions and ministries ... and to use their former facilities to bless another ministry, continuing the Kingdom-focused vision that has been a blessing to them. The purpose of our meeting was to facilitate their becoming a participating member congregation of HBA. Two struggling congregations reached the end of their life cycle with assets that could either be divided up and sold off OR could be invested in the Kingdom of God. They chose the latter. So what can we learn from this? Probably many things, but the number one lesson for me is this--missions, ministries, programs, and congregations all have a life span. The Kingdom of God is eternal. A vision that is Kingd0m-focused enables us to see beyond the life span and invest in eternity. Where is your vision focused?