Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish. But happy is he who keeps the law.”  We don’t want to have a church that’s full of death and lacking life, so for that reason, we know how important it is for us to help our people to have vision.  One of the best tests of a leader is the ability to reproduce his vision in the lives of his followers.  So we have identified a few areas of vision where we want to focus in our church.  Of course, there are a lot of things that aren’t on this list that are important to us (the Bible, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, praise and worship, etc.), but these are some areas where we have felt led to concentrate:

1) Church Planting

Jesus said that He would build His church, and the gates of Hell would not be able overcome it.  The gates of hell will prevail against every other organization or club on the earth, but not against the church.  Many times, anointed evangelists can go into an area and shake it for the Gospel, but if the people don’t get into local churches, the fruit will be limited at best.  The way to change nations is by planting churches.  Our heart is to pioneer, going into areas where no one is working, taking new ground for the Gospel.

Keith Hazell prophesied to us, “From time to time, God will speak to this church, and He will say that there is a city that you need to go to.  And there will be crusades that this church will hold in other cities, and they will be for one purpose: to plant a church.  God says that even though crusades, I’m going to plant churches in this country.  I’m going to plant them through healing, through salvation, and through deliverance…And this church will become a church-planting church.  For the wave that I want to bring is not a wave where people will be lost, but it’s a place where there will be places for them to be shepherded and to be cared for.  Therefore, there will be churches in many cities, and they will be waiting for the influx of the Holy Spirit.”

We are currently working to plant churches among the Gypsies in two of the poorest areas of our town, Iris and Ira.  Additionally, as the Lord provides for us a vehicle, we will plant church in the surrounding area around our city.

2) Training and releasing people into ministry

            Jesus said that He would send us just as the Father had sent Him.  It was the love the Father that caused Him to send Jesus, and it’s the love of Jesus that causes him to send us.  Firstly, Jesus sent out the 12 to do the same ministry He was doing—then, the 70, and finally all of His disciples.  And He is still sending people out today.  As the name of our church is Antioch, we want to follow their model of being a sending church.  When the leadership of Antioch team sent out Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13, Paul went from being known as a prophet/teacher to being known as an apostle.  An apostle means “one who is sent out.”  Our desire is to have a church where every person is involved someway in ministry, where people’s gifts are quickly recognized and put to us.

            Again, Keith Hazell prophesied to us, “This will be a place of opportunity for the young.  They will say, ‘If we come here, we will have opportunity.’  And I’m going to give you courage, says the Lord, because you’re going to plant out some young people.  Some of these that come to you from other cities, after a year, you’re going to send them back.  People are going to criticize you, saying, 'Too young!  Untrained!'  But God will say, ‘Old enough!  Same Holy Spirit!’  Therefore, you can have confidence and send people forth, says the Lord.”

            We are currently training leaders and releasing them into ministry.  Miha has all ready raised up a team of children’s workers who do outreaches all by themselves.  David has brought teams to different areas and made them going from door to door, praying for the sick, while he stays outside and prays for them.  Every meeting, we have different people share on the offering, some of them very young Christians.  Anointed young preachers are coming up.  The list could go on and on.

3) Spiritual Gifts

            Paul told us to eagerly desire spiritual gifts.  Major Charismatic churches are now saying that they place no emphasis on spiritual gifts (doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose of being Charismatic?)  But the kingdom of God isn’t about fancy talking – it’s about living by the Spirit’s power.  Miracles, signs, and wonders should be daily occurrences in the lives of believers, not just in the church but everywhere they go – grocery stores, work, school, or out on the street.    

Keith Hazell prophesied at the very beginning of our church, “For this is going to be a transmittal center of the anointing of God…And you will lay hands on many, and you will see signs, wonders, and miracles.  You will see them released in these people and released through these people.  The Lord says that He is not calling you to build an educational neither an intellectual church.  He is calling you to build a church like Antioch, where the anointing of the Holy Spirit was paramount…This is a place of anointing, says the Lord; this is the place of special presence; I will give you My special presence.”