Sound teaching, powerful storytelling (live and video), inspiring real-life examples—Day two of Exponential West continued the Dream Big conversation with Wayne Cordeiro, urban planters Eric Mason and D.A. Horton, and Kenyan multiplication leader Muriithi Wanjau who drove home the truth that big dreams are not just about the dreamer.
Your big dreams also overflow into the people God has placed under your leadership, Jesus’ worldwide Church, and the people who will hear and embrace the gospel as you call people to a Kingdom vision.
The “ripple effect” comes from aligning our dreams with God’s dreams.
Below, we’ve collected day two’s top highlights:
God’s calling you to a revolution. Kenyan church planter (he’s leading a growing church movement throughout Africa) Muriithi Wanjau asked leaders: “What is the big Kingdom vision you’re calling people to?”
He reminded us that Jesus didn’t come to plant a church or start a movement. He came to start a revolution that would change the world—a revolution that would bring the Kingdom to earth. And He has called us to join Him in that vision: “Jesus’ mission was nothing short of restoring God’s rule over every aspect of creation. Our mission as church leaders is not to call people to live safe Christian lives. Don’t make the mistake of challenging your people to live for something that’s too small when God wants them to be dangerous agents of Kingdom transformation.”
Wanjau’s big dream of a movement of churches in Nairobi, Kenya, has birthed leaders that have now planted congregations across 10 nations.
We need the weight beneath the waterline … Pastor and author Wayne Cordeiro offered a few lessons in sailing, saying that to withstand changing ocean currents, a sailboat needs more weight below the waterline. For us, that weight is godly character.
“There will come a point in your life where you’re going to need the weight beneath the waterline. None of us are immune to temptations. The devil wants all of your dream, not just a little part of it. That’s why we need to be weighted.
“You don’t practice and work out for the beginning or end of a race. Everything you’ve done to prepare and be in shape is for the moment you’re ready to give up. God gives you His dream, but you seek His favor—what He will do through you—and when you do, you’ll have the weight beneath the waterline.”
Our trials lead us to big dreams … God has a plan and a process. Projecting a distinct cadence in his speaking, urban church planter D.A. Horton shared his story and insights to affirm that our trials—and how we work through them—are catalysts to big dreams.
“Big dreams become manageable and tangible when the person God has given the dream to has been purged and matured through regularly scheduled fiery trials. It’s one thing to cast the dream; it’s another thing to hold on and steward it.
“We live in a broken world, so we have to model what it looks to work through trials as Christ followers. When a broken world sees us walking and working through adversity, that’s when they will recognize a big God who is pouring Himself out into people living with a big dream. Don’t fight the process; expect Him to mature you as you live it out for the long haul.”
Big dreams require us to upgrade our view of God … Inner-city Philadelphia planter Eric Mason challenged leaders with the question: “Is your dream big enough?” and offered determining factors to answer that question: “If you want to know whether your dream is big enough, you have to upgrade your view of God. We tend to have big plans but a small God. When you trust God beyond your capacity for what you can’t do but what He can do, God upgrades what you think is big to something massive you could never imagine!”
Join the Dream Big conversation on tomorrow’s webcast and live at upcoming Exponential regional events in the San Francisco Bay Area (Oct. 25-26), Chicago (Nov. 7-8), and Houston (Nov. 29-30). Go to exponential.org for information.
