To see the fame and deeds of God in our time by developing followers of Jesus who are committed to practicing the way of Jesus.

This vision is drawn from Habakkuk 3:2 and Matthew 28:18–19—a call to believe God can still act in powerful ways today and to commit to discipleship that actually practices His teachings.

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Reason 1 – We must still believe God can and will act in power today

    •    Habakkuk had only heard of God’s miracles but prayed to see them in his time.

    •    Scripture is filled with examples (Noah, Caleb, Joshua, David, the woman with the issue of blood, Bartimaeus) where belief in God’s power preceded experiencing His power.

    •    Many Christians stop expecting what they haven’t experienced. Their experience becomes the authority rather than Scripture.

    •    The more we believe God can work, the more we tend to experience from Him.

    •    A.W. Tozer taught that we move toward our mental image of God—if we think He is small, we will live as if He is.

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Reason 2 – God responds to hunger, not apathy

    •    Tozer again: Complacency is the deadly foe of spiritual growth—“He waits to be wanted.”

    •    Biblical examples (Israel in Egypt, Judges cycle, David’s cries, 2 Chronicles 7:14, James 4:8, Matthew 5:6) show that God acts when His people cry out and earnestly seek Him.

    •    Hunger means craving, longing for God’s presence and work.

    •    The lie that “God will do whatever He will do, no matter what” is unbiblical—Scripture calls us to seek Him if we want to experience Him.

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How we pursue this vision – By developing followers of Jesus

    •    In Scripture, it was always the committed followers—those who put Jesus’ words into practice—who experienced His power.

    •    Examples:

    •    Peter obeying Jesus to cast nets and catching more fish than he could handle.

    •    Lepers healed “as they went.”

    •    The early church praying and seeing Peter freed from prison.

    •    Stephen, Ananias, Peter—each obeying Jesus and seeing miraculous results.

    •    Luke 6:47–49: Those who hear and obey are like houses on rock—secure, strong, and unshaken.

    •    Many call themselves Christians without following Jesus, and thus miss experiencing God’s power.

    •    Jesus calls for disciples, not just “Christians.” Discipleship is not about morality for morality’s sake, but about obedience that unlocks God’s powerful work.

    •    Commands are not rules for being “nice”—they are invitations to experience God’s presence and power.

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Call to Response

Coleton invited the church to respond in specific ways:

    1.    Pray for God’s fame and deeds to be repeated today—in healings, conversions, reconciliations, miracles.

    2.    Obey any specific word from God—don’t delay obedience.

    3.    Move from nominal Christianity to true discipleship—repent and follow Jesus fully.

    4.    Cultivate hunger for God—because God responds to hunger.

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Men’s Discipleship Group Questions

    1.    In what areas of your life have you stopped expecting God to move because you haven’t experienced Him working there yet?

    2.    How does your current “mental image” of God affect the way you pray, act, and take risks for Him?

    3.    Men often value results—how can we grow in valuing hunger for God even when results aren’t immediate?

    4.    What is one concrete step of obedience you believe Jesus is calling you to take this week?

    5.    How can we encourage each other to actually practice Jesus’ words instead of just talking about them?

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Women’s Discipleship Group Questions

    1.    Habakkuk prayed, “Repeat Your fame and deeds in our time.” If you prayed that today, what specific things would you ask God to do?

    2.    Where in your life has your experience been louder than Scripture in defining what you believe is possible with God?

    3.    What does “hungering for God” look like in your season of life right now?

    4.    Think of a time you obeyed God despite uncertainty—how did you see Him move through that?

    5.    What’s one way our group can pray with you for God to “repeat His deeds” in your family, relationships, or community?

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Author Quotes from the Sermon

    1.    Abraham Heschel:

“Never once in my life did I ask God for success or wisdom or power or fame. I asked for wonder, and he gave it to me.”

    2.    A.W. Tozer:

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. The gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and what we, deep in our hearts, conceive God to be like. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God.”

    3.    A.W. Tozer:

“I want to deliberately encourage a mighty longing after God. The lack of it has brought the church to our present low estate. The stiff and wooden quality about our spiritual lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted.”