Carrying The Vision—Part One
Pastors Rodney & Adonica Howard-BrownePublish date: 12/21/2025
Foundation Scripture:
Where there is no vision, the people perish. Proverbs 29:18a KJV
1. The River Identity.
a. The River at Tampa Bay is not just a Sunday church.
b. It has never been.
c. This is a revival church, planted by God and called to win souls.
d. To raise leaders.
e. And touch the nations of the earth.
f. We are a local church with a global vision.
g. And that vision will not carry itself.
h. People don’t perish because God didn’t speak.
i. They perish when God’s vision is not carried by God’s people.
2. Attendee or Carrier.
a. You are not here to merely attend—you are here to carry.
b. This is not a church you attend.
c. This is a vision you belong to.
d. Habakkuk 2:2 KJV –– And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
e. Vision produces runners, not spectators.
f. At The River:
• Souls are won
• Lives are changed
• Leaders are trained
• Missionaries are sent
• Revival fire is carried
g. Application to the membership:
h. If you call this your church, then:
• You carry the vision
• You protect the vision
• You advance the vision
3. Proximity Versus Participation.
a. Proximity to revival is not the same as participation.
b. You can sit in revival and never move with it.
c. Matthew 11:12 KJV –– And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
d. Revival is not automatic.
e. It must be entered, engaged, and advanced.
f. Do not assume you understand the vision because you are near it.
g. Ask.
h. Learn.
i. Serve.
j. Run.
4. Carrying the Flow.
a. The River runs because many carry the flow.
b. The functioning of this church does not move or depend on one anointing alone.
c. But on many, who are carrying their load and doing their part.
d. Ecclesiastes 4:9 KJV –– Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
e. From ushers to soul-winners.
f. From media to missions.
g. From ministry of helps to hospitality.
h. Everyone has a place.
i. If everyone carries their part, no one person is crushed by the load.
5. Beyond Tampa.
a. Think beyond Tampa.
b. What God is doing here does not stop at the county line.
c. Isaiah 54:2-3 AMPC –– Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; spare not; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes, For you will spread abroad to the right hand and to the left; and your offspring will possess the nations…
d. The River touches:
• Cities
• States
• Nations
• Generations
e. You may serve locally, but you are part of something global.
6. Doing Your Part.
a. River family, 2026 is not about doing more.
b. It’s about doing our part.
c. Next week, I will show you how this vision is protected, sustained, and multiplied and what each of us must guard so revival never leaks.