Vision

Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ's fullness. Ephesians 4:13

Do you ever have trouble seeing? Sometimes as folks get older their eyes begin to weaken a bit. It might be things are just not as sharp as they used to be, or maybe the lens grows cloudy (cataracts), or changes in the shape of the cornea means we can see the distance marker but we can’t read the words in the book, or vice-versa. A visit to the optometrist and the optician, or some time with the ophthalmologist is in order and he often sets things right.

What do we do when our Spiritual vision is weakened? As we get further and further away from the original vision we discovered under the leadership of the Father, we often have trouble seeing what it is we are to be about. There are times when distractions cloud our view of outreach and ministry, and we forget to maintain a strong emphasis on what is really important.

Often everything just changes, which is the natural order of things, and consequentially we don’t see the vision the same way we once did. It must be time for a visit with the Great Physician! We may need to see again from His heart the vision that is before us. We might even need some new lenses with which to view His calling.

A Church needs to draw its Mission/Vision statement from Ephesians 4:13. My favorite reads like this: Providing for Prayer, Bible Study, Worship, and Family of God experiences, we seek to reach people with the Good News of the Gospel, and then endeavor to do the work of the ministry, edifying the Body of Christ, as we come together in the unity of the faith and the disciplines of llove, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

All of us need to be involved in those four areas listed above. Sometimes they are personal and individual, sometimes they are corporate and public. But all of them are necessary. We can never do the second and third part of the vision until we have done the first. And if we have done the first, and fail in the second and third, we are just being lazy and rebellious.

See again the vision. Set your heart on prayer, Bible study, Worship, and experience frequently the Family of God gathered. Then, you will have a witness to share, a Gospel to tell, and opportunities to disciple and be discipled. The result of that will be maturity in the faith. That’s the vision. That’s the mission.

See it again, for the first time.