The vision that God has given me.
This week I have been focusing on vision and its importance. When I think about the vision that God has given me, I can sum it up in a few words: ‘Tell people about Jesus’. That’s it! I need to keep coming back to this vision or I quickly get swamped by so-called urgent church matters.I believe God has given a vision to all people. I have been meeting with a few neighbours recently to discuss ‘God stuff’. On Wednesday night, one of my neighbors said he was thankful that Jesus had saved him, but so what? He is unsure of what God wants from him. Many of us are like this. We are thankful for His love but we are not sure what we should do about it. If it is true that God has given each person a vision, surely it is more than just coming to church on a Sunday?Since I can remember, I have had the vision of telling people about Jesus. But how to do that has changed significantly of the years. Firstly, I thought I could manage this by just arguing with people the truth of who Jesus claimed to be. This was of upmost importance to me. It was all I knew as a teenager who had recently discovered the truth of the Resurrection, the Person of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Over time the gospel of Jesus has continued to grow bigger, deeper and more tangible for me. It seems so little about being right and arguing about the truth of Jesus with others now. The gospel has become broader, bigger and more amazing than I could have ever imagined.Now don’t get worried, my conservative friends. I am seeing greater than ever how the gospel affects everything, and I mean everything! Because of this, I am more passionate than ever about people coming to know God through the narrow gate of Jesus. The gospel is about God reconciling a fallen world through the death and resurrection of His son, but it is also so much more! We, as His people, have been called up into the great salvation plan of God. We are not just passengers, but active children in it. We are called to prioritize God first in everything we do, and to live lives that reflect His goodness (as we are learning in Titus).I will finish with a challenge. I think the vision God has given to me is the same vision He has given to all people who love Him. If you grab hold of this vision and keep coming back to it frequently, the How will work itself out. It is all about the vision. If not, it is easy to just get caught up in doing church. Love God with everything; see everything you do as worship to Him and rapidly you will know what He requires.Blessings, James