A Vision for the Times

This was originally published in the July issue of our Chisholm Baptist newsletter. I will plan on trying to post these monthly articles to the blog to help keep it active. Please post your thoughts as comments....

Now the young man Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. 1 Samuel 3:1

We live in a day and age that is similar to the one described in this verse. Few people have a vision for anything beyond a secure retirement with enough money to play out their years. The motto of our times is eat, drink, and be merry. It is reflected in the advertisements with which we are continually bombarded, and it is reflected in the way we, in turn, spend our time, money and other resources.

As a result, there are two very distinct ways that some people respond to the lack of prophetic vision in our times. The first way they respond is by not caring about the lack of vision and just allowing themselves to be swept away with the tide of our times. We do this by simply living our life by the standards of the world where our striving is all aimed towards consuming and enjoying as much as we can in this life.

The second way that people respond is by becoming desperate to latch onto anything that remotely resembles a vision. One I have heard of lately is the "I35 Revival" vision. The gist of this is that Isaiah 35 is actually referring to a revival that will happen along the Interstae 35 corridor from Duluth to Texas. Since Isaiah 35 refers to a highway that will be a "way to holiness," I35 is the road in which this prophecy is supposed to come to pass. While I would have no problem with a massive revival breaking out along the I35 corridor from Duluth to Dallas, I think that the conclusion is a bit of a stretch – to say the least.

In light of these poor reactions to a general lack of prophetic vision in our times, I think that we need to be actively seeking the Lord to provide us with a clear vision for our lives and times. He promised that in these days our sons and daughters would prophecy, our old men would dream dreams and our young men see visions. Most importantly, if we are living lives in step with the Holy Spirit, we need to see through the eyes of Jesus. We need to see people the way that Jesus sees them and we need to see a clear picture of the mission that Jesus has laid out for us in our time and culture.

Specifically, we are living in the least churched county in the state of Minnesota. We support foreign missionaries who are working in countries that have a higher percentage of Christians than we do on the Iron Range. So what is God calling us to have a vision for?
First, I think we need a vision for passionate and transforming faith. Mere religion does not impress Jesus, and we need to have a vision for passing on a faith to future generations that goes above and beyond religious observance. We need to stop worrying about whether our faith is "acceptable" to the culture we live in and start loving Jesus with an abandon that will freak some people out. Without a passionate love for Jesus, there will never be a clear vision of the mission.

Second, we need to take a serious look at benevolence ministry. Our mandate to care for the poor is incredibly clear from scripture, but it needs to be more than "mere handouts." We need several people to step forward and to take on a benevolence ministry that can serve the needs of the poor in our communities in a way that preserves dignity and encourages a biblical work ethic. Ideas such as a benevolence garden, or work projects in return for gas or food vouchers simply need some willing people who are willing to have a huge impact on our community.

Finally, we need to consider planting new churches. This was the clear pattern of the apostles and early church leaders. Planting is also the most effective way to reach new segments of our communities for Christ. As we see our passion for Jesus and the gospel grow, it will translate into a passion to reach the lost in our communities and see them experience the transforming grace of God. Church planting is the natural outflow of these passions.

These are just a few. I would encourage you to seek God’s face and ask him to give you your own vision for your life and times – something more than a life of leisure and lack of discomfort.