The ability to see is precious. Some of the greatest inventions in all of history revolve around sight: the telescope and microscope. Wars are won and lost because one nation can see better than another and diseases are cured because scientists can see what is happening on a microscopic level. Therefore, it’s no wonder that the ability to see spiritually is such a precious ability. In the days ahead we will be talking a lot about God’s plan or vision for our church.
In John 1 we learn that Jesus brought light to a dark world. Interestingly, that didn’t necessarily mean everyone who stood near Him or talked with Him could see. It did mean that, for those who believed in Him, light was made available to them. Through Jesus, any darkness can be overcome. Spiritually speaking, the closer we are to Jesus the better we see God and therefore the better we know what to do in the world and with our lives.
As a pastor I have been told all my life how important vision is. I have been told “without vision the people perish.” Not to be one of the naysayers but I’ve never really bought that Proverbs 29:18 means vision in the sense most use it. First of all go to a search engine and put that phrase in and here’s what you’ll get:
“Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.” (NIV)
“When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.” (NLT)
“Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.” (ESV)
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” (KJV)
The words used above are “revelation”, “divine guidance” and “prophetic vision”. In my mind these are speaking of the words of Scripture. I think the author is speaking about the Bible, not what I might think God is saying to me about my daily choices.
If you look at the verses above, you will see the author’s intention is that we are doomed if God does not reveal Himself to us through the Scriptures or if we do not listen to the Scriptures. We know literally that if God did not reveal Himself in Christ we would all be on the way to Hell. We know what this verse means because the writer is using parallelism, an Old Testament literary tool. The second phrase in the verse is “blessed is He who keeps the LAW.” So, by “revelation” the verse means the specific revelation of God (According to the Old Testament, not what He tells me in my quiet time). What this verse does not say to me (as people often imply) is that I need to come up with a fancy business model to sell to the church (often called a vision) and use it to motivate people, to get them excited and to raise money.
Now that I’ve scared all you leader types to death, I am not saying that you don’t need to have and communicate a clear vision (that’s leadership 101). What I am saying is this: don’t manipulate vision and never say “God said,” unless He said it. It is wrong for me as a leader to say God wants us to _____________, when the reality is that I just want to go do something. As a leader I know that the word “vision” can be a clever way to get what I want.
So how does a pastor hear from and lead a church to obey God’s specific will for them? How do I as a pastor know what TBC should be doing as we move forward? I believe the answer is Proverbs 3:15. (1) I believe I must have a close walk with God and be in the center of His will. (2) I believe our staff and leaders must have a close walk with God and be in the center of His will. (3) I believe the people of TBC must have a close walk with God and be in the center of His will. I believe when 1, 2 and 3 happen it is inevitable that God will lead us in the direction we should go.
Any other method is a man made business plan at best (By the way, churches make lousy businesses.) So as you hear me begin to talk about the vision I believe God has for us, what I mean is that based on my time with God and the hearts of our leaders and members I believe God would be pleased if we_________________. For me this usually does not mean “I have 100% certainty”. Rather, it means that what we are about to do is biblical, it will please God without a doubt and as best I can tell as a flawed man, it is what God wants us to do at this time. That doesn’t mean God never speaks specifically to me or to a church.
In fact, I believe God is helping me to see the things at this time that He desires for us. I believe He is giving us a clear vision. How do I know? Because, as best we can, I believe we are seeking after Him with all of our hearts and a dad always helps His children when they are seeking to obey (Matthew 7:8-11). If we lean not on our understanding but in all our ways acknowledge Him I believe He will keep His promise and direct our paths. (Prov. 3:5-6).
