Cultivating a Biblical Vision

Edward Snowden, a young American IT specialist, worked for the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency. In 2013, he revealed details concerning several mass surveillance programs of American and British citizens. He was charged by the American Governement on June 22, 2013, on counts of spying, theft, and illegal use of government property.

Edward Snowden lost all the stability he had previously enjoyed in his life. But he had the vision of a society in which the people had the right to hold their leaders accountable for their actions. Any vision we may have, implies a certain dissatisfaction with what is, and a longing for what could be. That which we believe and envision for tomorrow will determine in a large measure what we do today, and will shape our future.

As long as a person remains an unbeliever, he suffers from spiritual blindness. Jesus came into this world so that “those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind” . When we think that we don’t really need His work in our lives, we remain blind. Satan, the god of this world, has darkened our minds. But when we have the humility to admit, “I can’t see,” then we can receive light. Our eyes are opened, and our way of seeing changes. In our fellowship with Christ and through the teaching of His Word, we begin to perceive life, and the importance of its every aspect, through the eyes of God. By His Word of truth, He changes our vision . We even become capable of seeing what is not yet.

In Hebrews 11:13, it is said that many believers in the Old Testament saw and welcomed from afar that for which they were hoping by faith. Their vision went beyond visible things. It was augmented by faith in the Word of God.

“Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.” To suffer reproach, as the coming Messiah would suffer, appeared to him to be something more precious than all the treasures of Egypt. Why? “For he was looking to the reward.” Where we fix our sights will determine our choices.

Paul turned his back on his past. He, a young, ambitious man, sacrificed his career and his comfort and became a man often hounded and hunted. Yet he declared before King Agrippa: “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here…” The vision he had of Jesus and the mission entrusted to him determined the whole direction of his life. He saw, he acted, and he experienced God’s help. Our impossibile situations are only opportunities for God to show His power.

George Bernard Shaw once said: “You see things; you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say ‘Why not?”
But to keep our nighttime dreams from evaporating into the cold, morning mists, they must be aligned with God’s sovereign will, and they must motivate us to action. Without the conviction that this is what God wants, our efforts will lose their focus and their vitality. And without hard work, the dream will disperse like smoke.

The attitudes and actions of our missionary endeavors flow from our vision. What France Pour Christ will become tomorrow depends upon the vision we establish by listening to God, to the concerns of the Church, and to the needs of the world.

Jeannot Gauggel

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