Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish.
Recently, I was made aware of a specific idea based on a bigger vision. Where there is no vision, the people perish. Most of the time we teach that without guidance from God, people have no direction and will perish if they never submit to God. But, recently, I realized there was another way of looking at the idea of vision.
I believe that the greatest vision God oversees is the idea of redemption. From the very beginning when Adam and Eve sinned, God put into place a process of picking a group of people who He entrusted His covenants and laws, and ultimately brought into existence the Savior of the world. Each step of the way God’s bigger vision was to bring people back from sin and into fellowship with Him. The highest order of redemption was when John 3:16 recorded the intention of God’s heart for His creation. That bigger vision was supported throughout Scripture and reinforced by the New Testament in recording the events of Jesus, and the subsequent writings by the Apostles.
So, why is this bigger vision important for us to understand? Because every contribution we make in pursuing God should have God’s bigger vision at heart. The reason for that is simple … people will always say God gave them a vision, and they go on to describe that vision. In other words, visions are common today, but do they support God’s bigger vision of redemption? For example, God gave me a vision of using media, blogs, podcasts, radio programs, and videos to inform, instruct, and inspire people to see how God's bigger vision of the Gospel can and will affect their lives forever.
Throughout my life, I have heard people say that we need a new vision from God. Perhaps they are referring to an individual vision or plan, but God’s bigger vision of the Gospel never changes … it remains His vision for His people. God never changes … instead of looking for a new vision to promote, how about investing in what we already know? John 3:16 is God’s redemptive standard, and He has no plans to upgrade that vision. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
I believe that people get off track with God because they are inserting their own vision in place of His vision. There may be some success in human-inspired visions, but in the end, if we are not aligning with God’s bigger vision, we will lose the heart of God. There are tens of thousands of visions that start with the redemption story of God’s bigger vision. In time, what can happen is that the original redemptive vision is lost and it begins to transition into a vision that is less about God and more about servicing the clients of the vision. People, processes, profits, and pressure … all play a part in transitioning from redemption to restoration. Restoring is the way we sell vision today … we restore people from drugs, abortion, abuse, poverty, crime, prostitution, and prison life. Our vision gets promoted as a restoring entity, a non-profit that seeks the best for humanity. Now, on the surface, we would say that's a good thing. Yes, it is a good thing, but is it the best thing? God's bigger vision does not focus on servicing people directly, or indirectly yes, but His redemptive message of Jesus Christ is what His vision is all about.
My point is simple. God’s vision is the Gospel, period. We don’t need to follow all kinds of visions, revelations, and great preachers … our calling is to fulfill God’s bigger vision of redemption. Over the years, people have told me that we need to go deeper with God … meaning, there is something greater than John 3:16. I’m not saying that God has a shallow mindset … what I am saying is that His great vision is not based on how deep our understanding of God is. Quite the contrary … it is based upon the simplicity of the Gospel, and it is the message of redemption that we find in the depth of God’s heart.
If you want to go deeper, find new revelations, and gain insights not commonly taught, learn to divest yourself into the bigger vision of God. You will truly discover that the depth of God’s nature is steeped thoroughly in redemption.
Challenging the Culture with Truth … Larry Kutzler