“Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish, but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man] – blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he.” Prov 29:18 (Amplified)
When Jesus was about to ascend into heaven, He charged his disciples “Go into the world and preach the Gospel”. This is because He understood that the Church needed a purpose first to exist and then to propagate herself. So, if the Church is not fulfilling this mandate it is but a social club and has no cogent reason for existing. Ultimately, that Church will regress into oblivion, for where there is no vision, the people will perish due to a lack of focus and the necessary motivation required first for survival and second, for doing exploits for God.
The primary reason for the Church’s existence in the world is to preach the Gospel. Anything else that we do must tie in with this purpose. However, the sad fact is that many a local Churches are doing everything but preach the Gospel of Christ. While many will debate this statement, the reality is that whatever we are doing is not even remotely meeting the needs of those who should benefit by our existence. After all, Apostle Paul said that the Gospel is God’s power working unto salvation. So, if people are not getting saved or discipled and released to serve the Church, what then are we doing? The lack of spiritual fruit on our part only proves that we have been playing Church rather than being the Church. It shows that we have lost sight of who we are or what we should be doing. It is proof that we have been blindsided by Satan.
When his Philistine enemies finally succeeded in capturing Samson, the first thing they did was to gouge out his eyes. They knew that without his sight, Samson was no threat to them. They then went on to make a spectacle of him and humiliated him by making him to ground corn while laughing him to scorn. The Church without the invigorating effect of vision is like Samson without his eyes. We have become an object of ridicule to the world God has sent us to save, as we are groping in the dark trying this or that programme to make ourselves relevant to the world. What we need to do is regain the vision that brought us into existence and to prosecute the mandate and fulfil the purpose for which Jesus Christ has called us. We need to seek God as we fellowship with Him and receive spiritual sight and insight so that we will be able to go wherever He leads and do as He bids. Like Samson, we need to reconnect with God by renewing the covenant we have forsaken so that we too can call on God to move in our midst and through us just one more time, so that the kingdom of Satan can suffer the devastating effect of the move of God in our time.
Helen Keller said that the only thing worse than blindness is having sight but lacking vision. The worst that can happen to any Church is the lack of vision – the reason for being, because many souls will then remain untouched by the power of God and her members will never know the joy of serving God to the best of their abilities. So, ask that God will renew your vision as an individual as well as that of the Church family to which you belong. Let Him open your eyes to what can be as opposed to what is, and you will know that the difference compares to that between heaven and earth.
Prayer:
Father, cause my eyes to behold your greatness so that the world can truly know that you are God indeed in Jesus name. Amen.