20/20 Vision

Vision basically describes how we are projecting our future and is a major player in determining our direction in life. Pro 29:18 - Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, (ESV) What this actually means is this: When people fail to understand, embrace and participate in God's "prophetic vision"  they will not experience God's full purposes and will not experience their full spiritual potential.

The salvation God provides today cost Jesus His physical life. He suffered severe pain when beaten and nailed to the cross. Isa 52:14 - But many were amazed when they saw Him. His face was so disfigured He seemed hardly human, and from His appearance, one would scarcely know He was a man. (NLT)

What Jesus did on the cross now enables us to enjoy the blessings of sins forgiven, friendship and fellowship with God as well as the future of eternal bliss. If you've repented of your sins and received Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior then you've embarked on the journey of partaking in God's "prophetic vision". After what Jesus has done for us, the least we can do is to fully embrace God's vision for us today.

God has plans and a very specific vision for His people today. Jer. 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. In order for us to experience God's "prophetic vision' for our life we need to see His vision and apply the needed spiritual disciplines. 

The message Jesus gave the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-22 makes it very clear that it's possible for God's people to loose sight of God's purposes. The tragedy I see in this particular situation is; these people were spiritually blind and weren't even aware of it. They were so caught up in the natural world they ignorant of their own blindness. Sin does that!

Rev 3:17,18 - For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. (ESV)

What is God saying "Today"? Do we have ears to hear and eyes to see? Are we fully engaged in God's "prophetic vision"? When's the last time we when to the Lord for an "eye checkup"? We can have "20/20 spiritual vision". God has no favorites! He purposes His absolute best for you just as He does for all those who truly love Him.

Our Tomorrows Start Today

The purpose of this Blog is to bring a fresh awareness to the value and importance of God's "prophetic vision" and what part it has to play in "Today".

Today is the most important day of our life. What we do today effects our tomorrow. History, records the events of yesterday but it's what we do today that effects our future. 

In the heart of God "Today" has great significance! The salvation He provides through the Lord Jesus Christ is available "Today" and people are strongly exhorted to repent of sin and in faith turn to Jesus Christ, accepting and receiving Him as their personal Lord and Savior, today. None of us has any guarantee of tomorrow and if we procrastinate in making this "salvation decision" we might not have the opportunity again. There simply might not be any tomorrows for us. The honest evangelist pleading with sinners to come to Christ "now", "today" while they still have the opportunity might seem to some as being "pushy", yet in the world of realism "today" may just be the individuals last day, their last opportunity. 2 Cor. 6:2 -For God says, "At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you." Indeed, the "right time" is now. Today is the day of salvation. (NLT) 

It's quite clear the importance God is placing on "today" as it pertains to embracing His Son Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death on the cross in order to pay in full the price to save people from their sins. In the heart of God salvation is not something you put off until tomorrow. It's something that needs to be done "today". Procrastination is not in God's vocabulary!

There are other very important areas of life where "today" has great significance to the Lord as it pertains to realising His "prophetic vision" in a personal way. Israel's temple had been destroyed by the Babylonians. 70 years had passed and in the vision of God it was time to rebuild and restore. This mammoth project was interrupted due to pressure and opposition from their enemies. During this fifteen to twenty year laps the people had virtually lost the vision. They had become so involved with "life in the world" they had all but forgotten that there was the spiritual vision of God that required their involvement if it was to be realized. Hag 1:2  "Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD." 

It seems that this generation of Israelites were placing priority on the natural rather than the spiritual. The great thing about this story is, the people did "catch the vision". They did embrace God's "prophetic vision". It's important that we understand that God's "prophetic vision" involves what we choose to do "today". Today is when we must "catch the vision" for what God purposes to do in and through the lives of His people and how He has chosen to affect the nations through them. 

At present, in North America, I'm convinced that we're just not getting it. We're not seeing it. In general we don't see God's "prophetic vision" for the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ or our own life. It's time to "catch the vision". It's time to become fully engaged in God's "prophetic vision" for today. Jesus has done so much for us and it's time we showed our appreciation and excess more fully our worship (worth - ship) of God through thoughts and actions. How much worth are we really placing on Jesus' sacrifice to save us, and on God's love for us? Let's choose to "catch the vision" today, now!

God Has Prophetic Vision

In this context " God Vision" is applied to God's projected plan and purpose. God has vision for the earth, for people and for the Church. Right now I'm going to be focusing on God's vision for the Church, the spiritual Body of Christ on earth. 

God's vision for the Body of Christ, the Church was "kick started" with the out pouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Prior to Jesus' ascension into heaven He instructed His followers to wait in the city of Jerusalem until they received power from heaven, after which they would we His witnesses throughout the world. Lk. 24:49 - And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. 

The point I want to make here is that the out pouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was a manifestation of God's "prophetic vision". This phenomena had been foretold and promised by the Lord. In Peter's explanation of this "happening' he boldly declares it to be the fulfillment of the prophesy given by the Lord through the prophet Joel. 

Joel 2:28-32  "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29  Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. 30  "And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31  The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 32  And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. (ESV) Peter's quotation of this is found in Acts 2:17-21. This was a definite part of God's "prophetic vision" being realized. Is was the initiation of something totally foreign to the world. Something that had never happened. God had a plan then and He has a plan today, a plan which involves His Holy Spirit and His people.

Before we get to exactly what God's "prophetic vision" is today I think we should first address the possibilities there are of God's people not "catching" that vision. The best example of this is Israel's exodus from Egypt. God's vision for His people was revealed to Moses. Ex. 3:8 - So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey,... (NLT)  The vision was twofold! One, "out of" and two, "into". The first generation of "exodus Israelites" failed to embrace God's full vision for them. They experienced the "out of" yet refused to "go in" and lay hold of the Promised Land. The result was they spent their remaining years wandering in the wilderness of doubt, fear and unbelief. They never experienced God's best for them, nor did where instruments in the hands of God to bring about His purposes in the earth. It wasn't until the second generation of "exodus Israelites" chose to embrace God's "prophetic vision" did the nation of Israel glorify the Lord through their acts of daily obedience to God's purposes for them.

God has a "prophetic vision" for His people today, a vision which dwarfs the one he had for the nation of Israel. The challenge is, are we ready to fully embrace it in our generation? Jesus said, "I will build My church and all the power of hell will not overcome it"

The Fullness of Christ

The Scripture that I feel is one of the most relevant as it pertains to God's "prophetic vision" for the Church is found in Ephesians chapter one.

Eph. 1:16-23 - I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious  inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us  who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he  raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above  all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only  in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as  head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.(ESV)

How does God see the Church, the Body of Christ? To Him the Church is the "FULLNESS" of Christ. The Amplified version enables us to understand a bit clearer the concept of "fullness".  "Eph.1:23 - Which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all [for in that body lives the full measure of Him Who makes everything complete, and Who fills everything everywhere with Himself]."  The same word for "fullness" is used of Jesus being the "fullness" of God. Col 1:19  For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, The fullness of the godhead was in Christ, meaning, God was fully in Jesus. To this agree Heb 1:3 - He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. When people saw Christ on earth they were seeing God exactly. They were seeing the fullness of God in human, bodily form. 

The point is; God envisions the Church on earth as the fullness of Christ. As Jesus expressed God exactly so the Church is to express Jesus exactly. Is this what the Church is presently doing? When the unsaved world looks at the 21st century Church are they getting a exact representation of the Lord Jesus Christ?  No they're not. There's a lot of room here for revival.

Are we prepared to embrace God's vision for the Body of Christ. God's vision of His Son on earth was that Jesus would represent God exactly. Did He do this? When Philip asked Jesus to show him the Father Jesus said to him in, Jn.14:9, "if you have seen me you have seen the Father". The Church has the spiritual potential of fully representing Jesus. Through the promises of God are we seeing this as a very real possibility? Do you believe we can walk into this promised land with God's grace, strength and faith?

NOTE:

There's another portion of Scripture in Ephesians chapter four that projects the same truth as Eph.1:23 confirming God's "Today Vision" for the Body of Christ, the New Covenant Church. 

Eph 4:11-13 -  And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

GOD'S  VISION FOR THE CHURCH TODAY?

"THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST"