Shallow Vision

Abram couldn’t possibly have understood all of the far-reaching ramifications of his marching orders (Genesis 12:1-3): “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God had a plan. It was an unstoppable plan, but nobody but God understood that. It was a good plan. The plan was to raise up a nation for Himself – a nation through whom God would bless the whole world! The plan was bigger than Israel, but nobody but God understood that either. It was nothing short of a cosmic plan.

Sometimes I feel like we’re drowning in shallow vision. In fact, I’m afraid that life has lost some of its luster simply because we have lost sight of God’s cosmic plan. What our God is doing in His world is so much bigger than what you and I can perceive with human eyes! And it’s so much better!

The church is the most important institution on earth, with no close seconds! Compare the work of the United Nations, or the work of the U.S. Congress, or the work of the European Union, to the commission of the church – it’s not even close! And here’s why the church matters more than every other institution with which it may be compared: we’re the only institution that will last into eternity!

The Roman Empire is no more. In fact the 20th century alone saw the demise of at least seven substantive “empires.” Shoot, most of us grew up holiday daydreaming with our copy of the Sears catalog – Sears was the bomb – but you and I couldn’t find a Sears store today if we tried.

After Jesus was risen from the dead, you and I got our marching orders! The disciples got sent. The women got sent. Everybody got sent. Check out all four gospels. They each have their own flavor, but suffice it to say that the One who had been sent from the Father became the Sender of His followers to all the tribes and nations of the world. We get our English word “mission” from the Latin word for “being sent.”

You and I have been sent.

So the question for us is not, “Am I called?” The question for us is, “How am I called?” I love this quote from Frederick Buechner: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” I’m moved so deeply by that idea because it opens my mind to about a billion possibilities for service. Places where my gifts can align with real need. Places where my experience can align with real need. Places where my passions can align with real need. Empowered by His Spirit, when you and I begin to build Christ’s kingdom in those significant ways, there’s very little time left over for feeling down and out. So let’s do it!

You don’t need to wait for a mystical experience or for some personal message written in the clouds. In fact, to wait for or to demand a sign like that would be sin. You already have your sign. It’s an empty tomb.

You don’t need to wait to have it all figured out. You will never have it all figured out, so stop waiting. Mission involves risk. Mission involves faith. Mission involves learning from today’s mistakes, and recognizing that God uses even those mistakes to mold and shape us for the next exciting phase of His mission.

You don’t need to wait until you can afford to serve. That’s because mission also involves sacrifice. We have it on good authority that God intends to supply our every need. Bread for today is a full table, any way you slice it (pun fully intended).

You don’t need to wait for a shiny 10-year plan. Sometimes the Lord shares with us more details than at other times. Either way, we go. We serve. We love. People need Jesus. You know Jesus. Go make Him known!

My concern is that we’re forgetting to tell our children and our grandchildren these things. Perhaps their hearts are not open to the call to serve Christ because we have not spoken with them about the call to serve Christ. Just food for thought. Believe me, I am convicted too. Willie and Waylon may have warned you mamas about letting your babies grow up to be cowboys, but please don’t let that apply to those same kiddos choosing to give their all to taking the good news to the ends of the earth! Charles Spurgeon (that other Charles in your life) expressed it like this: “If God calls you to be a missionary, don’t stoop to be a king.”

Here’s where this old world is headed, friends … a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb …” Every nation. Every tribe. Every people group. Every language. Hallelujah!

Deeper, y’all. Me too.

Pastor Charles