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IS THIS NOTHING TO U ?
by Rev.JACOB. C. CHACKO But I tell you, open your eyes and look at the field ready for harvest now Jn.4.35. To have a vision is the primary principle of successful mission. The concept of vision has been known since the beginning of creation. Everything that exists has its origin in God's vision of creation. Vision is the divine plan of action. In giving a vision to man the Lord expects that how he wants to be and what he wants to do. Because a true vision does not promote self but praise s God and brings glory to Jesus Christ. God wants us to take hold of the vision to fulfill His purpose on the earth. The devil is deft enough to blind the eyes of the people. Paul, the apostle of Jesus, sys to the Corinthian Church "God of this world has blinded the eyes of the people". This is some times true even of the church too. Those who have heard the gospel and those who have tasted the blessedness of the gospel, the devil keep even them blind from seeing what they need to see. Jeremiah , once lamented by seeing the condition of Jerusalem and people who passed by. Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by ? Look around and see ,Lam.1.12. He is concerned not only about the brokenness of the nation but he is also concerned about the lack of vision in the people who passed by. To those who have seen the broken, shattered condition of Jerusalem every day ,Jeremiah asks, " IS THIS NOTHING TO YOU ?.DOESN'T CONCERN YOU ?.It is true indeed that where there is no vision people perish. The words of Helen Keller , is still relevant : " it is a tragedy to be blind but it is a greater tragedy to have sight, yet have no vision". It is a tragedy to be a short sighted Christians with no vision. WHAT WE NEED IS A SECOND TOUCH FROM THE LORD. We see things as the blind man who saw things vaguely when Jesus touched him for the first time .When Jesus asks him whether he sees anything, he says "I see men walking like trees" HE NEEDED A SECOND TOUCH TO GAIN CLEAR VISION. Unless we have a vision we can not have a mission. The vision of the Lord will give you new vision of the world. Without seeing the Lord in His glory and acknowledging His sufficiency one can never have a mission. Isaiah saw the Lord : he asked the Lord , send me here I am. Moses saw the invisible God, he left the palace and chose suffering with God's people. Joshua conquered the territory ,because he saw the captain of the army, the Lord of host. God wants you and I be like of them in our time to finish the work that He entrusted upon us. Vision is not necessarily a supernatural experience. It is viewing things and happening around us from God's perspective. It is thing seeing differently. Paul ,the apostle of Jesus, saw things in God's perspective in his time. When King Agrippa asked him why he was zealously following the Lord , he said "I cannot be disobedient to the vision God gave me". That was why he preached the gospel in spite of all the sufferings and struggles he went through. Let us be obedient to the vision that you catch form the Lord. When we see the needs, the conflicts, problems and communal disharmony around us, we should see the opportunities to minister people who need the Lord. The problem with us is we are earthbound and temporal-minded. We pursue with great vigour the self -advancement and success defined by competence and credentials. We over emphasize peace, satisfaction or emotional fulfillment. People are happy with super spirituality .That is why spiritual super clubs are mushrooming among us. They don't see the need around them .They are happy with the fulfillment they get. Suffering, discomfort, loss etc are unthinkable options for some people. But mission is never possible without taking up the cross. Mission never be possible without caring attitude of the good Samaritan. Without that the mending the broken world ,mission is not possible. The day is goig to come that people will be divided into two groups, one blessed and other cursed. To the blessed Jesus would say that "I was hungry you gave me food ,I was thirsty you gave me to drink, I was in prison you come and visited me" and to the other He would say, "I was hungry you never fed me, I was thirsty you never gave me drink., I was in prison you never visited me". And they would ask, master when did we see you hungry and thirsty? What happened to them that they did not see the thirsty and needy. Their eyes were blinded, But what about the blessed ones as they lived in this world.-they saw the needy , they saw the thirsty, they saw the suffering and acted compassionately. So we need to have a right vision to have the right mission. Mission is the ministry together. One sows, one reaps.and the sower and reaper will be glad together. We need one another. .We need to cross the denominational barriers acknowledging one another and accepting the role of others. When Jesus saw the ordinary woman of Samaria , she is having with questionable character and with a broken life, with possibilities. And through her the whole town of Samaria came to listen to the Jesus and many believed, God was using her to bring back lost and restoring the divine -human relationship. Mission world is full of surprises like this. Ordinary people become extraordinary in the hand of the Lord We should not forget the day of small beginning. Small opportunities in the daily grind of life is are very important. It is in the little things God tests our commitment and obedience.. Fulfilling the purpose of God always brings gladness.It is the purpose of God to restore the lost humanity back to himself.This is the very mission theLord has given us....mending the broken world, restoring the divine human relationship. Let us open our eyes and look at the fields ready for harvest now !!Jacob.C,Chacko MISSIONS ASIA INDIA Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |