Lesson 1: Living Christianly in the Last Days

INTRO VISION: Living in God’s Vision -The Big Picture- 

( Excerpts from: Visioneering by Andy Stanley)

Vision:  Seeing what is impossible and working with God to make it possible.

Sometimes our visions are just too small! When Christ came to the end of His earthly ministry, He found that His disciples' vision was inappropriate and mundane. He, then, spent time correcting His disciples’ vision. Read Acts 1:6-8. What was the disciples' vision of the future? What was the "Big Picture" that Christ show them?   Does YOUR vision need to broadened, strengthen, and empowered? Do you see past the walls of a church building?

Simple Truths:

• Life is a journey with a destination!
• Everyone ends up somewhere in life. 
• A few people end up somewhere on purpose. Those are the ones with Vision.  
• A clear vision, along with the courage to follow through, dramatically increases our chances of coming to the end of our life, looking back and thinking, “I finished well”.  

Paul demonstrated this in his last days when he said in 2 Timothy 4:6-8:

⁶ For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; ⁸ in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Without clear vision, we may end our life’s journey confused in the meaningless details. But take the minutia of this very day, drop it into the God's ordained vision and suddenly there is purpose! Meaning! Energy to mount up as Eagles! 

It is the difference between filling bags of dirt and building a dike in order to save a town because we love the people in the town. Taking mundane routines and viewing them through the loving eyes of God and His vision for our lives, and everything looks and feels different. Our experience and satisfaction in this world will be different. 

Our outlook and relationship to Christ will be different when we manifest God's plan into our very nature. Our every day tasks and motivation for engaging in relevant vision-inspired activities will change the way we plan our day, our month, and our year. We will begin to filter everything through the vision God has given us. We will avoid activities that do not help us further God's ultimate goal for our lives. And make no mistake, God HAS a goal for each of us!

Vision brings our world into focus.

To have Vision means that we have a picture of how things ought to be and we find:

●     Passion/Inspiration

●     Motivation/Conviction

●     Direction/Action

●     Purpose/Determination

●     Divine Strength for Completion

Visions are born in the soul of a person who is consumed with the tension between what is and what could be. Anyone who is emotionally involved, frustrated, brokenhearted, angry, about the way things are instead of the way things could be, is a candidate for a vision. Never be discouraged to help inspire someone with a Godly vision, who is discontent with the way things current are. In doing so, we can encourage them to find God's purpose for their journey through life. 

Visions form in the hearts of those who are dissatisfied with the status quo.  

Vision is more that just wishing things were different. Vision helps us to see our "next step" in bringing about things that ought to be. 

Vision has moral conviction. It helps us to recognize the way things SHOULD be. Vision is a preferred future in contrast to the world as it is.  Vision requires visionaries, people who have allowed their minds and hearts to wander outside the artificial boundaries imposed by the status quo.

Who, in the Bible, can you think of that had a vision and acted on it? 

Play Audio “Vision – the Church is not an Orphanage.”

GROUP WORK: Building Block of Vision – In each instance, find a Biblical Person who exemplified one of the Building Blocks of Vision:

1. A vision begins as a concern.

2. A vision does not necessarily require immediate action.

3. Pray for opportunities and plan as if you expect God to answer your prayers.

4. God is using your circumstances to position and prepare you to accomplish His vision for your life.

5. What God originates, He orchestrates!

6. Walk before you talk; investigate before you initiate.

7. Communicate your vision as a solution to a problem that must be addressed

8. Cast your vision to the appropriate people at the appropriate time.

9. Don’t expect others to take greater risks or make greater sacrifices than you are willing to do.

10. Don’t confuse your plans with God’s vision.

11. Visions are refined—they don’t change; plans are revised—they rarely stay the same.

12. Respond to criticism with prayer, remembrance, and if necessary, a revision of the plan.

13. Visions thrive in an environment of unity; they die in an environment of division.

14. Abandon the vision before you abandon your moral authority.

15. Don’t get distracted

16. There is divine potential in all you envision to do.

17. The beginning, middle and end of a God-ordained vision is God. It is about God, not about us.

18. Maintaining a vision requires adherence to a set of core beliefs and behaviors

19. Visions require constant attention.  Everything we choose to do is filtered by our vision.

20. Maintaining a vision requires boldness.

Home Work:

Begin thinking about creating a Vision for our Class!