Human beings easily 'see' the world through lens distorted by pre-conceptions and assumptions. We all do it! Friedman, in his insightful book, The World is Flat, (Farrar, 2005) writes about the radical Muslim clerics in the Middle East who hate America because they see only the Britney Spears, Hollywood, and MTV side of our culture. Seeing only the decadent and the worst, they cannot grasp that in an open and democratic society that allows music and entertainment that is so repugnant, there is also a free 'give and take' of ideas that allows a mosque, a synagogue, and a church to be built in the same town. They cannot grasp that openness creates opportunities for good and evil. The radical Muslim agenda, boundaried with a very narrow vision, is to seek to destroy us all, instead of embrace the best of what we bring to this world.
Another example of failed vision is our Congress that is in a deadlock. Republicans refuse to see a single good idea in the Democratic agenda. Democrats, likewise, cannot see anything but the worst excesses of the Republicans. The result is wasted time, failed leadership, and we are robbed of the best solutions to our pressing national needs.
Now, let me bring this concept of vision in an application to our lives. I know more than a few Christians who look at the world we live in and see only the awful, the terrible, and the sinful. To those who have such limited vision the whole world is so bad, so terrible, that the only answer is to separate from it and wait for the End of Days. I believe that perspective ignores some wonderful things about our time, blinds us to some of our great blessings and opportunities, and that 'woe is me' talk becomes self-fulfilling prophecy.
For example, there is the Internet. Some Christians bemoan the development of this technology and regard the wired world as nothing more than a vehicle for pornography and gambling. But consider this, the same Internet that brings all kinds of evil stuff to our doorstep, flows the other way, too! By means of the Internet, the Gospel can reach behind locked doors, into closed societies, and to the far reaches of the globe. In response to vile content of movies and music, some Christians mistakenly clamor for restrictive laws to close the doors of free expression and bring on censorship. But they fail to see that the same freedom of speech that allows the rapper to spew his filth also allows the evangelist to tell the Gospel story without restraint.
I take great comfort from this declaration - "where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5.20 NIV) I believe that the Christian Church still has great days ahead of her, IF she will enlarge her vision to see the opportunities presented to her in this age. Are these the Last Days? I honestly do not know. All I know for sure, is that these are my last days. I have only 20-30 more years on earth to be about the Lord's work, so I cannot waste time debating the day of the dawn of the Great Tribulation. We cannot allow ourselves to retreat into Apocalyptic visions that let us detach from a needy world while we pray for the Rapture to rescue us!
You may well be thinking - "Jerry, how can you deny us the promise of the Blessed Hope of the Church, the Second Coming of the Lord?" I am not doing that. My ultimate hope for this world is in the return of Christ, the King. I believe that when He comes, as He promises, all of the visions of the prophets will be fulfilled. Who cannot long for the words of Malachi to come to pass? "But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet,” says the Lord Almighty." (Malachi 4:2-3, NLT) But, for me the promise of His coming, is not an escapist vision borne out of fear and loathing of this world. It is the ultimate realization of a way of life that I have already embraced. I am, here and now, living in the Kingdom of God. I have already taken His Promises and accepted His life. I will not wait for the Lord to appear in the sky to be about the King's business. Instead, I want to be about His work of salvation in my world right now.
I take seriously the teaching story that Jesus told in Luke 19. It opens like this -- "While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once." (Luke 19:11, NIV) Then, He went on to tell about three servants who were each entrusted with a part of a king's treasure to manage while he was away. Each one received an amount appropriate to his skills and abilities. When the king returned, after a long time, he called the servants in to give an accounting. Here's part of the story. “Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’ ”‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’" (Luke 19:15-17, NIV) But the last servant, the one only given one share, came in with nothing to report. This servant was in the grip of a pinched, narrow vision that did not see the opportunities. His fear made him a failure! “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth." (Luke 19:20, NIV) The king did not commend him! He roared his angry disapproval.
When my king returns, I want to stand before Him to report, "I gave the utmost, prayed for large vision, and used the grace gifts You invested in me for your glory. Lord, I have, by the Spirit's help, left the world a bit better than I found it." How about you?
Here's a word from the Word. It is set in the context of Jesus' visit to Samaria, which many of his fellow Jews regarded as a land and people beyond God's reach. His challenge to his disciple to take a second look is a challenge to us as we gaze on our world today -
"I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time! “The Harvester isn’t waiting. He’s taking his pay, gathering in this grain that’s ripe for eternal life. Now the Sower is arm in arm with the Harvester, triumphant. That’s the truth of the saying, ‘This one sows, that one harvests.’ I sent you to harvest a field you never worked. Without lifting a finger, you have walked in on a field worked long and hard by others.” Many of the Samaritans from that village committed themselves to him because of the woman’s witness: “He knew all about the things I did. He knows me inside and out!”" (John 4:35-39, The Message)
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