Come Help Us!

Today’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Isaiah 29
NT: Acts 16
W&W: Proverbs 24

Today’s Reflection:
Acts 16.6-10, the story of Paul’s vision and call to Macedonia, provides some interesting perspectives on leadership and vision:

1. The vision came while the ministry team was hard at work while seeing little results. First, we should not expect a new vision until we are doing our best to fulfill what we know to do. But also, we should not let closed doors and discouragement prevent us from believing that God has a plan.
2. Paul, the leader, saw the vision. I heard one person say it like this: “God does not give visions to committees.” Study the Bible carefully and you will find that God – more often than not – speaks to individuals who must then in obedience and by faith share with the group. A notable exception is Acts 13.1-3 when God spoke to the entire leadership team about a missionary endeavor. However, the narrative is not clear as to how God spoke to them. There is room in the biblical account to believe that God impressed each heart individually, and then as they began to share they realized that God was telling them all the same thing. (See #5 below.)
3. God called Paul through the vision to a specific place. Visions that are to general, grand ideas are nice, but do not generally result in action. God wanted the group to take specific action: “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
4. God called the rest of the ministry team through the leader. Paul had to be courageous and humble enough to share his dream with the group. The group had to be humble and courageous enough to realize that God was speaking to all of them through Paul. But, we need not read into this that the realization is automatic. Hence…
5. God used all of them in “concluding” that the vision was right. The Bible says to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4.1). Leaders should not be intimidated when the group wants to determine that this really is the right way to go. (By way of illustration, I have been alarmed by all the haste our current president is pressing on our other elected officials…) Yet, while God is not in a hurry, we should also be careful not to stonewall progress. Test the spirits and then take action! Do it now!
6. Not only did all of them conclude that the vision was the right one; all of them “included” themselves in the vision. “We got ready…” “God had called us…” Just because the vision comes through the leader or through others does not mean that you are not included! Remember what Paul wrote elsewhere: “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ…” (Ephesians 5.21). Surely this includes the idea of vision and direction from God. Rejoice that God includes you in the vision!

I hope you have a great Wednesday!

This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
1 John 1.5-6: This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.