How do I Build a Vision for what God wants to do with me at my campus?

I was talking to a student leader at the Winter Bible Conference and he was telling me his vision for taking the gospel to non-believing students on his campus.  I was so inspired by how clearly he communicated his “dream”, his vision for God to work through him at his university!  His vision captured my attention and caused me to want to join him in what God was calling him to do. 

I know that some of you may not have spent much time thinking through how to communicate your understanding of why God has placed you at the university where you are attending and your vision for what He wants to do through you.  So you may be thinking about this for the first time.  Some others of you are trying to help others to develop their own personal vision for what God wants to do through them, but may not know how to help them.  Hopefully this blog will help.

What is a ‘vision’?  Vision is when God shares with you His dream for all He can do through you at a particular stage of your life.  Vision is when you see where your life fits in God’s overall plan for reaching the world.  Vision is when God shows you His answer to the question: What does God want to do in my situation right now and what role does He want me to play?

The story is told of three bricklayers working on the same job, each of whom was asked the question, "What are you doing?"  The first responded, "I'm laying bricks."  The second said, "I'm building a wall."  The third responded, "I'm constructing a grand cathedral."  All three were engaged in the same work, but only one had a vision for what he was really doing.  To stay motivated, you must embrace a personal vision of what God wants you to do on campus. 

Vision tells you what to focus on, what to spend your time and energy doing.  Vision empowers you, it keeps you on track, keeps you from focusing on lesser things.  It forces you to think strategically.  Fulfilling God's vision for your life right now on your campus may require sacrificial work, but when the work is a fulfillment of a vision it is somehow energizing. 

Clearly communicating your vision often draws other believers to join you in what God has called you to do at your university.   Having a strong vision brings unity, common direction and purpose to your group.  It tells you how to pray and what to pray for when you meet together as a team. 

What was Jesus’ vision?  

Everywhere Jesus went He told people that His purpose was to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God, to preach the gospel (Luke 4:18). He told everyone that He was sent to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10) and to call sinners to repentance (Luke 45:32).  This was His purpose, why He was sent to earth.

My vision:

Here is my vision for ministries on campuses all over Russia:  My desire is to see ministries developed on every single campus, where lives are being transformational by Jesus Christ, where:

·         Lost students are being transformed by the gospel of Christ (Colossians 1:13-14)

·         Christians are being transformed in 'grace and truth relationships' (Ephesians 4)

·         The campus and world are being transformed by laborers who are sent into the harvest (Matt. 9:37-39)

 

How to develop vision: 

Developing a vision is not hard.  It may take some perseverance in prayer, though, but God is more than willing to tell you what He would have you do if you ask Him.

• Start with prayer, ask God to show you His vision for you during your time as a student at your campus. 
• Spend time in His Word – look for the passages where God tells us what He wants you to do.
• Dream with God, ask yourself, “what would it look like if God did …?
• Write it down.  You can write out a ‘vision statement’ or list out ‘word pictures’ (“believers would be sharing the gospel so much that students everywhere would be talking about Jesus during the breaks from class”;  “there would be Bible study groups in every dorm”;  etc)
• Go back over what you have written out – is your dream, your vision aligned with God’s vision for you as a student at your campus?

 (See Cultivating a Vision For My Campus for more good questions that will help you in developing a vision for how God can use you as His representative on your campus.)

Finally, dedicate yourself to fulfilling the vision which God has entrusted to you. In Acts 20:24, the apostle Paul says, "I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me." An American pastor, Bill Hybels, comments on this verse: "What is Paul saying? I think he's saying, 'The moment I received my vision from God, fulfilling that vision became the pressing priority of my life.' "  Press on to fulfill the vision God has given you, call others with similar vision to join with you in making a difference for Christ at your campus!