How to see your vision reached

Last week we talked about the topic of “vision” and how to develop a vision.  This week I would like to follow up on that and talk about what to do once you have a vision – how do you put a vision into motion.  Where do you start once you understand God’s vision for you at your campus.

1-Pray about the things in your vision with others in your group.  You are most likely drawn together because you have the same or a similar vision.  Ask God to start working in those areas He has put on your hearts.  Ask Him to put ideas and strategies on your mind for the things He wants you to do at your campus.  Ask Him for wisdom, for resources, for His strength and for His blessing. (James 1:5)

2-Pick 2 or 3 specific parts of your vision and make a simple plan.

Plan concrete steps or actions you can take to put your vision into motion.  Specific steps are what help us to fulfill what He has told us to do (John 15:8,14,16).  God tells us to take advantage of opportunities (Eph.5:15-16) and He tells us to be deliberate in our actions (2 Cor.9:24-26).

How to turn a vision into something concrete:

А. Think about activities you can see happen that are directly connected with a part of your vision.

1. If part of your vision is to see believers grow deeper in their desire to obey God with all their lives, then a way of making that vision concrete may be to start a small group Bible study on the topic of obedience and make sure to have accountability built into each lesson.  Set a date for the study to begin and start it.
2. If your vision is to see an attitude of prayer pervade the campus, then invite other believers to join you in a weekly prayer time on campus and pray for things connected to your vision.
3. If your vision is to build multiplying disciples, then start a small-group where you pray, study the Bible and talk together about reaching out to others.  Also encourage them to start their own small group with other like-minded believers or with interested non-believers.

 Б. Plan an event

1. If you want to give every student on your campus a chance this year to hear the gospel, then plan a broad-sowing event and do it.  It could be handing out flyers or business cards or renting advertising space on a trolleybus which goes past campus with the address of an evangelistic website (www.everystudent.com, for example)
2. If you want to make contacts with non-believers to talk about spiritual topics, then plan something like “Alpha Course” or “Focus Group”.  Try setting a date within the next two weeks and be there prepared whether you think anyone will come or not.

Look back at God’s vision for your part in bringing the gospel to your campus and compare the plans you just made with the vision.  Will these plans/activities be effective in accomplishing your (God’s) vision? 

Avoid this common mistake:  we tend to plan activities and then call that our ‘vision’.  Just doing some fun things, or doing things other people are doing doesn’t mean that you are accomplishing the vision that God has given specifically to you.  The things you put on your plan need to be just the kinds of things that will help you accomplish what God has called you to do at your campus.

3-Share your vision with others.  Nehemiah could not rebuild the wall of Jerusalem by himself.  He needed others to join with him, so he shared his vision with the Israelites living there and invited them to rebuild the wall (Nehemiah 2:17-19).

 Invite other believing students at your university to join you in what God has called you to do and work together as a group to make a plan based on the vision that God has given you collectively. 

4-Start now!  Plan to do something starting now and get out and do it!  Procrastination is a great enemy in ministry.   Satan likes us to feel great about having good intentions, and loves it when we are slow to put a plan into action.

Even if it is the end of the school year and it seems better to wait until fall to begin, you can still put a plan for prayer into action for the last few weeks.  You can plan to talk to one or two classmates about why you aren’t stressed about your exams – and share your story of how knowing that God loves and accepts you unconditionally and how that brings peace into your life. 

Pray, plan specific events or activities, invite others to join you, and don’t procrastinate – Start Now!  These are good first steps for how to put a plan into action.