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.

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!

Trusting God to complete the mission He has called you to do

I was recently reading one of my favorite passages of the Bible – Jesus calming the sea (Luke 8:22-25).  As I read it I thought about how Jesus had told the disciples that they were going to reach the other side. He didn’t say, ‘let’s see how far we can go and if we can’t make it, then we’ll forget about it.’  No, Jesus said, ‘Let’s go to the other side of the lake.’  They would get to the other side of the lake, no question.

After saying this Jesus lay down and went to sleep.  The storm came in.  Not just a typical lake storm which the fishermen were used to, but such a storm that they felt they were in great peril and feared that they would die.  And in the midst of the howling wind, beating waves and frantic movement all about while fishermen trying to bail the water out of the small boat, Jesus slept.  It wasn’t because He was unconcerned that the storm had arisen or seemed to be totally unaware of the terror the disciples were experiencing that He continued His peaceful sleep.  He could peacefully rest because He knew that they were going to get to the other side, no matter what came up to attempt to slow them down or stop them.

At times in my life, even though I was confident that Jesus had called me to something or promised that He was going to do something in ministry, I have felt that He was ignoring me or was unconcerned that I was seeing little happen in connection to His promises or call…I have felt disappointed that it seemed that He was asleep on the job.  The Lord reminded me again through this passage that when He has said that He will do something, He will do it and I simply need to rest in Him.  I am not get anxious or impatient but must always wait in great faith that what He said He will do, He will do. 

If He has given you promises regarding using you to help to bring the gospel to your campus and to help develop a movement of students, administrators and faculty that will make a difference for Christ on your campus, then you must trust that He will do it. You must trust Him, no matter how great the storm is all around and no matter how sound asleep He may seem right now!  If He said He would do it, He will do it!

During the upcoming holidays, please take some time to ask God to show you His promises for you this coming semester.  Ask Him to place His plans in your mind and on your heart and direct you to do what will best bring about His glory on your campus.  Continue to ask Him to lead you to other believers at your campus to whom He has given the same call, the same dream for making His Name known among your classmates.

Even though we are taking a break from the coaching tips until the beginning of next semester, I will stay in touch with you with details about the Winter Bible Conference.  As soon as I know more details about the cost and the possibility of some of the travel expenses being paid for I will contact you.  I hope to see you there.  Continue in prayer that the Lord will provide the finances for you to go!  Raising funds for conferences  will guide you in seeking financial support from others for the conference. 

Good luck on your tests.  Enjoy the holidays! 

The Basics of Prayer

I just came across this summary of prayer and I thought it might be helpful to you to use to give someone an overview of what prayer is.  If I were to write a “summary” of prayer, it would end up being a 3 MB-sized document!  This New Life staff person managed to do a basic overview in less than a page – how I wish I had his ability!  Of course, it doesn’t cover everything, but it answers the questions a new or young believer may have about prayer.

THE BASICS OF PRAYER   

Eric Swanson

Prayer is simply conversing with God.  It is the God-given means to communicate our thoughts, desires, concerns and worship to Him.

1)  We can pray about anything, at any time, in any place. (Philippians 4:6-7)

2)  We can know that God always hears and grants requests that are according to His will.  (1 John 5:14-15)

3)  When we are praying for something that we’re not certain is God’s will, we can still pray in faith.  Praying in faith is not merely positive thinking.  It means that we believe God can answer our request and we are praying that He will answer but we trust Him to answer it only if it is His will.

4)  God doesn’t always answer our prayers in the way we pray for them to be answered.  He always answers according to His will.  Just as a good father doesn’t give everything a child asks for, so God uses His wisdom in how He answers our requests.  To those requests that would be good for us now, He answers, “yes”.  To those things that would eventually hurt us or not further His plan for us, He answers, “no”.  To those requests that would be good for us, but in the future, He answers, “wait”.  God sometimes grants us our desire but not our specific request.

                “Yes” – Mark 10:46-52

                “No” – Mark 10:35, 40

                “Wait” – Genesis 15:2-5

                “Desire”- He will fulfill our general ‘desire’ but does not always fulfill our specific “request” – Psalm 37:4, Romans 1:9-13

5)  Prayer is not just the means to get what we want but the means for God to give us what He wants.  There are four types of prayer mentioned in the Bible.

                Adoration – praising and worshipping God for who He is.  Psalm 145:1-6

                Confession – telling God about ourselves, our sins, our fears, our thoughts.  1 John 1:9

                Thanksgiving – thanking God for what He has given you or has done in your life. Ephesians 5:20

                Supplication – praying for ourselves and others.  Matthew 7:7,8

                (Note that of the four types of prayer, only one of the types is dependent on answers.)

Possible hindrances to effective prayer:

                Unconfessed sin – Psalm 66:18, Mark 11:25

                Wrong motives – James 4:2,3

                Distorted relationships with people – 1 Peter 3:7b

                Lack of perseverance – Luke 18:1-8

                Lack of faith – James 1:6-8, Romans 10:17

Which of the above might be hindering your prayers?