by Joel Iyorwa
Joel has been ministering among students in his home country, Nigeria, for more than a decade. He studied psychology at the Benue State University, Nigeria, and has since been pursuing his heart given passion, mobilizing and discipling the emerging generation.
There are three parameters with which we can judge or rate our own vision to see if it aligns with God’s. We must subject our visions to and make sure that they pass three tests;
- Is it people-oriented?
- Is it eternal?
- Is it global?
I have found that every God-given vision conforms to these three basic criteria. The first criteria is that God’s kind of vision is focused on people not things, not money, not on anything tangible or intangible that is not men and women created in God’s image. Even when things are involved, it’s only so as a means to an end which is the people God so loves (John 3:16). If your vision lacks a people component, it is badly distorted.
The Second Criteria is that the God kind of vision is eternal. What this means is its got eternity in view, God’s vision does not bring about things that begin and end here in this world on this side of eternity. Whatever is from God has its cumulative end in eternity. Is your vision about something that only has relevance in this world and not beyond it? If your vision is not about something bound for eternity, it is terribly distorted and inferior (2 Cor. 4:18; 2 Pt. 3:11-15)
The third criteria talks about the vision being global. A God kind of vision is always globally oriented; it’s not about you and your family alone. God’s vision is always bigger than the person who receives it and the vision must have some connection with His global world. It may have a local emphasis sometimes but it cannot miss having a global orientation. God has always pointed his people to the world; “Ye are the salt of the Earth… ye are the light of the World” was the instruction Jesus gave to his disciples (Matt. 5:13-14). Unless your vision is global it is unfortunately counterfeit.
The vision God has always sought to impart to His people over the years has been a vision of the Global Harvest, a vision of the harvest of unreached peoples into the kingdom. Jesus sought to cast this vision on the first disciples and still seeks to cast the same vision upon us today. He said to them “…behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” (John 4:35).
The matter of missions is not any man’s idea; it is the purpose of God Himself who is working to redeem mankind, it is the heartbeat of God. We can never see that purpose of God and feel this heartbeat of His until we ‘lift up our eyes’ and see the ripe harvest fields of the world. That is what a vision upgrade does. We start to see God, His people and eternity.
The pertinent questions the reader needs to ask at this point are glaring and pellucid; ‘what is my vision?’, ‘do I need a vision upgrade?’, ‘is my vision people-oriented, God-centered and eternal?’ If it is not, then such a vision is too small and needs to be upgraded to a God-sized vision. If we cannot identify a driving vision we need to come to God and ask Him to impart His vision to us. If we have been carrying a distorted one, we still want to come to Him and ask Him for a second touch, for a perfection of our sight.
We also want to ask ourselves what the implications are for us when we embrace God’s global vision of unreached people; will I still be doing the job I am doing currently if I have this vision? Would I be doing this major at college? Would I be intending to marry this person? Would I be living here at home or among the unreached in some country? Would I be spending my money this way? Will the content of my prayer remain intact? A vision upgrade usually takes the quality of a man’s life to a whole new dimension.
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