A Vision to Die for

I read that vision is at the very core of leadership, take it away and you cut out the leaders heart. Vision is the fuel that leaders run on, the energy that creates action, the fire that ignites the passion of followers. Without vision, people lose vitality that makes them feel alive. Well, this is what I have been experiencing these days. As I think about what God wants to do and when I see what can be done, I get pumped and I feel alive like never before. It creates in me a firestorm of energy and passion.

For sometime now I have seen the vision for this new church. God has given me a vision that makes my pulse quicken. I am feeling the vision too, it is evoking a deep sense of passion and energy in my heart. I am owning the vision, fulfilling it has become the pressing priority of my life. And now it's time to communicate it to others in such a way that it lights a fire in them as well and it too becomes the pressing priority of their lives.

Have you ever asked this question, what am I willing to die for? Are you willing to die for just a need or are you willing to die for vision. I believe Jesus died because of our need of salvation but I also believe his death and resurrection was greater than just a need, it was that he saw a vision of what could be and a vision of eternity. He could see every tongue and every tribe worshipping around the throne of God one day. What a vision to die for!

It's interesting that people will give not just because there is a need but because of a vision. People will not just serve because there is a need, but they will serve because at the very heart of their service there is a compelling vision. What is it that makes you give or serve? Is it an obligation or is it because you honestly believe in something so strongly that you have to give or serve. As I talked with some of our Canadian soldiers and ask them if being in Afganistan is worth it, they reply with an absolute yes. They are there not just out of obligation and need but they are there because they believe in the vision of the future and that they can make a difference in a country and in peoples lives.

That is how I feel. My wife, family and I are stepping out in faith because we believe that a city and a region is in desparate need of Jesus and they need to hear His Word. I believe strongly that not only do people need to hear about Jesus but believers need to feel alive again in their souls and begin to make a difference in peoples lives that intersect their lives. For too long believers have felt the coldness of their living. Many have stopped attending church and many have given up serving and giving because it's the same thing year after year after year. Life becomes just an existence. Church is just one more thing to do. They don't see that the church is the hope of the world anymore. They are just trying to survive.

I don't know about you but that's not good enough for me, and I hope that it is not good enough for you either. It's time to make a difference and to put your energies and passions into a vision that Jesus died for . . . the church. Is there a vision you are willing to die for? Think about it and then let God by his Spirit direct you into a worthy vision that compells you to give your very life for.

Over the next few days I am going to unpack the vision that I believe God has given me for the "Church by the Canal" and the Niagara region. I trust it will spur you on to pray for us and to consider what your part might be in this compelling vision for the future.