Follow Me And I'll Set You Free!

"Where there is no vision, the people perish." Proverbs 29:18a KJV

All over the world, good intentioned believers in the Body of Christ are trying to know and do the will of God. They follow dedicated Shepherds who have a vision for the future of their respective fellowships as they struggle to make sense out of their successes and failures. Their leaders owe various sources for their visions of where they are to lead the people of God including their own vanity, the needs of the people, and the success of previous and other leaders. Once they have clearly internalized their vision, they struggle to articulate it and sell it to their followers. They spend enormous amounts of energy trying to manipulate their environment, both people and circumstances, to facilitate the realization of their dream. The people struggle to understand and take ownership of the vision so as to know and do what they perceive to be the will of God.

Bulletin: if a leader has to "sell" his vision to the believers, it is most probably an indication that it is not from God. The world functions by vision, the Body of Christ lives by revelation. A more accurate translation of the actual Hebrew for Proverbs 29:18 is offered in the New International Version of the Bible: "Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint." The Living Bible translates the Hebrew word "chazown" (khaw-zone') that the KJV translates "vision" and the NIV translates "revelation" as "knowledge of God" while the RSV translates it "prophecy." The idea of the phrase is that what God intends for the people to know and to do can only come from Him. He reveals His vision for His people, and, if He reveals it, He will guide it to its fruition.

According to Henry and Richard Blackaby in their book, Spiritual Leadership, it is not the place of a leader to develop, articulate, or sell his vision to the people of God. Leaders are charged with the responsibility of moving the people of God closer to the Lord Jesus so they can hear from Him directly. If the leader's vision is the revealed will of God for His people, the Holy Spirit will confirm that vision in their hearts and, thus, there will be no need to "sell" it. There will also be no need to manipulate or worry about the people or circumstances necessary to realize the vision because God Himself will manage the events and the people such that His will is manifest in the future of those who make themselves available to Him.

So, as you seek to shepherd your ministry towards a fruitful future, relax! God is in charge. If you are in His will, He is satisfied with your work, both your successes and your mistakes. Work but don't worry, lead, but don't manage. When the people have a clear understanding of the will and the direction of God, a revelation from Him, they not only will not perish, they will flourish.