Elements of Vision Casting

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters. As a village church planer you are a follower of Jesus.  I hope you feel joy and peace when you think about that.  You are a follower of Jesus, the most loving, kind, and compassionate man who ever lived.  

As a follower of Jesus, your aim is to live as he lived and do what he did. One of the great achievements of Jesus while he was on the earth was to cast a vision for the future.  Jesus said to Peter, the man who earned his living by catching fish, “Follow me and I will make you a fisher of men.”  (Matthew 4:19). 

Jesus shared a new vision for Peter’s future.  Peter embraced the vision and began to follow Jesus to fish men and women from the world so they could enter the kingdom of God.  Jesus cast vision when he said in Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” 

You are a follower of Jesus.  Your goal is to live as he lived and do what he did. How are you doing at casting vision?  Jesus was a vision caster and you are too. I am sure that you have shared with others the big vision of the Village Church Planting ministry: “A church in every African village by 2050.”I hope you own this vision. I hope it is in your heart, in your prayers, and on your lips every day. I can tell you that I carry the VCP vision in my heart. It guides my prayers and comes out often when I speak. 

But this big vision must be broken down into smaller parts if it is to be practical. So let me ask you, what is your vision for the villages located within 25 kilometers of your home? Can you imagine the day when there is a church in every one of those villages? Are you trusting God for a church in every one of those places? Are you sharing this local vision with your church members and your disciples? Does this local vision guide their prayers? Does it compel them to go and sow the good seed of the Gospel?

As you cast vision for what God wants to accomplish, your faith will grow and your obedience to Christ will become even more practical. So turn the VCP vision into a vision for your part of the world. Let God guide you. Then tell people the vision God has given you. 

You might say something like this: A church in every village in my district by 2030; a church in every village in my province by 2035.” As you share the vision, describe why you believe it is God’s will for the vision to be fulfilled. Then encourage people to pray for the fulfillment of the vision. Call people to loving unity and active ministry as they work to fulfill the vision you are sharing.

Jesus was a vision caster.  You too can cast a faith-filled vision for your people and your place. 

This has been “Multiply.” And I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #VisionCasting