the vision

Sensation White Edition 2006 Amsterdam
Originally uploaded by Cngz D.

I've been reflecting a lot lately on the Vision of the church and how I've seen it or not seen it over the years. I spent a lot of time thinking about vision when helping at the Zolder and at various other stages of my life.

Man made. I'm realizing how man made my view of vision can be. God made. My vision is exactly that, mine. But there is another. It's God's. It's been here for a long time and I'm not really sure why I or anyone else for that matter feels like we have to come up with some crazy vision for the church. It's already in writing. It's on paper. We don't need marketing or some sort of slick verbage trying to explain it any further. It's here...

Revelation 7:9-17

The Great Multitude in White Robes

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:

"Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb."

All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:

"Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!"

Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?"

I answered, "Sir, you know."

And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore,

"they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.
Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat upon them,
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

There it is - the vision. Of course there are a number of ways in which we can accomplish this vision, which all, by the way, start and end with Jesus. I'm kicking myself though. Why have I been trying to come up with something on my own. It's right in front of us all the time.

Every nation. Every culture. Every language. Every color. Washed in the blood of the Lamb. Life forever.