Church Foundations – Part Three: A Vision for God’s People (Rev 21:9-27)

Our Vision

“To be a Community that makes Christ visible so that others will experience life in Him.”

Hope is energising. Without hope, we are resigned to either indifference or despair. And hope is the result of a hopeful vision. Without such a vision, God’s people are destined to walk around aimlessly until they perish
(Prov 29:18). Therefore, we need to have a vision and we need to know where to find it.

Some people exist to make themselves visible. Whether through success, beauty, the accumulation of things or academic prowess. We exist to be in Communion with the one true God so that His Son may become visible in this world and the world brought to faith through Him (John 17:20-21).

God’s vision for the world is the ever increasing display of His Son in the life of His bride, the church. In Revelation 221:9-11. the Apostle John is given such a hopeful vision. A vision of the church that should motivate us to pursue our calling and persevere in hope.

” …Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.”

This is the direction – the only direction – that the church is heading. This is the vision of the church given by God and the implications are enormous. To take just one implication, John goes on to describe the effect that this city-bride will have on humanity. On account of her radiance, the nations will stream in and find for themselves healing in her trees (21:24-26; 22:1-2).

The image is one of victory. It is the gradual increase of His government from the river to the ends of the earth. ((Isa 9:6-7; Zech 9:10).

Despite the prevailing pessimism in this world, Jesus will not be returning in order to collect a dishevelled housewife wearing tracky daks and clinging on by the tips of her broken fingernails. No. Humanity fell in history, is being redeemed in history and will transformed in history. Then the end will come.

Let this, then, be the vision we embrace as a church. To make Christ increasingly visible to the world – transforming and redeeming it through the gospel with eager expectation – until His Kingdom is visible – from the river to the ends of the earth.

Lessons for Little Saints…

1. What two things are used to describe the church in Revelation 21?

2. Why is it important to have a vision?

3. How would you describe or repeat the vision for our church?

    

4. What will the future of the church be like?