6 Extend Your Vision - Include The Whole World!

Maximum Impact # 6

“Live for maximum impact! Make a difference!” is what the Lord has been saying to me this month!

In this series of messages, we have considered the new identity that God offers to each of us in Christ, about the reality of God’s Presence all around in daily life. We considered Gideon, a frightened farmer that God called to be a “Mighty Warrior,” Israel’s deliverer.

I spoke about walking with God, like Abraham, who lived with his eyes fixed on God’s promises, and walked out His will, day by day.

I urged you to set goals and encouraged you to be sure they are worthy of our status as those called to make God’s love and purpose known in our world! We took the negative example of Judas Iscariot, who began well with Jesus, but then became captive of his own dreams, and in the deception of self-will, became a traitor who died tragically!

We took a look at prayer; the essential importance of wiring ourselves into the wisdom of God. And last Sunday, I talked about the importance of having a dream, letting God out of the box. We saw how God stepped into Peter’s life and with a dream, changed the course of Christianity from being a Jewish sect to a Gospel for the whole world!

The challenge today will take us to the story of Jonah, a prophet who believed that God’s favor was reserved only for people like himself!

Extend Your Vision - Include the Whole World!

If we want to live for maximum impact and live to make a difference, we will have to identify with God’s heart for the world, and become world-class Believers. Many of us easily slide into a life wrapped up in involvement with people who look, talk, act, and think like we do!

We slide into Parochialism. That means we become narrow in scope, or consider only small sections of an issue. The term comes the root word - ‘parish.’ which describes the smaller division within the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches. When events, groups and decisions within a parish are based on around local concerns, taking little heed of what is going on in the wider Church, they are said to be parochial.

Disciple, one of the plagues that hides the beauty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the “you gotta be just like me or God can’t love you” attitude that is too often part of church life!

Many churches are exclusive clubs with social networks that are nearly impenetrable from the outside. That’s not because Christians are evil people, that’s because living around people who are most like us is what is easiest and most natural in human relationships. It takes real work to bridge the gap with people who see the world differently, who value different things, who make messes, who won’t get their act together as we think they should.

To get outside of our parochial mind set and see the BIG PICTURE of God’s work and our part in it is hard work. Becoming a person who encourages others, who is actively compassionate, and who is accepting of people who are different must be an INTENTIONAL WAY OF LIFE!

Are you a parochial Christian? Need a clue to figure it out?

Here’s a simple way to check.

· Were your prayers only focused on your needs and those of your extended family; kids, brothers, sisters? Did you pray for people outside of your circle of acquaintance, for those serving God in other places, for peoples and/or cultures not yet widely touched with the message about the Kingdom of Christ?

· When you rubbed shoulders with someone who was ‘different,’ was your first thought about moving away, being safe, or trying to change them? If you cared about them, was it out of pity or because you saw them as a person?

With that said, let me ask you once again – are you a WORLD-CLASS Christian with an extended vision that is worthy of a true citizen of Heaven?

Paul Borthwick defines ‘world-class Christian’ for us –

A world-class Christian is one whose lifestyle and obedience are compatible, in cooperation, and in accord with what God is doing and wants to do in our world. The world-class Christian is willing to wrestle not only with what it means to be compatible with God’s purposes but also what it means to live in harmony with our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. - How to be a World-Class Christian

John Stott, a respected Anglican pastor and well-known author tells of visiting a rural church in England while on a study leave. He worshiped with them each Sunday and shared in their fellowship. Week after week he heard the pastor address issues facing the village and pray about the concerns of the church.