TUNNEL VISION
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
TEXT:
Matthew 9:37 Then saith He unto His disciples, the Harvest is truly plenteous, But the labourers are few: 33. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the Harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His Harvest.
Matthew 28:19 GO YE THEREFORE, AND TEACH ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND THE SON, AND THE HOLY GHOST. 20. TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER I HAVE COMMANDED YOU: AND, LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAY, EVEN UNTO THE END OF THE WORLD.
MARK 16:15 AND HE SAID UNTO THEM, GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD, AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE.
I am pondering Tunnel Vision.
Tunnel vision is usually a product of glaucoma, high pressure in the eye.
This high pressure pushes the optic nerve until it
cups.
Often time glaucoma and tunnel vision happen so
slowly that the person afflicted does not notice the
damage until there is major vision loss.
Then treatment and medicine can restore very little.
With tunnel vision one can only see what is right in
front of them.
There is no peripheral vision, one can see only part
not the whole.
Do I really believe in hell?
What am I doing to turn eternities around?
1. Our enemy is constantly attacking the vision of the church.
He would love to afflict the leaders and membership
with tunnel vision. I hear this song on Gospel
radio, it says: "Lord, all I am asking for is for me
and my family to serve you."
I get so angry, I just turn the radio off.
Of course, we have to feed ourselves...
but we owe a debt to others.
Over the exit door’s of the church should be a
sign... YOU ARE ENTERING THE MISSION FIELDS.
2. Every born again believer must accept their call.
The first words Jesus says to us his disciples
is... "COME." But, we cannot stay.
Can you spell G-O-D without spelling G-O?
Can you spell G-O-S-P-E-L without G-O?
If the church meets and stays behind four walls,
holy ground, we fail God, the church, and our selves.
Every born again Christian has a duty ... A MISSION.
We are sent ones...
Often with professional clergy there can come a
feeling that I am exempt, that is what we pay them to
do.
God has commissioned every believer to touch others
for the cross’ sake.
3. WHAT IS YOUR ASSIGNMENT? What strategy have we developed to attack?
If we fail to plan, we are doomed to fail.
Remember, people don’t plan to fail, they fail to
plan.
Is the church equipping saints with a war plan?
Does not Romans 8:28 stipulate for all things to work
good... WE MUST BE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE?
What is your purpose? If you don’t know, how will you
ever do anything. Are you sent?
4. Pastors and Christian workers are not cowboys ... we don’t drive people.
We are shepherd’s, we lead, we set an example.
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people
perish...
We must teach the children, schools are a mission
field.
Place tracts, sermon strings, some kind of a tool in
their hands.
Why not get T-shirts with the 10 Commandments?
Factories and work places are serious mission
fields.
You are the only Bible many will read.
5. Commanded to go.
Matthew 28:19 GO YE THEREFORE, AND TEACH ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND THE SON, AND THE HOLY GHOST. 20. TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER I HAVE COMMANDED YOU: AND, LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAY, EVEN UNTO THE END OF THE WORLD.
Note, this is in red letters, Jesus said this.
This is a command, it is not optional.
All born again believers are SENT, entrusted to go.
MARK 16:15 AND HE SAID UNTO THEM, GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD, AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE.
When I was in the 7th grade I learned this verse, I
was trying to get our dog Richie to accept Jesus as
his Savior.
My Dad heard me through the window, and he explained
to me, God only breathed the breath of life in man
and woman.
I was so glad, I couldn’t get Richie to acknowledge
Jesus.
6. BUT I CAN’T POSSIBLY GO INTO ALL THE WORLD!
This is very true, at best I can just touch one
little area.
So this MISSIONARY CALL is not just GOING,
but to be a helper, a supporter, a team member.
THIS SUPPORT IS MORE THAN MONEY. WE MUST TEACH
GIVING, BUT WE FAIL WHEN WE STOP THERE.
God raise up more than money giving missions
programs. God raise up LOVE SUPPORTERS, raise up
PRAYER WARRIORS, not just prayer partners.
I may not be available to speak other languages, but
I can join mission teams to stay abreast of prayer
needs, and fast for those that are sent.
7. There are not many workers on the team.
Matthew 9:37 Then saith He unto His disciples, the Harvest is truly plenteous, But the labourers are few: 33. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the Harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His Harvest.
Many pray for workers to go, yet they never do
anything. We must teach better.
We must make self available, to pray, to give, to
support.
8. HELL KNOWS THE NEED OF MISSIONS.
We know from Luke 16:27-31, that the man that went to
Hell offered to become a missionary.
In Hell, a mission spirit was birthed, he was
concerned for his brothers and family.
Can we afford for hell to be the heart of missions?
There is a personal work for you, God has given us
many tools, but often they are idle.
Buried talents are GRAVE MISTAKES.
Let’s accept the mission spirit while we still have
the opportunity.
9. WE HAVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR MORE THAN TONGUES!
Acts 1:8, says, we will receive power, after the Holy
Ghost is come, Power to witness in
1) Jerusalem, local community ... like culture,
2) Judea, Regional, step beyond limits,
3)Samaria, cross cultures, different,
4) Uttermost part ... the extremes, outer most.
10. PAUL AND BARNABAS WORKED TO RAISE MONEY.
Acts 21:12-14, while Paul and Barnabas were
missionaries, they were part of a bigger team, they
helped raise support and prayer for Jerusalem.
Jerusalem was in a hard time.
Once a foreign missionary visited our church.
He wrote back secretly to my board, and said, that
pastor needs a raise, don’t muzzle the ox.
Wow, what vision? The money they raised in this
situation would be invested in others work.
11. Receive other missions that touch different areas.
I have seen home missions projects that were jealous
of foreign missions.
Jail missionaries that talked about rest home
ministries.
Royal ranger leaders that skipped Sunday school?
Song leaders that miss prayer time?
As pastor, I never miss Sunday School.
This is a witness.
How can I preach come, if I don’t go?
12. Supporting missions is an answer...
Gal. 6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens.
Identify problem areas and don’t talk, pray, and
raise support for others.
I teach at Faith Assembly, pray for the Methodist,
Church of God, Baptist, Church of Christ, every Bible
teaching church and their leaders.
13. Pray for open doors to missionaries.
Col. 4:3.
We need God to open the right doors and close the
wrong. We need to pray for the wisdom to see.
14. Be a helper and share the load.
There were leaders appointed in Acts, to help take
the menial chores off leaders to free them for study,
this is a type of missions.
I think in eternity there will be much regret for not
helping share the work loads of our leaders.
Mission minded people birth or release blessings and wonderful spiritual rewards.
Actively supporting mission will birth a spirit of compassion, demonstrate a spirit of thanksgiving, will cause a spirit to emerge with unity, results in a way of acknowledging God’s blessings.
We must reach out ... grow service and love.
Mark 9:35-37, says that Jesus sat down and taught that greatness is achieved as we develop a servants heart.
Lord, teach me... GROW A SERVANT’S HEART IN MY LIFE, MY FAMILY, AND THE CHURCH. My mission...
It is easy to build a self feeding church, and lose the vision beyond on walls. God wants us to have a well balanced vision that sees beyond just US. God needs us to partner and team with other ministries to help them and enlarge the borders of our vision.
Tunnel vision will limit the progress of the cross. We must see beyond our walls and reach to the lost and dying.
His servant,
Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
My hands are so little, please be help my mission, pass this to others
