Are you Nearsighted or Farsighted? (July 18th)
Acts 14:21 – 28
1.) How many of you need correction to your physical vision? If so, you are either far sighted meaning that you need help in seeing things that are close to you, or, you are near sighted meaning that you need help seeing things that are far away from you.
I usually wear contacts on Sunday but I am wearing my glasses to show you that I need correction in my vision.
When I was in Junior High and had received an updated prescription and a new pair of glasses from the eye doctor I realized my vision was getting worse. In my thinking I figured that eventually I would go blind. I remember crying about it and prayed that it wouldn’t happen. But my vision stabilized with the correction that I received. But those moments as a young person seemed dramatic and troubling.
So, whatever your need in order to get correction for your vision you need contacts or glasses. You need lens correction to allow your eye to focus on those things near and far.
2.) Let’s take our understanding of our physical vision and connect that to our spiritual vision. Do we see the needs of people who are close, or do we see the needs of people who are far away? As we see people are we near sighted or far sighted?
We are called to go and make disciples reaching and seeking the lost with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Is the Lord bringing to our hearts those closest to us or those farther away? We all have a comfort in our faith as it relates to the needs of people. Is it easier to go away or to stay here in making disciples?
3.) Let’s discover what our scripture can tell us. Paul’s first missionary journey in the book of Acts begins in the 13th chapter of Acts. “In the church at Antioch…while they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.” (Acts 13:1, 2, 3)
Paul had been given the task of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ away from the church at Antioch. He was called to have a far sighted vision. So, Paul and Barnabas went and we can read in the 13th and 14th chapters of the experiences that they had in distant lands.
Acts 14:21 finds Paul in the town of Derbe. He preached there and then traveled on to other towns. While they preached people came to believe in Jesus Christ and committed to become disciples. Paul then strengthened the disciples and encouraged them to remain true to the faith. This was a pattern that we see in Paul and his journeys.
Then Paul and Barnabas traveled back to Antioch and shared what had happened in ministry. Then we read the last verse of this chapter. “And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.” (Acts 14:28) Paul stayed put and didn’t head out to distant lands. He spent time with the disciples there in Antioch. This is an example of near sighted vision.
4.) What we discover in Acts is that Paul and the early church had a near sighted and a far sighted vision. They could see the needs of the people in the local community and church as well as seeing the vision of people in different distant towns.
We also discover that Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in each church. They wanted to make sure that local leaders were set so needs could be met. Near sighted vision causes you to see the needs of people in that town and church. Far sighted vision gives you a burden for those in distant and different lands.
This scripture from Acts tells us that churches need a balance of their vision. We read about the different churches in the book of Acts and some that took up collections to help those in Jerusalem and some churches feeding the hungry in their own town.
5.) We need to hear the stories of the church, and its people at work in meeting needs right in front of us and in distant places. The stories help correct the vision that we have. When we hear a story of meeting needs in Christ’s love it is like putting a pair of glasses on.
*So, we hear the story of McCurdy School and visualize what our Mission Team did. Most of us have never been there and will never go. Yet, we hear the story and let God use that experience to help our vision of people’s needs in distant lands.
*We hear the stories of the children, youth and adults involved in our camp ministry. Some of our own children went to camp and these are some ways that they responded. (Read some responses without mentioning the names of the children). Ask some of those who volunteered as counselors or staff members and hear their stories.
*We see the children and youth and how we can meet their needs to help them continue to grow in faith. These are our children, living with us all year round. We need to make sure that we have VBS, Sunday School, Bibles, Youth Group, for students to grow in their faith.
*We tell the stories of collecting canned goods that we give to local food banks. We know that we are helping to feed people in our town. This is a need we are meeting.
*We tell the story of support we provide for Ken Vance in his ministry in Africa. We pray for him and we give money to him so that he can reach the needs of the children, youth and adults in Africa. (As a side note Ken will be here in November to preach. I wonder how many of us would be willing to travel to Africa in the next two years to see and participate in the mission work he is involved with?
*We tell the story of Epworth Forest and bring before the congregation the needs of a campaign and our $75,000 pledge to build some new lodges to prepare for the future. This is vital to have our vision stretched beyond ourselves.
*We tell the story of the work being done on our parking lot and our need for $50,000 – $90,000 in gifts so that we won’t have to borrow. This is vital to have parking so that people can enter the building for the ministry that will be provided. We are doing it with the future in mind so that we will not have to spend money on parking for another 50 years or more.
6.) Do you know the story of William Carey or of William and Catherine Booth? They both had vision but with different results.
William Carey was a Christian man who started as a shoemaker. He had a growing vision of the importance of reaching those who did not know Christ. He wrote a book about missions and eventually went to India. He is known as the father of modern day missions for his inspiring work in India. Carey had a far sighted vision.
William Booth was a British Methodist Lay Minister. He and his wife, Catherine Booth, wondered what they needed to do to fulfill their calling as Christians. William was invited to preach to the poor and destitute of the city of London. The people came to Christ and the Booth’s began meeting needs of the people through food and other help. The Booth’s had a near sighted vision. We know this organization today as The Salvation Army.
These vital people were used of God to do His work. William Carey brought the vital vision of those in distant lands who needed to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many missionaries, perhaps like Ken and Deb Vance, have been influenced by men like that.
William and Catherine Booth brought the vital vision of ministering to those who have need right in the town you live. Shelter Ministries, perhaps has been influenced by men and women who stayed in town to meet needs, like the Salvation Army.
John Wesley and the early Methodist leaders were both far and near sighted. Disciples were developed in local class meetings and churches were started by the early circuit riders who would take the Good News of Jesus Christ to those who would listen.
If we don’t have vision for the needs of those close or distant it could be disaster for our church and our spiritual life.
7.) One day at a busy airport, the passengers on a commercial airliner are seated waiting for the pilot to show up so they can get under way.
The pilot and copilot finally appear in the rear of the plane and begin walking up to the cockpit through the center aisle. Both appear to be blind; the pilot is using a white cane, bumping into passenger’s right and left as he stumbles down the aisle. The copilot is using a guide dog. Both have their eyes covered with sunglasses.
At first, the passengers do not react thinking that it must be some sort of practical joke. After a few minutes though, the engines start revving, and the airplane begins moving down the runway.
The passengers look at each other with some uneasiness. They start whispering among themselves and look desperately to the stewardesses for reassurance.
Yet, the plane starts accelerating rapidly, and people begin panicking. Some passengers are praying, and as the plane gets closer and closer to the end of the runway, the voices are becoming more and more hysterical.
When the plane has less than twenty feet of runway left, there is a sudden change in the pitch of the shouts as everyone screams at once. At the very last moment, the plane lifts off and is airborne.
Up in the cockpit, the copilot breathes a sigh of relief and tells the pilot: “You know, one of these days the passengers aren’t going to scream, and we aren’t going to know when to take off!” (From Ahajokes.com)
8.) I want to say thanks to all those who go away to serve the needs of others in Mission trips. I invite all to consider opening your heart, to going away from this area to serve the needs of others. We need you to have far sighted vision.
I want to say thanks to those who volunteer in this community, in this church, to help meet needs in the lives of people. You make a difference. I appreciate your near sighted vision.
I invite all to give two hours of your time to some need that helps children, youth or adults in ministry. There are needs in our children’s ministry, our youth ministry or in some way in helping meet the needs of adults. The Lord needs good vision in the life of the church.
