A few weeks ago we looked at a passage of scripture from Colossians 3:16, the verse that says, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly … Here's another thought on that topic.
If you're at all like me, you grew up in a church that periodically undertook some sort of building campaign. Maybe it was a project to build more educational space or maybe a new worship center or sanctuary. Chances are, somewhere in this endeavor the words from Proverbs 29:18 were referenced: Where there is no vision, the people perish (KJV). We normally think of this verse, especially the word, “vision,” as if it were saying: If we don't have a grand idea or concept (vision), our efforts will be useless; we're going to die on the vine. But here's something I discovered a while back that really altered the way I look at this verse, and solidified it as an important part of building a biblical basis for ministry.
The word we normally see translated as “vision,” is the Hebrew word, chazown, and it means “revelation, oracle or word from God.” It's the same word used in 1 Samuel 3:1, where we read, In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. Secondly, the word, para, is used in regard to “the people.” Para indicates “unprotected or unrestrained; going one's own way.” So we might interpret this verse to say: Where there is no oracle, no word from God, the people are unrestrained, unprotected.
Too often we've seen ministries that were built on personalities, or programs, or traditions, or styles, or architectures or whatever. Ministries built not on the word of God, but on the efforts of man. As you know (and may have experienced), that can be disastrous! I hope you're singing, sharing and really diving into the word of God personally and individually, as well as together with the teams you minister with. Otherwise, we're just sort of doing our own thing. Here's a spiritual principle for all this:
We must be in touch with God to receive the vital word from God.
