Have you ever stared at a textured ceiling, and allowed your mind to drift and relax until the flecks and burrs take fascinating form before your eyes?
There’s a mouse and a pointy-faced man on one ceiling in my house. My wife spotted the mouse, and for a while, I could not see the outline she had perceived. But then, quite suddenly, I saw it. And now, I can find that rotund rodent whenever I want. In fact, I cannot help but see him.
If you have ever played such games, or maybe enjoyed staring at clouds to the same end, and then tried to get another person to see what you see, then you understand the sometimes frustrating element of perception. As leaders, you’re probably well aware of this in more vital aspects of life.
But we face an even more difficult task. We aren’t just dealing with a matter of perception, which is really in the order of interpretation. No, we are dealing with an incapacity to even see and hear, let alone interpret and understand.
Our own blindness and deafness is in remission as we walk with Jesus, but even so we are in constant need of God’s vision and God’s Word because He sees and speaks rightly, and we so often do not. Now, consider that we are trying to reach people as blind, deaf and dead in heart as we once were. And that is where the conundrum happens. How do we, in our maturing sight, lead those who are spiritually blind?
The Greek philosopher Plato wrote of a cave and its inhabitants who spent their days watching a shadow play of reality. When they were finally liberated into the light, they rejected the truth and returned to the darkness. Plato did not have the answers, but he at least had begun to understand the problem.
In times of trial, testing, and the desire for kingdom growth and disciple-making, we can sometimes reach for another book, system or successful strategy. But there is only one right way for us to keep seeing and to release others into spiritual vision. We must stay near to God. Because when we stay near to Him, not only do we begin to see the plans of heaven—they become impressed on us in such a way that they are immovably formative.
In this 15-minute QuickTalk, recorded live at Foursquare Connection 2014 in Dallas, Foursquare Pastor Marion Ingegneri imparts to us this prophetic exhortation: “Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.” Our churches, our leaders and the lost in
our communities are counting on us to have seen with spiritual vision, so that we may lead them to Jesus. It is not an option. It is a necessity.
To watch more Connection 2014 videos, click here.
