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Vision: Seeing a Long Way Off

5 FebMar2016 JGrunewald SinglePg


// John Grunewald


DURING THE MID-1980s,
Kenneth E. Hagin held prayer meetings at Rooker Memorial Auditorium on the Rhema USA campus. He often told those present to stretch their hands toward the large maps of the world's continents that covered the walls of the room and pray for those nations. During one season of time, Brother Hagin always had us pray for Europe.


Little did my wife, Michelle, and I know that God planted a seed in our hearts then. It was the beginning of a vision—something He was going to have us do. We didn't know what it meant or what to do with it. We just knew that there was something big in our hearts about Europe.


For years we helped anybody we knew who was going there. However they needed help, we'd lend a hand. We often prayed about going to Europe, but we always had a check in our spirits. For a long time we thought God wanted us to stay in the U.S. and help from here. It was 13 years before we finally got the release to travel to Europe. And within six months of that trip, we moved to Germany.


Seeing Farther Than You Thought You Could


Many years ago I was driving in Colorado with my oldest son, Zach. He was 12 at the time. We had just passed a road sign that said Pikes Peak was 100 miles away. Zach was playing with his Gameboy and didn't see the sign.


"Zach, look up" I said. "You can see Pike's Peak. How far away do you think it is?"


"Ten miles?"


"No, it's 100 miles away."


"Huh. I didn't know I could see that far."


This same thing happens with vision. When God drops something in our hearts, it looks like it's 10 miles away. And we think we'll get there right away.


But what we're seeing is really 100 miles off. That means it might take 10 times longer to get there. Instead of five years, it may take 30 to 50 years to accomplish. Some people never see the complete fulfillment of their vision.


"Go Teach My People Faith. . . ."


In 1950 God told Kenneth E. Hagin, "Go teach My people faith." He often prayed, "How am I going to get this message out?" Brother Hagin began seeing the fulfillment of this vision when Rhema Bible Training College opened in 1974. The school grew far beyond his first expectations. He never saw the explosive growth of Rhema campuses around the world. His vision is continuing long beyond his lifetime.


Vision is an interesting thing. It comes in both small and large packages. The small packages are things dealing with our personal lives. The big packages relate to what God wants to do in the earth. All of the small packages fit into God's big plan.


"Go teach My people faith" was Brother Hagin's personal mandate. It was what God wanted him to accomplish. But it also fit into a bigger picture of what God wants to be done worldwide.


What's Your Part?
As members of the Body of Christ, we are told to win the lost and build the Church. To do this, we must discover our personal part.


Some people say, "God has never given me a vision. What am I supposed to do?"


The answer is simple: Hook up with someone else. Help them accomplish what God told them to do.


There's still a lot of work to be done in the mandate "Go teach My people faith." Many people still need to hear this message. The possibilities of what God can do on the earth are endless. It will take all of us to make sure the vision continues.


When we stand before God, Brother Hagin will not be the only one held accountable for fulfilling this vision. I will be—and you will be.


God will ask, "What did you do to perpetuate this vision that I connected you with?" I don't know about you, but I don't want to be embarrassed and hide. I want to hear, "Well done."

 



[Editor's Note: John Grunewald is an International Director over Rhema campuses in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He also is a guest instructor at Rhema USA.]