And to enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is, which throughout the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things. Eph. 3:9
Every believer in Christ needs to see the heavenly vision, the vision of God’s economy, and this vision needs to govern, inspire, motivate, energize, and control his living.
We believers are human beings just like the rest, but we have seen something of the God of glory appearing to us – we have seen God’s economy, His desire to dispense Himself into man and work Himself into man in order to make man one with Him for His Body, His corporate expression, consummating in the New Jerusalem.
In Acts 9 we see how Saul was met by the Lord on the road to Damascus. He was a strong young man, zealous for God and for the law, willing to go and take captive the Jews in Damascus who have believed in the so-called heresy teaching of “Jesus the Nazarene.”
But when the Lord Jesus appeared to him in His glory, Saul was blinded outwardly yet full of sight inwardly. He saw a heavenly vision, a vision of Christ and the church, the corporate “Me”. This vision governed him and controlled him, and this vision kept him going, supplied him, motivated him, and strengthened him to follow the Lord for the rest of his life.
The Lord may not come to us in such an outward and glorious way, but through His word and through the speaking in the meetings He appears to us in His glory and calls us to Him by showing us a vision of His economy.
When we see a vision of God’s economy, when we realize that God intends to work Himself into us and build us up together with other saints for His corporate expression consummating in the glorious city, New Jerusalem – when we see this, we are captured! This vision directs us to fulfill God’s purpose, and our life is controlled according to God’s economy.
Because we have such a vision, we can move one with the Lord and in the Body where He wants us to move for His interest. The vision we receive from the Lord is the way we have to go forward, even when outwardly there’s no way.
The heavenly vision preserves us in the genuine oneness, bringing us into the sweet one accord with the saints He put us with in the Body. When we have the heavenly vision we will be fully for the building up of the Body, doing a work of carrying out God’s economy in the Body and for the Body.
The Impact of the Heavenly Vision
Once we see the heavenly vision, the vision of God’s economy, our whole life will be changed. The way we live, speak, and do anything will be controlled by the heavenly vision.
Satan as the lord of this age tries his utmost to blind the thoughts of the unbelievers so that the illumination of the gospel of the glory of Christ (who is the image of God) might not shine of them (see 2 Cor. 4:4).
He knows that once a man sees the heavenly vision, once the God of glory appears to a man, his whole life changes and his system of values is set right. If we study the New Testament in the light of seeing the heavenly vision we will realize there is an impact that the heavenly vision has on us.
The heavenly vision causes our life to be full of meaning and purpose, and this vision motivates us, energizes us, and gives us endurance (see 2 Tim. 1:9; Heb. 12:1-2). When we see the vision of God’s economy we will realize that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses in the spiritual realm, and they “cheer us on” to run the race with endurance, looking away from anything else unto Jesus who ran the race and finished it, and now He’s at the right hand of the throne of God!
The meaning of our human life is to live out the heavenly vision. Whether it is easy or difficult, we will not be affected because we’re governed by this vision. We are controlled, limited, restricted, and at the same time we’re motivated and energized by the vision, and we go on! This heavenly vision causes us even to be ecstatic, speaking to others about the glorious One we have seen and enjoyed.
Under the heavenly vision we are directed toward God’s goal and our life with our living is controlled by God’s economy (Phil. 3:3-14; 1 Tim. 1:4). Before we see the vision we have a certain set of values and we treasure certain things, but after the Lord appears to us in His glory, we consider the things of this world as dung, refuse, rubbish, and we count all things as refuse so that we may gain Christ and be found in Him, having the righteousness that is through faith in Christ, out of God and based on faith.
The heavenly vision directs us toward God’s goal and causes us to care for one thing: God’s economy. Our time with the Lord, our Christian life, our meeting with the saints, our doing this or that – in everything we are for God’s economy and we live according to God’s economy.
Like Paul, we may be outwardly blind toward so many religious attainments, cultural rewards, peer appraisal, or human glory, but we will be inwardly full of sight to see, live according to, and do everything in God’s economy. This “blessed blindness” – which Paul had and which we have as we see the heavenly vision – is increasing in our Christian life and church life, revolutionizing the way we serve the Lord. We now care for God’s economy and His goal, not our purpose, gain, or attainments.
The heavenly vision causes us to move one with the Lord and in the Body (see Acts 10:1-33; 13:2). As human beings we love to settle in a place and take care of our family, home, children, house, car, dogs, etc. But when we receive the heavenly vision we will be one with the Lord in His move.
Our God is a moving God; He flowed from eternity past, entered into time, flowed throughout time, and moves all over the earth. When we live under the heavenly vision we will be willing to move with the Lord where He wants us to go. The vision within will motivate us, strengthen us, energize us, and preserve us in oneness with the Lord and in fellowship with the Body, making us “movable”, ready to move for God’s purpose. The vision we see causes us to move, and behind and within the Lord’s move there’s a vision.
Where there’s a vision, there’s a way (see Acts 26:18-19). Seeing the heavenly vision doesn’t guarantee you a life of ease and happiness outwardly. Rather, many times we thing we have no way out, no way through, no way up, no way down, no way around, and absolutely no way to bear the situation we are in. But the heavenly vision becomes the way.
We can’t explain how it does it, but where there’s a vision there is a way. The living seeing of God’s economy in our being takes us through, and this glorious vision always leads us onto the way and gives us the boldness to go on. Whether through hard times or good times, the heavenly vision takes us through and brings us on.
The heavenly vision preserves us in the genuine oneness and brings us into the one accord (see Eph. 1:17-18; 4:3; Acts 1:14; 2:46; 4:24; 5:12). It is impossible to be one with others humanly; at one point we will disagree and our friendship will become something bitter.
But when we are governed by the heavenly vision, when we live a life according to the vision of God’s economy, we advance toward the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, the oneness in the divine glory, and we will be in a blessed one accord with the saints. The vision keeps us, limits us, and restricts us from doing anything that would damage the oneness, and this vision keeps us in the genuine oneness of the Body of Christ.
Under this vision we carry out God’s economy and do one work, the work of the Body (Eph. 3:9; 4:16; Acts 13:2). When the heavenly vision is wrought into us and reconstitutes us, we will automatically carry out God’s economy and do only one work – the work of the Body. The heavenly vision doesn’t cause us to become a “super-brother” or an “amazing overcomer” for others to admire, but it will keep us in the Body, doing the work of the Body, and carrying out God’s economy.
And this is done spontaneously: we don’t outwardly or humanly try to “do a work for God” but spontaneously live under the heavenly vision and sow little seeds of life, minister Christ to others, and express Christ for the Body. Living under the heavenly vision causes us to do one work with one vision in one accord with the saints in the Body of Christ.
The heavenly vision directs us toward God’s goal, which is the building up of the Body of Christ to consummate the New Jerusalem (Eph. 4:16; Rev. 21:9-10). If we see the heavenly vision, the vision of God’s economy, we will allow the Lord to work Himself into our being and we will live for His goal our whole life. We will let the Lord save us organically by working Himself into us, and we will allow the heavenly vision to govern us, obeying this vision unto the end.
We will not be preoccupied with our human daily life even though we need to take care of so many practical outward things for our human existence. We will not be preoccupied even with the many activities that are so necessary in the church life, even though we are involved in many things and take care of many people. Our real goal and preoccupation – even as we do so many outward and necessary things – is God’s goal, the building up of the Body of Christ to consummate the New Jerusalem.
Since God desires to gain His Body built up, we also want the same thing. We want to have a life that contributes to the building up of the Body, the preparation of the bride, the consummation of this age, and the bringing in of the kingdom of God!
Lord Jesus, reconstitute us with the heavenly vision so that our life may be full of meaning and we would be motivated and energized by this vision. Lord, may our life be directed toward Your goal, Your economy. Work Yourself into us. We open our whole being to You: make Your home in our heart. Lord, we are here for Your economy. Build up Your Body. Gain Your bride. Gain so many saints that live one with You under the heavenly vision. May our work be in the Body, for the Body, and under the heavenly vision to build up the Body of Christ consummating in the New Jerusalem!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. Ron Kangas’ sharing in the message for this week, and portions from, The Glorious Vision and the Way of the Cross (ch. 1), as quoted in, the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Heavenly Vision, week 1 / msg 1, The Governing and Controlling Vision—the Vision of God’s Economy.
- Hymns on this topic:
# Oh, may a clear, controlling vision of / The Lord’s economy direct my heart, / And burn in me until my spirit’s wholly set afire! / With spirit strong and active we’ll press on / To consummate God’s goal— / New Jerusalem, Hallelujah! (Hymn on Seeing God’s Economy)
# Now the church life is so precious with all the saints so dear. / Enjoying all Your riches, our vision is so clear, / That all would prophesy of Christ from what they’ve seen, / According to Your scripture in First Corinthians fourteen. (Song on Having a Clear Vision)
# Raise up a generation / In Thy recovery / To see the high peak vision, / And live accordingly; / The vital groups in function / Thine instrument to be, / To end this dispensation / And turn the age for Thee. (Song on, Living According to the Vision)
# Others have considerations, / When serving You, Lord, is the highest profession. / No longer good for the world with all its glory, / We’re for Christ and the church, ’tis now our testimony. / See the vision of Christ and the church; / Count the cost; reckon all things as loss; / Pay the price. The prize to gain Christ, / Burn the bridges; leave the world behind; / On God’s economy your heart be set / To live a life. (Song on Seeing and Living under the Heavenly Vision)
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