COMMITMENT TO THE VISION WHAT IS A VISION

COMMITMENT TO THE VISION

WHAT IS A VISION A vision is a picture of tomorrow snapped by God (who knows the end from the beginning) and revealed to a man today in order to mobilize him to strive to attain it. It is the revelation of divine purpose, i. e. an end to be attained.

WHAT IS A VISION. “…Then, God gave him the vision, the vision that was in the heart of God, a vision for the world. Visions never originate from the person who receives them. A vision is an insight given from the heart of God, by the Holy Spirit, to you. (Chapter Operating Manual pg 4).

CONSEQUENCES OF LACK OF VISION Proverbs 29: 18 a “Where there is no vision, the people perish (cast off restraint; are uncontrolled). The consequences of a blurred, distorted or diluted vision are equally as bad as having no vision at all because the results are similar: the people are uncontrolled, lose restraint, stumble, lack focus, lack discipline, lack commitment. The New wave of Revival will be characterized among other things, by the intensification of the vision God showed to Demos Shakarian i. e. MEN who are DEAD coming ALIVE.

FGBMFI VISION STATEMENT. (from page 5 of the Chapter Manual and page 10 of Super ALTS II ) Our vision for the fellowship is based upon a series of prophetic messages given over a period of time and confirmed by a literal vision from God. In the vision, untold masses of men from every continent and nation, of all races and diverse culture and costume once spiritually dead, are now alive. Delivered and set free, they are filled with the power of God’s Holy Spirit, faces radiant with glory, hands raised and voices lifting their praises to heaven. We see a vast global movement of laymen comprised of millions of men being used mightily by God to bring this last great harvest through the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit before the return of our Lord Jesus Christ”.

FGBMFI VISION STATEMENT (from page 5 of the Chapter Manual and page 10 of Super ALTS II ) Our vision for the fellowship is based upona series of prophetic messages given over a period of time and confirmed by a literal vision from God.

PROPHETIC WORDS ABOUT THE VISION (Chapter Operating Manual pg 8). Dr Charles Price spoke to Demos Shakarian thus: “Ordinary men and women. People in shops and offices and factories”. “You will witness one of the major events foretold in the Bible. Just before Jesus returns to earth, God’s spirit is going to descend on all flesh”. “laymen, would be His most important channel – not the clergy, or theologians, or the great gifted preachers, but men and women with ordinary jobs in the ordinary world”. He said to Demos : “It won’t happen like that. Not through professional preachers. “All flesh”, that’s what Isaiah tells us. This is going to happen spontaneously – all over the world - to ordinary men and women – people in shops and offices and factories. I wont live long enough to see it, but you will. And, Demos, when you see it, you”ll know that the time of Jesus coming is very near”.

PROPHETIC WORDS ABOUT THE VISION (Chapter Operating Manual pg 9). Dr Modecai Hamm also prophesied: “ God gave me a revelation of the last days. It is the laymen that will reach the world”. “Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International is God’s instrument to awaken laymen – the sleeping giant of evangelism”.

THE LITERAL VISION (SUPER ALTS Page 7 -8). …confirmed by a literal vision from God. In the vision, untold masses of men from every continent and nation, of all races and diverse culture and costume once spiritually dead, are now alive. Delivered and set free, they are filled with the power of God’s Holy Spirit, faces radiant with glory, hands raised and voices lifting their praises to heaven. We see a vast global movement of laymen comprised of millions of men being used mightily by God to bring this last great harvest through the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit before the return of our Lord Jesus Christ”.

THE CORE REVELATION OF THE LITERAL VISION. v Essential highlights of what God showed Demos: *The men were from all races, colours. From each continent of the world. *They were close to one another, but had no real contact. No relationship. *They were wretched, miserable and locked up in individual prisons of SELF. *They were cold DEAD - Millions of living dead. THEN THE PICTURE CHANGED. *The same dead men were transformed – they had received life. *Their heads and hands were raised in true worship symbolizing a vertical relationship with the Almighty God. *Their hands were linked in genuine horizontal relationship built on love.

THE ESSENCE OF THE VISION (A new Wave of Revival – The vision Intensified. Pg 23). Hear Demos Shakarian speak on the essence of the vision: “The beautiful building (Worldwde Chapter Headquarters) was not the vision God gave to me. Building the building did not fulfill the vision – it simply provided us with another tool to minister that vision”. In my original vision, God did not show me chapters. And don’t misunderstand me, chapters have provided us with another way to reach out into he community with the saving message of Jesus Christ. Chapters have proven to be anointed vessels for ministering to the local community. But beloved, the Vision Is people. The vision is God’s Holy Spirit changing lives. The vision is God BREAKING THE CHAINS OF THE DEVIL and setting the captive free! Men and Women who were ICE COLD became ALIVE and miraculously LINKED in PRAISE and ADORATION to GOD through the POWER of Jesus Christ! That’s the Vision. And THE VISION INTENSIFIES”.

WHAT YOU SEE DETERMINES YOUR COMMITMENT *A vision is redundant unless there is a motion compelling force (faith) which translates it into a mission before it can be accomplished. Heb 11: 1 *A man’s velocity is directly proportional to the importance and intensity of the vision he is pursuing. *Clarity of vision comes from singleness of focus. Double focus tears a man apart. Matt 6: 24 *Your focus is the point of convergence, centre of your concentration of life and energy which helps you to sift out irrelevances e. g. Paul - Philippians 3: 12 -14. *Where there is no focus, vision is blurred, scattered and you may either run and miss the mark or end up running in circles like a pendulum.

WHAT DO YOU SEE? *You are driven by what you see. *It is wrong to ask someone to run when he has not seen what to run for. *It is not correct to castigate a man for sluggishness when he has not been envisioned. E. g. Jeremiah – Jeremiah 1: 4 -5, 11 -12; Gideon –Judges 6: 11 -16. *Your commitment and corresponding deployment of energy, attitude, discipline etc is driven by the scope of what you see e. g. Joshua – Joshua 1: 1 -5, 10 -11. *Commitment is borne out of conviction. Your sacrifice for the work (practical commitment) is a function of your conviction and your conviction grows as the vision becomes clearer - Exodus 2: 2 -3; Heb 11: 23 -24.

WHY COMMITMENT IS LOW. *People don’t commit themselves to what is not a conviction. However, conviction is not taught, neither can it be transferred. It is an endowment that must be personally received. John 16: 8 -11. *Men cast off restraint, i. e. become undisciplined, unruly, careless, sluggish, disinterested when there is no clear vision to motivate action. *On the other hand, a man continues to run with whatever vision he had previously seen until he is shown a new and correct one to pursue. E. g. Paul – Acts 22: 1 -16.

WHY COMMITMENT IS LOW. *The value (premium) you place on a vision, even if it’s a defective vision determines your attachment to it. Rich young ruler Matt 19: 21 -22. He was possessed by his posessions and valued his earthly riches above Christ’s offer of eternal life and could not be refocused. * Your capacity to endure hardship is tied to your commitment to what you see. Your commitment helps you to brush aside difficulties on your path. John 16: 33; Heb 12: 2; 2 Tim 2: 3 -4. *Your eyes must be narrow and fixed on the vision for you to achieve good success in the race marked out for you. Heb 12: 1.

RUNNING WITH THE VISION Habakkuk 2: 2 “ And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it”. Write (etch) it upon the tablets of the hearts of men. Make it plain by explaining and demonstrating it through active involvement. Run with it as a life mission – the reason you were made. The core component of the vision of FGBMFI is the souls of men. Men who are spiritually dead and alienated from God because of sin, now reconciled to God and joyously transformed by the intervention of Christ working through ordinary laymen and women.

WHAT IS A FULL GOSPEL CHAPTER. “ If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, "Behold, we did not know this, " does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not requite man according to his work? Prov 24: 10 -12 RSV. FGBMFI men are God’s envisioned Special Forces (commandos) trained, equipped and sent on rescue missions to deliver men held in Satan’s captivity. The FGBMFI chapter is a Deep Sea Soul Winning Ship fishing for lost men in the deep seas of life. It is not a pleasure boat. The FGBMFI meeting is a Spiritual meeting with a social content. It is not a social meeting with a spiritual content.

COMMITMENT TO THE VISION *The vision was not just meant for Demos, it is for you, your children, all those that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. *It is a picture of end time revival which millions are to key into and run with before the Lord returns. That is why it must be well propagated. *Demos saw, published and ran with it to the end. He finished his course well. You and I are the people on duty and God is also expecting us to see the same picture, publish it correctly and run with it to the end. *There is a reserved place for you in the vision of FGBMFI. There is a race you must commit yourself to run, it has already been marked out. You are that middle man between the dead and the living. The vision is about you and for you. Throw yourself wholly into the vision. *There is a vital personal ministry to fulfil for God through the ministry of FGBMFI.

A FINAL WORD FROM DEMOS SHAKARIAN. (A new Wave of Revival – The vision Intensified. Pg 21). “You must prepare yourself for the intensified vision through increased daily prayer, fasting and by making time for God - seeking His voice”. May the Lord set you on fire and keep you burning! COME, LET US SERVE HIM TOGETHER.

LET US PRAY