JR Rushik

By: JR Rushik

What do you see when you look at your community?

Do you see buildings, traffic, and busy people?

Or do you see what God sees?

Helen Keller once said, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” This powerful statement reminds us that true vision goes beyond what we see with our eyes—it is about perceiving God’s greater purpose and faithfully carrying it forward.

If we only look at what is right in front of us, we miss the bigger picture. There is a proverb from the Sukuma people of Tanzania that says, “I pointed to the stars and all you saw was my fingertip.”

When we focus on the small, trivial things—the “fingertips” of life—we miss the glory of the “stars” God longs to show us.

Vision and the Mission of God

In church planting, vision is essential. It is not merely a business plan or a good idea—it is a spiritual necessity. Scripture reminds us, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18, KJV). Without a clear word from God, we wander and lose our way. But with God-given vision, we begin to see the future He desires and are invited to cooperate with His redemptive work in the world.

Godly vision does not begin with strategy; it begins with a surrendered heart.

In Matthew 9, Jesus travels through towns and villages, but He does more than pass through—He truly sees the people.

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36, NIV)

Jesus saw beyond surface needs to the deep spiritual condition of the people. This is where true vision begins. The same reality exists today. Across America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, communities are broken and many live without hope. When we learn to see through God’s eyes, compassion rises within us—and compassion leads us to prayer.

Jesus instructed His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:37–38, NIV).

Godly vision is birthed in prayer. It is formed as we ask the Lord to send workers—and then realize that He may be calling us to go.

Clear the Clutter

One of the greatest obstacles to God’s vision today is distraction. We are surrounded by endless options, opportunities, and good activities that compete for our attention.

Like children in a candy store, we are overwhelmed by choice. A CDN trainer recently observed that many people in his church felt they lacked vision for their lives—not because God was silent, but because their attention was scattered across too many things.

John Wesley understood the power of focus. He warned that even good things can distract us from God’s best work. When Wesley sent out his circuit riders—preachers who traveled on horseback to plant churches—he gave them this clear charge:

“You have nothing to do but to save souls. Therefore, spend and be spent in this work… to save as many souls as you can; to bring as many sinners as you possibly can to repentance.”

Wesley was not interested in programs or prestige; he was committed to transformed lives. When he sent Thomas Coke and Richard Whatcoat to America, his final instruction was simple: “Offer them Christ.”

That same clarity is needed today. We must cut through the noise and remember our mission: to populate creative spaces and places with spiritually maturing churches. Everything else is secondary.

Write It Down

Vision must be clear if it is to spread. The prophet Habakkuk lived in a violent and corrupt time and questioned God’s silence. God responded with a command:

“Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.” (Habakkuk 2:2, NIV)

A vision that is unclear becomes fog. But when vision is made plain, people can act on it. They can run with it. History is filled with people whose clear vision changed the world. At Encounter, we often tell the story of the Wright brothers. Orville and Wilbur Wright envisioned human flight when others dismissed it as impossible. Their persistence flowed from a vision that lifted them above every obstacle.

According to David Garrison’s Church Planting Movements, the urgency of church planting stems from the immense opportunity. Every day, thousands die without hearing the message of the Gospel. Church planting activates a multiplying movement that spreads hope far beyond one congregation. The opportunity is now, and the call is clear: we must act decisively to fulfill the Great Commission in our lifetime. [3] You can teach information, but vision must be caught.

Vision spreads like a healthy fire—igniting hearts one by one. Leaders must do more than hold vision privately; they must cast it boldly and passionately until others embrace it as their own.

Shared vision is what sustains a movement through hardship. It is the glue that holds people together when progress is slow and sacrifice is required. God is not searching for the most gifted or well-known individuals. He is seeking ordinary people who will listen and obey.

He calls people who will pray, “Lord, send workers,” and then courageously respond, “Here I am, Lord. Send me.”

That is where godly vision becomes a living reality.

Endnotes

1. E. Paul Hovey, Quotable Quote, Goodreads.
2. Robert E. Coleman, Nothing to Do but to Save Souls: John Wesley’s Charge to His Preachers (Evangel Publishing House, 2006), 11.
3. David Garrison, Church Planting Movements (International Mission Board, 1999), 5.