“If your vision causes you to be an island, I question it is a vision from God.”
What is vision? Vision is not a good idea or a church programme. It is vision that will change your life. It is vision that will bring a new dimension of the Holy Spirit. It is not good preaching or fantastic worship. The only thing that will bring about the promises and principles of God in your life is when your vision is ignited by the power of the Holy Spirit.
‘Emalahleni’, formerly Witbank, is a Nguni name meaning ‘place of coal’. Witbank is situated in Mpumalanga.
On her first ministry tour in South Africa, Gayle shared on the Friday evening with leaders in Witbank on how to deal with vision lapses. You know you are called to full time ministry but then something happens and the wind is taken out of your sails. It feels as if everything has been taken away from underneath you – how to continue with the promises of God in the midst of a dry place or the ‘land between’. She said, “That is where a lot of people get stuck and that is where a lot of visions don’t manifest. What has happened to the promises that God has given to you?” She continued by saying, “Surely God has given you the vision so that the kingdom of God can manifest through you.”
The word brought every leader back to a basic understanding of what it means to be in Christian ministry. She emphasized that all were called to go out and reach the lost even before the fivefold ministry was given.
Gayle challenged us deeply with questions like: “What is the tension between when you received the vision and the fulfilment of the vision?” It is many times in the ‘land between’ where spiritual abortions take place because we never learned to walk in the ‘land between’. You can only get to the Promised Land if you learn to walk in the land between where you will be equipped to reach your full potential.
Saturday morning Gayle continued with impactful teaching. “The Gospel message is the simplest message on planet earth and we take it and make it complicated and if we fail to reach the spirit of man we have missed the point.” The question is: “Where is the simple message of the Gospel today?” God is not looking for superstars but He is looking for those people that will do the super normal basic everyday task where He can release His power and love.
Leaders were touched and responded with open hearts to the message, ready to activate and disciple people to reach their city for God. They clearly understood that it is the presence of God only that ignites and accelerates ministry.
Amanda