VF: 3 The Resolve of Visionary Faith

Book Navigation

Chapter 3 The Resolve of Visionary Faith

A passionate decision to do something for God

A) The Freedom of Visionary Faith

Table of Topics

A) The Freedom of Visionary Faith

B) The Passion of Visionary Faith

B.1) Doing what delights us to delight God

B.2) Divine guidance in our passion

B.3) Our responsibility for our passion

C) The Resolve of Visionary Faith

Extras & Endnotes

Primary Points

What is unique and exiting about visionary faith is we get to choose specifically what we want to attempt for God.
If you asked God, “What specifically do you want me to do for You?” He would answer, “What do you want to do for me?!”
God has put some qualifications on “whatever” we can ask, receive, and accomplish. But do not miss the fact that the God of the Universe has still given us a “whatever.”
One reason that people crave extra-biblical revelation and beg God, “Just tell me what to do!” is that the freedom God gives them is intimidating and rather frightening.
The passions that form the object of our visionary faith are experienced through our spiritual gifts.
Our spiritual gifts are usually the most specific revelation of what God wants us to uniquely do with our life.
All of which is why we had better have something more than passion, but rather a “passionate resolve.” Desires will accomplish nothing without decisions.

Because of the return of Christ, we always pray that God will think you have lived up to His commanding invitation to experience your special privilege and responsibility as a Christian.

We pray that through His power you will accomplish any passionate resolve to do good, and every action prompted by your faith. ^[1]

Now we get to what is really unique and rather exciting about visionary faith: we get to choose specifically what we want to attempt for God. The Apostle tells the Thessalonians that he is “always” praying that “God” would “accomplish any passionate resolve to do good.”

Of course our “passionate resolve” must be “good” in the sense that it relates to the desires and commands of God in some way. But notice the amazing freedom, creativity, and diversity being encouraged here! Beyond the general commands and principles of Scripture, God is not dictating specifically what we do to advance the Kingdom of God in our homes, churches, workplaces, communities, and world. In other words, if you asked God, “What specifically do you want me to do for You?” He would usually answer, “What do you want to do for Me?!”

Our mission and purposes must come straight from the explicit commands of Scripture. But our vision of specifically what we want to do for God within those commands comes from our own personal passions.

Forget the common notion that the very thing God wants you to do is the last thing you want to do. Unless God appears to you through an Angel, vision, etc. as He did biblical characters, He wants you to live according to your Spirit-empowered desires. Of course, “It is God Who is working in you, giving you the desire and power to give Him pleasure” (Phil 2:13), but like any good father, He encourages us to please Him in the way that would please us.

All of which seems remarkably similar to Christ’s promise to His disciples: “If you continue to live in Me and My words continue to live in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be given to you” (John 15:7).

“Whatever you want.” Obviously the “whatever” is conditioned on living in Him (being saved cf. vs. 6-7), living according to His word (cf. v. 7), and asking and seeking for the things that are consistent with the character, purposes, desires, and will of Jesus (cf. v. 16). Of course the God of the Universe would put some qualifications on “whatever” we can ask, receive, and accomplish. But do not miss the fact that the God of the Universe has still given us a “whatever.”

The thrust of Christ’s promises and instruction here is human freedom and creativity, not divine restrictions. If we simply love God and people, then we have biblical warrant to believe that “whatever” good purpose, wish, or dream we want to do for God and people, is something that God is willing to “accomplish” “by His power” as Paul prayed (2 Thess 1:11).

Why does Jesus want to give you “whatever you want”? Because He wants you to live a God-glorifying life worthy of His calling. Accordingly, the entire statement of Jesus reads:

If you continue to live in Me and My words continue to live in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be given to you. My Father is glorified when you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My followers.

When you are asking for God-glorifying things you can believe that God desires to give them to you!

B) The Passion of Visionary Faith

B.1) Doing what delights us to delight God

In addition to the general and wonderful position, purpose, and power He gives us to accomplish our high calling as discussed in the previous chapter, God also gives each Christian a unique passion. And the Apostle said so:

We pray that through His power you will accomplish any passionate resolve to do good [eudokian], and every action prompted by your faith. (2 Thess 1:11)

The Greek noun eudokian means rather strong desire, will, or pleasure. It’s noun and verb forms are variously translated in the NT as “well-pleased” (Matt 3:17); “good pleasure” (Matt 11:26; Eph 1:5, 9; Phil 2:13); “delight” (Matt 12:18; 2 Cor 12:10; 1 Thess 2:8); “great joy” (Matt 10:17 NLT); “heart’s desire” (Rom 10:1); “longing of my heart” (Rom 10:1 NLT).

In the Apostle’s first letter to the Thessalonians he had said that he was “delighted [eudokoumen] to share with you not only the Good News of God but to share our lives with you as well” (1 Thess 2:8). And in his second letter, in 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12, he encourages them to pursue for God what would delight them.

And that is what God is asking us. What good purpose for Him would give you “delight,” make you “well-pleased,” give you “good pleasure,” and “great joy,” and would be your “heart’s desire” and the “longing of [your] heart”? That is the special thing God wants you to do. That is what you are going to need to exercise visionary faith for. But God has done His part—He has given you a passion to do it!

Along these lines, Aubrey Malphurs, Professor of Pastoral Ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary writes:

Passion is at the very core of vision and is key to discovering your vision. Your passion is what you feel strongly and care deeply about. It has to do with your emotions. It is an emotional concept. To get at your passion, you must tap into your emotions, asking what particular emotions move or motivate you when it comes to ministry and leading the church. Which experiences excite you and make you feel alive? Which bring focus and meaning to your life and ministry? ^[2]

Likewise, Frederich Buechner wrote that God’s specific will for our ministry is “the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.” ^[3]

As we noted above, there is a popular notion that God’s specific will for us is probably the last thing we want to do. Not so. Likewise, some claim that you must have “God’s perfect plan” for doing something or He will not bless it. That sounds more spiritual, but unless Jesus, an Angel, or a vision is going to appear to you, you will not have any more certain specifics than what you have in Scripture.

Normally, God gives us the commands, but not the plans. And He is actually equally eager to bless any good plan for a good purpose, especially if God’s people are united on it. All of those things are much more important for success than some supposed “God’s perfect plan.”

In confronting these myths, remember Paul’s use of eudokian in regards to what the Thessalonian Christians might do for God. How do we know what we should exercise visionary faith in? What do we really want to do for God? What accomplishment would give us delight, pleasure, and even joy? That is the stuff that a biblical visionary faith is made of!

The Scriptures invite us to dream for and with God. Paul invited the Thessalonians to dream for God’s glory. David experienced what Paul said he was constantly praying for. In Psalm 20 David encourages us to pray like this: “May the Lord . . . give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. . . . May the Lord grant all your requests” (vs. 1, 4-5).

And because “the desire of your heart” is a “passionate resolve” (2 Thess 1:11) to see something done for God- there is no greater joy available on Earth then when He grants that it be done.

B.2) Divine guidance in our passion

As noted, God’s “whatever” can be a little overwhelming if we really understand it. But God does not leave us without any guidance to discerning what we should do for Him. The passions that form the object of our visionary faith are particularly experienced through our spiritual gifts and include:

Sacrificially serving the practical needs of others . . . helping others understand and obey the Scriptures . . . comforting others . . . giving money or possessions . . . leading others . . . having compassion for needy and hurting people (Rom 12:7-8).

These “special spiritual desires and abilities according to the power of God working in us” (v. 6) ^[4] result in desires to serve and glorify God in specific ways. Do you want to know specifically how God wants you to serve Him? Recognize your spiritual gift. What is the most important way to know what your spiritual gift is? Answer the question: What is my favorite way to serve God and His people?

This unique passion of our calling is reflected in Paul who generally introduced himself in no less than eight different epistles as: “Paul, called to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will [and spiritual gift] of God” (1 Cor 1:1; cf. Rom 1:1, 2 Cor 1:1; Gal 1:1; Eph 1:1, Col 1:1; 1 Tim 1:1; 2 Tim 1:1). Paul’s specific calling revealed much of the “good works God planned for [him] to do” (Eph 2:10).

What was the result of the spiritual gifts God gave Paul? A “passionate resolve.” It was because of his grace gift of Apostleship that he said:

When I preach the Gospel I cannot boast about it because I am compelled to preach! It would be painful for me if I did not preach the Gospel! If I preach by my own choice I have a reward. But if I am preaching because God is compelling me then it is because God has given me a special desire and ability. (1 Cor 9:16-17) ^[5]

Paul’s passion for preaching the Gospel, even in the face of great dangers and difficulties, seemed unquenchable. So much so that he described his ministry as “not voluntary.” In more literal Greek Paul was saying his ministry to preach the Gospel was: “a necessity imposed on me.” ^[6] These words meant “pressure,” “a compulsion by force,” “an obligation” and “to be urgent.” ^[7]

The Apostle’s spiritual gift, and the passion that accompanied it, was precisely what he was talking about when he said: “I do not value my life as much as completing the mission and ministry the Lord Jesus gave me which is declaring the Gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:22). ^[8] Nothing was going to stop Paul from trying to do what he felt God had called, gifted, and compelled him to do. And the source of that unique “task” and passion was the supernatural spiritual gift of apostleship that God had given him (cf. Eph 3:1-7)

The same is true for you. Your spiritual gifts are usually the most specific divine revelation of what God wants you to uniquely do with your life. This is why the Apostle Peter commanded:

God has given each Christian a special spiritual ability. So use it to serve one another. Then you will be faithful with the kind of spiritual gift God has entrusted to you. (1 Pet 4:10) ^[9]

The “passionate resolve” that God wants from you will come from deciding to be faithful with the spiritual gifts and desires He has given you. Therefore, your spiritual gifts are an important indicator of your unique God-given calling and potential and what He is expecting of you, as discussed in the previous chapter.

“Like our bodies, Christ’s people have many parts and those parts have different functions” (Rom 12:4):

There are different kinds of spiritual desires and abilities given by God . . . There are different ways of using those spiritual gifts . . . Those gifts have different effects . . . All these special spiritual desires and abilities are the work of the same Spirit, and He decides which ones to give to which person. (1 Cor 12:4-6, 11)

God allows you to choose most things in your life. Which Christian to marry. Where to live. What you will wear or eat today. But God chooses your spiritual gift(s). You did not even get the shape of your nose from God. That was random genetics. But God did uniquely choose your spiritual personality—what kind of Christian you would be. A Teacher, Leader, Pastor, Evangelist, Helper, Giver, or especially merciful.

Not only is your life not your own, your desires to serve God are not your own. The specific desires you have for how you want to love God and people is from God. Whether you decide to act on it is your decision. The Apostle Paul described both of these when he wrote:

It is because of God’s special grace toward me that I am an Apostle. And I have not wasted the spiritual gift and power God gave me. On the contrary, I have worked harder than all of the other Apostles. But it has not been just me, but the power of God working through me. (1 Cor 15:10) ^[10]

Paul recognized that God’s power had given him the desires and abilities to be an Apostle. But Paul still had to be faithful with the gift and work very hard to make the most of it. Who you are and what you have is God’s gift to you. What you become and what you do are your gifts to God.

God decided your spiritual gift(s), because “He decides which ones to give to which person” (1 Cor 12:11). Which is why, like Paul, our spiritual gifts are the best indicator of the “good works God planned for us to do” and for which “We are God’s special creation, recreated through Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:10). All of which is why it is a shame to envy the spiritual gifts of another, and a waste of our life to try to copy them. Being who God made us is vital to all that we are talking about here.

Accordingly, our spiritual gifts will greatly influence the specific “passionate resolve” (2 Thess 1:11) that our visionary faith will pursue. The fundamental characteristic of the spiritual gifts being given by God today is desire, not power. The power comes from the supernatural desire that comes with our gift. If an Evangelist pursued his personal passion for God, he might plant a church . . . or several of them. A Teacher may start a seminary. A person gifted in mercy might establish a homeless shelter. Those gifted in leadership and serving might try all kinds of things. And a person gifted in giving might financially support any of them.

All of these examples of visionary faith exercised by Christians are precisely why the vast majority of the hospitals, orphanages, and even schools were started throughout the vast majority of human history. Their Christian founders did not normally have a direct divinely authoritative revelation from God specifically telling them to create those hospitals, orphanages, and schools, when and where they did. Rather, in obedience to the general command to love God and our neighbor, they pursued human plans to obey God’s commands, and did something for God to benefit people.

Virtually every advancement of the Kingdom of God on Earth has been a result of visionary faith– someone deciding to do something for God. As Richard Day has written:

Every golden era in human history proceeds from the devotion and righteous passion of some single individual. There are no real mass movements. It just looks that way. There is always one man who knows his God and knows where he is going [or better- what he or she wants to do for God] ^[11]

B.3) Our responsibility for our passion

Our desires for ministry and responsibilities in life are God’s gifts to us, and we must be faithful with them. In particular, if we believe such desires for ministry are merely from us, we will think it is optional in God’s eyes as to whether or not we pursue them. But pursuing those desires is not optional because those desires are from God and they are the essence of our spiritual gifts.

God’s gifts are incredibly valuable. They are the grace and power He gives us to serve Him and reap rewards for that service for all eternity. They are God’s start-up investment to give us the opportunity to build something that will last forever. If you don’t use your gifts, you won’t serve God much, and you won’t have much to show for your life for all eternity. If you neglect your special desires and abilities to serve God, you will be one of those who “suffer loss” (1 Cor 3:15) on that Day Christ evaluates your life.

Most Christians are not serious enough about being faithful with the gifts, desires, and abilities God has given them to serve Him. Paul wrote: “If God entrusts you with something then you must be trustworthy so He considers you faithful” (1 Cor 4:2). Why? Paul said, “It is the Lord Who will evaluate me” (v. 4). You will be evaluated on whether or not you were faithful with the unique gifts and desires God gave you to serve Him.

C) The Resolve of Visionary Faith

All of which is why we had better have something more than passion, but rather a “passionate resolve.” Desires, no matter how strong, will accomplish nothing without decisions. Not only the world, but the Kingdom of God is full of people with all kinds of desires. But they are never planted and given a chance to grow and bear fruit because a resolution, a determination, a commitment is never made.

It should be noticed that Paul is expecting the Thessalonians to not just have desires for God, but to make decisions for God. While the word eudokian certainly means a desire or delight, it also includes the idea of a decision. Accordingly, we wrote in an endnote in the previous chapter:

Eudokian is not just a “good intention” (NLT 1996), but a strong desire that has been decided upon. Thus the RSV, NRSV, and ESV translate it “resolve” in our text, which Webster’s defines as: “to reach a firm decision about.” But eudokian is not just a decision, but a decision on a desire, thus our translation “passionate resolve.”

This “passionate resolve” is wonderfully reflected in God’s own desires and plans for us. The Apostle wrote:

Because of His unconditional love for us, God the Father predestined that we would be adopted to belong to Him, through Jesus Christ. God the Father made this decision because doing what He wanted gave Him pleasure [eudokian] . . . God the Father has now revealed to us His secret desires for Christ, a plan to fulfill His own good pleasure [eudokian]. (Eph 1:5, 9). ^[12]

Do you see how God’s passion for us resulted in a decision, a resolve to save us? And that decision would seem to define just about everything God has been doing for the last several thousand years. It has certainly “guided” Him. God wants us to reflect His image in this world. He is a purposeful, passionate, planning, and deciding God. And it is His own purposes, passions, planning, and decisions that direct His own life, actions, and experiences. God wants us to live with such powerful purpose, great passion, careful plans, and a resolve that keeps us fighting for what we want to do for God no matter how hard it gets.

Remember. That decision that God made to save us cost Him a a lot of pain and sacrifice. What God wanted to do required the death of His own Son. We too need to count the cost of our vision for God as best as we can, and decide beforehand if our “passionate resolve” is enough. Because not only is the requirement of accomplishing our visionary faith going to be a great deal of hard, sacrificial work, but there are real risks in such endeavors as well. These topics are taken up in the next two chapters.

Take a moment to pray what Paul prayed for the Thesalonians: “We pray that through His power you will accomplish any passionate resolve to do good, and every action prompted by your faith” (1 Thess 1:11).

Extras & Endnotes

A Devotion to Dad

Father, we thank You for Your decision to do something for us. In gratitude, we want to make a decision to do something for You. Help us pull our passion out of our heart, expressing it with our lips to our God to make it more real. If we talk to You about what we want to do, then the ministry we choose will gain the kind of clarity and conviction a God-glorifying vision needs.

Gauging Your Grasp

In terms of the types of biblical faith, what is unique and rather exhilarating about visionary faith as we define it?
We claim that if you asked God, “What specifically do you want me to do for You?” He would answer, “What do you want to do for me?!” Do you agree or disagree? If you agree, what are the ramifications of this?
Why do we claim that God is not in the habit of telling us specifically what to do for Him? Do you agree or disagree and why?
God has put some qualifications on “whatever” we can ask, receive, and accomplish. What are these?
Are you ready to answer the question: What good purpose for Him would give you “delight,” make you “well-pleased,” give you “good pleasure,” and “great joy,” and would be your “heart’s desire” and the “longing of [your] heart” to do for God?
What guidance does God give us regarding what specifically we should be doing for Him?
What is our responsibility regarding our spiritual gifting?
Why is it important to make decisions and not just have desires?

9) In what way has God illustrated the principles we have discussed in this chapter?

Pastor Practices

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself what you would really like to do for God if you could? Honor God by stopping and asking that question. Perhaps you have been so concentrated on doing your “duty,” that you don’t even know your passion. Duty is good, and a necessary part of life. But God also wants us to have passions, passions for Him. And in the long run, we will bless people and God more by doing our passion rather than just our duty.

Think about it. Pray about it. Research it. What is the need in the Kingdom of God where you live or on the other side of the world that you would go after if God promised His help? Then write it down in your journal.

Then make a decision. Not a hasty one. Not a merely emotional one. Get a lot of counsel from those whom your vision will affect. Make a careful decision. But make it a determined decision with real resolve—like God did when He “decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:5). That was resolve. And your resolve will honor Him even though you cannot be certain of the outcome. That’s why it is called visionary faith.
Now, do something at least once a week that gets you closer to accomplishing what you want to do for God so that you “may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given” to you.

Publications & Particulars

For justification of our translation of 2 Thessalonians 11B see endnote in previous chapter 6.10. ↑
Aubrey Malphurs, Advanced Strategic Planning (Baker, 2005), 156. ↑
Quoted by John Ortberg, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat, 2001, p. 60. ↑
The topic of Romans 12:6 ff. is spiritual gifts through the power of God’s grace which result in special desires and abilities. ↑
“Painful” trans. ouai “statement of pain or displeasure, woe, alas” (BAGD). “God is compelling me” trans. akōn, “unwillingly” (BAGD). “A special desire and ability” trans. oikonomian “stewardship, responsibility to manage, commission” (BAGD). Paul is referring to his spiritual gift of apostleship which compels him to preach the Gospel (see Col 1:25; Eph 3:2) for the use of the same Gr. word in the same way. ↑
Lexham Greek-English New Testament (LGENT) (Logos, 2010). ↑
BAGD. ↑
There are two options for Paul’s meaning. The NLT has: “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me.” This implies that Paul was evaluating the value of his life based on how well he completed his mission for Jesus. This is an attractive translation but the Gr. conjunction “I consider my life as not worth anything in order to [ōs] [not “if” or “unless I”] complete the mission.” Therefore the NIV is better: “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race.” ↑
“Special spiritual ability” refers to spiritual gifts which is the topic of the text. ↑
“Spiritual gift” reflects it is the gift of apostleship being spoken of. “I have not wasted” trans. ou kenē egenēthē, lit. “has not been in vain.” Paul is saying God’s gift to him has not been wasted because he worked hard with it. ↑
John Maxwell, Developing the Leader Within You, 1993, p. 169. ↑
“Unconditional love” trans. agapē “Agapē is a beautiful word picture of sacrificial love. It is expressed in the fact that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). As such, agapē can be defined as unmerited and unwavering love.” (William D. Mounce, Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words, 2006).

“Adopted to belong to Him” is from the literal Greek: “adoption to Himself”. “Doing what He wanted gave Him pleasure” is based on God’s “will” here being “a genitive of source showing that the good pleasure comes from His will” (Harold Hoehner, Ephesians, 2002). ↑