For years I have heard sermons from Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” The vision spoken of in those sermons was a mental image of what the future should look like, a dream, a way to express a goal. They said that we needed a goal to work toward. Having a common goal would bring us together and the work of God would prosper, they explained. That may well be true, but that is not what this particular verse is talking about.
The word here for ‘vision’ is the Hebrew word that indicates a prophetic vision. It was a way for God to communicate His message or will. ‘Vision’ is seen in places like the beginning of Isaiah where he says “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem…” Look at 1 Chronicles 17:15, “According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.” Jeremiah warns about not listening to false prophets who “speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD” in 23:16. Because the Bible was incomplete, prophets of God had to rely on visions from God to get His word and in turn deliver it to the people. In the opening of Isaiah, he has a vision and then tells Israel how backslidden they were. When Nathan had his vision (2 Samuel 7:4), he then explained to King David that he would not build a house for God but that one of his children would. In both of these instances, and many others, these prophets were speaking to those who needed correction or guidance.
Visions are what God used to reveal His will. But now the Bible is complete, so we don’t need visions. Instead what we need are people who will take the revealed word of God and proclaim it to us. The word ‘preach’ means ‘to proclaim’. Its connotation is that the word of God is being proclaimed.
Let’s also consider the word ‘perish’ as used here. The Hebrew word used here is different from other places we see ‘perish’ Here it means “be loosened of restraint, to become unbridled, lawless.” Imagine a dog kept on a leash for most of its life and then one day it is unleashed. It may hang around for a bit. In time, the average dog will realize that it is no longer restrained and will wander off. There were things that society did not tolerate at all 50 years ago, but now we see our elementary school children doing them. And some people think it’s cute. Little by little, restraints have been removed until we are in a moral morass and sinking quickly. The same can happen to the people of God. If we don’t regularly get good preaching, we will start to neglect the things of God and then the house of God. Eventually, we will start to show a lack of restraint and wander off into the world. We will perish.
I could transliterate Proverbs 29:18 without harming the intent of the passage. It would read, “Where there is no Biblical preaching of God’s word, the people eventually go the way of the world.” This is where we stand in most churches today.
How do you know if you are getting ‘good’ preaching? Look for a church that preaches the whole counsel of God. There are four speaking gifts according to Ephesians 4:11 – “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;…” These four gifts cover the full range of Bible teaching.
Apostles
In the broadest sense, ‘apostle’ is someone who is sent out with orders. The modern equivalent would be a missionary. Christians need to be reminded on a regular basis of the importance of missions and hear from missionaries about God working around the world. Some of the best missions messages I have ever heard came from foreign nationals who are doing mission work in their home country. Typically, they became missionaries because of an American missionary. This makes a double point: 1) The importance of sending out missionaries, 2) proof that God is the same all over the world.
Prophets
These instruct, comfort, encourage, rebuke, convict, and stimulate their hearers by using the word of God. To be effective, they must base their messages on the word of God and not just be some inspirational/motivational speaker that uses modern psycho-babble.
Evangelists
Literally “bringers of good tidings”. What tidings are better than the good news, the gospel, that Jesus died according to the scriptures and arose from the grave on the third day according to the scriptures so that sinful man could be forgiven and have a personal relationship with God?
Pastors and teachers
These two go together. A pastor is the overseer and his responsibility is to instruct those who are being overseen.
Just as your body needs a balanced diet to be healthy, your spirit needs the full range of preaching. If all you hear is salvation and the love of Jesus, you will grow anemic and weak, unable to fend off the attacks of the Devil. Hearing about standards and right living without the other components can make you legalistic and hard, but not close to God. If you don’t hear about missions and evangelism, you will tend to be selfish with the gospel and feel that you are alone in the world.
This principle is applied not just to the individual, but to the church congregation as well. Even though we have been redeemed, saved and are on our way to heaven, we need constant reminders in all of these areas because our flesh is weak.
Ecclesiastes 8:11 tells us that, “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” We need good Bible teaching on a continual basis or we tend to wander. Revelation 3:16 shows that God cannot have fellowship with Christians who are lukewarm or complacent.
Many churches used to preach the whole counsel of God. But they have quit for one reason or another. If you are in a church that tends to be one-dimensional, the first thing is to pray for the pastor, Sunday School teachers and those who preach from time to time. We need real revival in our churches, and it starts with the leadership. If there is no change after a season of prayer, look for other churches in your area. Hebrews 10:25 warns “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Do your own devotions with more vigor, subscribe to or buy devotional books, order CDs from other churches, start a Bible study in your home. But use these things to supplement your church, not replace it. Do a ‘vision’ checkup and do what is necessary for your spiritual well being.