Concepts and Insights from the Text
The book under review is A God-Sized Vision by Collin Hansen and John Woodbridge. This book is a thoughtful and rather interesting work that provides a series of new insights for me as a believer and a practitioner of religion. First of all, discussing the reading, it is important to mention that the primary focus of the authors is the theme of a revival of the religion and faith in the world. Hansen and Woodbridge attempt to explain the meaning of the term and the concept of revival; they specify that the word is not easy to define because it has come from the Greek language and stand for coming to life again – this definition explains the meaning of the term vaguely. That is why the authors provide the historical and chronological context to the development of Christianity and the faith along with the appearance of the New Testament. The authors state that: “Though God is always present with his people, sometimes he is present beyond all doubt, filling believers with the courage to tackle any challenge” – these times are referred to as the revivals. This insight is quite valuable as it can help analyze the current state of events when the church seems to be losing power and popularity.
The second insight drawn from the book is about the implications of a revival and its importance. Revivals help strengthen the people’s faith and thus advance the kingdom of Jesus Christ. It is possible to state that the modern world with its corrupt and weak morals is in need of a new revival; however, a phenomenon like that cannot be facilitated artificially. Hansen and Woodbridge state that “Though God alone can instigate revival, the church need not wait idly”. In other words, the church cannot speed up revivals, but the methods and ways the church uses to prepare its people for revival are helpful. They include prayers, Bible reading, and confessions of sins.
The next insight inspirited by A God-Sized Vision is that of the correlation between the growth of the church and the increase in the population. Hansen and Woodbridge notice that prior to the eruption of the American Civil War, the growth of the church was inconsistent and much slower than that of the population, which soon resulted in the split of church and the following division in the society and many spheres of its life. Practically, the contemporary world affected by globalization is highly fragmented, and this can be associated with the weakening of the Christian church.
Finally, one more idea drawn from the reading is about the missionary work and addressing the spiritual needs of the population. The authors emphasize that the unsatisfied spiritual needs and health inevitably lead to the decay of physical health and morals. Missionary work can help address all of these issues. From this perspective, revival is a sign of the need for the evolution of the church determined by the evolution in the society. Revivals have not been happening for a while, and it is possible to conclude that the contemporary society with its rapidly changing trends and impacts is having a growing need for a revival of faith.
Application and Implementation of the Concepts and Insights
Just like the rest of the society, believers are in need of revival. However, regardless of the desire to stimulate one, the leaders of ministries are not the ones responsible for the occurrence of this blessed phenomenon. Yet, we are not completely powerless in this regard. Measures can be taken that would help to ease the waiting for a revival in the ministry and the community. In particular, education and feedback are critical factors in this aspect. Namely, they are of great importance because they provide the support necessary for the strengthening and growth of faith in the believers’ hearts. All in all, ensuring that the love of God is in the state of ongoing growth is the primary function of the ministry. Regular communication and answers to the important questions are the keys to this growth.
In addition, in order to deliver the necessary support to the ministry in need of revival, the leaders can encourage the measures that facilitate unity and togetherness because “Two [are] better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor”. Togetherness and unity are recognized as the concepts strengthening the believers. The power of community is to be relied upon by the ministry as one of the most powerful forces that ensure the growth of faith through the people’s relatedness and closeness.
However, just like within a ministry, in the corporate settings, the environment has a significant impact on the individuals and tends to produce an effect. To be more precise, when unity and togetherness are not encouraged, the group eventually becomes fragmented; and, as it was established earlier, weakens the faith. People, when united in groups, also have a powerful impact on one another. As a result, when a place of work includes several apathetic and discouraged individuals with poor spiritual health, their attitudes are likely to begin to discourage the others eventually. This is when the leader is to implement the methods and strategies ensuring togetherness. It is possible to refer to these techniques as team-building strategies that fulfill a wider range of functions – bringing unity to the workplace, ensuring peace and harmony, and also healing people spiritually, bringing inspiration, and strengthening their faith.
Hansen and Woodbridge point out that there are signs of the need for revival in the society. They include poor physical health, lack of enthusiasm, passivity, depression, and the overall state of emotional and physical weakness. Practically, the same signs may represent the approach of burnout among the employees. These determinants are also associated with the decay in spiritual health. That way, it is possible for the spiritual leader to assess the group and determine whether or not it needs assistance and guidance to go back to their spiritual path, regain their vitality, and “to live again”. The response to the need for revival is the facilitation of togetherness by the discussion of the scripture and reflection on it, answers to the questions people may have after the Bible reading, collective prayers, visits to church for a confession of sins that need to be forsaken for the believers to revitalize, feel purified, and move on with the lighter hearts ready to accumulate more love of God and the others.
References
Hansen, Collin and John Woodbridge. A God-Sized Vision. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010.