As we think about vision, I note that it is easy to confuse process with product. By that I mean that too many times we think in terms of the how instead of thinking about desired results. I wonder if it should be the other way around.
Jeremiah gives us some guidance through a prophecy to the captive Israelites: “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11). When Jeremiah cast this vision he spoke of results. He spoke of the end product.
When we think in terms of product we envision wonderful things that will have already happened as a result of our ministry. Problems will have been solved, lives will have been restored. These should be tangible things.
Jesus spoke in similar terms. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,” he said, “because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18, 19). These are very specific results. In fact, the Lord’s stated outcomes should inform our own objectives since we are building his kingdom.
Too often I think we start with process before asking the Lord what result he wants to accomplish through us. “We need a revival!” and “Let’s start a class of some kind” are examples of this thinking. Is our desire just to have a good meeting before the end of the year? Do we just want another class going? Are these really our objectives?
Thinking product first is important because it helps us design the process more clearly so that we don’t waste resources on projects that don’t work. After we identify the desired product we may discover that the meeting or class we thought about is not the best way to go about it. There may be an entirely different approach that better reaches those we seek to bring into the kingdom.
So, which do you see first – process or product?
Jeremiah gives us some guidance through a prophecy to the captive Israelites: “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11). When Jeremiah cast this vision he spoke of results. He spoke of the end product.
When we think in terms of product we envision wonderful things that will have already happened as a result of our ministry. Problems will have been solved, lives will have been restored. These should be tangible things.
Jesus spoke in similar terms. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,” he said, “because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18, 19). These are very specific results. In fact, the Lord’s stated outcomes should inform our own objectives since we are building his kingdom.
Too often I think we start with process before asking the Lord what result he wants to accomplish through us. “We need a revival!” and “Let’s start a class of some kind” are examples of this thinking. Is our desire just to have a good meeting before the end of the year? Do we just want another class going? Are these really our objectives?
Thinking product first is important because it helps us design the process more clearly so that we don’t waste resources on projects that don’t work. After we identify the desired product we may discover that the meeting or class we thought about is not the best way to go about it. There may be an entirely different approach that better reaches those we seek to bring into the kingdom.
So, which do you see first – process or product?
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