Paul s vision was not a figment of his human imagination. It was a heavenly vision, and that is why it is a timely vision for us and our churches now, and it will be a timely vision for all Christians and churches in the years and millennia to come. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me. The contrast of this heavenly vision with the reality of the world underscores the miserable condition of mankind. Human sin has alienated people from God, for one another and from everything in God s creation.
People live and act without any sense of accountability.
Then, too, the contrast of Paul s heavenly vision with the miserable condition of mankind highlights the urgency of the central mission of the church of Jesus Christ. God has called the church and commissioned it to work primarily for the fulfillment of His heavenly vision for the world. This is the mission of the church through which God plans to end the misery of mankind. But the problem of many Christians and churches is not their lack of awareness of their mission. The problem of most Christians and churches is their lack of obedience to their heavenly calling.