In the very first chapter of the Bible, God said “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). This is the shared vision of God the Father and the Lord of the Old Testament (Yahweh), the One who became Jesus Christ in the New Testament. That shared vision is to have a family—in Their realm of eternity. But that vision required sacrifice and it required service—a servant’s heart, which can only come by and through the great love of God or agapeas it is called in the Greek.

God the Father and Jesus Christ still have that shared vision today. We see it expressed in the letter to the Hebrews: “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory…” (Hebrews 2:10). But what is even greater is that They (the Father and the Son) have shared this vision with us, as members of the United Church of God, an International Association, and all truly converted Christians. Do we realize how awesome it is that the Father and Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, are sharing Their tremendous vision with us? They want us to be a part of Their shared vision. That is to be our shared vision as well—“bringing many sons to glory.” That is what we are and must be about.

How do we realize that vision? It is through a mission—a mission Jesus Christ Himself gave to us. We probably know it by heart: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20).

Jesus told us that His gospel would be taught in the entire world. But what is the gospel? Christ told us that we are to first love God “with all your heart, with all our soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength,” and then “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30). Jesus Christ later expressed this more deeply when He told the disciples and us that we are to love one another just as He loved us (John 13:34). The gospel of God’s Kingdom that we are to teach to the world is all about that love we are to have for God (and Jesus Christ) as well as for all humanity. But there is also a warning. We clearly see that warning Jesus Christ preached in Matthew chapters 24 and 25. But it is a warning of what will happen to humanity for not heeding and obeying the gospel of love and peace—the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

Our Father’s and our Elder Brother’s vision is also all about developing and nurturing relationships. If that is Their focus, then it must be ours as well. The New Testament especially is overwhelmingly devoted to how we are to get along and live with our neighbor. That neighbor is our spouse, our parents, our children, our siblings, our boss, our employees and anyone else we come in contact with as we live our lives from day to day. The apostles Paul, John and Peter wrote volumes about our individual part in developing and maintaining relationships.

Doing Our Part

So what’s our part? To truly fulfill the shared vision and to accomplish the mission, Jesus Christ showed us that we have to be just like He was and still is. Christ said this in different ways, but the thrust was always the same. He summarized it when He said “...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). The night before He was bludgeoned and crucified, He stooped down and took on the role of the lowliest servant and washed His disciples’ feet. He then told them that they were to do to each other just as He had done to them, with the same attitude of a servant and spirit of service. That spirit of service—being the lowliest servant—is not just for one night. It is an attitude—a characteristic—that we must seek to have at all times (1 John 2:6). We can only fulfill our shared vision with each other and with Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father in the spirit and attitude of Christ-like service.

With the attitude of pure Christ-like service, we put away pride, vanity, selfish ambition and conceit. In so doing we esteem others better than ourselves (Phil 2:3). We also seek to live peaceably with everyone (Rom. 12:18) and learn to submit ourselves to each other, as Paul wrote, “in the fear of God” (Eph 5:21). These and other qualities of being a servant and performing Christ-like service are not easy for any of us. But with the help of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and keeping that shared vision and our mission always at the front of our mind, we will each become greater and more effective servants of our Father in Heaven and of each other.

The United Church of God, an International Association, has a shared vision. We are privileged to be able to have that shared vision with our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Let’s move forward together with Them. Step into that vision. Work toward fulfilling the great mission. Build and nurture meaningful, everlasting relationships through Christ-like service to all. There are many, many people still to bring to the wonderful glory that God the Father has for all mankind. All Christians are called to commit to this vision. The vision is there. We have work to do.