Noblesse Oblige by Scott Applegate
This book was released by a pastor & author from Westminster, Colorado in 2009. Scott is the pastor of Novation Church, a non-denominational bible-first church that serves the community each and every day, spreading the Gospel through practical works and teaching. We will publish each chapter weekly, and encourage you to read it and digest it each week in order to search for and live God’s true calling on your life. Through this series you will learn to search for your Noble: Living, Purpose, Vision, Mission, Ability, Faith, Action, Assignments, and Death.
“Vision is born in the soul of a man or woman who is consumed with the tension between what is and what could be.” Andy Stanley
Chapter #3 Noble Vision
What has your attention right now? What gnaws at you and keeps you up at night or sometimes wakes you up out of your sleep? When you look at your life and the world around you, what do you find hard to accept and wish you had the power to change? When we have a conviction about the way things could or should be we have vision.
Vision is the ability to have a clear picture of the future before it happens. Vision keeps us getting up in the morning. It is the fuel our soul feeds on. Vision produces the hope and passion we need to fulfill our noblesse oblige.
Great works and great “God” things always start with vision. People get a conviction that things could and should be different and run with it. Think of the vision of Abraham Lincoln. He had a conviction that humanity should never enslave each other regardless of race or social background. He is most famous for the Great Emancipation Proclamation (outlawing slavery in America) that changed the course and destiny of a nation.
I don’t know how much of the movie Braveheart is factual or not, but I do know the story in the movie is very contagious. If anyone understood the noblesse oblige, it was William Wallace. He had a vision that his people, the Scottish, should not live in the tyranny of the English or the powerful, but should live in the most basic of freedoms, safety, etc.
Throughout the story Wallace pursued his single vision of leading his people to freedom. Over and over Wallace gave all he had to pursue his conviction of freedom for his people.
Both of these great men and their great visions ultimately cost them their lives. A political lunatic assassinated Abraham Lincoln and a power hungry king martyred William Wallace. Running with vision is costly. Running with your vision will cost you something, but the reward will be worth it. Jesus made this promise about our running with His vision for our lives:
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” (Luke 9:24-25 NIV)
The person who possesses the Spirit of God does not think of or dwell on what they will lose or give up by pursuing Christ’s call; their focus is on what they will gain.
Hearing Voices
Most of the time we hospitalize those who hear voices. People who hear voices in their heads we label “nuts”. However, running with vision will require you to not only listen to but also act upon the voices in your heart. God’s vision will not come to your head, but rather burn in your heart. What voices should listen for?
Voice #1: The inner voice. The inner voice is what is stirring in your heart.
Voice #2: The unhappy voice. What do you find yourself wanting to change in the world?
Voice #3: Other voices. What are other people saying to you or challenging you with?
Voice #4: God’s voice. Most importantly what is God challenging you with? In your Bible reading and times of prayer what stands out to you?
Each one of us has a life message. In other words, we each have a bent towards a conviction or a cause that tends to come out in our conversations, relationships, and 16 ultimately how and what we want to spend our lives on. It is important to nurture our life message because God himself has placed it there.
Life Experience
Vision is often birthed from compassion, and compassion is birthed from the experiences of life that have happened to us. For example, I have talked with numerous people who have a burden to mentor young people because their own teenage years were difficult. They want to provide something for hurting teenagers that they didn’t have or provide something that proved to be very important in their own lives. The Apostle Paul wrote about this when he said:
‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV)
It has been said, “God never wastes a hurt.” This truth is illustrated in the life of Saint Patrick. Most people, including the Irish themselves, do not know why we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Much to the chagrin of most, St. Patrick’s Day is not about drinking green beer or even the Irish people, but rather it is the celebration of Saint Patrick bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Ireland.
When Patrick was young he was kidnapped from his home in England and forced into a life of slavery by the Irish. Several years later he escaped and went home to England. At home in England he became a dedicated follower of Jesus. During a time of prayer he felt led to go back to those in Ireland who had enslaved him and bring them the Good News of Jesus Christ. Needless to say, his work and impact literally changed a people group. It is amazing that God brought Patrick back to his place of pain so He could use him to grow His kingdom in the same people that had no regard for Him years earlier.
Like St. Patrick, God wants to use us to further His kingdom as well. He wants us to use our life experiences to help others in need. God does not require us to have great skills and abilities He requires faith and obedience. You will not act with faith and obedience unless you are motivated by vision.
The Necessity of Passion
What ignites vision? Passion!
One man put it this way:
“Vision does not ignite growth, passion does. Passion fuels vision and vision is the focus of the power of passion. People who are passionate about their call create vision (Maxwell, 68, 2005).”
Vision without passion is like a car without gasoline or firewood without matches. The Apostle Paul exhorts:
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” (Romans 12:11 NIV)
In other words, if you going to serve the Lord, do it passionately!
If you are passionate about God you will never lack vision. If you want to run with God’s vision you must invest time in what creates passion for God. Invest time in the study of God’s word. Invest time in prayer. Invest time in the discipline of fasting. Fast from food, fast from TV, or fast from leisure activity for a time in order to focus on God.
Spiritual disciplines should always be done out of a desire for intimacy with God, not as a means of earning His favor. Intimacy is not earned it is nurtured. Intimacy with God creates passion. Passion for God will naturally result in compassion for people, which is His vision for our lives.
Noble Questions to Ponder
Take a moment and write down what has your attention in the world.
What needs change?
What do you feel God is asking you to do about what is in your heart?
How does your life experience correlate with the vision He has put in your heart?
Do sense that you have a genuine passion for God, His word, prayer, & intimacy with Him? Why or why not?
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