Just Walk Across the Room
Week Four: Grander Vision Living
By Bill Hybels (edited and preached by Jack Grubbs)
March 9, 2008

Today marks the end of the four-week journey we’ve been on. Three weeks ago, we began exploring a new paradigm for personal evangelism. We asked the question, what if evangelism really were as simple and straightforward as … what? Yes, as a “walk across the room.” 

We were reminded of the single greatest gift we can offer the people around us, which is an introduction to their creator and lover of their souls, God himself. 

We looked at what it means to “live in 3D”—anyone remember the first D? Develop friendships. Followed by discovering stories and discerning appropriate next steps, right? These three things are what we can think about, pray about, and act on when we’re operating in the Zone of the Unknown. The 3D framework reminds us to take things slow with people, allowing the other person to be in the spotlight, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead. 

We dove into the power of story, refreshing our understanding of how much weight our words carry … and of how critical it is that we steward God’s story and our own before-and-after faith stories well. And today our topic is “Grander Vision Living.”  

As we wrap up this sermon series, I think the best way for us to use the remaining time we have together is to address the question, “How do we maintain the momentum we’ve gained in the past three weeks?” 

How do we—as individuals and as a congregation—keep this evangelistic fire burning in the coming days, weeks, months, years … so that instead of it being a one-time shot in the arm, this four-week experience can serve as a catalyst for significant life change … for meaningful mind shifts? For deep transformation of our habits as it pertains to personal evangelism? 

What I hope to do today is to plant a seed in your soul that will take root and grow into an insatiable and undeniable desire to pursue this thing we’re calling the “Grander Vision” every day of your life.  

First, I’d like to take a quick look at a story in this passage that’s familiar to many of you—perhaps from a point of view you haven’t considered before. 

In The Message translation of the New Testament, verses 1–11 of Luke 5 read this way: 

Once when he (Jesus) was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, the crowd was pushing in on him to better hear the Word of God. He noticed two boats tied up. The fishermen had just left them and were out scrubbing their nets. He climbed into the boat that was Simon’s and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Sitting there, using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd.

When he finished teaching, he said to Simon, “Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch.”

Simon said, “Master, we’ve been fishing hard all night and haven’t caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I’ll let out the nets.”

It was no sooner said than done—a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch. Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus. “Master, leave. I’m a sinner and can’t handle this holiness. Leave me to myself.” When they pulled in that catch of fish, awe overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him. It was the same with James and John, Zebedee’s sons, coworkers with Simon.

Jesus said to Simon, “There is nothing to fear. From now on you’ll be fishing for men and women.” They pulled their boats up on the beach, left them, nets and all, and followed him. 

Can you just imagine how elated Peter, James, and John were because of this monstrous catch of fish? This was the mother lode! They’d never seen a catch like this! I mean, their nets were bursting … the boat was sinking, it was so full of fish. Quite a redletter day for a few career fishermen, wouldn’t you say? 

In chapter 9 of the book, Just Walk Across the Room, Bill Hybels writes: 

Jesus probably laughs as he tries unsuccessfully to get the guys’ attention in the midst of their exuberance. “Hey, guys! You think that was something? You think netting a bunch of scaly, underwater creatures was fun? Try thinking a grander thought for a second … Listen, how about multiplying the fun-factor you experienced in the last few minutes by about a thousand!

“Not that there’s anything wrong with catching fish. I know you’re trying to earn a living, and taking fish to market day in and day out in order to earn a few dollars is as good a way as any. But instead of netting a few dollars, just imagine landing a few destinies.

“That’s where the action is!”

Jesus’ eyes probably glistened with enthusiasm at this point, their rapt attention spurring him on. “Peter. James. John,” Jesus said as he looked each of them in the eyes, “so far, you three have spent your days being fishermen. But what I’m inviting you to do—starting right here, right now—is to become fishers of men and women. Instead of investing your precious time and energy in catching six-inch fish, let’s go after the six-footers! I’m asking you to give up everything you have and everything you are for the sake of people’s souls. Come with me, and you’ll see what real living is all about!” 

I believe this miracle sets up one of the most critical aspects of Jesus’ teaching: the idea of small fish versus big fish. 

Think about this with me. From the moment he arrived on the scene … all the way up until today, Jesus has been asking all sorts
of people …
                    not only career fishermen …
                    but businessmen
                    and businesswomen
                    and stay-at-home moms or dads
                    and bus drivers
                    and presidents
                    and actors
                    and singers
                    and writers
                    and hairstylists
                    and pro football players
                    and professional chefs
                    and retail managers
                    and pilots
                    and lawyers
                    and teachers
                    and preachers 

… and all the rest—this one question: Are you going to throw your one and only life into pursuing small fish, or will you risk tossing your nets out there in anticipation of catching the human-sized ones? Are you going to dive headlong into the Grander Vision, or will you be the type who settles for the lesser one? Here’s the first observation I want to make. 

Observation 1: The Priority Is People
Jesus desperately wanted three career fishermen, us as well, to understand that this life is all about people. In Grander Vision Living, the priority is always people. He wanted them—and us—to prioritize people above everything else that vies for attention. 

Prioritizing people. This is what so much of our four-week series has been about, as you’ll recall. Taking walks across rooms for people. Caring more about other people than about yourself. Having a sort of “radical inclusiveness” for people, even if they look different, talk different, act different, vote different, and so on. 

And so Jesus asks all of us who say we want to be walk-across-the-room people … Will you choose the Grander Vision in your situation? It’s the big-fish opportunity that awaits us all, friends:

                    You can catch fish … or become fishers of men and women.
                    You can be a successful businessperson … or get all over the business of redeeming lives.
                    You can be the top student … or focus your attention on studying people.
                    You can shine as a superstar salesman … or care more about letting your light shine in the lives of people all around you! 

Jesus was clear about which was the better path. To paraphrase Matthew 5:16, he said, “Let your light shine before others in such a way that they may see your good works and then glorify your Father who is in heaven.” 

Let your light shine in such a way … Let me stop there. “In such a way” means that there must be more than one way, right? I think what Jesus is saying is that we get to choose whether or not our “light” is going to impact people!

“Make sure your light shines in such a way,” I think Jesus is saying, “that people can come to know my Father because of how you treat them. Because of how you respond to them. Because of how you embrace them. Because of how you prioritize them!” 

I can almost hear God telling each one of us in this room, “You can catch fish … spend all your time netting some scaly, underwater creatures and taking them to market for a few dollars. It’s a perfectly acceptable occupation. But there’s another option! You can become fishers of men and women … concerning yourself not with dollars but with destinies!” 

But why? I mean, what’s Jesus’ end game here? Why is he so convinced that living the Grander Vision really is the better option? Because, friends, this is the way his kingdom gets built. 

Jesus was saying to all of his followers—both then and now, “Please understand how important your priorities are. The stakes are way too high for you to put anything but people in your top spot. The way you treat people will serve either as a magnet that draws them to God … or a deterrent to them ever coming to know him.” 

And whose light was Jesus talking about in the Matthew passage we looked at? “Let your light shine before others in such a way that they may see your good works and then glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Let your light shine. Not “your pastor’s” light. Not “your small group leader’s” light. Not “all your Christian friends’” lights. No, he says, your light. Meaning each one of us has a role to play. 

Bill Hybels says, “If we would all do just the small thing we can do, we would touch a lot more lives.” Let it sink in for a moment that the way you can let your light shine is simply to do the small things that you can do for the watching, waiting world around you. 

Let me read a brief quote from Just Walk Across the Room that I think sums up this idea well. Here’s what it says: “You don’t have to be any more talented, any richer, any slimmer, any smarter, any more or less of anything to partner with God. All you have to be is willing to be used by him in everyday ways.” And when those of us who name the name of Christ start pulling our own weight, letting our lights shine in a way that lets the people around us know they matter, then kingdom stuff starts exploding in our world! 

But that’s not all. Why is Jesus so convinced we should live the Grander Vision? Not only because this is the way the kingdom gets built, but also because this is the way our souls get satisfied. When you and I take up residence in this vibrant, otherworldly life called the Grander Vision, we will never want to go back. We won’t get as excited about netting a few paltry perch as we once did. We won’t throw all of our energy toward amassing a few more dollars. Why? Because these things will no longer scratch the soul-level itch we feel. 

Jesus knew that if you and I would build a lifestyle around accepting people, getting to know people, caring for people, serving people, listening to people, embracing people, befriending people, exposing people to spiritual things … prioritizing people, we would never crave our old ways again. Simple as that. 

Observation 2: The Focus Is on Potential
Observation number two about Grander Vision Living is that the focus is always on potential. It didn’t seem to matter to Jesus that his soon-to-be disciples were teenaged boys whose first response to his commands was a little south of obedient. Remember when Jesus asked them to put the nets over the boat to catch some fish? “But we’ve been fishing all night! And we’ve caught … nothing!” 

I think their insinuation was, “Hey, who do you think you are? We’re the experts here! We were the ones slugging it out all night at sea, working for all we are worth to net a few fish. And now you want us to listen to you about catching fish?!” 

By anyone’s standards, these guys weren’t contending for any Disciple of the Year awards just yet. They weren’t the most obvious choices for primo-followers of the one and only Messiah. But Jesus saw what these guys could be like once they chose to live the Grander Vision. This same propensity to see past someone’s “no” or “never” and envision them submitting to Christ one day is what we’re talking about:

To look past the self-centeredness … and see the potential for servanthood
            To look past the rebelliousness … and see the potential for righteousness
            To look past the quick temper … and see the potential for kingdom-building 

Aren’t you glad Christ did this with you? I know I am. You and I looked at our before-and-afters last week … I wonder, how ugly was your “before”? What was it that Christ looked past in your world in order to accept you and embrace you and enfold you in grace? I guarantee he looked past something in all of us, myself included. 

Everybody has something that needs some shaping, a little refinement, a healthy dose of God’s perspective before they come to Christ, right? The key is to let God do his work in people’s lives and hearts instead of suiting up to become lifestyle referees for everyone we meet. You will hear more about this in your small group meeting this week, so I’ll leave it at that for now.

Suffice it to say, I hope we all approach people with the same radical inclusiveness, the same eye for potential that we are so grateful God had for us, remembering that he saw something so valuable in us that he was willing to take us in … right in the middle of our sinfulness. As we looked at in week two, God has no “hate list.” Nor can we, if we want to be used to accomplish the work of the Holy Spirit. 

Let me give you an example of what I’m talking about. You’ll probably agree that Jesus’ eye for potential has been roving since long before you and I were around, right? In fact, in biblical times, Christ’s eye for potential was to blame for uprooting, upending, and utterly transforming the life of a guy named Levi … Levi or Matthew. Different names, same guy. This story is found in Luke chapter five. 

Luke 5:27 says that Jesus went out one day, saw a tax collector sitting at his tax booth—someone obviously outside the family of faith—and told the guy, “Follow me.” Matthew’s comrades probably thought he’d lost his mind. Why on earth would a successful businessman ditch his career and traipse after a homeless rabbi? But Matthew would soon discover what Jesus already knew: choosing the Grander Vision over lesser visions leads to wealth that the world only wishes it could offer. 

“Follow me!” he said to a wide-eyed Matthew that afternoon. And in a flash, the unscrupulous tax collector left everything—including his open cash register—to pursue Christ. What did following Jesus mean to Matthew? For starters, walking away from his business, his identity, his comfortable routine … not to mention his financial security. 

But what else did it mean? It meant that Matthew would be prizing—and prioritizing—the people he once swindled. He’d be looking for the potential good in them, rather than the potential vulnerability that he could exploit. Tax-collectors weren’t the kindest, most respected lot in those days. Much would be shifting for young Matthew now that Christ was in his life … much more than even he could imagine! 

In those early days as a disciple, though, Matthew probably wasn’t altogether sure what he’d gotten himself into. I’m definitely going to live the Grander Vision, he probably thought … now I just wish I could figure out what that means! Any of you relate? 

Here is an exhortation: start small! 

The Exhortation: Start Small … but Start!
Like Matthew, you may be chomping at the bit to start living this Grander Vision life. You’re on board with the “people-priority” and “potential” pieces … you’re just a little perplexed about what’s supposed to happen in your life—today … right here and right now—as a result! 

Matthew hadn’t had time to go through the disciples’ official Evangelism 101 course. He was too new to have memorized the diagnostic questions, the success scripts, the handy formulas. But all of his old buddies were standing there in their tax-booths—the same spot where he used to work … just days ago, in fact! Their lives would be so blessed by knowing Christ, but he had no idea how to get that introduction made. There he stood in his newfound Circle of Comfort … he saw them there in that once-familiar but now unknown zone … and something tugged at his heart … 

Just then, he decided what to do. Friends, you won’t believe what he decided to do! Keep in mind that Matthew was a brand-new Christ-follower. “Giving” wasn’t exactly a tax-collector’s natural-born instinct. He didn’t know any of the catchy worship choruses to sing. He didn’t have the prayer thing down pat yet. But there was one thing Matthew was good at: he was good at throwing parties! 

Some of you are breathing a sigh of relief. An approach to evangelism that involves partying? For the first time in this entire four-week series, you finally have some hope! 

It’s true: Matthew hatched a plan to do just that … he hatched a plan to throw a party. But not just any party. A party where he could stick his old tax-collecting buddies in a room with his new friends—the Christian ones—and just see if some of the good stuff might rub off on the ones who had yet to taste grace. 

What if, instead of just hanging together, what if a few of my new friends actually take walks too—walks across my living room and stretch out a hand to my old buddies? Matthew thought. What if a couple of interesting conversations get started … maybe about what happened to their crazy buddy Matthew! And what if some seeds are planted in the minds and hearts of my friends … man, what if a few of those guys actually come to faith as a result of this one, simple party?! That would be amazing! 

As I read this fascinating story in Luke 5, here is what occurs to me: Matthew could have been utterly consumed by his own transformation just after he chose to follow Christ. He could have gotten so enamored with how much of his own life was changing for the better that he just left everyone else in his dust. He could have absolutely ditched his old friends and instead clung fiercely to his new ones. 

Remember that all-too-familiar place we visited in week 1, the “Circle of Comfort?” But Matthew chose differently, didn’t he? He chose to prioritize people outside the family of God above all that … people who need an ounce of acceptance, a little Christian friendship, a taste of grace. 

Matthew also chose to see the potential in his tax-collecting friends … the same way Jesus had miraculously spotted potential in him. I mean, really, who would have given Matthew half a chance of ever coming to faith in Christ?  

You might sum it up this way: Matthew had a right view of his role in the lives of his friends. Matthew didn’t have his act all together. He didn’t have it all figured out. But one thing he did have: the hope of heaven. And that reality single-handedly compelled him to take action. Matthew knew that God had saved him for a purpose … a purpose that included more than his own salvation. A purpose that included being salt and light in his world. A purpose that centered around living out a Grander Vision … by making people his priority and their potential his focus. A purpose that included getting all over the task of taking walks across rooms … because people were the only thing he’d be taking with him to heaven one day. 

Same holds true for us. Take a small step like Matthew. Have a party, BBQ, potluck, whatever where you can get people together who know Jesus and those who don’t know Him yet. 

Let me close with a share one story from Just Walk Across the Room. Bill Hybels describes a time when he was sitting in a meeting and all of a sudden the speaker unfurled a roll of stickers in his hand: 

“There is something we must all understand,” the speaker said as he walked along the front of the platform. Periodically, he would stop and put a red sticker on a tiny replica of a house, and a red sticker on a Hot Wheels car, and a red sticker on a dollhouse-sized desk that represented career pursuits.

“You may not be able to tell from where you’re sitting, but each red sticker has a single word on it,” he said. “The word is ‘temporary.’ And these things I’m putting them on are all temporary. They will fade away, turning cartwheels like leaves in the wind when this world ends.

“If you are living for these things, then you are living a life of temporary pleasure, temporary satisfaction, and temporary fulfillment.”  

The speaker continued walking around the room, the audience now completely silent as he labeled everything in sight with red stickers. Bill watched the man’s hands declare the fate of the very best this world has to offer as those stickers made their way to the goods in front of everyone. 

Temporary. Temporary. Temporary. Temporary. Temporary. Temporary. Temporary.

“There is only one thing in this room that is not temporary,” the speaker continued. “There is only one thing that you can take with you into the next world.”

He called someone up to join him on the stage, and he placed a blue sticker on her lapel. “When you get to the end of your life and take in your last breath,” he said, “what do you want your life to have been about?” 

It really is all about people, Hybels thought. No earthly commodity is going to make it from this world into the next. Not land, not homes, not bank accounts, not titles, not achievements. Only souls. 

Jesus Christ taught that every human being would be resurrected to spend an eternity in community with God in heaven or in isolation from God in hell. And because Jesus understood these eternal realities and believed them to the core of his being, he focused his attention on the only entity that would extend into the next reality: people. 

I don’t know what the final assessment on my earthly life will be once I am gone, Bill continues. But I know this much: my quest while I am here is to seek people out and point them toward faith in God. I’ve tried enough approaches in my five decades of living to know that to invest yourself in anything other than people is to settle for pursuit of a Lesser Vision—that ugly, ensnaring trap of the temporal. 

The invitation has been extended. Will you opt into Grander Vision Living, or will you settle for your lesser visions? What a magnificent gift we get to give a waiting world! The gift of a relationship with the One who is like no other. The One who cast his own agenda aside in order to reach out to people on the beach, people on the side of the road. The One who saw faithful disciples in the dripping-wet, smelly clothes of a couple of fishermen. The One who saw a passionate follower in the booth of a wretched tax gatherer. The One who saw limitless spiritual opportunities in something as fun as a party! 

Friends, don’t settle for just what you can see on the surface of your life. There is a whole, Spirit-led universe of activity going on all around you … that you can tap into right now … today! Start taking walks across the room!