“Is is possible that we’ve been
believing for things we should
instead be perceiving?”
With that provocative question, I invite you to embark on an eye-opening and liberating discussion on a topic not often addressed in today’s church — perceiving.
It begins with a study of King David’s life framed around a simple question: when did David become king? By looking at the well-known events of David’s life and unearthing little-known aspects of his journey, my goal is to open your eyes to the power and importance of perceiving.
Next, we’ll continue the discussion by looking at how Jesus framed His message around developing the right perception. Through techniques like parables, Jesus actually spent more time talking about perceiving than believing. For example, the Parable of the Sower could correctly be called the “Parable of the Perceiver” since perceiving, not believing, causes the seed to become fruitful.
The Gospel, as it turns out, is really about eye-opening encounters that enable our hearts to see (i.e. perceive) God’s Kingdom. Even the most commonly quoted verse in the Bible — John 3:16 — cannot be fully understood apart from Jesus’ contextual teaching on perceiving.
This truth can unlock the hidden potential in every believer as we begin to perceive who we are in Christ. In fact, perceiving our sonship in Christ is one of the central messages of Paul’s writings. It is as if Paul was pleading with believers for the “eyes of their hearts to be enlightened” so that they could perceive their inheritance as Christians (Eph 1:18). In a similar fashion John’s writings have the express purpose of helping us perceive. No amount of believing can accomplish what a moment of eye-opening perceiving will do.
This principle of perceiving extends to every aspect of life — job, career, family, marriage, parenting, volunteer work, education… even special interests and hobbies. Throughout the study, you’ll see how great leaders from Reagan to Ghandi to Churchill to Martin Luther King each possessed a clear perception of who they were and what they were called to do. In fact, presidential races are usually won by the individual with the clearest perception of himself and his place in history. But this principle is not reserved for the select few. Each individual has the same opportunity to access the power of perceiving and take hold of their full potential in Christ and in life.
In a sea of nearly endless discussion on faith and believing, this bedrock truth of perceiving has been all but forgotten, and to our detriment. It’s time to understand — and unlock — the power of perceiving.
