While the term “global village” has been used especially to describe the impact of communication technologies on the world, it portrays the world as a village or community in which events in any area can affect different areas of the globe. In other words, we are not so remote, regardless to where we are, that we cannot be affected by happenings in any other area of the globe.

Happenings internationally can affect us nationally. Once we are affected nationally, each of our districts will feel the impact. If oil prices were to drop internationally, our economy is affected. When this happens our districts are in turn affected.

The global village is, however, not all about the negative effects of international events. The shrinking globe also affords us the opportunity to impact national and international happenings just as effectively.

This means that we can play a role in impacting those events with the potential to affect us. However, this would only happen if our vision is extended beyond our boundaries.

But, surely, this should by no means be considered a strange call. Doesn’t prayer itself have the ability to impact national and international events? Prayer itself has no boundaries. Even before men began speaking about the global effects of events, pray was having a global impact. But even then, except we have a vision for global events, our prayers will be confined to our districts. In other words, our prayer would be limited by our vision and would be reflective of it.

In fact, if we want to judge ourselves as to where our vision extends, let us all examine the things we prayer about. That would be a good and accurate measure of our vision.

The scripture, in urging us to have a national vision, has commanded every believer to pray for their nation and for those in authority in the nation. It points out that we are to pray for our nation so that we may live a quiet and peaceable life. The meaning is that regardless to where we are located, national events would impact our lives. We, therefore, seek our own interests when we pray beyond our boundaries. With this in mind, we should all be teaching and encouraging our congregation to have a national and international vision.

Surely, national administrators should be encouraging and facilitating their ministers and churches toward a national and international vision.

Towards this end, a forum should be established that would assist in bringing to the fore, events of interests to the national church. Such a forum would provide the opportunity for individuals to contribute towards the formulation of ideas as to how the church could impact upon certain events.

An example close to our doorsteps would be the much talked about crime wave in Laventille. Why has there not been any discussion with a view to determining just what the church can do to positively impact the Laventille situation? Could we not, for example, find ways to work with and encourage our Christian brethren in the Laventille area, given that they may be best placed to impact upon these unfortunate happenings? Is it not possible that there are believers within and without Laventille with wisdom as to how the church can impact upon the Laventille situation? The wisdom, we may however, only know if a forum facilitating such a vision is established or if, we ourselves ask a question.

One scripture questions that if we see our brother have need and we possess this world’s good and fail to open our bowels of compassion to meet the need of the brother, how could we say that the love of God dwells in us?  (1 John 3:17)

Another scripture says, “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? (James 1:16)

Though for us, one scripture should be sufficient (for no word from God is void of power) here we have two (2) scriptures that essentially speak of our responsibility to use our resources to meet needs, where those needs exist and when it is within our power to do so.

“Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it” (Proverb 3:27)

From time to time we hear the saying, “If God gave you the vision, he will make the provision”. And surely, there is truth to that statement. What often is not told is that the provisions are in our hands as his stewards. When it is in our power to do well and we leave it up to God to find some other way but us, we are in effect being neglectful of our duty as stewards. Further, as the above scriptures point out, it does not profit the person just giving them good words and refusing to meet their needs.

In the context of broadening or extending our vision beyond the boundaries of our districts and lending impact to national and international events we need to consider how we can work with our Christian brethren in other areas, what their needs are and how we can assist in meeting those needs and empowering them to fulfill the vision that God has given them.

In so doing we would become “partakers of their grace” (Philippians 1:7)