00:00Music
00:00Welcome to Mater Ecclesia, I invite you to prepare yourselves at this time so that the Lord may give us the ears of disciples in our last disciple formation session.
00:25In the previous session, we explored the mission of a disciple. Today, we will examine how a disciple, having undergone training, becomes a leader and is identified as such through their vision.
00:39Vision is not what I see from where I am looking ahead. Vision is when I contemplate where I came from, where I am, and where I am going.
00:49It is very difficult to define the vision, so it is best to embody it in a specific man.
00:55Saul of Tarsus was a man with vision. A vision that defined the structure of Christianity and left an indelible mark on history.
01:04To do this, we will consider five visions that constituted the profile of Saul.
01:09Pastor of the Church of Jesus Christ who will help us understand how a disciple can shape his vision, being a leader of the Church.
01:17First vision. Vision of Damascus at noon.
01:23The personality of Saul of Tarsus changed thanks to what happened when he was approaching the city of Damascus.
01:31Saint Luke recounts that the men who accompanied him heard the voice, but saw no one.
01:37Acts 9-7
01:38For his part, Saul himself asserts,
01:43Those who were with me saw the light, but did not hear the voice.
01:48Acts 22:9
01:49A visionary has a high-frequency antenna to see and hear what those around him do not perceive.
01:59The first thing that is discovered is the meaning of its existence.
02:02It is not an external perception, but an internal one of oneself.
02:06Jesus says to Saul,
02:08I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness,
02:13both of the things you have seen of me and of those I will reveal to you,
02:17so that their eyes may be opened, so that they may turn from darkness to light,
02:22and from the power of Satan to God,
02:24and so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share in the inheritance among those sanctified through faith in me.
02:32Acts 26:18:18
02:34The vision defines the personality of the visionary and changes the course of his life.
02:41Before doing anything, Saul, in the old Pharisee way, knows that he has been called to be a light to the Gentiles.
02:48Acts 13:47
02:50His life is identified with his mission.
02:54Before changing external reality, it transforms the visionary's personality through vision.
03:01The vision and the visionary are like a concave body and a convex body that identify with and complement each other.
03:10Second look
03:11Vision of Jerusalem in the temple
03:13The mission grows in contradiction.
03:17Saul immediately began to fulfill his mission in the city of Damascus itself.
03:22But since his enemies decided to kill him, to preserve the vision, Gamaliel's disciple escapes and takes refuge in Jerusalem, where he hopes to be protected, but unfortunately he is rejected by the Christian saints who do not believe in his vision.
03:38Saul has lost the advantages of his old religious system and does not assimilate the new one.
03:45He has no choice but to return to the temple in which he no longer believes.
03:50However, there he has a second vision.
03:54I saw Jesus saying to me,
03:55Hurry and leave Jerusalem immediately, for they will not accept your testimony about me.
04:03I replied,
04:05Lord, they know that I went around the synagogues arresting and beating those who believed in you.
04:12And when the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I too was present and approved of those who were killing and keeping their garments.
04:20And he said to me,
04:23Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.
04:27Acts 22, 18, 21.
04:30Difficulties, instead of narrowing vision, widen it.
04:36Their mission transcends conventional boundaries.
04:40The key at this moment is not that others believe the visionary, but that the visionary never stops believing in himself and his vision.
04:48The visionary will suffer the distrust and ridicule of those who do not know how to dream or who oppose change.
04:55If he perseveres, nothing will make him doubt or stop him later because he trusts himself without depending on others.
05:03However, in this sea of disbelief, there was only one port where Saul's boat could dock.
05:11Barnabas, Acts 9, 26 to 30.
05:14It only takes one person to believe they can overcome the resistance of the crowd.
05:19Without this special pillar, it will be almost impossible to overcome the tide of suspicion and the waves of opposition.
05:28Contradictions are like furious winds that, instead of knocking down trees, strengthen them.
05:34True vision always expands, never worsens.
05:38The vision is communicated to others and the objective is defined.
05:47Paul and his team of missionaries had traveled more than a thousand kilometers in Asia without being able to evangelize.
05:53Until they reached Troas, they faced only the insurmountable frontier of the Greeks and the barbarians.
06:00When all other paths were exhausted, Paul had the third vision at midnight.
06:07A Macedonian was standing and pleading with him,
06:10Come to Macedonia and help us.
06:13As soon as he had the vision, we immediately tried to cross into Macedonia,
06:18convinced that God had called them to evangelize them.
06:22Acts 16:9, 10
06:23In this vision of Troada, we find new elements inherent to the vision of the new leader and disciple.
06:32While Damascus took place in broad daylight, Troas happens in the darkness of adversity.
06:41when all the doors are closed and they can't see any way out of the labyrinth.
06:47The content of the lesson responds to an existing need.
06:52When the Macedonian asks for help, it's because he was already ruling it.
06:56And this confirms the validity of the vision, which is strengthened and secured.
07:02The visionary knows that others need him.
07:06The mission focuses on a specific objective.
07:10The visionary translates his ideal dreams into clear goals to be achieved.
07:15The more defined the goal, the more achievable it is.
07:21If the objective is not clarified, one will never come down from the clouds of dreams.
07:26Moses knew how to present his brothers with a motivating goal.
07:32The land that flows with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands.
07:36Ezekiel 26.
07:39Each leader must present their promised land as the most beautiful.
07:46Pablo, with renewed energy, thanks to his night vision,
07:51wake up from the dream of disappointment.
07:53He communicates his vision to his colleagues in such a way that he infects them with it.
07:58There are no more borders.
08:01They have a fascinating mission ahead of them.
08:05His entire team is convinced of a calling from God, not from Paul.
08:11It is not the indomitable apostle who invites them to cross the border,
08:16but they feel that God himself has called them.
08:19The visionary manages to plant his vision in the hearts of others,
08:23so that they can appropriate it.
08:24A leader is not someone who moves others,
08:28but knows how to activate the inner spring in people
08:32so that they act according to their own motives and personal convictions.
08:37We immediately tried to cross into Macedonia.
08:40We embarked at Troas and went straight to Samothrace.
08:43Acts 16:11
08:45Vision inspires action.
08:48They do not hesitate or stop for any reason.
08:51Nothing distracts or diverts them.
08:53They go straight to Samothrace, which represents the objective.
08:59A visionary knows how to both listen and motivate others
09:02to go directly towards achieving a goal.
09:06Thanks to his vision, Pablo has found his life's priority.
09:11and the absolute value for which it is worth leaving everything.
09:23Thank you!
09:25Thank you!
09:26Thank you!
09:27Thank you!
