The 5 What?

510 Vision - 5:10 Living. This might sound confusing. Let me clarify.

510 Vision

The 510 is the current area code for the East Bay, ranging from Richmond, CA to Fremont, CA. Our main meeting takes place in the middle of the 510, so this is our main area of outreach.

Walk up the hill behind where we meet, or sit in the parking lot at CSUEB. The 510 sits below and brings to one's mind thoughts of how many of them are trapped in lives that they were not created for, lives that degrade them as people instead of bring them to their full potential--to live in the light of their God and bring him glory. This view is our vision: to see the 510 become the recipient of God's free love as he works through his people to his glory.

5:10 Living

The 5:10 is a group of people within the 510 who know that seeing this vision fulfilled will not be done through every man doing what is right in his own eyes. God's love is not some sort of fluffy, marshmallow, teddy-bear love. His love has content and power. In order to show his love we need to understand him, his love, and its influence on us.

First, we need to grasp the message of Romans 5:10:

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

We were enemies of God. Why? Because we were rebels looking to make ourselves worthy. We did not really want him as God. We wanted to be our own gods. This enmity, God's wrath and our rebellion, was done away with through Jesus. This is love: Jesus lived the life we should have lived (he was worthy), and he died the death we should have died (we are unworthy), and he did this for us. Because Jesus took God's wrath, those who trust in Jesus are no longer under wrath. Because Jesus was worthy, we who trust in Jesus have a relationship with God. We are reconciled. It doesn't stop there though. Because Jesus lives, he didn't stay dead, we have hope that we will never endure God's wrath. We are accepted. Completely. This fact liberates us as the God who saves us continues to change us. This is the sacrificial love with which God reaches out through us.

Second, we need to learn to practice Ephesians 5:10:

finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.

We have been reconciled to him. We have been made acceptable. Now we want to grow in knowing how to do what is acceptable. The love of God, the gift of Christ, and the work of the Spirit change us, and in doing so make us ex-rebels want to do what God wants because we love him. We learn what he wants by prayer, by meditating on his person and his word, and by doing what he wants us to do.

Third, we pray we will realize what we learn from 2 Samuel 5:10:

So David went on and became great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him.

Effectiveness is never because we do anything. We will be of no help to anyone unless God is with us. This does not mean we try to get God on our agenda, but that we live in the light of God's agenda. We see that he is reconciling people, "good" and "bad," to himself. We see that he is changing us as we learn to walk in his light. As God works in us, he is with us. We pray that we will see his presence through changed lives. Not bad people becoming good, but God's enemies becoming worshipers.

This is the 510 Vision that is accomplished through 5:10 Living. This is what we are about. May God be glorified through us.