UNDERSTANDING GOD’S FIVE-FOLD PURPOSE

1 INTRODUCTION

Are you feeling a yearning to discover God's plans and purpose for your life? Are the choices facing you unclear, leading to confusion or frustration? We all struggle at times with knowing how best to serve God and whether our decisions are in line with His will. One of the greatest resources for helping us understand our place in His plan is a study of the five-fold purpose He has laid out for humanity. Through exploring what Scripture teaches us about each of these strategies, we can gain insight into why He wants us here and equip ourselves to better align with His ambitions. Join me on this journey as we dig through God’s Word together — uncovering the intricacies behind -- understanding God’s five-fold purpose!

· Purpose = the reason something exists; manufacturers original intent in making it.

· God is your source/manufacturer – only He knows why He gave you life and imparted unique gifts, talents, desires into you.

God created you with a specific purpose in mind.

· One of the most important days in life – when enter relationship with God and recognise we have unique call and purpose of God in our lives to fulfil.

· 2 Tim 1:9-11  “He has saved us and called us with a holy calling not according to our own works but according to His own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ before the world began.”

we were chosen to represent Christ, and to experience his amazing grace, and each one of us has a unique gifting that amplifies our true divine identity that we must live out

· Purpose (4286 Strongs) = to set forth with a specific intention.

· Grace (5485 Strongs) = divine power; power given to fulfil the will of God.

· Key Questions:

* Who am I?              * Where am I going?         * What is the purpose of my existence?

* Why am I here?       * Am I fulfilling that purpose?

· Judges 6 – When Gideon encountered God, he connected with his true identity and with his God-given purpose.

2 GOD’S FIVE-FOLD PURPOSE FOR YOU

· God designed you to fulfil five basic purposes in life!

· When you embrace and do these things fulfilment comes into your being.

· God has designed you with a unique way of expressing these purposes.

(i) Express God’s Image

Gen 5:1-3  “… in the likeness of God created He him.”

· God created man in His own image and likeness.

· Man is a spirit being; a person; a relational being.

· You were made to express God’s nature – love  (1 John 4:8).

· Expressing God’s nature has nothing to do with what  look like.

· God wants you to mirror His character, His nature – love.

1 John 4:7-8 “… he that loves not does not know God.  God is love.”

· Jesus fully represented the image of God (John 14:7).

· The nature of God flowed out to impact people.  “Seen me = seen Father”.

· After fall of Adam – he produced in his own image – self centred.

· Each person needs encounter with God – born again – empowered to represent him.

Luke 6:31-35  “If you love them which love you – what grace is on you.”

· The grace of God empowers you to express His nature (vs35).

· Love – the nature of God is expressed by kindness to people.

ii) Enjoy Intimate Relationship with God

Gen 3:9  “Adam, where are you?”

· God desired relationship, intimacy, fellowship with Adam.

· Any being that has relationship with God must be a spirit being (John 4:24).

· Separated from God – Adam covered or concealed himself and hid.

· Guilt, shame, fear cause people to hide from intimacy – lonely.

· Until your spirit reconnects with God’s spirit, you cannot experience companionship with God – only can know about Him.

· Fulfilling your purpose loving God and enjoying Him impossible unless Born Again.

· Luke 10:42  Intimacy and relationship with God is a personal choice.  You must place priority on relationship before works.

(iii) Be Fruitful/Productive

Gen 1:28  “Be fruitful”  (6509 Strongs) = bear fruit, grow, increase.

· Any person that owns a fruit tree expects it to be productive.

· God created you to be fruitful or productive in two ways:

a) Gal 5:22-23 – The fruit of the spirit

· The life and activity of God’s spirit within you produces fruit.

· Love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

b) Luke 19:15 – That he might know how much every man had gained by trading

· Fruitful Þ productive use of the giftings and talents God has given.

· Every person has unique giftings – God expects you to be productive.

· Productive Þ discover and develop and deploy gifts so that Gods interests in the earth are advanced.

· Jesus has chosen us to glorify (honour) God by being fruitful (John15:8).

(iii) Be Fruitful/Productive

Gen 1:28  “Be fruitful”  (6509 Strongs) = bear fruit, grow, increase.

· Any person that owns a fruit tree expects it to be productive.

· God created you to be fruitful or productive in two ways:

a) Gal 5:22-23 – The fruit of the spirit

· The life and activity of God’s spirit within you produces fruit.

· Love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

b) Luke 19:15 – That he might know how much every man had gained by trading

· Fruitful Þ productive use of the giftings and talents God has given.

· Every person has unique giftings – God expects you to be productive.

· Productive Þ discover and develop and deploy gifts so that Gods interests in the earth are advanced.

· Jesus has chosen us to glorify (honour) God by being fruitful (John15:8).

(iv) Reproduce Yourself

Gen 1:28  “… be fruitful and multiply”  (7235 Strongs) = increase.

· God created you to multiply – to have children.

· Multiply Þ leave a legacy to another generation.

· More important than reproducing physically is the power to impart to others – values, attitudes, to call forth their potential.

· Matt 28:19-20   Make disciples – teaching them to obey commands.

· Your life influences others: words, attitudes, actions, faith, confidence.

· 2 John 4  “I rejoiced greatly that I found your children walking in truth.”

(v) Advance God’s Kingdom

Gen 1:28  “Be fruitful, multiply – subdue and have dominion.”

· Subdue (3533 Strongs) = to conquer, bring into subjection.

· Dominion (7287 Strongs) = prevail over, reign over, bring under authority.

· Called to have dominion over things not people.

· Rom 5:17 Reign in life.

· When controlled by things – money, possessions etc – life is in turmoil.

· Domination of people by people creates pain and violence, abuse.

· God’s Kingdom is advanced when submit to His will and His ways.

TOOK : The five-fold purpose gives us a solid foundation for understanding how we can serve God through our lives according to His plan for us. By recognizing these offices within the Church, we can begin to identify which role best suits us so that we can fulfill our calling more effectively and powerfully. Ultimately, it is up to each of us to discern how we should live out this five-fold purpose so that we may bring glory to our Lord!