THE JOURNEY - PART NINE

REVIEW

Know God

Find Freedom

Discover Purpose

Make a Difference

Jeremiah 1:5 NLT

5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

Finding and fully understanding your purpose is essential to walking with God. One day, we will all stand before the Christ and give an account of our lives. We all hope to hear “well done, thou good and faithful servant” as Jesus said in the parable of the servants in Matthew 25:21.

“Well done”, not “well thought.”

If you want to hear “well done”, you’d better know what you’re supposed to do.

I believe that much of the fruitless, off mission activities, and overall lack of respect for the church of Jesus Christ isn’t because of message of the Gospel; it’s because of a lack of purpose in the lives of believers.

When we pray for revival, we are in fact, praying for a return to original purpose.

Habakkuk 3:2 (NKJV)

2 O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.

“Purpose is the difference between doing a good thing, or doing the right thing.”

ALL ARE CALLED

Matthew 22:1–14 NLT

1 Jesus also told them other parables. He said, 2 “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. 3 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come! 4 “So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ 5 But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them. 7 “The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. 8 And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. 9 Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ 10 So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. 11 “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. 13 Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

“Called”

3105 κλητός (klētos); 1. called, implying relationship and/or task ; 2. invited

Romans 1:6 AMP

6 And this includes you, called of Jesus Christ and invited [as you are] to belong to Him.

1723 ἐκλεκτός (eklektos); 1. chosen, elect; 2. the Chosen One

2 Timothy 2:10 NLT

10 So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.

“Calling is about you, election is about them.” PD

4 COMMON CALLINGS OF ALL BELIEVERS

We are called to belong to Christ.

Romans 1:6 AMP

6 And this includes you, called of Jesus Christ and invited [as you are] to belong to Him.

Jeremiah 10:23 NLT

23 I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.

1 Corinthians 6:20 TPT

20 You were God’s expensive purchase, paid for with tears of blood, so by all means, then, use your body to bring glory to God!

Matthew 16:25 NLT

25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.

2. We are called to reconcile people to God.

2 Corinthians 5:19–21 NLT

19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Romans 10:14–15 TPT

14 But how can people call on him for help if they’ve not yet believed? And how can they believe in one they’ve not yet heard of? And how can they hear the message of life if there is no one there to proclaim it? 15 And how can the message be proclaimed if messengers have yet to be sent? That’s why the Scriptures say: How welcome is the arrival of those proclaiming the joyful news of peace and of good things to come!

Isaiah 6:8 NLT

8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.”

3. We are called to the Great Commission.

Matthew 28:18–20 NLT

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Acts 1:8 NLT

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

4. We Are Called to Make Disciples in a Local Church

John 14:15 AMP

15 If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands.

We saw in number 3 that we are called to go and make disciples. So when are we truely a disciples of Christ? When we obey Him by joining the process of making disciples.

1 Corinthians 12:12–13 TPT

12 Just as the human body is one, though it has many parts that together form one body, so too is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we all were immersed and mingled into one single body. And no matter our status—whether we are Jews or non-Jews, oppressed or free—we are all privileged to drink deeply of the same Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 10:25 TPT

25 This is not the time to pull away and neglect meeting together, as some have formed the habit of doing, because we need each other! In fact, we should come together even more frequently, eager to encourage and urge each other onward as we anticipate that day dawning.

Ephesians 4:11–16 TPT

11 And he has appointed some with grace to be apostles, and some with grace to be prophets, and some with grace to be evangelists, and some with grace to be pastors, and some with grace to be teachers. 12 And their calling is to nurture and prepare all the holy believers to do their own works of ministry, and as they do this they will enlarge and build up the body of Christ. 13 These grace ministries will function until we all attain oneness in the faith, until we all experience the fullness of what it means to know the Son of God, and finally we become one perfect man with the full dimensions of spiritual maturity and fully developed in the abundance of Christ. 14 And then our immaturity will end! And we will not be easily shaken by trouble, nor led astray by novel teachings or by the false doctrines of deceivers who teach clever lies. 15 But instead we will remain strong and always sincere in our love as we express the truth. All our direction and ministries will flow from Christ and lead us deeper into him, the anointed Head of his body, the church. 16 For his “body” has been formed in his image and is closely joined together and constantly connected as one. And every member has been given divine gifts to contribute to the growth of all; and as these gifts operate effectively throughout the whole body, we are built up and made perfect in love.

1 Corinthians 12:14–27 NLT

14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? 18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” 22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. 27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

This is the perfect Segway into our next step - Make a Difference.

Next week will share the pathway to applied purpose at Living Hope Church.