Finding God’s Purpose for our lives
How can we know God’s purpose for our life? If you are here today then you probably fit into one of the following categories:
a. You feel that your life is full of purpose and that you are fulfilling all your potential in God.
b. You feel that you have no purpose, and you are constantly crying out to God for more of a sense of his purpose.
Purpose by very nature is the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.
Billy Sunday the pro baseball player turned revivalist preacher said this, “More men fail for lack of purpose than for lack of talent.”
I’ve found that sometimes our true purpose is often confused by conflicting messages we receive about Christianity. Some messages leave us feeling like if we step out of line God’s going to deal with us strictly in an Old Testament kind of way. Other messages leave us feeling like God’s main purpose for us is to fulfill every dream or desire we ever had, even making us wealthy.
I’m going to give you 5-steps to fulfill your purpose.
One thing is very clear in scripture, Jesus had a purpose and he wanted that purpose to be carried out and carried on by his church.
Jesus was filled with purpose… He said in Luke 4:43
“I MUST proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also because that is why I was sent.”
Jesus was so compelled by his purpose that he defied the religious hypocrites of the day and their oral law so that he could not just proclaim the Kingdom of God but also demonstrate it.”
John 5:16
Jesus had just been involved in carrying out his Kingdom purpose. He had just healed an invalid man who had been lying on a mat for 38 years.
Jesus’ reputation was already spreading and the Jewish Leaders were after reasons to attack him.
John 5:16, “So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him.”
“Doing these things” What were these things that Jesus was doing?
He was doing the works of the Kingdom, preaching the Kingdom of God, and demonstrating its presence through healing, forgiving, deliverance, and miracles.
Jesus was doing that very thing he was purposed to do. Use Jesus as a prime example to know God’s purpose for your own life.
Know Gods purpose for your life: God is always at work
John 5:17, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.”
In defending himself Jesus lets us in on a key principle about God and his work…
That it’s always happening.
God is always at work. He is always at work everywhere. He works from his rest as the book of Hebrews tells us. But he is always active.
The word for work here in Greek is “ergazomai” and it means activity, things done, performed. God is always at work working towards his plans and purposes. The OT tells us that Jehovah never sleeps.
We serve an active God.
In our work reaching unreached people groups, we went into areas that had no Gospel activity, no other ministries working there, and believed God was already there working. Time after time he led us right to the very people he was working on.
What is God’s work?
His work is his will – John 4:34 Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”
His work is his Kingdom – Matthew 6:10 Pray, “Your Kingdom come, you will be done.”
His work is Eternal life – John 10:28-30 “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
His work is His Mission – Jesus was sent by the Father. He referenced his commissioning from the Father several times.
Jesus only had one model for ministry… The Listen and Obey one.
John 5:19, “The Son can do nothing by himself; He can do only what he sees the father doing.”
Even amongst all the doing, Jesus maintained a close intimate relationship with his Father. His method of ministry was to watch God and do what God does. He only said what the Father said. He only did what the Father did.
know God’s purpose for your life: Jesus calls us to join in his work.
Jesus predicted in John 5:20 that he would even do greater works.
He also declares in John 14:12 that “ALL who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing. And they will do even greater things than these!”
John 20:21 Jesus said, “Peace be with you, As the father has sent me, I am sending you”. Clearly, Jesus’ purpose in calling and raising up disciples was to be with them and to send them out.
In Mark 3:14 Jesus said, “He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.”
In Matthew 10 he sends out the twelve to proclaim “The Kingdom of Heaven is Near. Heal the sick raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, and drive out demons. Freely you have received freely give.”
Just so we don’t think this sending is just for the original twelve disciples, in Luke 10 he sends out 72 to do the same thing. Luke 10:9 “Heal the sick and tell them the Kingdom of God is near.”
Jesus simultaneously calls us to be with him and to go out. To come and see, watch, and learn, and then go and tell. Matthew 28:18-20.
John 6:28 “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
We often take the phrase to believe in him to simply mean believing in his identity, who he said he was. But Jesus wants us to believe in him regarding the purpose he has established for his church. He wants us to believe in him enough to listen and obey him and join him in his work.
A disciple of Jesus doesn’t just believe in who Jesus was, but also joins in his work, in his purpose, and does the things Jesus does.
Know God’s purpose for your life: The anointed task – The Great Commission
If up to this point we aren’t clear enough yet here is the home run to knock this one out of the park.
Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The great commission wasn’t just for a select few. It wasn’t just for the especially gifted, talented, or anointed.
It was for everybody.
The task itself is anointed. The Great Commission itself is a task established and anointed by Jesus himself.
When we enter into God’s anointed task we see his anointing, blessing, and power flow.
And the best part about it is He is with us. We get to be with him.
There is a strong sense of his presence when we are joining him in his work, and his anointed tasks.
In Acts 1:8 Jesus told us we would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth.
There is a connectedness between what God is doing in your local neighborhood and what he is doing at all the ends of the earth. Somehow reaching the lost and ministering to those in need here is connected to reaching those who have never heard before in China.
I promised you a 5-step plan to help you in finding your purpose.
Here it is. Take 5 steps toward the homeless person and then take 5 more until you get there.
Take 5 steps towards the airport to go on a mission trip and then take 5 more.
Take 5 steps towards sharing the gospel with a neighbor, a friend, or a co-worker.
You get my point. Just start somewhere and move towards it. God will guide you as you go and allow you to learn about yourself.
Just like they said of Jesus that he was “doing these things”, let that be said of all Christ’s followers. Don’t you want it to be said of you that you were “doing these things”?
How to grow in the knowledge of God
We too have a built-in purpose in our DNA right from the time we believe in Jesus. We may not understand all of his purposes or his specific purpose for us, but we can begin by entering his work his anointed task which is the Great Commission. As we participate, God shows us more.
Pray to find purpose.
For those who know their purpose but aren’t functioning in it yet, I pray for you to start.
For those who are functioning in it, I pray for strength and encouragement.
Bible Axiom is partnered with Ministry Voice’s most trusted non-profit ministry that is reaching the unreached and caring for the poor: His Feet International. Check out how you can be a partner and support all that God is doing. Pressing Needs
Further reading:
What is holiness in the Bible?
