30. General purpose (3)

As we have discussed so far, we are all part of the body of Christ, His Bride that eagerly awaits His coming. And while waiting for Him to return, we have purposes to fulfill as a body together plus we each have our own unique purpose that blends into the body as a whole, making it stronger and better.

As we have talked about, our main purpose as the bride of Christ, is to have an intimate relationship with Him and through this relationship grow spiritually in order to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. We need to mature in our faith, and through our maturity we should add value to the lives of the people around us and try to make a positive impact on them.

Now although these together are our main general purpose, we have others too that flow from this.

3. Spreading the Gospel

The last words that Jesus spoke before He went back to heaven were:

Matthew 28:19,20 - "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you."

Now of all the last words Jesus could have spoken He gave the command to go out and spread the Word. It was the most important thing to Him. He wants people to be saved and to return to Him, so naturally that was the task He left us with before going back to Heaven.

Now once again, this does not mean that everyone should go into full time ministry. Each work currently done on the planet is important and has a function to prevent the world from disrupting in total chaos. So it is quite obvious that not everyone can become a minister. Each of us have our specific job to do, but in that job, we have an overall purpose of spreading the good news of Jesus. I am sure you have heard the saying (I don't know who said it) of "Preach the Gospel, and if necessary use words". In our job we need to live out the fact that we are Christians, we need to stand out and be seen. Our conduct should try and mirror that of Jesus' and if we make mistakes, we should be courageous enough to admit our mistakes, ask forgiveness and move on. Ultimately our actions should draw people to Christ. Of course there will come a time when you can say something about the Bible, or testify about what the Lord has done for you. Listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and do what you feel is right as the opportunity present itself. If Christians everywhere can stand up and be seen as people trying to live a righteous life, then the world would be a much better place!

The message is that right where you are, draw people to Christ. Even if it is in a supermarket, or at a petrol station, or even in the church, draw people closer to Christ. Shine a light that will make people want what you have. We need to fulfill the Great Commission and the laborers are few. If each of us can do our part, we can make a massive difference.

4. We were created to glorify God and to sing His praises

As I have said before we are the pinnacle, the peak of God's Creation and He delights in us. Nothing gives Him more pleasure than being with us and hearing us praise His Name, not because we have to, but because we want to.

He deserves to be glorified and He deserves continuous praise. We are a speck of dust without Him and by realizing that, we can simply continue to glorify Him.

Isaiah 43:6,7 - "I will bring my sons and daughters back to Israel from the distant corners of the earth. All who claim Me as their God will come, for I have made them for My glory. It was I who created them."

Make time, even if it is in your car whilst driving home from work to glorify and praise His Name. Put a gospel song on and sing along. Or focus for 5 minutes during lunch time on Him and how marvelous and glorious He is. Or while you are showering, sing a song of praise. Don't make excuses, you were created for this, you were created to worship Him. Even if you do not do it out loud, praise Him with your thoughts and lift your head to Heaven and imagine Him smiling down on you. Drink in the sunlight on your face and imagine Him caressing your face. Look out at a shower of rain and physically see how the blessings are raining down on you and praise Him for it. Look at the vast ocean and imagine that His love for you is even deeper and wider than it. Look at the sun rising and praise Him for giving you a new day to live for Him.

Don't let life pass you by! See Him in everything around you. Praise Him for considering you worthy enough to talk to Him. Praise Him for always being there. Praise Him that He is preparing a better home for you in heaven. Praise Him simply because He is awesome!

Lord we praise You, we love You. You are our everything, You are our sun and moon, You are our stars, You are the ocean and the mountains, You are our Father and we worship you for it! Amen

2 comments for “30. General purpose (3)”

  1. Gravatar of RonelleRonelle
    Posted Wednesday, 20 October 2010 at 9:04:00 PM

    We have to be the vehicle through which His loves shines. Every person that comes into contact with us, should feel a better person after the meeting, because he could see and feel the love of Jesus. Let us be His hands and feet on earth. Thank you, Ilze, for making us realise that once again! May He bless you!

  2. Gravatar of HenriHenri
    Posted Thursday, 21 October 2010 at 8:30:44 AM

    We have to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as you so rightly point out but also act on it and not procrastinate as we so often do.

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