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18th September 2005
CELEBRATION
- CREATED FOR A PURPOSE!
a.m. version Pastor
Linton Smith
Thanks
to the team who led us on the 40 Days of Purpose journey..
It
has been great to see so many in small groups.. and many planning to continue..
great to see a large majority of the church moving together..
Let’s
now reflect on the great Bible truths we have considered over these 40 days..
We
began by asking the question, What on earth am I here for? To find an answer we
started not with ourselves.. but with God.
Warren
says,
It’s not about you. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet,
you must begin with God [PDLp17].
The
Bible teaches that..
GOD
CREATED US!
David
says to God.. in..
Psalm
139:13-16..
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.. All the days ordained
for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Warren
comments,
You are not an accident! Many children are unplanned by their parents, but
they are not unplanned by God [PDLp22,23].
One
participant said,
This had a profound effect on me. My parents weren’t married.. I have
carried a feeling of shame and unworthiness for most of my life.. I now know
that God was loving me and planning my life for a purpose even before I was
conceived.
Then
we saw that God created us..
TO LOVE US!
We
know this because of what He did after He created us.. and we rebelled against
Him.
The
Bible says..
Romans
5:8..
God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
Warren
comments, God
made you so He could love you
[PDLp24].
God
created us to love us.. and..
TO LAST FOR EVER!
This
is true because Jesus said,
John
3:16..
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
One
participant said, This
has changed my perspective on life.. I know I am here for a reason.. I want to
prepare myself for eternity.
Another
wrote,
The book has taught me to shift the focus of my life from the world to eternal
matters.
God
created us.. to love us.. to last for ever.. and..
TO KNOW HIM!
God created us for a relationship with Him. This begins when we find peace with Him..
The
Bible says..
Romans
5:1..
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
When
we turn to Jesus..
and believe He died in our place.. and receive Him as Lord and Savior.. we
discover peace with God.. enter a relationship with God..
and we are created anew..
The
Bible says.. Say it with me..
Ephesians 2:10.. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
One
person wrote, I
have been encouraged by how God has a great plan for me and good works which He
has prepared in advance for me to do.
God
created us.. to love us.. to last for ever.. to know Him.. and..
TO WORSHIP HIM!
[WORSHIP]
We
have seen that worship is far more than singing songs. It is loving God
with everything we are.. and in everything we do.
Jesus
said.. say it with me..
Mark
12:30..
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your mind and with all your strength.
One
participant wrote that this.. makes
the everyday tasks of washing, cleaning, cooking and raising children important
because the way I do them is important to God.
Another
wrote,
I sometimes get weary with the number of things I am doing within the church but
God
created us.. to love us.. to last for ever.. to know Him.. to worship Him..
and..
TO LOVE HIS PEOPLE!
[FELLOWSHIP]
When
we receive Jesus
into our lives as Lord and Saviour.. we become children of God.. members of His
family..
The
Bible says.. say it with me..
Romans
12:5.. So
in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the
others.
Warren
comments, You
were formed for God’s family. You are called to belong, not just believe
[PDLp117,130].
One
participant wrote, We
were blessed to see our group open up and share in a real way and share their
hopes and fears.
God
created us.. to love us.. to last for ever.. to know Him.. to worship Him.. to
love His people.. and..
TO GROW IN LIKENESS TO JESUS!
[DISCIPLESHIP]
Warren
writes, You
were created to become like Christ
[PDLp171].
The
Bible says.. say it with me..
Philippians
2:5.. Your
attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.
One
participant spoke of
being challenged to strive to be a better Christian.
Another
wrote,
I’ve gained renewed optimism that God is working in my life and for me to
have faith in this despite the struggles/challenges I face.
God
created us.. to love us.. to last for ever.. to know Him.. to worship Him.. to
love His people.. to grow in likeness to Jesus.. and..
TO USE OUR GIFTS TO SERVE OTHERS!
[MINISTRY]
We learned that we are all ministers.. everyone of us..
The
Bible says.. say it with me..
1
Peter 4:10..
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others.
Warren comments, God
designed you to make a difference with your life. You were shaped to serve God [PDLp227,234].
One participant wrote,
In heaven God is going to reward many obscure servants – people who
didn’t make a name for themselves on earth.
God created us.. to love us.. to last for ever.. to know Him.. to worship Him.. to love His people.. to grow in likeness to Jesus.. to use our gifts to serve others.. and..
TO BE HIS MESSAGE TO THE WORLD!
[EVANGELISM]
Warren
writes, You
were made for a mission. The Great Commission is your commission
[PDLp281,297].
Our mission begins right where we are..
The Bible says.. say it with me..
Colossians
4:5,6.. Be
wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you
may know how to answer everyone.
One
participant wrote,
It is tremendous to see the church community moving together. As a church we
need now to discover together our purpose to reach others in community for
Jesus.
That brings us to the question.. Forty Days of
challenge.. what now?
Now
we hope that each of us will live on purpose..
To
do that.. we need
encouragement from other Christians.. and we need further teaching..
The Making A Difference now and in Eternity equipping process will provide both..
Join
in.. be part of a small group as you have been for the last six weeks.. and
study a series of challenging subjects.. presented by gifted and qualified
teachers on video or DVD..
Be
part of it!
Let
today.. be both a celebration of what has been.. and a launching pad into the
future!