Impact Meeting 3/11 - "Purpose"

Question: What wakes you up in the morning and what do you dream of at night? (What excites you beyond today?)

My answer: Easy. The person I want to become. It’s not one thing, it’s 20.  A follower of Christ, an athlete, a teammate, a colleague, a minister, a son, a follower of Christ, a husband, a father. And not just in any ordinary way, but in an all-in way that matters and learns from the joys and lows of life to become someone that affects others.

• Purpose: the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

The value of purpose: Something I truly believe. People with purpose are nearly invincible in this life. It’s really hard to disappoint someone who has their eyes set on something that doesn’t change. One outcome doesn’t affect someone with purpose. A change of circumstance or something unexpected doesn’t surprise the purpose-oriented individual. In many ways purpose acts as a sort of compass or guiding light that keeps us focused on a path that is always before us.  Disclaimer: this doesn’t mean that Christian’s are without suffering or are somehow immune to struggling. Everyone wanders. Everyone has questions. Purpose is just that thing deep inside of you that brings you back when you are in the midst of the struggle. It’s being tired, but taking one more step closer to your goal. It’s being angry or hurt and choosing to still show up and do what’s right even when you don’t feel like it.

An example: The apostle Paul. He says something in Phli. 1: 21 “to live is Christ, to die is gain.” He elsewhere speaks in his epistles of “becoming all things to all people” for the sake of the gospel and repeatedly speaks an lives in a way that shows his life is not his own. Paul considered himself “the least of the apostles” (1 Cor. 15:9) perhaps because of his past in persecuting the church, but God redeemed his life to be one of the most influential figures in the early church and still today in our understanding of the gospel of Christ.

There are two kinds of purpose: 1. Common purpose. 2. Unique purpose.

What’s our purpose? This is that common purpose. My dad said something to me the other night that kind of goes against the way our world teaches young people about purpose. “we all have innate purpose, and one person’s isn’t necessarily greater than another person’s”. This goes against a movement in our age to find the biggest and greatest purpose that affects or impresses the most people. But answer me this question. Is the megachurch pastor more important than the father of three of shepherds his family and loves his wife and kids well? Is the famous Christian athlete more important than the faithful public school teacher who loves and serves their students well? I think at our core, we all know that our purpose might be different, but they each matter deeply. So what is the purpose of the Christian simply? Jesus summarized the law and prophets in these two great & simple commandments: 1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. 2. Love your neighbor as yourself.

What’s your purpose? This is that unique purpose. A few simple truths to be rooted in. 1. You are fearfully, wonderfully, and uniquely made. Psalm 139:14-16. There will never be another you. How special is that? God spent time on you. He loved you and made you exactly the way you are. Don’t despise your design (Isaiah 45:9) 2. God has you in a unique time and place.  Where you find yourself is not an accident. (Acts 17: 24-28). You can’t be behind. One of the things I love about God is you can never surprise him or ruin his plan for you. He’s too big for that. He’ll always be there, no matter where you are. 3. You were made to love and be loved by God. Returning to the original definition of purpose, it has to do with origin. God is who we were made by and for. Nothing else. This is often where we go wrong in purpose. You were not made by other people and for other people or by your sport and for your sport. In discovering God and experiencing relationship with him, we discover our unique design in purpose found in the Creator. (Romans 8:28-34)

• Discussion Questions

1. What is our common purpose as Christians? How do the two great commandments play out? Dive deeper.

2. What is your unique purpose? Recruit outside help if necessary, ask other trusted people what they see in you.

3. Where, when, why do you lose sight of purpose? It’s important to know ourselves and the lies we believe.

4. How can we grow in our purpose individually and collectively? Let’s grow together.