Destiny

What’s your destiny in life?

 Did you know what your destiny was when you graduated high school?

 Did you know what you were going to do,

 where you were going to work,

 where you were going to live,

 And you knew beyond the shadow of a doubt all the details down to just how many children you were going to have.

ILL.- There was a frog that absolutely knew his destiny was to turn in to a handsome young prince. But for confirmation, he decided to visit a fortune teller. The fortune teller brought the frog in and gazed into her crystal ball. She said, “Oh, I see something. You are going to meet a beautiful young woman.” The frog got very nervous, “Yes, I knew it. I’m going to become a prince.”

The fortune teller continued, “From the moment she sets eyes on you she will have an insatiable desire to know all about you. She will be compelled to get close to you and you’ll fascinate her." The frog was very excited. He asked, “Where am I? At a singles club?” The fortune teller answered, “No, Biology class.”

Sometimes in life we get handed a lemon.

 And when we do--- What do you do?

 Some people allow it to get them down.

 Some people turn to God and try to overcome it through His grace and help.

 When life goes wrong, (and I can guarantee you that at some point it will)

 God is the only one who can make things right!

 He can take those lemons and make lemonade!

 And sometimes, just sometimes we’re the lemon He uses!

Jesse “The Body” Ventura Who was a pro wrestler

• Is now Minnesota’s former governor said

 "God has a plan and a destiny for each one of us.

 I wasn’t always a believer, but through my wife and a couple of close friends, in the last couple of years,

 I have come to believe in God and that He has a plan and a destiny for my life.

 I challenge you to find your destiny. It’s the most important thing for each of you to find."

Today we are going to look @ 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5

 Through today’s text, in a sense, we see the destiny of every Christian.

 God’s basic will for us is revealed in this text.

 And it consists of 3 points

1- The destiny of spreading the gospel

2- The destiny of encouraging others

3- The destiny of experiencing trials

I. THE DESTINY OF SPREADING THE GOSPEL

1Th 3:2 we sent Timothy to visit you. He is our co-worker for God and our brother in proclaiming the Good News of Christ.

God’s fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ.

1Co 3:8 The one who plants and the one who waters work as a team with the same purpose. Yet they will be rewarded individually, according to their own hard work.

1Co 3:9 We work together as partners who belong to God. You are God’s field, God’s building—not ours.

We are fellow workers in the Lord’s work.

 We may not all preach

 We may not all teach but we still labor together.

 WE’RE IN THIS THING TOGETHER,

 THIS CAUSE, THE CHURCH, AND THE SPREADING OF THE GOSPEL MESSAGE.

 That is why we need to support one another’s work for Christ.

ILL.- We applaud one another for their work in the church: singing, playing instruments, preparing communion, serving communion, giving communion devotions, getting supplies, working in the nursery, teaching SS, working in children’s church and toddler’s church, working in VBS, etc.

WE APPLAUD PEOPLE WHO SERVE IN THESE VARIOUS WAYS!

 But these things are done inside the church

 We need to do some things OUTSIDE the church as well!

 Mainly, advertise and evangelize!

 Advertise the church and evangelize people for Christ!

If Tom Cruise can spread his junk about Scientology,

 Then what about us when it comes to the truth of the gospel?

 We know what the Word of God says,

 We know how it reads.

Mt 28:18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth.

Mt 28:19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Mt 28:20 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.”

Ac 1:8 But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”