UNDERSTANDING PURPOSE
Rom 8: 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
I was having a session with my G12 only last Sunday and we were looking at possible areas of intervention that each of them will be carrying out as part of our new direction towards ensuring that every member of the church is involved in perpetuating the kingdom of God in his environment. The first thing that became clear to me was that virtually everyone was looking at the issue within the context of another church project. I keep picturing what I saw in Ukraine where virtually every member of the church was living essentially for doing something that will enhance the kingdom of God in their environment. For them every other thing including their jobs and family life was secondary to ensuring that they were fulfilling their calling. I now realised that our understanding of purpose is flawed. We are all living essentially for our own personal purposes and we merely reward God with a small portion of our lives for being of good behaviour. This has made the next series of teaching imperative.
It has become very important for us to understand what our real purpose is. We need to understand why we exist, why God has located us where we are and why we are members of the church or the role of your church to ensuring that you fulfil purpose. We must start with a premise that you are not an accident and that God is a God of plan, purpose and objectivity. We need to begin to appreciate that all that you are going through in life has been designed by God for a purpose. When you have an understanding of your purpose, it will help you to set out your values and your priorities. You will be able to easily make the right choices in life, reduce your stress, simplify your decisions, increase your satisfaction and prepare you for destiny.
We live in a capitalistic environment and this has caused us to be self centred in our pursuit of life. The end result is that we apply the scripture in such a way that it fulfils our own purpose and thereby do not give full effect to the word of God.
Being born again is meant to imply a radical departure from your old life and taking up a completely new personality and culture which is governed by the word of God.
2 Cor 5: 15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. 16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Accordingly, we can only now thrive in an environment that is governed by the principles of the kingdom of God. Our challenge is that though we have become born again, we find it difficult to abandon our past perspective of life. Religious people have placed a few religious rules which we believe that once we can satisfy, we would have fulfilled our obligations to the kingdom. The real position now is that your life is no longer what it used to be and you can only succeed if you run it by the principles of the kingdom.
Matt 15: 1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, 2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. 5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; 6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. 7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
We have believers who hold on to their old values and standards which results in the failure of the power of God to be real in their lives. For you to take full advantage of what I am trying to impart you with, you need to deal with your old mindset and completely expunge it from your heart.
That is why Paul kept talking of the old man dying. Eph 4: 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Rom 6:6 says that our old man died with Christ on the cross.
Jesus also talked about putting the old wine in the new wine skin. Luke 5:36 And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. 37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. 38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. 39 No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.
We have been functioning in abnormality and our thoughts need to be re-programmed.
Focusing on ourselves can never reveal our real life’s purpose. Job 12: 10 For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of all humanity. Most motivational teachings try to bridge the secular with the spiritual and tell us that you discover you purpose from within you. Only the creator of a thing can tell us the purpose for which he created it. Most people try to use God for their own self actualisation. This is a reversal of nature and it is doomed to fail. It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our significance, and our destiny.
Jere I: 5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Ps 139: 15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
You were made for God and not vice versa, and life is about letting God use you for his purpose, not your using him for your own.
Rev 4: 11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
In the past, one has erroneously taught about ways in which you can discover your purpose. We have said you should consider your dreams, focus on areas that you are good at, aim high, set some goals and work it out. The truth is that these steps will produce some measure of success because it applies certain scriptural principles. The fact that you can justify each of the steps with certain verses from the bible does not imply that it is the will of God for you. In order for it to be scriptural it should fulfil all scriptures.
But being successful by worldly definition and fulfilling your life’s purpose are not the same thing and do not produce the same results ultimately.
Matt 16: 24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Most people are busy speculating about the real purpose for their lives, but the only way to really find out is by revelation from God.
God has a plan for creation. Each one of us is created as part of God’s plan and we all have a role to play in the plan of God. Any time you see an unbeliever come out with an extraordinary idea that affects the world, that idea was first given by God to the church and they did nothing about it. Amos 3: 7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
Each one of us has a specific assignment in God’s plan for creation. It is your responsibility to find out God’s specific assignment for your life and until you do that you are not yet living. It is important to note that you were not born into your circumstance by accident. There was a reason why God located you in Nigeria. That is why you have no business leaving Nigeria for another country to settle down unless God sent you. You have been programmed to succeed more in Nigeria than any other place in the world. That is why when you live in those countries you go through all sorts of injustice and discrimination as a reminder that you do not belong there.
Acts 17: 26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
The reason why you are in church was for you to find out your specific assignment. In determining purpose you need to know that you have the universal purpose for man and you have the specific purpose of the individual man. When you read the purpose driven life by Rick Warren, what he is talking about is the universal purpose of man. You are expected to live your life to fulfil the universal purpose as well as your specific assignment.
You will locate your specific assignment in the course of fulfilling the universal purpose for man. One of the things that you achieve in the course of fulfilling the universal purpose for man is that you will develop familiarity with God and you will be able to access His will for your life. The universal purposes that is explained in purpose driven life says that we are all made for worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and evangelism. All that these do is to build up your relationship with God. All the while from the beginning, it was the plan of God to have relationship with man so as to enable man to establish the will of God on the earth. It is only when relationship is established that you can walk in dominion. As long as Adam was in the Garden of Eden, there was constant fellowship with God which enabled him to fulfil the will of God. That was why Adam could not find a help meet in the animals that God presented to him. But the moment he saw Eve, he said this is the bone of my bones and the flesh of my flesh. He was simply walking by revelation.
Ps 103: 7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.
Moses had established enough relationship with God in other to access revelation pertaining to his assignment and that was why he was able to minister at the level that he did. He understood the protocols of heaven and was familiar with the spiritual terrain, he could not be ordinary. Until you get to this level you are merely operating by speculation.
It is the assignment of the church to bring you to the place of maturity, then you can have an insight into the specific plan of God for your life.
Eph 4: 7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
The five major purposes must form the key aspect of the focus of every church. If you are not providing these for the people then you are failing in your obligation as a church. The church is supposed to be a training ground where we are all brought up to minister unto God. It is not a place where you come only for your needs to be met. That is a by product of our old mindset we have over the years postured ourselves as that. When purpose is not understood, it leads to abuse. The concept of the body of Christ has been grossly abused all over the world and that is why the church is not making any impact.
In order for you to pinpoint your precise purpose you must locate the divine agenda of God for your generation. Your purpose must find relevance to the general agenda of God for your generation. In whatever you are doing you must ascertain in what manner it is fulfilling the plan of God for your age. That is why you must hook up to the vision of a man of God and be part of a local assembly, because the church will reveal to you what precisely God is planning for your time. That was why Jesus told the devil that came to tempt him that man must not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God.
Eccl 3: 1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? 10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. 11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. 12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. 13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. 14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. 15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.
It is your responsibility to locate your place in the plan of God for your generation. It is only then that one can say that you are truly alive. God is only obligated to respond to prayers when they are according to His will.
James 4: 1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
God expects us to submit ourselves completely to His will and end every personal agenda. Some of us are embarking on projects that God did not send us and are doing jobs and businesses that God does not approve. God does not need your help to get you to your destination. You need to lock up yourself and hear from God what he intends for you to do.
For many of us our salvation experience is just one of those events that happens in the life of a man. We do not appreciate the full implication of it. It marks a major turning point in the life of a person and your life no longer belongs to you. It is not business as usual. You need to spend time to hear from God what He now expects from you. In Ukraine we met Hleb who was a former night club and casino owner. He also owned a lot of other businesses like sales of cars and car parts. He gave up his main showroom to be used by the central church and took time to wait upon God to find out what next he would be doing. He came up with the franchise in a keep fit equipment company from South Korea (Nuga Best) which he used to provide free services to the masses and sustained the business with sales to those who could afford to buy them. The free services also served as free publicity for the business. Today the operators of the salons are very popular in their locality and he is now using it as a platform to start a political party. It came from connecting to a revelation.
