Living a Purpose Driven Life part 6
(Made for an Unstoppable Mission)
Brian A. Moon
(Based on the book Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren)
Tonight we have come to the end of the 40 Days of Purpose… and it has been an amazing journey!!! For those of you who may not know we have taken the last 40 days of our lives and dedicated them to finding the purpose’s of life and how to live them out. We discovered 5 things that God put us on this earth to do that answer the question, “Why am I here?” The first purpose was to know and love God or to Worship God. The second was we were made for God’s family or for Fellowship. The third purpose was that we were made to be more like Jesus or Discipleship. And then last week we learned that we were made to serve God or each of us has a unique contribution to make called Ministry. So now that we all are up to speed we will explore the final purpose, the final reason that God made you and gave you life on this earth.
Look on your outline and write this in… You were made for an Unstoppable Mission This 5th purpose of your life is what is commonly known in the church as, Evangelism. When we hear that word we often think of maybe a Billy Graham or some nut in the airport with a handful of religious pamphlets. But true evangelism is not for the pastor, or for the missionaries to Zimbabwe, it is for all of us!!! You were made by God for an unstoppable mission of sharing the good news about Jesus with the world!
Jesus said this, “In the same way that you gave Me a mission in the world, I give them (us) a mission in the world.” John 17:18 MES
God did not make us for a “Holy Huddle” with “us four and no more…” He made us to be the ones that share the good news that He loves us and has made a way for us to have a personal relationship with him through his Son Jesus.
Jesus also said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” John 20:21 NIV
Circle the words “sending you.” So that is great Jesus you are sending us… hey wait a minute, what is he sending us on??? Great question and here is the answer, he is sending us on our unstoppable mission of sharing the good news about Him.
The Bible says, “The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work the Lord Jesus gave me to tell people the good news about God’s grace.” Acts 20:24 NCV
We have found out some amazing things about God and life in the past 40 Days of Purpose. We have found out things like God wants to know us and that he made us for a reason, that we are not an accident and he has a plan and a purpose for our lives. When we realize all that God has done for us, then he now expects us to share this with others! He wants you, and you, and you, and you to share that God loves us and has a purpose for our lives. The Times-Reporter of New Philadelphia, Ohio, reported in September, 1985 a celebration of a New Orleans municipal pool. The party around the pool was held to celebrate the first summer in memory without a drowning at the New Orleans city pool. In honor of the occasion, 200 people gathered, including 100 certified lifeguards. As the party was breaking up and the four lifeguards on duty began to clear the pool, they found a fully dressed body in the deep end. They tried to revive Jerome Moody, 31, but it was too late. He had drowned surrounded by lifeguards celebrating their successful season. This is the scene many times every Sunday at churches across the nation and throughout college, youth and children’s ministries. We celebrate but fail to see the drowning people all around us that desperately need a life line thrown to them. God wants us to be the ultimate life guards and throw out those life lines to those people who need them. So who are these people, who are we supposed to share all this good news with?
Jesus said this, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 NIV
Guess where Jesus said that statement? It was in Jerusalem and maybe you can catch the point here… Jesus said to start with the people right here, the ones that are closest to you, your friends, family members, and so on… Then he said move out to some people that are a little different than you. Judea and Samaria were different kinds of people that were regarded as second class citizens in that area of the Middle East. For us it would maybe be some less fortunate people in downtown Tampa or some people in need right here in Pinellas County. And then finally he said go to the ends of the earth or continue your unstoppable mission all the way around the world. Lost and hurting people matter to the heart of God and therefore they should matter to you and me… the people next door, the ones in the “ghetto” and the ones all the way around the world! God wants to expand his family and we are the ones he has chosen to accomplish this through!
The Bible says, “This was God’s plan for all of history which he carried out through Christ Jesus, our Lord.” Ephesians 3:11 GW
So how do we go about this unstoppable mission that God has placed us on? Well, it begins at home really… the first way is:
I must share with the people in my world
God wants you to begin your unstoppable mission in a very strategic place… right here! Right here with your circle of friends, family, and acquaintances. All the people that you have regular contact with are the ones that God wants you to start with. In a recent Gallup pole they found that teenagers would rather talk about God than sex, drugs, or music!!!
Believe it or not, people are open it just takes the Godly guts to get out there and share the good news about God’s amazing love. Everyday God puts people in our path that need to hear that God loves them and it is our unstoppable mission to see that they hear it.
Now I understand that anytime it comes to talking about God with people we freeze up and think I cannot do that, I am too scared. I sympathize with you, your right it is hard and a scary thing to think about that is why we have chosen to partner with you as you fulfill your unstoppable mission. Here is what I mean, we ask you to invest in others lives and then invite them here on a Sunday Night to hear the good news that God loves them. Invest and Invite… Say that with me… Invest and Invite! You do what we cannot do… build into others lives and invite them here… we do what is hard for you to do… provide a creative and innovative presentation of God’s love in a relevant way. You don’t have to bop them over the head with a Bible and tell them to “Turn or Burn” or “Get saved or get micro-waved” just come up with creative ways to be a friend and be a witness of all that God has done in YOUR life. Help your friends out when they need help, listen and be a friend for them, take them out for a coke, give them an invite card, talk about all the fun you have on a Sunday Night’s and so on…
We have a class in our Life Development Course called 401 Purpose and it is all about ways to fulfill your unstoppable mission. So take 101, 201, and 301 and you can find out more ways to witness.
The Bible says this, “God doesn’t want anyone to be lost, but he wants all people to change their hearts and lives 2 Peter 3:9 NCV
God doesn’t want anyone to be lost, so what role are you playing right now to live that verse out??? What are you doing with the people in your world to fulfill your unstoppable mission??? As long as there is one person who does not know the good news of God’s love left on earth we are still called to be on our mission!!! We want to bust the doors down here on Sunday Nights with people packed in this room! Why?
Not so we can boast about size, but because we want to fulfill our unstoppable mission for this ministry and that means more people in the chairs each week from you Investing and Inviting! Are all of your friends, and family, and acquaintances saved? Probably not, but God wants ALL of them to be saved and he might just use you to do it if you are open to your mission. God wants your world to be saved, but he also wants the next way to fulfill your unstoppable mission done.
I must dare to reach people beyond my world
The Bible says, “Stoop down and reach out to those who were oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ law.” Galatians 6:2 MSG
Jesus said the greatest commandment or the greatest law that we can live by is to love God and love others, including those who are as this verse says oppressed and carrying burdens. We call these people by many names, homeless, poor, lower class, the people of the “ghetto” or the “projects” and so on… but God loves them the same as he loves you and me.
The Bible says, “Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: reach out to the homeless and the loveless in their plight.” James 1:27 MSG
Most of us in this room live in luxury… now we might now have everything we want; we do have cars, clothes, and food to cook, but you can drive just a few minutes from here in either direction and find people who have far less than we do. These are the people outside of our world that God wants us to continue our unstoppable mission to. This spring and summer we are going to go on 2 mission trips to right here in our community. We are going to help women at a pregnancy center, and help put some smiles on some hurting kids at All Children’s Hospital in St. Pete. But beyond this, what are we doing for the needy in this community? Maybe you can get together with your small group and collect cans for the hungry, maybe you could go and volunteer to mow the old ladies lawn next door than cannot do it anymore, maybe you could volunteer your time at the local Salvation Army, or you could buy some food for a homeless person on the street… you get the idea though.
God wants our unstoppable mission of spreading the good news of God’s love to reach beyond our little world. Jesus said that if we do this for the down and out’s of the world we are actually doing it to him… That is amazing to think that the simple act of sharing with someone who is hurting and in need is the same thing as actually helping Jesus.
Jesus says, “Let me assure you that no one has ever given up anything for love of Me and to tell others the Good News who won’t be given back a hundred times over.” Mark 10:29 TLB
That is mind blowing that when we give, God actually gives to US a hundred times over for helping to fulfill our unstoppable mission! So what could possible keep us from doing this, we help in spreading God’s love to others who need it desperately and we receive God’s blessing on our lives… What a deal!!! So God wants us to share with our world, dare to reach out beyond our world, and finally he wants us to learn this:
I must care about the whole world
We must learn to share in our world, dare to reach out beyond our world, and we must care about the whole world… Say that with me… We must learn to share in our world, dare to reach out beyond our world, and we must care about the whole world! That is your unstoppable mission!
Jesus said, “Go everywhere in the world and tell the Good News to everyone!” Mark 16:15 NCV
We are the information generation and that is an amazing benefit for sharing the good news with others!!! Statistics show that most of us spend a lot of time in internet chat rooms… In fact I just did a net search for chat rooms and I came up with 12,929 of them!!! A lot of times you meet people that are on the other side of the world in these things and while I am not necessarily advising you to go into these and give away personal information because that is very dangerous, you can share the good news with others without ever leaving your room! You can be an “E – vangelist.” Even people in “3rd World” countries that may not have running water have internet access and you can spread the good news to them that God loves them and has a plan for their lives!!! You also can do things like sponsor a child through compassion international. This is a reputable organization that helps to feed and take care of thousands of children in poor nations and spread the good news to them that God loves them. Their website is (www.compassion.com) from here you can find information in how you can sponsor a child for about a dollar a day… that is it!!! You can even take some short term mission trips to places like Mexico and Central America… we have a gentleman in our church that works with an organization that takes trips there all year round. You get the idea we are to care about the whole world, not just right here in our own little world.
Jesus says, “If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw their lives away for My sake and the sake of the Good News will ever know that it means to really live.” Mark 8:35 TLB
If you are willing to sacrifice some of your comforts and desires for the unstoppable mission, the fifth purpose of your life, then Jesus says you will truly know what it means to live!!! In the next year 2.4 million people will die in this country! How many of them will know Jesus as their Leader and Savior? How many of them are in your world that you could reach? How many of them are close enough that if you dared to reach out you could share God’s love? In the next year 54 million people will die on this earth? And most of them without Jesus… How many of those could you reach if you cared about the whole world?
Prayer Time ----------
God we thank you that you sent someone to share the Good News of your love to us. We ask now that you use us to share the good news with others. If you are here tonight and maybe you have heard the Good News that God loves you and has a plan and purpose for your life and you feel something deep inside of you saying I need that, I need a personal relationship with God through his Son Jesus then right now in your heart, just between you and God cry this prayer out as best you know how: God I need you. I need a savior and a leader and I am ready to give you the controls of my life. I know that I will only mess this life up that you have given me so forgive me for my sins and come and give me a new life full of hope and joy and peace. Show me your plan for my life and thank you for sending Jesus to make this all possible. If that was you then the Bible says God will give you the power to be saved and that one day you will spend forever with him in heaven. If you are here tonight and you know that Jesus is your leader and savior but you have not been as active in your unstoppable mission as you should be then pray this prayer in your heart: God I need some help in sharing the Good News. Please give me to courage and passion that I need to reach out to my world and beyond… Thank you for your love God and your salvation in Jesus. Amen.
This has been an amazing 40 Days of Purpose!!! I hope that each of you will take the things that we have discovered and apply them to your life. I hope that all of us become purpose driven people!
