My Personalized Purpose In The Church

 

Matter of fact, we have five (5) different purposes which should be balanced.

In order for the church to operate smoothly, have unity, and have healthy growth…we must have a balance of our five purposes. Let’s take a look at our purpose statement, and then we will look at the five purposes individually.

 

Our Purpose Statement:

• To bring people to a personal relationship with Jesus, and membership into His family.
• To develop them to Christ like maturity, and equip them for their ministry in the Church: and in their life mission in the world, in order to magnify/glorify God.

 

Did you know that there are both privileges and responsibilities in being a member of a church family? We are each individually responsible to fulfill these purposes and they are also a privilege to enjoy…the purposes of the church can be personalized as God’s five goals for every believer. These goals express what God wants each of us to do with our lives while on earth.

 

My Responsibility As A Believer

1. God wants me to be a member of His family. This is the purpose of fellowship stated in a personal way. The Bible is very clear that following Christ is not just a matter of believing-it also includes belonging. The Christian life is not a solo act. We are meant to live in relationship with each other.

• 1 Peter 1:3 (LB) [He] has given us the privilege of being born again, so that we are now members of God’s own family. God has given us the church as a spiritual family for our own benefit.
• Ephesians 2:19(LB) You are members of God’s very own family…and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian.

 

2. God wants me to be a model of His Character. This is the personalized goal of discipleship. God wants every believer to grow up to become like Jesus in character. Becoming like Jesus is the biblical definition of “spiritual maturity.” Jesus has established a pattern for us to follow. “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow His steps.

 

• (1 Peter 2:21) In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul gives us several specific areas in which we are to model the character of Jesus: Set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Notice that maturity is not measured by ones learning but by one’s lifestyle. It is possible to be well versed in the Bible, and still be immature as a Christian.

 

3. God wants me to be a minister of His Grace. A third responsibility of every Christian is the personalized purpose of service or ministry. God expects us to use the talents, gifts, and opportunities he gives us to benefit others.

• 1 Peter 4:10 says: Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in it’s various forms.
• God intends for every believer to have a ministry. When you give your life to Jesus, you are signing up to minister in His name for the rest of your life. It’s what God made you and I for. Ephesians 2:10(LB) It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ago He planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.

 

4. God wants me to be a messenger of His Love. This is the church’s purpose of evangelism stated in a personal way. Part of the job description for each believer is that once we have been born again, we become messengers of the Good New to others.

 

5. Paul says, Acts 20:24 Life is worth nothing, unless I use it for the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus-the work of telling others the Good News about God’s mighty kindness and love. (LB)

 

• This is an important responsibility of every Christian. 2Corinthians 5:19-20(LB) says, God was in Christ, restoring the world to Himself, no longer counting men’s sins against them but blotting them out. This was the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. We are Jesus Christ’s’ ambassadors. God is using us to speak to you.
• We are to plead with unbelievers to receive the Love He offers, and be reconciled to Him. Have you ever wondered why God leaves us here on earth, with all its pain, sorrow, and sin, after we are born again of water and spirit? Why doesn’t He just take us up immediately to Heaven and spare us from all this? After all, we can worship, fellowship, pray, sing, hear God’s Word… and even have fun in Heaven. In fact, there are only two things you can’t do in Heaven that you can do on earth: sin and witness to unbelievers.  I ask you…who of these two do you think Jesus left us here to do? We have a mission on earth, and part of it includes telling others about Jesus

 

6. God wants me to be a magnifier of his Name. Psalm 34:3 (NASB) says,

O magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together. We each have a personal responsibility to Worship God. The very first commandment says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3 KJV) There is an inborn urge in each person to worship. If we don’t worship God, we will find something else to worship, whether it is a job, a family, money, shopping, a sport, or even ourselves.

 

 

 

 

My Privileges As A Believer

While fulfilling the five purposes of the church is a responsibility of every Christian, they also provide spiritual, emotional, and relational benefits. In fact, the church provides people with things they cannot find anywhere else in the world: Worship helps people focus on God; fellowship helps them face life’s problems; discipleship helps fortify their faith; ministry helps them find their talents; and evangelism helps them fulfill their mission.

 

My Church Family Gives Me

• God’s purpose to live for (mission)
• God’s people to live with (membership)
• God’s principals to live by (maturity)
• God’s profession to live out (ministry)
• God’s power to live on (magnify)