Many Christians want their lives to make a Kingdom difference. But they don’t know if what they do is of value, or how to do something that advances God’s Kingdom beyond evangelism.
Surveys indicate that most Christians feel disempowered in church. Most Christians don’t have any sense of ‘calling’ and would not be able to articulate their ‘life purpose’.
Never Been Taught
To be fair, very little if anything is taught on this vital subject.
How many churches do you know that actually find out and consider the callings of individual members?
How many churches help people discover and identify their unique design and Kingdom calling, and then equip and commission them into their spheres of influence?
I have been in the church world all of my life, in numerous countries, and I haven’t come across any that truly empower people to discover their life purpose. I mean actually facilitating and empowering people to manifest the Kingdom of God with their ‘time, talent, and treasure’ in an intentional, sustained, practical and strategic way. In a way that pays attention to their design and calling.
A few churches may help people discover their ‘spiritual gifts’ but that is all. And if they learn what spiritual gifts they have, it is in order to serve in some way within the church context.
This ends up reinforcing the idea that what really matters, from a spiritual or Christian point of view, is what is done on Sundays or in a church context (the so-called ‘spiritual-secular divide’). It also reinforces the perception that only church workers, pastors and missionaries have a ‘calling’ from God.
Your Purpose Connected to God’s Purpose
At the same time there are a growing number of Christians who are asking, should not the gospel influence all of life and even shape my nation?
Shouldn’t the gospel impact my workplace and society at large?
Do I have to quit my job and become a church pastor or missionary in order for my life to count for something in the Kingdom of God?
Can what I do most days of the week have value beyond providing money to pay my mortgage/rent and bills?
A growing number of pastors are asking, isn’t there supposed to be something more to church than buildings, meetings, and programmes?
Why are our families, communities, societies, and even the environment falling apart?
Shouldn’t the presence of Christians make a tangible difference?
Is the good news that we proclaim only good for a person’s soul and to give them an entrance permit into heaven?
Isn’t there something more?
The truth is, yes! There’s much more and the gospel of the Kingdom is good news to every area of life. God has always wanted all of His children to engage in His mission and the ‘family business’.
If every believer is going to engage in God’s Kingdom mission, it is imperative that they understand the nature of His Kingdom and the scope of God’s work in the world. This goes well beyond the reaching and discipling of individuals, but also encompasses the teaching and discipling of our communities, towns, cities, and nations.
Once we understand that our purpose and destiny is connected to God’s big story and restoration plan, we can discover what our unique part is within that Kingdom mission.
The Voice of Design
Everyone wants to live a life of purpose. God has made each one of us for a purpose. While some people hope for a supernatural sign to point the way, our life purpose is revealed in our design and how God has made us. Discovering our design, therefore, will aid us in recognising our life purpose.
To provide practical help with this, in my book, 7 Keys to Unlocking Your Life Purpose: Discovering Your Destiny by Understanding Your Design, I take the reader through seven key areas that will help them discover their God-given design, which in turn will unlock their calling and life purpose. Your calling and life purpose will no longer be a mystery to you.
With these tools you will be able to gain clarity on who God has made you to be and as a result, start to be deliberate in advancing the Kingdom of God through your spheres of influence.
You will know your life has meaning and value, and that each day your life can make a difference that truly matters!