How to Align Yourself with God’s Purpose

Pastor Pete Beck III • July 24, 2019

At work, if we understand the purpose of our employer, it helps us to get in line with company goals and focus on what is important to our boss.  It is no different with Jesus and the kingdom of God. Our Lord told his disciples to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness, not their own success or comfort. It was only after the resurrection that the first apostles began to truly understand what this means. Today followers of Christ can also be slow on the uptake when it comes to grasping God’s purpose for them and the church.

Many suppose that the gospel is primarily for us, but actually it is first and foremost for God. Are you surprised? If so, it’s because we live in a culture in which everything is promoted or sold in terms of what it offers the consumer. Replacing society’s “me first” focus with prioritizing God and his desires is the biggest part of what it means to be transformed by the Spirit into a disciple. Jesus died on the cross for us who believe, but that was not the main thing on his mind as he approached and endured that horrible agony. He was most concerned about pleasing his Father in heaven. His prayer in the garden of Gethsemane is the supreme example of embracing God’s will, no matter what the personal cost.

Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” Matthew 26:42 (NLT)

For us to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives, we, too, must surrender to God’s will for our lives. Only after that can we go on to experience God’s purpose for us through the gospel.

Love

I love Bible verses that capture the essence of what it means to be a follower of Christ. One such is found in Paul’s First Letter to Timothy.

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 1 Timothy 1:5 (ESV)

Paul’s admonition to Timothy, and to all who would later be privileged to read his letter, was to allow God to develop in him a heart motivated by God’s love. God’s love is selfless and sacrificial, as evidenced by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. It is also focused on God’s glory. Jesus kept his focus on pleasing his Father, holding on to the promise of glory which awaited him on the other side of the cross.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT)

Jesus told us that love sums up all of God’s commands. Love is not a feeling. It is a motivation to faith and good works. Jesus healed and set people free because his compassion moved or propelled him to do so.

A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. 41  Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” Mark 1:40-41 (NLT)

God’s love can never be content to simply feel empathy. It must act. The aim of the gospel is to produce in followers of Christ the kind of love that acts as God would.

It will reveal itself in love of God and our neighbor. It will be heartfelt and practical. It will be compassionate and selfless.

Purity of Heart

Where this love comes from is very important. Paul tells us that a pure heart is essential. In this he is in complete agreement with our Lord, who blessed the pure of heart.

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 (NLT)

Purity of heart comes when our motives are clean and our devotion to God is single. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, we are selfish. The essence of sin is when we self-direct our lives without reference to God or dependence on his Spirit. It usually takes a prolonged work of God’s Spirit to change us on the inside, so that we begin to put God and others first. All of us followers of Christ are works in progress, but hopefully we are going forward. Really, only God knows the condition of our hearts, and we can be sure he is at work there continually.

Paul wrote in his First Letter to the Corinthians that all our works of faith and sacrifice are worthless in God’s sight unless they are motivated by love. (1 Cor. 13:1-3) If we want to align with God’s purposes in the gospel, we will cooperate with God’s Spirit as he purifies our hearts to properly love God and people.

A Good Conscience

Secondly, our love should come from heart that is devoid of offense toward God and men. Jesus wants us to have clean consciences. This does not mean we are perfect, but it does require us to come into the light when we sin through confession and repentance toward God. It means that we are not covering our faults and sins with a thick layer of hypocrisy, pretending to be what we are not. It means we are working toward being more and more transparent and honest. This requires that we allow the Holy Spirit to work humility in our lives in an ever greater way, which is never easy.

A Sincere Faith

Thirdly, God wants our love to be motivated by a sincere faith. Such faith is free of hypocrisy and self-promotion. It does not pretend to be something it is not. Its motives are pure. Many people understand the concept of faith, which is taking God at his word and acting on it, trusting that he will come through as promised. The problem is that some use faith to obtain what they want instead of what God wants. God is not primarily interested in making us wealthy and comfortable. He is much more concerned with developing our hearts to be like his, which normally requires us to endure suffering by faith from time to time, and, in some cases, extensively. A sincere faith focuses on what God wants, which is the furtherance of his gospel and kingdom, not on what we may want for our personal comfort and ease.

When the gospel accomplishes its purpose in individuals, it brings glory to our Lord and furthers the advance of God’s kingdom. People are generally attracted to followers of Christ who exemplify love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. May God help us be like that. May God’s glory and his kingdom be our foremost concern. Everything else will follow.

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How Can I Transition from Spectating at Church to Being a Player?

By Pete Beck III • December 3, 2024
Christianity is not a spectator sport. The Reformation renewed some very important truths of the faith that had been lost over time, one of which is the priesthood of the believer . This doctrine means that in the New Covenant there is no clergy-laity distinction. Everyone is called to ministry. All followers of Christ are called, equipped, and expected to partner with the Holy Spirit in the adventure of using their spiritual gifts, time, energy, finances – everything – to fish for people and encourage them to become followers of Christ and fishers of men in their own right. Every football and basketball season an interesting phenomenon takes place. People personally identify with their favorite teams. When their team is doing well, they feel good about themselves and become enthusiastic, vocal, and visible fans. What is so intriguing is that many of us think that we somehow acquire greater worth and prestige, if our team excels and does better than the other teams. It is almost as if we were the ones who are competing. All big sporting events are filled with such fans who get satisfaction out of watching others play the game. So it is with many people who attend churches. We all know that playing and spectating are vastly different. When we spectate, we can imagine ourselves making better decisions and better plays than the players on the court or the field, but the reality is that we are not playing. Jesus has invited his followers actually to participate in the greatest adventure of being his Spirit-filled and empowered representatives. Unfortunately most of us who call ourselves Christians are merely spectating fans. We may agree with the concept of being involved in the Great Commission, but we have fallen into the trap of being passive, sitting on the sidelines, hoping that someone else will lead our family member, neighbor, or friend to Christ and teach them how to follow him fully. Many Christians think that evangelism is inviting someone to church, where they will hear the preacher talk about Christ. We do not see ourselves as the one who can best share the gospel with them. However, the truth of the matter is that we cannot transfer our responsibility to fulfill the Great Commission to someone else. God does not give us the option of merely being fans or spectators. God asks us to be players – disciples and disciple makers. Not everyone is equally gifted in this area, but we are all asked to participate. Some may win thousands to Christ, while others may help only a few become followers of the Master over a lifetime. Sadly, a great number of those who call themselves Christians have never led even one person to faith in Christ. In some cases they have given up trying. This ought not be. Could this be because we do not even talk about Jesus in a serious way with anyone outside of church meetings? Suggestions Ask God to forgive us for succumbing to laziness, fear, and the spirit of the age that tells us to keep our faith to ourselves. Ask the Holy Spirit to stir in us the fire of enthusiasm for Jesus and the Gospel. Ask him to give us a love for those who live around you who do not yet know Christ. Familiarize ourselves with the Gospel. (I recommend The King Jesus Gospel by McKnight. You can read my summary by clicking here or you may wish to read my articles on the subject .) Pray for opportunities to speak meaningfully to people. Make it a priority to get to know the people in your neighborhood, at work, at the gym, at school, and wherever you have the opportunity to connect. As we spend time in conversation, we will begin to see how Jesus and the Gospel can help them. Our care for them may give us a platform from which to speak about Jesus to them. Visit people and have them over to our homes. The more time we spend with people, the greater the opportunity we provide for the Holy Spirit to work in the relationships. Offer to pray for people on the spot when a genuine need for God’s help surfaces. Join a group (or start one) whose focus is fishing for people and making disciples. In many cases this will be what some call a “missional” church, as opposed to an event-oriented spectator church. We need to be encouraged in the work of the Great Commission because, although it is rewarding, it can be difficult and discouraging at times. Never, never, never, never give up. Our heavenly reward will be great!
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