Sunday, January 5, 07 New Purpose - Corinthians 6:- Growth Group Leader Guide Purpose is defined as follows, The reason for which something is done or created, or the reason for which something exists. This gives insight into, not only the word, but the idea it communicates. Men and women often wonder about their purpose in life; their purpose in their job or career, their family, etc. We want to feel useful, needed, and a part of something. We do not want to feel lost and wasted. The struggle often emerges when we try to shape our own purpose. We want things to fit according to our dreams and according to our hopes and plans. And while these things are not necessarily bad, they can often lead us down wrong paths. In Christ, God invites us to have our highest longings fulfilled, to experience the satisfaction of eternal and everlasting joy, and to have a meaningful, purposeful life. He invites us to know Him most intimately through engaging in His work. Through Christ, our lives are purposed for the glory of God, for our true good, and for the great enjoyment of living in Him. The question is, How do we engage in this life? In Corinthians 9:9-3, Paul gives insight how this lifestyle looks, and the purpose for which it exists. We may not often think our highest joy could come from being focused on the good of others, but that s exactly what Paul shows. For the Christian, our highest love is Christ. Therefore, the purpose of our lives is showing Christ to others, living in such a way that others see how beautiful Jesus is! There is great discipline in this lifestyle, but it is because of such a high purpose. Second, in Acts :4-47, we get a glimpse of what church can be when people fully embrace their purpose of gospel-living. These people were so consumed with Christ and His mission in the world that it shaped every aspect of their lives. Church was not simply an aspect of their lives, but the very lens through which they saw the world. They had all things in common because they shared a love of Jesus and a purpose in life. They recognized that, because Christ was their great hope, their lives must reflect that hope. We see that they organized their lives around the gospel, and God gloriously blessed it. Finally, from Colossians :7-9, purposeful living manifests itself in discipling others for the glory of God. We are not called to live apart from God, but as Paul says in this text, He is with us and we labor in His energy. God invites us into the most purposeful life that can be had. This life is totally given to making much of His glory among the people of the earth. It is the most joy-filled life that man can live. It is the greatest treasure we can ever have: It is life with God. Oxford Dictionary
The Gospel and New Purpose Read Corinthians 9:9-3 In this text, Paul is developing the realities of living with gospel purpose. What is Paul s mindset behind submitting ourselves to others? For what purpose do we submit ourselves in this way? What has to be true in our own lives for this to happen? In order for the Christian to fully submit himself/herself to others, especially unbelievers, there must be a compelling and convincing force. And this force is the gospel. Paul ultimately believed that in Christ, he was no longer his own (Gal. :0); he no longer dictated the direction and purpose of his life. This was God s to do. And because God directs the life and mind of every Christian, and because His Word tells us everything we need for life and godliness, we understand that Paul s mindset is totally set on God, and on carrying out His mission. As we think further about this idea of submitting ourselves to others, we have to ask the question, why? The gospel is the highest and truest joy of the Christian; their richest, and most abundant treasure. And, it is the great treasure that God has called us to share with the world. If this means that we do so by submitting ourselves to others for the sake of the gospel, we do so with great joy! Is there a cost in giving up personal preference, cultural comforts and conveniences, and the hopes of a normal life? Of course there are costs! Jesus said as much (Matthew 5:-). But the cost pales in comparison to the great reward we are promised in Christ. If we are going to submit ourselves to others, be it our neighbors, friends, family, or even across cultural lines and continents, we must hold the gospel as our highest treasure. If the gospel is not primary in our lives, we will not obey Paul s instructions here. Heaven is in view here. How is eternal gain factoring into Paul s teaching? Why must the Christian be shaped by the gospel to ensure this kind of lifestyle? Submitting our hopes and dreams unto the Lord may be a difficult thing to process, especially the first time around. But, we must also realize that often, our hopes and dreams are for this life; success in this life: financial, familial, social, business, etc. The things we so often struggle to lay down are temporary and fading already. Will we keep earthly wealth? Only until death. What about social or business success? The hopes of a quiet, happy life? None of these lasts. Paul s command to submit is grounded in an eternal view of life, not an earthly view. If we are not thinking of heaven and the life to come, this idea of submission is foolish. And yet, for the one consumed with Jesus, this is a wonderful, joy-filled privilege, for it is the very thing that King Jesus did for us (Phil. )! Each of these represent inescapable realities of life, but they will never be eternally valuable and successful unless Christ glorified in our goal in each.
Read Acts :4-47 With the birth of the church, a distinctively Christian way of life emerges. What are the characteristics of this lifestyle? Why are they living this way? How are you seeing/can you see this happen in your life? It is an incredible thing to see the birth of the early church. It was formed and born with distinctive features and characteristics, and these things can be clearly seen in this passage. We see that these people were consumed with living out the mission of God, both in their personal, private lives, but also among the peoples with whom they lived. Luke records that, t hey devoted themselves.. This means that they disciplined themselves for certain purposes and practices that centered around what they loved. They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers. This distinctively Christian way of life manifested itself in their practices; in the way they lived their lives. The reason they lived this way is simple, for they had been given new identity in Christ, and thus, a new mission in the world. And, therefore, they had new purpose. As we see from the text, as they lived with intention, the Lord was faithful to add more and more people to their number. And these are not simply new dinner guests, or casual friends. These are men and women who are being transformed by the gospel! These men and women in the early church were so totally consumed with Jesus and His gospel that they gave themselves fully to it in their own lives, and in the lives of others. The mission of God became the purpose of their life. Why do these people have all things in common? How does this text inform and shape the modern church? How is this text related to Corinthians 6:-? It is one thing for a single person to adopt a new pattern or practice in life, but it is an entirely different thing to have an entire body of people do so. Changing direction and practice for an individual is easy, but a large group of people can present challenges. And yet, we see that the early church disciplined themselves to have all things in common, and this doesn t mean like-minded people with already shared interests. Rather, because they devoted themselves to the teaching and study of God s Word, and because they devoted themselves to discipleship, they grew in likeness to one another. They sacrificed earthly possessions for eternal, godly gain. Nothing was more important than carrying out the mission of God in their lives! As we, the modern local church, read this text, it becomes clear that this is the norm. This is not only a descriptive text (simply describing what happened), but it is a prescriptive text (instructing how we are to live and act). It is the church s role to carry out the mission of God, and this can only happen if we are devoting ourselves to God s Word, to discipleship and to carrying out the mission in the whole of our lives. As it pertains to Paul s instructions in Corinthians 6, we see that there is great need for the church now! As men and women waste their lives in pursuit of worldly things, we must be convictionally committed to the mission of God above all else. To be sure, the mission of the gospel will bring us into conflict with the world, for Paul clearly says 3
hardships will come. And yet, he also says we are, treated as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. The mission of the gospel is the highest calling we can ever give ourselves to. It is the highest purpose of our lives. Read Colossians :7-9 How do we see discipleship driving Paul s command in this text? What does Paul mean, Him we proclaim? What is the ultimate purpose for the Christian? In Whose energy is the Christian life carried out? The first thing to notice from this text is that it is God Who makes the gospel known among the peoples of the earth. It was God Who, through Jesus Christ, opened the way of salvation to all peoples! And it is upon this revelation that our new mission is set forth. Because God chose to move among all the peoples of the earth, we go with the gospel! We understand that our new purpose as Christ-followers comes directly from Christ s purpose, which is the glory of God. This is why Paul writes, Him we proclaim..., for there is no other hope in all the world. As we consider life and its ultimate purpose, it becomes crystal clear that, through Christ, our hope is set fully on the salvation of God in Jesus. And this is why He is the One we proclaim with our lives! He is the One to Whom our lives are devoted. He is our purpose. And as we proclaim Christ to the world, we carry out the great commission, teaching all that Christ commanded. As we devote ourselves to the Word of God, we carry out our new mission of reconciliation by bringing others to the Word. We carry out this new mission by proclaiming the excellencies of God, not only with our lives, but with our words. And here we see our purpose. The gospel demands our whole life be purposeful for the gospel. It demands that we give ourselves to the divine work of God in the reconciliation of sinners. And the beauty and immensity of this work demands that we do it with Him,... struggling with all His energy, Paul says. This tells us that as we carry out the work of God s mission, we are intimately connected with God. He has purposed that it be this way; that we know Him most intimately as we work alongside Him. What a promise! How is this tied to the previous topics of new identity and new mission? As a church, our mission statement reads, Parkwood exists to glorify God by laboring together for the growth of all believers, while going with the gospel to all peoples. This comes directly from Paul s words here in Colossians. New identity and mission in Christ are like the two spouses in a marriage. It is impossible to have one without the other. A husband cannot be a husband without a wife, and a wife cannot be a wife without a husband. In the same way, a Christian s identity in Christ is intimately tied to gospel mission; it is not possible to have one without the other. There is a great purpose for this, and this is why Paul says, For this I toil It is clear to Paul that his identity in Christ is not only part of his mission, but it isn t fully exercised until he is carrying out the mission. Identity in Christ is likeness to Christ, both in holy character and in missional living. The purpose of our lives is to live out our new identity and mission in Christ! 4
The Big Picture It is a humbling thing to open the pages of Holy Scripture and read from God s Word, for in it we find all that is needed for life and godliness. Men and women waste their lives on frivolous things, pursuing earthly pleasures, and wondering about God s will for their lives. The beauty is that God s will for the lives of His people is clear and in Scripture. He desires that we be holy before Him, that we embrace our new identity in Christ by exercising our mission in bringing the gospel to all peoples. He desires that the purpose of our lives be His glory in the gospel of Jesus Christ. He desires that we live in full confidence of the Holy Spirit s working in our lives and live with boldness. As we have looked at these passages, we see that a clear and distinct purpose has arisen for our lives: that we give ourselves to making Jesus known in the world. This is where we find purpose, satisfaction, and our deepest communion with God. And so we ask Am I recognizing my purpose in Christ? Am I embracing my new purpose in Christ? Am I wasting my life on earthly things? How am I investing eternity in my family? Do I have a right view of the church? Do I have all things in common with God s people for God s mission? Am I submitting myself to others for the sake of the gospel in their lives? If I evaluate my lifestyle, could I say my purpose in living is Jesus glory? If no, how I can change that? 5