Tuesday August 20, 2013

Jesus Challenge:

In your cell group, ask each person to state briefly what they see as the purpose of their life.

As a group, discuss the reason why you think it is useful or otherwise to have a knowledge of one’s life purpose.

What benefits or disadvantages come from having  a life purpose?

 

Read Ecclesiastes 1:1-2. 2 Corinthians 5:16-17

If someone were to tell you that your life is largely pointless or meaningless I suspect that you would get your nose out of joint. I suspect that you would be slightly (if not more) affronted. And yet, this is exactly what the Teacher does. He begins by telling us that life is meaningless.

 

What does he mean? The Hebrew word which the NIV translates as ‘meaningless’ and which the RSV translates as ‘vanity’ means “breathy”. The word was originally tied to concept of breath. The writer is telling us that life is breathy or fleeting. It is like a vapour - here for a brief moment but gone the next.

 

If we were to be totally honest, we’d have to admit that we would be affronted when confronted with our “meaningless” existence partly because we know deep down that it’s true!  So many things that we do have little or no eternal value. So much of what we say, do and think has fleeting value in this life, let alone in the realm of eternity. Think for a moment about your weekly schedule. Of all the things that you do, could you find 10 things that have eternal value? Could you find 5 things? Could you find 3 things?

 

Life, however, need not be a meaningless web of unrelated events and experiences. When we pause to think eternally we find that all of life has eternal value in Christ if we are walking in obedience to the Great Commission that we studied last week. If, for example, I sweep gutters for a living I can do that with the Great Commission in mind or I can do it begrudgingly. If I sweep to the best of my ability and leave the streets amazingly clean, God is glorified. That has eternal value. If someone stops to talk and asks the reason for such dedicated work, that has eternal value. If they come to Christ through my testimony to Christ, that has eternal value. Work is far more than just earning money. It’s an opportunity to serve God and to glorify Him. It’s an opportunity to witness to Jesus through our work and our words.  Every area of life has such eternal value when God is the centre of our heart, soul, mind and strength.

 

If, in line with this, we also see other people as eternal beings then we have a powerful combination that opens doors to share our faith, to witness to Christ and to lead people to Christ. When you look at a person do you see and consider their eternity? Do you ask yourself how you can help change this person’s eternity? Personally I’ve seen factory workers, doctors, mothers and fathers, mechanics and even horse trainers lead others to faith in Christ through this powerful combination.

 

When you are serving God by taking the Great Commission seriously, work is never a four letter word. It is a God given opportunity to bring glory and honour to Him and to testify to His saving greatness in your own life.

 

 

 

Prayer:

Write down at least one prayer point in each of the following categories based on the following verse.

 

 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come!

2 Corinthians 5:17

Adoration:

 

 

Confession:

 

 

Thanks:

 

 

Supplication:

¥ Pray that the children in your church would have a growing and maturing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that they God would be growing their faith and stretching them and maturing them in that faith.

¥ Pray that the youth in your church would know the love of Christ and not be drawn by peer pressure into the ways of the world.

¥ Pray that the 53 Compassion Children we support in Indonesia would be growing in knowledge and love of God and that they would make a firm decision to follow Jesus no mater what the cost. Pray that they would be great ambassadors for Jesus in their village.

 

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Assuming you work with Donald, what can you do at work to show Don the greatness of God?

2. Why is a life lived for God a powerful testimony?

3. What affect does sin have in our living testimony to non-Christians?