DISCIPLESHIP

Concept:
 

Augustine, one of the early church fathers, said “Our hearts are restless until we find God.”
You cannot truly experience peace and joy in your life without an open relationship with God. 

Romans 5:1-2 tells us, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”
 

"But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth." Exodus 9:16
 

"I cry out to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me." Psalm 57:2

 

Your Purpose: Relationship with God

The purpose of your life is to bring God glory in everything you do: in your worship, your relationships, and your work. “The chief purpose of man in to bring glory and honor to God and to enjoy Him forever,” says the Westminster Confession of Faith. Remember, by accepting Christ as your Savior you now have God who “is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). But this does not happen overnight. It is the result of a growing relationship with God. Faithfulness to read God’s Word and to pray according to His will help grow your relationship with God. That is the ultimate purpose of your life—to have a meaningful relationship with God. And beyond that, God has specific things for you to accomplish in your life. The next section deals with the special plan God has for your life. Take a moment and thank God that He knows you and cares for you specifically and has a great plan for your life.

"And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them." Jeremiah 32:39
 

Conversation Points: 
 

Question: 
Have you ever wondered why you were born? 
What do you think God's purpose for you is?
 

We already get a good idea from scripture by looking at the creation story.
 

God Created Man for Relationship with Him
 

Genesis 2:7
"Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person."
 

Genesis 2:18; 21-23
"Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”...  So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.
“At last!” the man exclaimed.
“This one is bone from my bone,
    and flesh from my flesh!
She will be called ‘woman,’
    because she was taken from ‘man.’”
 

Genesis 3:8
"When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden..."
 

God created man to have relationship with him, he would come and walk in the garden with Adam and Eve - and there was relationship between them.
 

In God there is no hunger that needs to be filled, only plenteousness that desires to give. … God who needs nothing, loves into existence wholly superfluous creatures in order that He may love and perfect them.
–C.S. Lewis
 

Jesus also said:

John 14:23
"Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them."
 

Revelation 3:20
“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends."
 

Question: What do you think having a relationship with God looks like?

God Created You to Glorify and Praise Him

We exist also to bring glory to God.
 

“The chief purpose of man in to bring glory and honor to God and to enjoy Him forever,”
- Westminster Confession of Faith
 

1 Chronicles 16:29
"Give to the Lord the glory he deserves!
    Bring your offering and come into his presence.
Worship the Lord in all his holy splendour."
 

Isaiah 43:7
"Bring all who claim me as their God,
    for I have made them for my glory.
    It was I who created them.’”

God Has a Unique and Special Plan Specifically for Your Life
 

We learn from the story of Jeremiah
 

Jeremiah 1:5
“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
    Before you were born I set you apart
    and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”
 

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."
 

These other scriptures also show us that God has an intimate interest in each one of us.
 

Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take."
 

Matthew 6:31-33
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."
 

Romans 8:28
"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."
 

Ephesians 2:10
"For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."
 

1 Corinthians 2:9
"That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
    and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
    for those who love him.”

God Created Us to Live and Rule with Him for Eternity In Heaven
 

Just as God has a unique and special plan for our life here on earth - he also has a wonderful plan for us for all eternity with him!

Titus 2:13 calls this our "Glorious Hope"
 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
"And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died[h] will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words."
 

1 Corinthians 15:50-58
"What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.
But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”
For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless."
 

Ephesians 2:6-7
"For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus."
 

Romans 8:17
"And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering."
 

Discovering Your Purpose

God created you with His purpose for you in mind. Built into you are desires and motivations that He has placed there (the good stuff of course!). And this gives you a hint to your purpose.

​

To help you start discovering that we are going to do a little exercise.
 

I am going to show you a list of words and from that list I want you to write down 10 of them that stand out to you the most. Choose the 10 words that best describe the movement and effect of your life.