Are You Fulfilling God's Purpose?

I've been struggling lately with my purpose. Yes, I'm married with 3 kids, so undoubtedly I have a purpose or two.

But what about my purpose within the context of the Church? 

What else can I do to be useful? 

How can I be the hands and feet of Jesus? 

What can I do that will matter eternally? 

Earlier this week I asked the question: "Why do you go to church?" and shared how my reasons have metamorphosed over time. 

Today I want to continue that thought and consider our purpose within the Church because we all have a part to play, a role to fill, a job to do, in order to make the body of Christ function like a well-oiled machine.

¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

 Ephesians 2:10

First, though, we need to know what our gifts are.

Photo Credit: lunatico photos

 

Spiritual Gifts

Through the Holy Spirit and God's grace, we have been entrusted with spiritual gifts that we are expected to use to build up the Church.

Some of these spiritual gifts include the following, taken from Romans 12:6-8:

• Prophesying {preaching God's message, see also I Corinthians 14:1-3}
• Serving
• Teaching
• Encouraging
• Contributing to the needs of others
• Leadership
• Showing mercy

As a young adult, I took a spiritual gifts inventory at my church that really impacted my work in the church. This online Spiritual Gifts Test for Adults is very good at helping you determine your own spiritual gifts as is LifeWay's Spiritual Gifts Survey. The survey revealed that I am gifted in the areas of discernment, teaching, and organization/administration. However, be sure to ask God for wisdom and guidance in this endeavor.

For more on spiritual gifts, read 1 Corinthians 12. 

Photo Credit: Ben Sutherland

Talents & Abilities

In addition to spiritual gifts, God also gives each of us specific and unique talents that He expects us to use to further His kingdom. 

For me, that talent is the ability to write. I feel called by God to write to teach, encourage, even evangelize to the world. If I am not using my talent or if I'm using it in a way displeasing to God, then I believe that I am sinning. 

Everyone has a talent or two that can be used to achieve God's purpose. Perhaps you have a skill in communicating, singing, working with small children or teens, drawing, playing music, cooking, or decorating. All of these talents (yes, even decorating) can be used for God's glory.

Whatever your talent or ability, it's important to recognize that it comes from God and that He expects you to use it for His glory. 

Photo Credit: ZionNPS

Living Out God's Purpose in Different Seasons 

As you go through different seasons in your life, you still have a responsibility to use your gifts and abilities to build up the Church, but the way in which you use them may change considerably.

Over the years and throughout the different seasons in my life, I have had to use my gifts and talents differently. For example, before having kids, I taught Bible class to children on a regular basis. However, once I started having my own kids, I stopped teaching at church because of my responsibilities to my babies.

However, no matter the season you're in, we are all expected to work. Caring for children is not an excuse for not working and using your spiritual gifts and talents. In fact, I think if you see your children as a mission field, you can achieve a lot for the body of Christ by teaching and nurturing them at home. 

Maybe you stop using your primary gift all together and start using a lesser one. Or perhaps you find a different way to use your spiritual gift or ability that is more conducive to the season you're in at the moment.

And when this season ends and my children are older, I hope that I will once again teach Bible class at church.

Photo Credit: PurdueBob

 

What Are You Doing?

Do you know what your spiritual gifts and talents are? 

If not, I encourage you to study the scriptures and pray. Ask God for wisdom. He will direct you to where you need to go. 

If you do know, then are you being useful to the body of Christ, or have you been sitting on your laurels waiting for an opportunity or for someone to ask you to get involved? 

Now is the time to work! 

⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

I Corinthians 15:58

As we pursue God's purpose in each of our lives, I pray we will do so in love and humility, working for His glory and not our own.

Blessings to you,

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Linking up with:  The Better Mom, Raising Arrows, Mama Moments Monday, The Modest Mom, Time-Warp Wife, Teach Me Tuesdays, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Top 10 Tuesday, Leaving a Legacy, Women Living Well Wednesdays, Raising Homemakers, Raising Mighty Arrows

Why Do You Go to Church?

Photo credit: Silent Shot

Growing up we went to church "every time the doors were open." That meant twice on Sundays and once on Wednesday evenings. I never questioned why we went; I simply did as I was told, believing that regular attendance was a necessary part of being a Christian. 

As you may imagine, though, my heart wasn't always in the right place because I didn't understand why I was there other than "to worship God." 

To me, the church was a building where Christians met to worship together. I didn't understand that the church is the Church, that is, the body of believers who meet together because of their mutual love for the Lord. Instead, I went to church for a variety of different reasons.

Reasons Why I've Attended Church Over the Years

At times I have attended church out of compulsion: 

• My parents made me go.
• "It's what I do on Sundays."
• I felt guilty for not going.

Other times I went to church out of fear of losing my salvation and going to hell.

But there have also been times when I attended church out of an earnest desire:

• To be part of something bigger than myself
• To attain Godly wisdom & understanding
• To encourage & be encouraged by other saints
• To serve those in need
• To teach children about God's love for them

My Shifting Feelings

As I have grown and matured both physically and spiritually, my feelings toward the Church have shifted. No longer do I go to church out of compulsion or fear. Now I attend church because I see its purpose and my own role within that purpose.

The Church's Purpose

• To evangelize (Matthew 28:18-20)
• To build up/edify/encourage the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12)
• To unify the saints (Ephesians 4:13)
• To know Jesus (Ephesians 4:13)
• To become like Jesus in every way (Ephesians 4:13,15)

The purpose of Church isn't to sing a few hymns or listen to a good sermon or even to fellowship with other believers, although those are all good things we do there. 

Ultimately, the purpose of the Church is Christ:

¹⁵ Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

As I grow in my faith, I grow in Christ, who is the head of the Church. I have a role to play in making sure that the Church is unified, built up, and working together under Him, for it is only through knowing Jesus that we have the hope of eternal life (Philippians 3:11). 

Why do YOU go to church?

Other posts of interest:

"5 Reasons Why We Go to Church When It's Easier to Stay Home"

If you would like to have Growing in His Glory delivered to your inbox, click here: Subscribe to Growing in His Glory. Or join us on Google Friend Connect, Facebook, Twitter, & Pinterest.

 

Linking up with:  The Better Mom, Raising Arrows, Mama Moments Monday, The Modest Mom, Time-Warp Wife, Teach Me Tuesdays, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Top 10 Tuesday, Leaving a Legacy, Women Living Well Wednesdays, Raising Homemakers, Raising Mighty Arrows

5 Reasons Why We Go to Church When It's Easier to Stay Home

Photo Credit: AndrewH.uk

Last Sunday as our family left the church building, my heart raged within me. Fighting back tears of shame, anger, and disappointment, I wondered why we even bother going to church. Surely an at-home family devotional would be better for us given the season we're in. 

With three girls ages 4, 2, and 6 months, our family is loud, dramatic, and high energy. We spend the majority of most worship services keeping the 4 year old from bothering her sister, shushing the 2 year old, and entertaining the baby. Honestly, I haven't heard a full sermon in years!

So, this past Sunday, after all three children disturbed the entire congregation with their crying, whining, even flat out screaming, I began to question my reasons and motives for attending church at all. 

Why Do We Go To Church? 

1. To worship God, to give Him the praise and glory He deserves

When I asked my 4 year old this morning why we go to church, I was humbled by her response: "To worship God!" She had been listening the 100 times I had taken her out of service to discipline her and explain that concept to her. But worship is the number 1 reason we go to church: to humble ourselves and acknowledge He alone is worthy of praise.

"Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
for He is our God
and we are the people of His pasture,
the flock under His care." 

Psalm 95:6-7

Yes, I can worship God at home, in the car, at the store, wherever. But what better time and place is there to worship the Creator of the Sabbath than on Sunday, with my fellow saints? 

In addition, my children need to know that we go to church not to color pictures or see our friends but to give God glory in our singing, praying, listening, and worshipping in our hearts. Unless we are actively participating in and attending church, our children cannot and will not learn how to worship.

2. To take communion with the body of Christ

When I break bread and drink the fruit of the vine with other Christians, I am united with them in the great sacrifice Christ made for us. Together, we recall how Christ's body was broken and His blood shed to take away our sins. Together, we remember and give thanks.

"Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf." 

I Corinthians 10:16-17

At our church we take communion every Sunday. Thus, we have many opportunities to share the Gospel with our curious young children. Communion provides the perfect time to explain what the grape juice and bread represent, why we take it, how it should be taken, and when they will be able to participate too.

With our oldest daughter, we give her money each week from her chores, a portion of which she is expected to give back to God. In this way, we are teaching her that all we have comes from God, an important lesson for a child who believes everything is hers. 

3. To encourage my fellow brothers & sisters in Christ (and in turn to be encouraged myself).

As the Day of the Lord draws nearer, I believe Satan is working harder than ever to keep people from following Jesus. I have felt his pull on me countless times. Going to church with others who are struggling spiritually like me strengthens my faith in God and helps me persevere.

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching!" 

Hebrews 10:25

It is because of the challenges of going to church that I go. I crave the encouragement and love of my church family. Fellowship with other like-minded believers keeps me pressing on toward the goal because I know I am not alone in the trials I am facing.

4. To partake of the Bread of Life

Even if I don't hear an entire sermon because the baby's hungry or the toddler needs my attention, I pick up bits and pieces of God's Word throughout worship that pierce my heart and put me in the right frame of mind. 

I need to remember that the physical needs I have--for food, clothes, peace & quiet--will never give me the fullness of life I desire. Only through partaking of the Bread of Life will I be filled spiritually for eternity.

"Then Jesus declared, 'I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty.'" 

John 6:35

I go to church because I crave Jesus. I want to know more about Him. I want to learn how I can love Him more. Our church offers wonderful Bible classes for both children and adults, so while our kids are singing BIble songs and hearing God's Word in their own classes, my husband and I are also partaking of the Bread of Life with other men and women in our own class.


Nothing satisfies spiritual hunger like Jesus. 

5. To remind myself and teach our children that "It's not all about me"

In this me-centered world where entertainment is god, churches are not the place people flock to because, well, churches usually are not fun. While church can and should be enjoyable, what's important is that we remember life isn't all about meeting my wants and needs right now. 

"Then Jesus called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said, 'If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.'" 

Mark 8:34-35

We aren't here on this earth to be entertained and enjoy life. We are here to worship God and glorify Him in our lives. That requires sacrifice, commitment, and a life of service, three words this world smirks at. 


But it's not about me; it's about Him.

So, What Does All This Mean?

After some reflection, prayer, and words of encouragement from a sister in Christ, I came to the realization that:

• even though going to church is hard right now, and 
• even though I feel like we are only a disruption to others by our presence, and 
• even though I want to crawl in a hole after every single worship service, and 
• even though I don't always feel encouraged or uplifted when I leave,

I believe going to church IS worth it. To my kids, my husband, the entire body of believers, and especially to me. 

In particular, as a parent of three young children, I have a great responsibility to those souls who do not yet know the Lord. It's not about me; it's about Him.

What about you? What reasons do you have for going to church even when it's hard?