Why are we here?

The human race has been asking this question since the dawn of time. Christian or not the purpose of our existence is to glorify God. Romans 11:36 sums it up well.

For from him and through him and to him are all things.

 To him be the glory forever. Amen.

There is nothing in our universe or present existence that is not designed to testify of God’s glory.

However when we make this ideology personal, our sin nature complicates everything. At our core we do not desire God (Romans 3:11), however through supernatural salvation and sanctification we are able to stand before God and be accepted by him. All of us have a purpose in this life, specific people we are supposed to touch, and a unique path to follow.  Unfortunately most of us spend our lives fumbling in the dark just trying to survive in this crazy, cut throat world. We should aspire to do more than survive, exist comfortably for a few decades, and die. The only way we can combat that lifestyle is to learn God’s specific purpose for us and then walk boldly in that calling. The most beautiful thing about this is that God is not trying to hide your calling from you. Your calling is as unique as your finger print, and God desires for you to know what he wants you to do with your life. But we will never find it if we go to sources outside of God for the answer.  

Life coaches, professors, and even your parents can’t truly give you an in-depth play by play of how your life should go. God made you and he knows you in ways that you can’t even begin to know yourself. Therefore its stands to reason that the first and only place you should begin your search is through spending time with him in his word. This process helps you to discover your identity in Christ and it uproots ungodly perspectives and expectations on how you should live. After you begin your journey it is always a good idea to get an accountability partner or a group of people to help you discover your purpose. God himself lives in community; you do not have to figure this all out on your own.

On that note I would like to become a part of your community. I am hosting an event called “Seven Days of Purpose” with the goal to jump start you into discovering your unique God given calling. I will be using the bible and the book “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren. Everything will be online so you can join from ANYWHERE. Follow the link, it starts Sunday 10/29/2017.

Being a Woman

It’s deeper than your DNA (although that is a pre-requisite). The bible gives us countless examples of what it means. At its core being a woman means that you are the tech support of society. We were designed to help. Not just within the confines of marriage but in a vast array of other relationships. It is our primary function and but it isn’t our instinctive response. Because of sin, our nature has been twisted to help self first before anyone else. God calls us away from that mindset and into a whole new perspective on what it means to be a woman and how we view ourselves in the grand scheme of it all. One of the most profound sermons I have heard to date was John Pipers: “Sacred Schizophrenia”. In this talk, Piper explains how important it is to actively take up your cross and choose a path of opposition to the world’s way of thinking and behaving. Because we as women have been marginalized, sexualized and persecuted for millennia we have erected ideologies that seem progressive and helpful on the surface but the core of the ideology is unbiblical, because it comes from our own sinful desire to help ourselves first. 

For example feminism seeks to advance women’s equality in all aspects of society. However, when you look at feminism through a biblical lens you realize that the end goal of it all is to ignore the differences between men and women and in turn erase gender all together. The bible counters that by celebrating the differences between the sexes, and making the bold statement that both men and women play indispensable roles in God’s ultimate plan for the universe. 

Does this mean that we can’t seek justice for wrongs done to womankind? 

Does this mean that we should not advocate for equal pay or paid maternity/paternity leave? 

The answer is a resounding no! For Christian women, feminist ideologies and agendas must be viewed through a biblical lens. Once you have established that base you have to use discernment about what you advocate and seek justice for, and you can walk forward, confident that you are doing the right thing based on God’s standards. The same is true for traditional gender roles. Biblical gender roles capitalize on the strengths of both sexes to create a formidable foundation for a godly society. Traditional gender roles have twisted God’s standards and led to societal ills such as corrupt justice systems, unequal pay, and rape culture.

The time to get a true grasp on womanhood founded on God's principles is long overdue. Many of us walk around trying to make plans for a Utopian society in our own strength, not realizing that God already has a plan for us. His plan includes women and the sooner we understand and walk in our respective purposes as women the closer we are to seeing God’s plan unfold in our reality. 

A reality where we accept and affirm the fact that we are both equally indispensable and we operate in an interdependent existence( 1 Corinthians 11:11-12). A reality where we realize that we are both created in God's image (Genesis 1:27). A reality where we take our place a fellow heirs in Christ (1 Peter 3:7).

Sharing your Faith

Witnessing to others about Christ can be a daunting task, especially when you first start out. To me personally there are few things that scare me more than going up to a perfect stranger and asking the question “Do you know Jesus?” That fear kept me from sharing my faith for a very long time. However, when I got to college I realized that witnessing was more dynamic than just a conversation with a stranger. Over time even the fear of approaching a stranger with the gospel began to subside, because I found my witnessing niche. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gives us the great commission and tells us that we are to go into all the world and make disciples. Later on in the New Testament Paul gives us details on exactly how that works.

1 Corinthians 12:28-29

²⁸ And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?   

These verses speak on the spiritual gifts God bestows on believers to testify as witnesses to the glory and power of God. When it comes to sharing your faith, variety is one of the key components to remember. Once I realized that I wasn’t called to share my faith like my pastor or an evangelist from overseas, I began to focus on how I could affect the people in my sphere of influence for Christ. As I began to get comfortable operating in my gifts I found that there were some similarities that connected me to other members of universal church.

First of no matter how you share your faith you can’t treat people like projects. Being relational and truly stepping into their life because you care about them is more likely to bring them to Christ than if you hold them at arm’s length. Secondly you have to strive to be consistent. The person they see at church should be the same person they run into at the store and the same person they see on social media. Although we can never be perfect we should always strive to flee from hypocrisy in any area of our lives. The scripture says to avoid even the appearance of evil and 1 John 1:6 says that we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God and continue to walk in darkness.

Raising up disciples of Christ is not easy. It will cost you a lot of time and it will stretch both your faith and your patience to its limits. The good news is we don’t have to do it alone.