Our Purpose
Day 1:
Faith Chapel Writing Team is a team of volunteers using our gifts and talents to further the Gospel. Our call is to introduce Jesus as well as teach, challenge, and encourage those who call Jesus their King in every stage of their faith. We are the ministry of a local church who believes in reaching out past the traditional barriers of local churches, doing our part to fulfil the command of Jesus to make disciples. We strive to bring the truths and application of the Bible to as many as possible in the simplest form possible without diluting the power and authenticity of the message. We believe God still speaks to people and gives us words and messages to share with others. Our devotionals may not always follow a designed plan or be an extended series – it is what God is laying on our heart at that time, trusting Him to bring you to it the moment that word is most needed in your life. His Spirit can orchestrate such things.
Our team reflects the culture of our church. We are a church of mostly volunteers who understand that every believer has a gifting, calling, and purpose - regardless of their vocation and position in life. We see this same pattern in the early church found in the New Testament. Ephesians 2:9-10 is a well-known verse that says we are saved by grace, not of works so that no one can boast. But the ending of that passage says that we are saved to DO good works which God planned in advance for us to do. So, if you are a Christian – you have a calling, you have a job to do - you have a ministry. It may not be on a stage or on staff at your church, but you have something to do. Ephesians 4:11-12 says that there are positions within the church that are to equip the saints to do ministry. The pastor, teacher, evangelist, prophet, and apostle are all roles included in this equipping effort. The saints are the ones who are being equipped to do ministry. Many times, what we see in the American church is staff doing the work of ministry while the saints are the recipients of that ministry. Don’t misunderstand – in no way are we criticizing large churches with large staffs. Large staff, or no staff is not the issue. The issue is the health of the body of Christ and the purpose that comes to His children when they are fullfilling their roles. In the next few days, lets explore what the Bible says about our role in the Body of Christ - the Church. There is purpose for your life, divinely assigned by the God of all creatinon, specifically for you. This is good news!
Reflection: Ask God today, “Lord, as I read through this devotional would You please speak to me and open my eyes to see what You have planned for me to do? I understand you have something planned - help me to know it.” If you think you already know what this is, ask God to confirm it and stir it up anew.
Scriptures for Day 1:
Ephesians 2:9-10
Isaiah 30:21
Jeremiah 29: 11-13
Psalm 32:8
Proverb 3:5-6
Psalm 139:16
Day 2:
Continuing our thoughts from yesterday, in Ephesians 2 - we find the believers, the folks in the pews are the hands, feet, and all the other parts of the body that do the ministry. Let’s consider this analogy of the body. If one part fails, other parts must take its place and fill that role. If only the mouth and the hands work, there are no feet to take the message, no eyes to see the need, no ears to hear the cries. In fact, the more we as Christians fail to fulfill our individual callings, the more the body is paralyzed. The few members that end up doing the work may be stronger for it, but are also more susceptible to burnout, fatigue, and injury. Not to mention that as a body, the fewer parts involved - the slower the progress, the less effective and efficient our work becomes since the hands are doing what the feet should be doing, etc.
So if we consider ourselves to be followers of Christ, we should probably be asking ourselves some challenging questions:
- Do I have a church home? Remember from earlier, the church is not just a place where we see friends or worship. It’s not just a building or a tradition, but a living body that is functioning 24/7/365.
- If I'm not part of a church, how healthy can I remain in my walk? While it’s true that we do not become Christians simply by attending church, the Bible does refer to us as the body of Christ so how long would a part of the body be able to function and exist without being connected to the body? What happens to that part when it is disconnected for an extended period of time?
- Am I being challenged and equipped to fulfil my calling and purpose? Our churches should be challenging, encouraging, and training us to step out in areas of ministry or service we’re called to. Is this the case or am I just being entertained and served?
- What is my role in the body and am I active in that role or is someone having to do what I should be doing?
- Is someone else who isn’t gifted, called, or anointed for my role having to do my part because I’m not engaged?
- If so, are they doing an inadequate job at it since this is not their calling and they’re just filling in for me?
- Here’s the “ouch” part – are we criticizing and critiquing the job they are doing in the process of all this?
Now that we have the hard questions out of the way, tomorrow we will look at how the Bible also talks about us being joined together as a building and continue this journey to living a fulfilled and purposeful life.
Reflection: Maybe a prayer fitting for today would be, “Lord, help me to see church in a new light today. If I’ve only seen it from an inward perspective in terms of what it does for me, help me to see it as something I come to participate in and help me to see ways that I can minister and be used by You.”
Scriptures for Day 2:
Romans 12:5-8
1 Corinthians 12:12-30
Ephesians 4:15-16
Day 3:
Yesterday, we looked at how the Bible refers to those who are Christians as being members of a body, united in Christ and each with its own function and purpose. Today we look at the how the Bible also refers to us as part of a building. Let’s consider buildings made of stone. I love stone buildings. Siding and brick can be attractive but tend to be uniform and boring with a predictable pattern. The wall has no identity since the material is all the same and has no uniqueness. Each brick is identical and manufactured. But the Bible says in 1 Peter 2:5 that we are living stones being built up together in Him. Each stone is different. Each stone looks different. Some stones are smooth, some are rough. They have different characteristics. Some have different colors and each is a different size and shape. Each the result of their experiences and history and each stone fits uniquely in place – it’s place. Jesus is the mortar that holds it all together (Colossians 2). Ephesians 2: 20-22 explains that He is our foundation and our Cornerstone. We rest on Him, but also on the work of the others who have gone on before. We are the next layer, but we will also support those who follow us in the future. Mirroring some of the questions from yesterday, where is our place in this wall? Each of us fills a spot that is uniquely our own and that spot is open and exposed if we are not all engaged. Just as in the body, we need each other to make this building work. Imagine a building with gaps in the wall and holes in the house. My prayer is for this not to be ‘preachy’ or condemning, but rather a challenge or even a call to action to become who God wants us to be because true satisfaction and purpose await us as we step into our role and fulfill our calling. The more we get involved, the more the church will function as God designed it and the more change we will see around us. Just think of what that would look like - it’s a win, win. Heaven is cheering us on. We have a great cloud of witnesses. Let’s finish strong, fulfill our callings, complete our mission, go home and receive our reward. Tomorrow we look at some practical steps we can take to get started as well as continuing in the work if we have been engaged in these things already.
Reflection: What are some things you are natually gifted at? In what ways could you use these gifts and talents for Him and for His Kingdom? How can I help this body and this building? Its easy to think of the major parts of a body when considering what our part is, but consider how vast, how detailed, and how intricate the human body is.
Scriptures for Day 3:
Ephesians 2: 19-22
1 Peter 2:4-12
Day 4:
Over the last few days we have been looking at the design God established for the church and for His people. How He has integrated us together in Him to be His hands and feet and to be living stones built up in Him. But what if we don’t really know what our part in all this is? How do I start, and what do I do? Sometimes our role or calling may be unclear, even if we have spent time in prayer over it. If this is you, I would invite you to get plugged in somewhere doing something while you are seeking. If you’re older like me, you may remember having a car without power steering. It was always easier to steer when the car was in motion. If we get started and set the car in motion, we can let God steer us as we go, keeping that attitude of prayer and seeking in the process. Don’t overthink it and don’t worry about finding the perfect situation right off the bat. Revisiting this stone analogy, builders will sometimes try a stone in one place and then realize it belongs some other place. If this is true with earthly builders, just think of what God can do with you since He already has a plan and a place for you (Jeremiah 29:11).
Our Pastor talks about times when he didn’t realize that he was good at something because he had never tried it before. I’m sure that is the case with many of us. We may have had no clue that we had a talent or gift for a certain area or that we would really enjoy it, simply because we never tried it before. I know many people in this situation, they volunteered for something only to realize a passion for it after getting involved.
Maybe you’re serving where you feel called, be encouraged today to keep it up. Keep going and don’t give up. It can be easy to get burned out or start going through the motions if you’ve been doing it a while. In situations like these, we can seek God and ask if He is moving us on to something different or if we just need a refreshing or renewed vision. In either case, let’s not give up and stop altogether. Remember Hebrews 10:35-36 says, “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.” Galatians 6:9 echoes this challenge.
I think about all the times in Scripture where we are reminded and challenged not to give up but to keep progressing in our works and good deeds. It is easy for us to forget about them since we know that we are saved by grace and not by works, but as we discussed earlier from Ephesians 2 – we are saved by grace in order to do the good works that He has planned for us to do. Let’s remember that in addition to the sense of purpose, He who calls also rewards. No matter what stage of this journey you are in – whether you are realizing your need to get involved, trying to figure out where you fit, or if you have been engaged and need that little refreshing - God has some extra motivation He gives us. As you go through this week, I invite you to review some of these Scriptures that reveal God’s attitude toward our response to His work. There are several listed so it might take some time, but its worth the investment even if you take an extra day to spend time on them, and consider what they are saying. I use the word investment, because as you will notice going through these Scriptures, the only thing that is lasting and eternal from this life is our relationship with God and what we do for God. More lasting than any 401K, this is a lasting, eternal investment. How blessed are we to have such a God that rewards obedience in this life and in eternity?
Reflection: As we put these concepts into action, let us approach life in a different light, with a view of eternity - our eternity and those around us. Ask God for eyes to see what He sees and ears to hear what He hears, and to have His perspective of our world.
Scriptures for Day 4:
Matthew 16:27
Revelation 22:12
2 Cor. 5:10
Romans 2:5-8
Galatians 6:9
Matthew 5:12
Matthew 6:19-21
Luke 12:33-34
1 Tim 6:17-19
Luke 6:35
2 John 1:8
1 Cor. 3:8
This devotional was provided by members of Faith Chapel. For more information or to contact us, visit faithchapelchurch.com.