Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life: Section 29

You were
shaped for
Serving God
Purpose 4
pages 225-278
Tuesday 9 November 2010

“We are simply God’s servants…
Each one of us does the work
which the Lord gave him to do:
I planted the seed, Apollos
watered the plant, but it was
God who made the plant grow.”
1 Cor. 3:5-6

Accepting your
Assignment
Section 29 pages 227-233

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus
to do good works, which God prepared in advance
for us to do.
John 17:4
I have brought you glory on earth by ﬁnishing the
work you gave me to do.

You were put on
earth to make a
contribution

You were not created to consume resources, or to
“get” the most out of life.
You are meant to add something to life on earth
- your ministry or service

You were created to serve God
“...has created us for a life of good
deeds, which he has already
prepared for us to do.” Eph. 2:10
“Before I made you in your
mother’s womb, I chose you.
Before you were born, I set you
apart for a special work.”
You were placed on this planet for
a special assignment.

You were saved to serve God
“It is He who saved us and chose us for His holy
work, not because we deserved it but because it was
His plan.” 2 Tim 1:9
You are not saved by service but for service
In God’s kingdom, you have a place, a purpose, a
role, and a function to fulﬁll. This gives your life
great signiﬁcance and value.

“God paid a great price for you. So use your
body to honor God.” 1 Cor. 6:20
“Because of God’s great mercy...Oﬀer
yourselves as a living sacriﬁce to God,
dedicated to His service.” Rom. 12:1

1 John 3:14 We know that we
have passed $om death to life,
because we love each other.
Anyone who does not love
remains in death.
No love for others, no
concern = selﬁshness, is
Christ really in your life? A
saved heart wants to serve.
Ministry - something for all
of God’s people - not only
pastors etc.

1 John 3:14 We know that we
have passed $om death to life,
because we love each other.
Anyone who does not love
remains in death.
No love for others, no
concern = selﬁshness, is
Christ really in your life? A
saved heart wants to serve.
Ministry - something for all
of God’s people - not only
pastors etc.
Servant = Minister
Service = Ministry
God has a ministry for
you, a mission in this
world

You were called to serve God
You are called to serve God - it is
not the privilege of the spiritual
elite (pastors, missionaries etc.) - all
believers are called to full time
Christian service
“He saved us and ca%ed us to be His own
people, not because of what we have
done, but because of His own purpose.”
2 Tim. 1:9

1 Pet. 2:9
“You were chosen to te%
about the exce%ent
qualities of God, who
ca%ed you.”
Anytime you use your
God-given abilities to
help others, you are
fulﬁlling your calling.

1 Pet. 2:9
“You were chosen to te%
about the exce%ent
qualities of God, who
ca%ed you.”
Anytime you use your
God-given abilities to
help others, you are
fulﬁlling your calling.
How much of
the time are
you being
useful in the
service of God?

As part of a church you should
serve other believers in practical
ways:
You are Christ's body—that's who
you are! You must never forget this.
Only as you accept your part of that
body does your "part" mean anything.
1 Cor 12:27 TM
There are no insigniﬁcant
ministries in the church - size and
public observation does not make
a work more or less important

Remember that if one part
of your body does not work
properly then you get sick -
it is the same in the church.
What would happen if part
of your body decided not to
‘serve’?
Many Christians sit on the
side watching - being lazy -
and the Body suﬀers.

You are commanded to serve God
Jesus was unmistakable:
“Your attitude must be like my
own, for I, the Messiah, did not
come to be served, but to serve and
to give my life.” Matt. 20:28
For Christians, service is not
optional, it is the heart of the
Christian life.

Maturity is for ministry -
grow in order to give.
The Sea of Galilee is full
of life, taking in and
giving out water, the
Dead Sea has stagnated
because it has no outﬂow.
Should you look
for a church that
serves you - which
blesses you, or
should you look
for a place to serve
and be a blessing?

Preparing for Eternity
God will evaluate how well you have served
others in life.
Rom 14:12 So then, each of us wi% give an account of
ourselves to God.
“I was too busy, I had my own goals, I was having
fun, I was at work”
Mk 8:35 For whoever wants to save their life wi%
lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the
gospel wi% save it.

Preparing for Eternity
God will evaluate how well you have served
others in life.
Rom 14:12 So then, each of us wi% give an account of
ourselves to God.
“I was too busy, I had my own goals, I was having
fun, I was at work”
Mk 8:35 For whoever wants to save their life wi%
lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the
gospel wi% save it.
The essence of Mk 8:35
is repeated 5x in the
Gospels: If you aren’t
serving you’re just
existing...God wants
you to learn to love and
serve others unselﬁshly

Service and Signiﬁcance
Your life will be spent on something -
will that something be temporary or
eternal?
You have a role within the Body...Even so
the body is not made up of one part but of
many...
God is concerned with the donation
of your life not the duration, not
how long but how you lived

Abraham was too old
Jacob insecure
Leah unattractive
Joseph abused
Moses stuttered
Gideon poor
David had an aﬀair
Jeremiah was
depressed
Naomi was a widow
JTB was eccentric
Zacchaeus was
unpopular
Peter impulsive and
hot tempered
Thomas had doubts
Paul had poor health
Timothy was timid

Abraham was too old
Jacob insecure
Leah unattractive
Joseph abused
Moses stuttered
Gideon poor
Jeremiah was
depressed
Naomi was a widow
JTB was eccentric
Zacchaeus was
unpopular
Peter impulsive and
hot tempered
Thomas had doubts
Timothy was timid
But God still
used them

Abraham was too old
Jacob insecure
Leah unattractive
Joseph abused
Moses stuttered
Gideon poor
Jeremiah was
depressed
Naomi was a widow
JTB was eccentric
Zacchaeus was
unpopular
Peter impulsive and
hot tempered
Thomas had doubts
Timothy was timid
But God still
used them
What’s your
excuse?

Point to Ponder:
You were put on earth to
make a contribution.

Verse to remember:
Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in
advance for us to do.

Question to Consider:
What is holding me back
from accepting God’s call to
serve Him?

Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life: Section 29

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