Post by jazzlover on May 31, 2006 0:41:03 GMT -5
Before I begin today's lesson, I want to say that this is not an
endorsement nor a rebuttal of the "Purpose Driven" books by Pastor
Rick Warren. However, I want to look at the concepts of
being "purpose driven" and being "Spirit led?" Can we be both?
In the last few years the words "Purpose Driven" have become a
slogan or catch phrase for many church congregations. There has
developed in our nation "purpose driven" churches, "purpose driven"
lives, weeks and months of purpose. Individuals and congregations
have been consumed by "purpose". Does the Church have purpose?
Absolutely! Is the Church to be driven? Well, not scripturally. Is
this merely semantics or is it a subtle deception?
In a few minutes, we'll take a look at an instance of one
being "purpose driven" while another is "Spirit led". But for a
minute, let's talk about purpose.
The nature of God is not to drive, but to lead. As the psalmist said
in Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd." Shepherds don't drive their
sheep, they lead them. If we go all the way back to the Old
Testament, we will see a pattern established by our Sovereign God
throughout. When He brought the Israelites out of Egypt they were
led by a cloud and a pillar of fire. The Egyptians were doing the
driving until the Red Sea.
Purpose doesn't cause a man to eliminate the majority of his army
just to take 300 men into a battle (see Gideon in Judges 7). Purpose
doesn't take a man to a brook to drink and be fed by ravens (1 Kings
17:4-6). Purpose causes a king (David) to say, "I'll build you a
temple." A king choosing to be led by the Spirit of God recognizes
when purpose must be set aside (1 Chronicles 22).
Is it wrong to have purpose? Of course not. However, having purpose
and being driven by purpose are two very different things. We as the
Church of the Living God must have purpose, but we must be led by
the Spirit, "for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are
the sons of God."(Rom. 8:14) If we are driven by purpose, we are
setting ourselves up with deception and a false sense of security.
When a church, ministry, or individual is purpose driven, the
achievement of the purpose serves to validate the church, ministry
or individual rather than the voice of God serving to lead and
direct. It becomes our way of determining what we believe God feels
about our actions and us. Our lives lived for Him become lives based
on fulfillment of purpose rather than lives built on a relationship
with Him that grows each day.
One of the key indicators is when we begin to feel pressure. Purpose
driven ministry creates pressure:
Pressure to see results
Pressure to prove time spent in prayer was effective
Pressure to show that we are doing something for the kingdom.
Pressure to have a plan of our own. Sometimes we want to tell God
what WE'RE going to do in ministry, like it's really up to us.
The leading of the Spirit never creates pressure. God does not
pressure His church. He leads and His church follows. Is it possible
to become so driven by purpose that when God shifts His direction we
miss it, because our eyes have become more focused on purpose than
on Him?
Let's look at a situation in Luke 10: 38-42
38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain
village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her
house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus'
feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much
serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my
sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help
me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou
art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is
needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be
taken away from her.
Martha knows that Jesus is in the house. Martha has a purpose- serve
Him. Prepare a meal for Him. Make His room look nice. She was very
busy working for Jesus. She was driven by purpose. So strong was her
purpose that she felt her sister should join with her in fulfilling
this purpose. There was one problem though. Mary, her sister, did
not live her life with Jesus based on purpose. It was completely
about relationship for Mary. And so, Martha finally asked Jesus
whether he cared that Mary wasn't helping her to fulfill purpose.
Can you believe the boldness of Martha? Doesn't it strike you as a
strange question? "Jesus, don't you care?" Martha had become so
blinded by purpose that Jesus had to let her know that Mary, by
simply being at His feet, had chosen the good part.
It seems we can become so busy fulfilling purpose in work for Jesus
that His Spirit can no longer lead us to a place of simply waiting
at His feet. In this "purpose driven" day, waiting at His feet can
be viewed as inaction or lack of a plan. What a subtle deception.
The only plan that we need is God's plan. Our plans will always fail
or fall short of what we need to do. He has the only perfect plan.
He can't fail.
1 Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty
nights, he was afterward an hungred. Matthew 4:1-2
Luk 4:1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan,
and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
Purpose didn't take Christ to a place of prayer and fasting. It was
the Holy Spirit that led Him there.
In this day and age, like no other, His Spirit must lead us, the
Church of the Living God. The world is starving for a Spirit-led
Church. The souls around us are hungry for a Spirit-led life. Your
soul and mine want a Spirit-led ministry. According to Romans 8:19,
there is an "earnest expectation" of the creature that waits for the
manifestation of the sons of God. Let us not be deceived by purpose,
for we need manifestation. Lord, help us to lay aside our purpose
and choose to follow your leading.
I want to begin to look at the Book of Acts tomorrow so that we can
determine how purpose related to the apostles and those recorded in
the Book of Acts. I pray that this lesson has helped us understand
better that we are to be led by the Spirit of God, and not driven by
purpose. God bless.