Purpose Driven Life – Day 38 {Becoming a World-Class Christian}
Point to Ponder: The Great Commission is our commission.
Insight: So much of what we waste our energy on will not matter even a year from now, much less for eternity. Don’t trade your life for temporary things.
We have a choice to make. We will be either a world-class Christian or a worldly Christian. Worldly Christians look to God for personal fulfillment. They are saved, but self-centered. Their prayers focus on their own needs, blessings, and happiness. It’s a “me-first” faith: How can God make my life more comfortable? They want to use God for their purposes instead of being used for His purposes.
In contrast, world-class Christians know they were saved to serve and made for a mission. They are eager to receive personal assignment and excited about the privilege of being used by God. They wake up each morning expecting God to work through them in fresh ways.
God invites us to participate in the greatest, largest, most diverse, and most significant cause in history—His Kingdom. History is His history. He’s building His family for eternity. Nothing matters more, and nothing will last as long. Getting involved as a world-class Christian will allow us to experience a little of what heaven will be like in advance.
It has never been easier in history to fulfill our commission to go to the world. The great barriers are no longer distance, cost, or transportation. The only barrier is the way we think. To be a world-class Christian we must make some mental shifts. Our perspective and attitudes must change.
HOW TO THINK LIKE A WORLD-CLASS CHRISTIAN
Shift from self-centered thinking to other-centered thinking – The Bible says, “My friends, stop thinking like children. Think like mature people.” This is the first step to becoming a world-class Christian. Children only think of themselves; grown-ups think of others. Of Course, this is a difficult mental shift because we’re naturally self-absorbed and almost all advertising encourages us to think of ourselves. The only way we can make a paradigm switch is by a moment-by-moment dependence of God.
We need to be asking the Holy Spirit to help us to think of the spiritual need of unbelievers whenever we talk to them. With practice we can develop the habit of praying silent “breath prayers” for those we encounter. Our goal is to figure out where others are in their spiritual journey and then do whatever will bring them a step closer to knowing Christ.
Shift from local thinking to global thinking – God is a global God. He has always cared about the entire world. Much of the world already thinks globally. The largest media and business conglomerates are all multinational.
These are exciting days to be alive. There are more Christians on earth right now than ever. The first way to start thinking globally is to begin praying for specific countries. World-class Christians pray for the world.
Prayer is the most important tool for our mission in the world. People may refuse our love or reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers. Like an intercontinental missile, we can aim a prayer at a person’s heart whether we are ten feet or 10,000 miles away.
What should we pray for? The Bible tells us to pray for opportunities to witness, for courage to speak up, for those who will believe, for the rapid spread of the message, and for more workers. Prayers make us a partner with others around the world. We should also pray for missionaries and everyone else involved in the global harvest.
People are more receptive to God when they are under tension or transition. Because the rate of change is increasing in our world, more people are open to hearing the Good News now than ever before.
The best way to switch to global thinking is to just get up and go on a short-term mission project to another country! There’s simply no substitute for hands-on, real life experience in another culture. Quit studying and discussing our mission and just do it!
Shift from “here and now” thinking to eternal thinking – To make the most of our time on earth, we must maintain an eternal perspective. This will keep us from majoring on minor issues and help us distinguish between what’s urgent and what’s ultimate.
So much of what we waste our energy on will not matter even a year from now, much less for eternity. Don’t trade your life for temporary things. What are we allowing to stand in the way of our mission?
Shift from thinking of excuses to thinking of creative ways to fulfill our commission – If we are willing, there is always a way to do it, and there are agencies that will help us. Here are some common excuses:
Many Christians have missed God’s plan for their lives because they have never asked God if He wanted them to serve as a missionary somewhere. The Great Commission is our commission, and doing our part is the secret to living a life of significance.
My thoughts: Personally, I am one of those people that thought that missions were for someone else, people called to do missionary work not me. In the last few months, I have had at least 4-5 dreams where I am in India. In my last dream I was holding children in what looked like a mission house somewhere in India. However, I always thought that “if” I did a mission trip it would be to Central or South America since I can speak the language. I am convinced now that God may have other plans for me. I asking God to show me not “if” I should go on a mission, I already know the answer but the question is where. Indeed, these are exciting times!
Insight: So much of what we waste our energy on will not matter even a year from now, much less for eternity. Don’t trade your life for temporary things.
We have a choice to make. We will be either a world-class Christian or a worldly Christian. Worldly Christians look to God for personal fulfillment. They are saved, but self-centered. Their prayers focus on their own needs, blessings, and happiness. It’s a “me-first” faith: How can God make my life more comfortable? They want to use God for their purposes instead of being used for His purposes.
In contrast, world-class Christians know they were saved to serve and made for a mission. They are eager to receive personal assignment and excited about the privilege of being used by God. They wake up each morning expecting God to work through them in fresh ways.
God invites us to participate in the greatest, largest, most diverse, and most significant cause in history—His Kingdom. History is His history. He’s building His family for eternity. Nothing matters more, and nothing will last as long. Getting involved as a world-class Christian will allow us to experience a little of what heaven will be like in advance.It has never been easier in history to fulfill our commission to go to the world. The great barriers are no longer distance, cost, or transportation. The only barrier is the way we think. To be a world-class Christian we must make some mental shifts. Our perspective and attitudes must change.
HOW TO THINK LIKE A WORLD-CLASS CHRISTIAN
Shift from self-centered thinking to other-centered thinking – The Bible says, “My friends, stop thinking like children. Think like mature people.” This is the first step to becoming a world-class Christian. Children only think of themselves; grown-ups think of others. Of Course, this is a difficult mental shift because we’re naturally self-absorbed and almost all advertising encourages us to think of ourselves. The only way we can make a paradigm switch is by a moment-by-moment dependence of God.
We need to be asking the Holy Spirit to help us to think of the spiritual need of unbelievers whenever we talk to them. With practice we can develop the habit of praying silent “breath prayers” for those we encounter. Our goal is to figure out where others are in their spiritual journey and then do whatever will bring them a step closer to knowing Christ.
Shift from local thinking to global thinking – God is a global God. He has always cared about the entire world. Much of the world already thinks globally. The largest media and business conglomerates are all multinational.
These are exciting days to be alive. There are more Christians on earth right now than ever. The first way to start thinking globally is to begin praying for specific countries. World-class Christians pray for the world.
Prayer is the most important tool for our mission in the world. People may refuse our love or reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers. Like an intercontinental missile, we can aim a prayer at a person’s heart whether we are ten feet or 10,000 miles away.
What should we pray for? The Bible tells us to pray for opportunities to witness, for courage to speak up, for those who will believe, for the rapid spread of the message, and for more workers. Prayers make us a partner with others around the world. We should also pray for missionaries and everyone else involved in the global harvest.
People are more receptive to God when they are under tension or transition. Because the rate of change is increasing in our world, more people are open to hearing the Good News now than ever before.
The best way to switch to global thinking is to just get up and go on a short-term mission project to another country! There’s simply no substitute for hands-on, real life experience in another culture. Quit studying and discussing our mission and just do it!
Shift from “here and now” thinking to eternal thinking – To make the most of our time on earth, we must maintain an eternal perspective. This will keep us from majoring on minor issues and help us distinguish between what’s urgent and what’s ultimate.
So much of what we waste our energy on will not matter even a year from now, much less for eternity. Don’t trade your life for temporary things. What are we allowing to stand in the way of our mission?
Shift from thinking of excuses to thinking of creative ways to fulfill our commission – If we are willing, there is always a way to do it, and there are agencies that will help us. Here are some common excuses:
- “I only speak English.” – This is actually an advantage in many countries where millions of people want to learn English and are eager to practice it.
- “I don’t have anything to offer.” – Yes, you do. Every ability and experience in our shape can be used somewhere.
- “I am too old (or too young).” – Most mission agencies have age-appropriate short term projects.
Many Christians have missed God’s plan for their lives because they have never asked God if He wanted them to serve as a missionary somewhere. The Great Commission is our commission, and doing our part is the secret to living a life of significance.
My thoughts: Personally, I am one of those people that thought that missions were for someone else, people called to do missionary work not me. In the last few months, I have had at least 4-5 dreams where I am in India. In my last dream I was holding children in what looked like a mission house somewhere in India. However, I always thought that “if” I did a mission trip it would be to Central or South America since I can speak the language. I am convinced now that God may have other plans for me. I asking God to show me not “if” I should go on a mission, I already know the answer but the question is where. Indeed, these are exciting times!
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