What is the focus, the purpose, or the mission of your life? The Apostle Paul clearly claims the mission of his life in Philippians 3:10-11…
“I want to know Christ! I want to know the power that raised him from the dead. I want to share in his sufferings. I want to become like him by sharing in his death. Then by God’s grace I will rise from the dead.”
The Apostle Paul’s personal mission, and the mission of every follower of Jesus Christ, can be summed up with three objectives.
- To know Christ
- To know and experience His power
- And to identify with His sufferings
Everything else in Paul’s life flows out of these three objectives.
What is your personal mission statement? Is the focus of your life centered on knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection?
From the first Sunday in 2013 through Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, the theme of the preaching at Kingsview Church will focus on the theme, “I Want to Know Christ!”
The pursuit of knowing Jesus is a journey that involves a series of spiritual developmental stages. The journey begins when we turn toward God, whether that is a conscious decision or a gradual turning. There is a series of stages in this journey.
Stage one: Exploring relationship with Jesus – I’m a seeker. We believe in God, but we’re not sure about where Jesus fits. Our faith is just emerging; but it’s not really a significant part of our life, and we are still mostly self-focused.
Stage two: Growing in relationship with Jesus – We are a Jesus-follower. We believe in Jesus and what he has done for us. We are working on what it means to know him and to be an active disciple, and beginning to notice the needs of others.
Stage three: A close relationship with Jesus – We are active disciples; loving God and our neighbour. We feel really close to Jesus and depend on him daily for guidance. We can sense that we are deepening and maturing in our own conscious understanding and relationship with God, including his heart of compassion for others.
Stage four: Jesus is the central relationship in our life – We are Jesus-centred disciples, with our life oriented around others. Jesus is the most important relationship in our life. It guides everything we do. We actively reorganize our life priorities around Kingdom of God values and practices, which is all about restoring shalom in our community.
Where are we on this journey?
That is the question we all need to ask ourselves as we journey toward wholeness in Jesus.
By Howard Olver
(with insights from MOVE, by Greg Hawkins and Cally Parkinson, Zondervan 2011)