Purposeful Living

Life has meaning. People matter - to God as well as to us. How do we use the time and talents we have been given?

Living without knowing “why” is frustrating and deeply unsatisfying. On the other hand, being aware of God’s love and the purpose He has for us is challenging but also very rewarding. If we truly believe that God has given us a reason for being, the world begins to make sense.

Our church aims to help everyone discover their gifts and purpose - and equip them to be involved in changing the world for the better.

So, Christians live out their faith as a demonstration of God’s love for the world. Practical love - helping, meeting needs, giving money for world aid; also sharing the good news of Jesus with everybody. Faith is love in action, because we know God loves the whole world.

Our life together is based on five New Testament priorities which shape our actions and intentions: we put God first, and then apply our beliefs.

worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and mission.

We can translate these five priorities like this:

Worship = to love God wholeheartedly (Worship)

Fellowship = to belong together in growing love (Belong)

Discipleship = to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus (Grow)

Ministry = discovering and using our gifts and abilities to serve (Serve)

Mission = sharing God’s love in word and action everywhere. (Go!)

These five priorities are found in the two great commands of Jesus:

Matthew 28:18-20 (New Living Translation) The Great Commission: Jesus told his disciples, "I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Mark 12:30-31 (New Living Translation) The Great Commandment: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."

Purposeful living will result from living by these priorities. Very often, we live as though the most important thing in life was ourselves, or our own needs and ambitions. The Bible suggests a different set of values! Life is all about God, and our relationship to him through Jesus. If we put God in first place, then we will find the purpose we were created for; and our lives will have a lasting impact for good. We can get in shape to serve!

If pleasing God becomes our top priority, and we use our personality, abilities, and experience for him, then life has a whole new meaning. The greatest adventure any of us could have follows on from the first step of getting our life tuned in to God's perfect will.

So, to sum up why we are here-
We come together as a community of Christians to learn from Jesus and to share God’s love with others. Our desire is to know God and make him known to you: which we seek to achieve through our fellowship and worship, through discipleship, serving, and through mission.