When’s the last time you asked the “why” question? Not “What am I going to do tomorrow?” or “Who am I going to date?” or “Do I need a new job?” But “Why am I here?”

The Bible says that you and I are here on Earth for a purpose greater than just to pursue our own personal happiness.

Our purpose is to fulfill Jesus’ mission in our unique sphere of influence and in this unique time in history.

What was Jesus’ mission? The Bible tells us that Jesus’ mission as the Messiah and Savior of the world was fourfold:

No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. (v.18)

Jesus came to explain exactly what God was like. He did this by how He lived, what He said and what He did.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (v. 18-19)

In this Messianic passage, Jesus is saying, “I am the Messiah and I’m bringing God’s Kingdom to Earth.” Unlike our world system, which defines those who are marginalized, poor, and downtrodden as worthless, in God’s Kingdom, they are valuable.

Jesus came to show us what God’s Kingdom looks like and even modeled the characteristics of a Kingdom person as one who is humble, loving, and merciful.

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” (Matthew 4:19)

Jesus came to teach others about God and then He commanded His disciples to do likewise.

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

Jesus came and died for us willingly so that we could have intimate, free, voluntary fellowship with the creator of the universe.

So, what’s does this all mean to us, as Christ followers and citizens of God’s Kingdom?

It means that our responsibility is to explain God to our world.

To do this, we just need to look at what Jesus did!  Jesus met the needs in people and then He taught them about God. He also loved them and gave them opportunities to do that same.

It also means that it’s our mission to bring God’s kingdom to our homes, our workplaces, or our businesses.

Whatever our sphere of influence might be, we all have the responsibility to be the salt and light in this dark world. For some of us, this means bringing God’s kingdom to the entertainment industry, or to our government, or to the marginalized.

It means that each one of us is also called to go and “make disciples.”

Jesus’ command is for each one of us: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:18-20)

No matter who you are, or what you do for a living, your mission as a follower of Christ is this: To vividly explain God to your family, friends and co-workers.

Each of us should be thinking of ourselves as walking billboards for Christ!  Whether we like it or not, everything in our life shows people what God is like (of course, imperfectly).

Finally, it means that, like Christ, we are called to daily surrender our lives. Our relationship with Jesus will require our sacrifice and humility.

What many believers fail to understand is that being a Christian isn’t about being a good, moral person. It’s about denying our own agenda and selfish interests so that we can follow God’s agenda.  Although this is sometimes painful, it also produces great joy.

We are living in a time in history where we as the Church – the body of Christ -- will either take a step to be genuine followers at greater costs than ever before and make a tremendous difference, or we’ll be passive and watch this world continue to change and evil and corruption grow.

My prayer is that each of us will be shaken with a new conviction to discover God’s Kingdom purpose for each of our lives.

To learn more about what it means to live like a Christian, you can listen to Chip’s daily broadcast online. Additional tools and resources are also available for purchase online at the Resource Link on our site.