Rick Warren is convinced “The Purpose-Driven Life” study can do
more than just change one’s life.
Rick Warren is convinced “The Purpose-Driven Life” study can do
more than just change one’s life.
It can change an entire state – even the state of Louisiana – by
changing its churches.
“(This purpose-driven emphasis) will change your church like nothing else,”
Warren said during the recent Louisiana Baptist Evangelism Conference at Istrouma
Baptist Church in Baton Rouge.
Warren did not attend the state conference – but he did make his presence
known.
Warren addressed each session of the two-day conference via video, speaking
specifically about the state convention’s year-long “40 Days of Purpose”
emphasis.
Warren is pastor at Saddleback Valley Community Church in Lake Forest, Calif.,
one of the largest Southern Baptist congregations in the nation. He also is
author of “The Purpose-Driven Life.” The book urges persons to commit
40 days of study for discovering God’s purpose for their lives.
Louisiana Baptist leaders have embraced the concept, as have many others across
the nation. They have made the study the centerpiece of their “40 Days
of Purpose” year-long emphasis on equipping Louisiana Baptists to serve
God and share the gospel. That makes Louisiana one of the first states to partner
with Warren in the study.
As a means of launching the 2004 emphasis, the study was the focus on the recent
evangelism conference, which organized general sessions on “The Purpose-Driven
Life” themes and offered small-group sessions related to the study.
As many as 2,000 persons overall attended the conference, state Evangelism
Director Wayne Jenkins estimated.
“I believe what we’ve got here really is a movement, …” he
said of the momentum he has seen in the days after the conference. “(This
‘40 Days of Purpose’ emphasis) will focus us on what we ought to be
focused on.”
State leaders say they hope as many as 750 to 1,000 Louisiana Baptist churches
will lead persons through the study this year.
“Imagine the impact that would have on this state, …” Warren said
during the opening session of the conference.
Warren said the average church is increasing in size and budget as a result
of the “purpose-driven” emphasis. “There is spiritual awakening
happening, …” he said. “And Louisiana is leading the way.”
In a second presentation, Warren introduced persons to the study, reminding
them that they were made for God’s family.
“The reason you were created is … to be a part of God’s family,
…” he said. “How could you ever doubt your value? … You were never
meant to go through life alone. You were meant to be part of God’s family.”
A Christian simply cannot make it without a church family, Warren insisted.
“A Christian without a church family is an orphan, …” he said.
“We belong to each other, and each of us needs the other.”
The truth is that Christians are put on earth to learn how to love – and
the church is the laboratory for that, Warren explained. “It’s called
fellowship.”
For many, fellowship has been reduced to cookies, coffee and casual conversation,
Warren added. However, he noted that real fellowship is koinonia – “being
as committed to each other as we are to Jesus Christ.”
In a third presentation, Warren reminded persons that they were created to
be like Christ. “This is not God’s Plan B, …” he said. “From
the very beginning of time, God has wanted to make us in his image.”
The plan is not for persons to be godly, to feel and love as God does, Warren
said.
“He put you here to develop and become like Jesus, …” Warren said.
“Once you understand that, … life begins to make sense.”
The process of becoming like Christ is called discipleship, Warren said. In
that process, God uses the Bible, the Holy Spirit, other people, temptation
and even troubles to help one grow and develop, he said.
“Every problem in your life has a purpose, … and the purpose is to help
you develop character,” Warren said.
The goal is to produce the fruit of the spirit in each life, he said. To accomplish
that, God uses all the situations of one’s life.
In his fourth presentation, Warren emphasized that persons were shaped to serve
God, shaped for ministry.
He used the acrostic “SHAPE,” with each letter representing a specific
factor a Christian can use to find God’s will.
The first factor is spiritual gifts.
When a person becomes a Christian, he or she receives at least one spiritual
gift to use for serving Christ and benefitting others, Warren noted.
The second factor is heart.
“God gives us all a different passion and heart … so it all gets done,”
Warren said.
A believer’s passion and enthusiasm about a certain subject or activity
may provide some clues as to what area that person should serve, Warren explained.
The third factor is abilities.
“God wires us in different ways,” Warren said. “Our natural
abilities are just as significant as our spiritual gifts because they are from
God.”
The fourth factor is personality.
God wired each believer in different ways because he loves variety, Warren
explained. Indeed, the world would be a boring place if the Lord created each
person with the same personality, he said. “(And) The greater the difference
in personality, the greater the difference for potential growth.”
The final factor is experiences.
“God never wastes an experience,” Warren reminded persons.
The Lord may use educational, family, vocational, spiritual and even painful
experiences to shape a believer, he said.
Warren also said a Christian’s greatest ministry likely will come out
of his or her most painful experience. “God never wastes a hurt. The very
experience you wish never would have happened is the very thing God wants to
make as your greatest ministry.”
In his final segment, Warren reminded persons they were created for a mission.
“That mission in the world is to share the good news with others,”
he noted.
If a person desires God to bless his or her life, the believer must care about
what God wants, Warren said. “He wants those he created to know him. God
cares most about having his lost children found.”
Every believer and church always should strive to reach more person for Jesus,
Warren noted. “As long as there’s one person in your community who
doesn’t know Christ, you must grow,” he said.
And since God wants everyone to know him, Warren said a church should do whatever
it takes to reach others. “A church that says it doesn’t want to grow
is like saying they want everyone to go to hell,” he said.
“We won’t rest until one more person knows Christ,” Warren concluded.
“We have to care because God cares.”