The Perfecting Church

Historically the church (individually and collectively) has been used by God to transform society and bring spiritual and natural freedom. This has required disciples who respond to God’s call to take action to address issues that are larger than they can correct on their own. Through God’s leading community transformation occurs when we understand our calling; convene with wise counsel; collaborate with others to leverage resources and follow His clear strategies. We are called to be the church not to just attend one. Now more than ever the world is asking “will the Church stand up”?

Opinions are as common as rocks. They are everywhere and we can all quickly pick them up. But no matter how informed or strong, opinions should never be confused with truth. Opinions are views and judgments based on personal perspective and experiences. Truth is based on unbiased and unchanging absolutes. God has purposed His Church to present and demonstrate the truth of who He is to a world full of opinions. Who do you say I am?

What was Jesus saying when He declared He would build His Church -Is His declaration still relevant for us today? The Church seems to be out of step and behind the times — is it being replaced by other social and political constructs? These questions have existed for over two millennia. But Jesus’ words, “I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not overcome it” still stand. And those words are the foundation for our greatest hope in an increasingly dark world.

Joseph was able to see beyond the treachery, the abuse, the betrayals and the suffering he experienced at the hands of his brothers, the Midianites, Potiphar’s wife and the Chief Butler. He learned to rest in God, knowing those things as grotesque as they were, would be used as a part of the sacred call on his life. Joseph learned to see in the dark. He saw beyond what they were doing and what he was experiencing, into the development and ultimate fruitfulness God had ordained for his life.

We all have a unique, sacred call to fulfill God’s dream for our lives. Not one of us can fulfill that sacred calling apart from God. Each one of us is a part of a dream that originated with God and emanates from God. He is the dream interpreter and becoming is far more dependent on Him than it is on us.

God has a process for perfecting our character and the talents that He has hidden in us. The pits and the peaks of our lives are all purposed to cause us to become something that far exceeds what we would have planned on our own. God is moving us from where we are today into His sacred calling for our lives. With each obedient, submitted and faithful step we are becoming — moving from where we are, to where He’s purposed.

There is a process to becoming and fulfilling all that God has called us to become. That process involves both the natural and supernatural. There’s a part that we can bring to the process of becoming and a part that only God can bring. We are living to access and utilize all that God has stored up for us not what man is handing out to us. We are in the process of becoming.

There is a general call on all of our lives, but each of us also carries a specific call. The general call’s intent is for us to come to faith in Jesus Christ and to become more like Him. The specific call is directly connected to our unique role in God’s eternal plans and purposes. As we surrender more and more to the general call of God on our lives, the elements of His specific call become clearer and more compelling. We’re infinitely more than our natural beginning. We are His supernatural offspring, planted at unique, pre-ordained points in human history.

There are two callings on all of our lives. The first calling is a general calling, to surrender to Jesus as Lord and to become more like Him. The second calling is a specific calling, to uniquely show off God’s glory, by extending His Kingdom in ways assigned specifically to us. Each of us is carrying a vital part of God’s dream for the generation in which we live. We’re all called to become.

The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren has sold over 32 mil copies and was a New York Times bestseller for over 90 weeks. The late Dr. Myles Munroe, a best selling-author of 69 books, most of them on purpose and leadership said, “the passion of my life is to help as many people as possible, from every nation, race, creed and social status, to discover their true potential.” Michelle Obama’s book, Becoming sold over 1.4 mil copies in its first week and after just fifteen days became the bestselling book in the US for 2018. Calling, purpose, meaning and becoming are at the heart of what it means for us to be human. We are going to look to God to answer questions like — How do we discover destiny? How do we unearth calling? How do we become? because He is more qualified than anyone else in creation to utter the words, “I Knew You When.”