God's purpose

This notion of purpose intrigues me. What is our purpose? Why are we here?

It's clear that many set personal goals (and achieve them). It's clear that many wander wondering.

Christians are fortunate. We are given a purpose, a meaning, a duty. Matthew 28:19says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Jesus is telling us clearly what our purpose is.

The problem came when we tried to implement the duty. We, us, humanity got involved. We created committees. We developed plans. We wrote how-to books. We did everything we could to muck it up including those little incidents like the inquisition and the crusades.

Why didn't Jesus say, "And this is the way I want it done?"

Don't know, but I can speculate.

The reason the third portion of the Trinity is included there, I think, is that the role of the Holy Spirit was and is to teach us how to go and make disciples. Only when we lean toward Him do we do what we're supposed to do in the way we're supposed to do it.

I would do anything to have a meeting or a session or a service in which 50 people came to Christ. I would. I would love to have to baptize a bunch of folks at once. It simply has never happened. I don't know that it will.

But I plug on, fingernails clawing at the cliff of salvation, waiting for that purpose to be a successful one.

The irony is, when someone does come to Christ because God used you or us or even something we said inadvertently, we might not even know it.

That's the beauty of salvation. It's God's purpose.