Acts 1:1-11
Have any of you read “The Purpose Driven Life?” I have, in fact it is in the bookshelf in my office. One of the reasons it is such a huge seller is because everyone needs a purpose. Not only do they need a purpose, unless they recognize that purpose – unless they know what it is and are taking steps to fulfill that purpose – they are basically just treading water – going nowhere – and they know it. Kind of like when your smart phone or computer is acting up, you know that something isn’t right but you can’t figure out what is wrong. If you don’t recognize your purpose, something doesn’t feel right about your life but you can’t figure out what is wrong. Without a purpose, joy is difficult to come by.
We all need a purpose. Last week, I talked about our gifts to God as individuals and collectively as the church. Well, along with our purpose as individuals, our church also has a purpose but sometimes, just as individuals, our church can lose sight of its purpose. As difficult as it can be for an individual to find – or regain – their purpose, it is doubly so for a church. Why? Because the church is filled with individuals who, if they cannot work together, are unable to agree, not only on a purpose, but on ways to go about achieving that purpose. Now we all know that the church’s purpose, its mission, is to make disciples for the transformation of the world, but how do we go about doing that?
I’m fond of saying that God gives us what we need, not necessarily what we want. The Book of Acts is indicative of that. It shows us that if we are going to be faithful, we are going uncomfortable. Acts shows us what we need to know to be the kind of church that God intended the Church to be.