Posted on 02/12/2005 6:49:09 PM PST by P-Marlowe
Excerpts from Rick Warren's
The Purpose-Drivenâ Life
What On Earth Am I Here For?
It's not about you. The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will not make sense.
Planned For God's Pleasure
Bringing pleasure to God is called "worship." It is the first and primary purpose of your life. The Bible says, "The Lord is pleased with those who worship him and trust his love."1 Anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship.
Depending on your religious background, you probably need to expand your understanding of "worship." You may think of church services with singing, praying and listening to a sermon. Or you may think of ceremonies, candles and communion. Or you may think of healing, miracles, and ecstatic experiences. Worship can include these elements, but worship is far more than these expressions. Worship is a lifestyle.
Your spiritual family is even more important than your physical family because it will last forever. Our families on earth are wonderful gifts from God, but they are temporary and fragile, often broken by divorce, distance, growing old and inevitably, by death. On the other hand, our spiritual family -- our relationship to other believers -- will continue throughout eternity. It is a much stronger union, a more permanent bond, than blood relationships. On earth, it is called fellowship.
Often we act as if relationships are something to be squeezed into our schedule. We talk about finding time for our children, or making time for people in our lives. That gives the impression that relationships are just a part of our lives along with many other tasks. But God says relationships are what life is all about.
Biblical fellowship is being as committed to each other as we are to Jesus Christ! God expects us to give our lives for each other. It is God's second purpose for your life.
Four of the Ten Commandments deal with our relationship to God while the other six deal with our relationship to each other. But all of them are about relationships! Later, Jesus summarized what matters most to God in two statements: love God and love people. After worship, learning to love others is the second purpose of your life.
Created to Become Like Christ
From the very beginning, God's plan has been to make you like his son, Jesus. This is your destiny, and the third purpose of your life. God announced this intention at creation: "Then God said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image and likeness.'"2
God's ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort, but character development. He wants you to grow up spiritually and become like Christ. Becoming like Christ does not mean losing your personality or becoming a mindless clone. God created your uniqueness, so he certainly doesn't want to destroy it. Christlikeness is all about transforming your character, not your personality.
--more--
Excerpts from The Purpose-Drivenâ Life/page two
Let me be absolutely clear - You will never become God, or even a god. That prideful lie is Satan's oldest temptation . . . This desire to be god shows up every time we try to control our circumstances, our future and people around us. But as creatures, we will never be the Creator. God doesn't want you to become a god, he wants you to become godly -- possessing his moral character.
God formed every creature on this planet with a special area of expertise. Some animals run, some hop, some swim, some burrow, and some fly. Each has a particular role to play, based on the way they were shaped by God. The same is true with humans. Each of us was uniquely designed, or "shaped,"to do certain things. You were shaped to serve God. Your service is called your "ministry"and it is the fourth purpose of your life.
Only you can be you. God designed each of us so there would be no duplication in the world. No one has the exact same mix of factors that make you unique. That means no one else on earth will ever be able to play the role God planned for you. If you don't make your unique contribution to the Body of Christ, it won't be made.
Serving is the opposite of our natural inclination. Most of the time we're more interested in "serve us"than service. Immature people say "I'm looking for a church that meets my needs and bless me,"not "I'm looking for a place to serve and be a blessing." We expect others to serve us, not vice versa. But as we mature in Christ, the focus of our lives should increasingly shift to living a life of service. What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of it.
God is at work in the world, and he wants you to join him. This assignment is called your mission. God wants you to have both a ministry in the Body of Christ and a mission in the world. Your ministry is your service to believers, and your mission is your service to unbelievers.
The mission that Jesus had while on earth is now our mission since we are the Body of Christ. What he did in his physical body, we are to continue as his spiritual body, the church. What is that mission? Introducing people to God! The Bible says, "Christ changed us from enemies into his friends and gave us the task of making others his friends also."3
When you became a believer, you also became God's messenger. God wants to speak to the world through you. Paul said, "We speak the truth before God, as messengers of God."... Your Life Message has four parts to it: Your testimony: the story of how you began a relationship with Jesus; Your life lessons: the most important lessons God has taught you; Your godly passions: the issues God shaped that you care about most; The Good News: the message of salvation
1 Psalm 147:11 CEV
2 Genesis 1:26 NCV
3 2 Cor. 5:18 TEV
Then, if you want to understand, may I suggest that you humbly take it to the Lord. It seems as if not much of what is said here will convince you. It is He that opens our eyes.
It wasn't bait, Lupie, I'm honestly trying to understand the opposition to Rick and his teaching.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.
The Modern Day Apostacy movement appears to be infecting many of the stoic mainline churches who now claim that God overlooks sin and that he encourages rather than condemns adultery and homosexual sex. I don't see that attitude coming from pentecostals. Now there is a lot of "name it and claim it" nonsense in many of the pentecostal churches, but I'm not sure that that kind of nonsense is being posited from Warren's pulpit and this thread is not about pentecostals, it is about Warren.
And as far as the "tounges" movement is concerned, do you believe that all the gifts of the spirit came to an abrupt end sometime ago? And if so, then do you have any scriptural basis for it? And do you consider speaking in tounges as a sign of apostacy?
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Act 2:46-47)
Yes, but this was based on the Word of God, not man.
Indeed. But if the word of God is being preached, then the numbers will follow. I think you can take that to the bank.
I for one do not see a church that started the decade with 100 members and ends the decade with 100 members as a sign that the church is following the great commission.
We are told to "compel them" (unbelievers) to come in. We are told to be fishers of men. Sometimes you need a hook to catch a fish. You may be able to grab them with your hands and throw them in the boat, but they are slippery.
That is not exactly a biblical truth. Broad is the gate that leads to destruction, narrow is the way... Just "thinking" about God does nothing. Without repentance, there is no forgiveness of sin. Thinking about God is not accomplishing anything considerable if that is all that is done and it goes no further. But if one biblical expose is the means which God uses to cause one soul to come to repentance, then all of heaven will rejoice and I consider that considerable!
Yet, I know this is PDL is the latest fad and is something that is swallowed by many and there is not much I can do to help people understand that wordly methods do not work on the souls of men but it salvation comes from hearing the Word of God. It has always been, it always will in this age.
I am sorry that I thought you were baiting. Many use that approach to engage as they blindly support a man or false teachings. My sincere apologies for putting you in that category in error. I was wrong to do so.
If you are truly interested in understanding the errors of his teaching - not necessarily errors of comission, but also errors of omission, here are some places that have some in-depth article for you or anyone who doesn't feel "quite right" (from the Holy Spirit) about his stuff. Take time to read them, look up the scriptures and most of all, take is to our Lord. There are many more such articles around.
Who is your pastor that we might put him under such scrutiny?
Well, Paul did not preach in the same way Peter preached. So, allow each to preach the Gospel in his own way. Some will be attracted by one; others by another.
Oh good grief. Any Godly and humble pastor would gladly, and should be, open for biblical scrutiny. Paul certainly was. Checking what someone teaches against the Word is not wrong, it is a command. And someone who makes a ton of money and as important, a reputation from the sheep should very much more be scrutinized. What they say and write, what we say and write should ALWAYS be held up to the Word of God.
2Tim.3:16
[16] All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Or what's wrong with this:
2Timothy 2:15-16
[15] Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
[16] But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
I see these "methods" as adhering more to verse 16 than verse 15 of 2 Timothy 2: 15-16. Tell me how Warren doesn't fit this. I believe this kind of approach, Warren's, is just trying to make "worship lite" entertaining and that will be short lived.
Today we have entertainment coming out of our ears. Numerous cable channels etc. YET what's on the rise? Anti depressants! I think we are entertaining ourselves to death and there is no substance to it and why people are continually depressed and empty inside.
What you said is true, But both were teaching the true, and the complete gospel. Their message was the same, but their personality different.
What you said is true, but is not a good reason to accept what Warren teaches. Read through the articles posted and you will see that what he teaches is not necessarily the whole counsel, the whole gospel. And he DOES put his book on the same level as scripture - as one the will come alive, is to be interacted with, etc.
Yes, and it is excellent.
So, if Warren's message is falling on barren ground, it will die out.
If it's falling on fertile ground, we'll just see where it goes.
What does lupie's paster have to do with whether or not Rick Warren is faithfully presenting the Gospel?
Ok, who is your pastor and where can we find what he has written?
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