Ever feel like your life is going nowhere? Fast? Have you ever asked the question? I mean, recently, why am I here? What's my purpose?
If you'd like to learn to move from success to significance, stick around. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, why am I here? Not just existing, but truly living with purpose? Today on Living on the Edge, Chip Ingram helps us answer life's most fundamental question. He reveals that your mission in life isn't about owning a home, being comfortable, or making sure your kids turn out right.
God placed you on earth for one specific reason. To know Christ and make Him known. But here's the question, where does that happen?
Well, the answer might surprise you. It's not somewhere far away. It's right where you are. Here's Chip Ingram continuing our series called Experience Breakthrough. Never forget the uh Illustration: a guy shared with me.
I was a young Christian, just a couple years. I can't remember where I was, but I still have the picture in my mind of the napkin. And he pulled out a napkin. And uh He drew about six different buckets with the picture from a source, My Life, Rainbows. Rainbows going into these six different buckets.
He said, You know, Chip, everyone has a dream in their life, whether they verbalize it or not. And they're following the rainbow into the pot or the bucket of gold. You know, some people follow the dream, and then he drew the little bucket and he wrote the word fame. He said, other people, it's not fame, it's popularity or looks. And then he made another rainbow and he drew a little bucket and he put a dollar sign on it.
And he said, you know, some people think if they just get enough money and can own enough things and impress enough people, then life will come through for them. And then he drew another rainbow and he put a bucket and it said success. And then he drew one to surprise me. He said, family. He said, Chip, we could draw buckets where people follow rainbows, and every bucket in life is empty except two.
There's only two buckets that if you give your life to these They'll always come through for you. Number one is God's Word, because it's eternal. Every time you invest in God's Word, anytime you take it in, read it, apply it, pass it on, share it with anyone else, you're investing in something that will never, never fail. The second bucket. That will always be full are the souls of men and the souls of women.
Every human being on the face of this planet eternally matters to God. Anytime you invest in a relationship, anytime you love a person, pray for a person, care for a person, provide the needs of a person, encourage a person, you're. Marking into something that's eternal. And by the way, remember, there is a resurrection coming. And everyone gets resurrected.
You're aware of that. Scripture says, some to be with the Lord forever, some to be separated for all eternity. You need to know your mission. Jesus made it very clear in Matthew 28. As you go or go, therefore, Make disciples.
Of all ethnos, all people, all people groups, all nations. Make disciples, make followers of me. Baptize them, identification in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and all the things that I've taught you, pass on to them in order that they can not just learn them, but obey them, put them into practice. And by the way, I'll be with you. I know you can't do it on your own.
I'll be with you always. See in a nutshell, here's your mission in life. If you're a housewife, this is your mission. If you're a carpenter, this is your mission. If you're a businessman, this is your mission.
If you're a musician, this is your mission. If you're a student, it's your mission. If you're a woman, it's your mission. If you're a man, it's your mission. Your mission is to know Christ and to make Him known.
That's why you were placed on this planet. Period. That will come through your personality, your desires, your backgrounds. And you can do it in San Jose? Or you can do it in San Juan.
And you can do it by working with your hands, and you can do it by working with your head. Your mission, your reason for existence is to know Him. And then. out of the overflow of your relationship to make him known. Your mission is not to own a home.
Your mission is not to be comfortable. Your mission is not as important as is all your kids turn out right. Your mission is not You being happy. Your mission is not to save up enough money as though you know the future so that your retirement years will be secure. That's not your mission.
That's a dead end. Your mission is to know Christ. And to make him known. Every person you walk by, believers to be encouraged, unbelievers, the average unbeliever grew up like me. I never met a real Christian until I was 18.
Seventy. I mean, I met church people and I saw a bunch of junk that happened in churches. I never met a real one. I mean, one that lives out, one whose life and words matched up and told the same story, one who would listen instead of talk at me, one who cared, one who lived it out, one who had a radical lifestyle, one who said, I'll give up two weeks of vacation and go to El Salvador. Or to Mexico.
Or would stop in the middle of their busy day and say, I've got time to talk to you. And I know it's not politically correct, but let me tell you what Jesus has done in my life. without judging where you're at in your life. See, you want to be significant instead of successful? One.
First and foremost. Clarify your mission. Secondly, embrace your mission field. You need to know where you're going, but you need to know where God wants you to know Christ and to make Him known. We get this idea that your mission field has got to be in Africa.
I'm telling you. I hope some of you go, but I'm going to tell you, 99% of you probably will never go to Africa. But we think, well, that's the mission field, and since you're not going there, If you're like me, you unconsciously slide in fulfilling the agenda. and buying the commercials. And looking to be happy, comfortable, prosperous, well off, with a dash of Jesus on the side.
Don't you know? Embrace your mission field. Where are your greatest spheres of influence? Jesus said not become salt, become light. What did he say?
You are salt. You are light. You're going to reveal. You're going to flavor. You're going to challenge.
You're going to change. You're going to have an impact. Unless you're under a bushel. Unless you've lost your saltiness. Let me give you the three areas where it is clear.
That you need to sprinkle the salt of Christ. The love of Christ and the holiness of God. First, you're home. That's your first mission field. Deuteronomy 6, 4 to 9 says, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. These commandments I give you today are to be upon your hearts.
Now get this. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands, buy them on your foreheads, write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Do your kids, your family network, see that your number one concern and mission field is them?
Spend time in the scriptures in your home? Do they catch you praying sometimes? Oh, sorry, mom.
Sorry, Dad. Do they see the integrity that you talk about and This stuff about God lived out. In your life? That's your mission field. If it doesn't work there, don't export it.
Some of us are thinking, God, what do you want me to do with my life? Start right where you are. Love your wife. Love your husband. Care about your kids.
Turn the stupid TV off and spend some time together. Find out who their friends are. Ask them questions. Go on walks. Put your arms around them.
Don't assume everything's really okay. Face the hard issues. Be God's man. Becott's woman. Second field that God wants you to make an impact in, your sphere of influence.
Second mission field is your work. Do you ever realize that the great majority of your time is spent not at home, not at church, not praying and not reading the Bible? Do you realize that what most of us do is we get up every day and we put in, I don't know anybody who works a 40-hour week, but God bless you if you figured out how to do that. Yeah, I see. Right?
Most of this is about 55 or 60 then you're getting kind of revved up And if you're under some pressure, some of us do the 70 or 80 hours. Don't do much of that. But it's life.
Now think about multiply that out over all the years that you live Where do you spend the great bulk of your entire world? It's working, whether that's at home or whether that's at an office or a job site. That's where you spend the great bulk of your life. Do you think that God has a plan for your life, for your family, for church, for the spiritual little wedge or window? And over here, your work life is like, well, you're on your own.
You know, like God in the morning says, well, hey, have a good day. I'll catch you later. We live that way. Notice what the scripture says, Colossians chapter 3, verses 22 to 25. The application there is to slaves in this culture.
I think we can make it to ours. Slaves, obey your earthly masters and everything.
Now, Basically, they had some terrible earthly masters. This is a tough command. And do it not only when their eye is upon you to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and. Reverence for the Lord. Oh.
Now, is the Bible actually saying that I go to work and I do my job as though I'm doing it for God? As an act of worship? With a good attitude? On time? With excellence?
You know, everyone's wearing these little bands, W, W, J, D. What would Jesus do? I got one for you. Put that band on your wrist and get up on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and if you work on Saturday, Saturday morning, and say, if Jesus was inside your body going to your job, how would he do your job? When would he leave?
And what kind of work would he do? And you know what?
Some of us feel like God could never use me. You start working like that with that kind of attitude, you will have people lined up at your desk saying, One, could you work, come work for me? Or two, what is with you? You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. We'll return to our message in just a moment.
But first, did you know that you can access this entire series anytime you want? Head on over to livingontheedge.org where you'll discover Chip's full teaching library, along with study guides and small group materials. Whether you want to replay today's message or explore other topics, everything you need to grow spiritually is available online at livingonthege.org. Let's get back to Chip's message. And by the way, you will take flak.
Because the work culture is what? The work culture is: how can you do as little as possible and get as much as possible? The Christian culture is: how much do you get to do and do it unto God? Notice Colossians 3:23. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart.
as working for the Lord, not for men. Can you imagine walking in and someone says, hey, knock it off here? No, I'm doing this for God. I don't work for IBM. I don't work for Hewlett Pattaker.
I don't work for Plantronics. You know, I'm doing these dishes, I'm changing these diapers, I'm landscaping this lawn, I'm going to do it in such a way that it honors God. Can you fathom? the impact the body of Christ would have. If we work that way.
See, too many of us have bought a car from someone out of the paper, and it has a little fish on it. And what do we immediately think? Uh-oh. Are they really telling the truth about this? See, a lot of people put a Bible on their desk or they want to tell everyone to come to a Bible study.
They don't show up on time. They don't do their homework. They're not prepared. You know what they're doing? They're disgracing the name of Christ.
Martin Luther put it well. He said, When a milkmaid goes out and milks a cow and does it as an act of worship unto the Lord. She is in a more holy state and holy ground than when a priest or a pastor. Does not take care of the Word of God and doing that job in a way that honors Him. I'll get news for you.
There aren't two sets of scales. See, people sometimes, especially if I travel some, they always get around to what do you do? And I'm always a little uncomfortable. In my mind's eye, I still don't think of myself as a minister, you know? or like clergy, or even pastor.
See, I didn't grow up around people like that. The bricklayer helped me. You know what I knew? He was a bricklayer that was going to make disciples. I think of myself as a coach.
It's just a different team.
Okay. I am just a coach. And when I stand before God, He doesn't say, Oh, this is what I expect of Chip, and then all these lay people, baloney. I'll tell you what he says.
Now, the ruler, and the, it's going to be a little different because I teach the word, James tells me. But he's going to evaluate what I do is no more spiritual than what you do, and most of you don't believe that. But you need to believe it. Because what you do at work That's your sphere of influence. Can you imagine the impact?
And some of you are making it.
Some of you are my heroes. As I put this point down, you know, a number of people just came to my mind. I thought, wow. Third, the sphere of influence is your network. Colossians 4, verses 5 and 6, notice what it says: be wise in the way you act toward non-believers.
Making good use of how many opportunities, every opportunity you have. Your speech should always be pleasant and interesting, and you should know how to give the right answer to everyone. See, you have a network, and probably in our day, it's not your neighborhood. It's probably the other moms or dads on the little league team or the soccer team. It's probably the person that, you know, every week some of you go to the dry cleaners.
Are you building a relationship with that person?
Some of us pick up coffee at the same place almost every morning, right? Have you ever thought that this relationship could begin from where you are and you could love them and build a relationship into the kingdom?
Some of you have your cars repaired the same place. Did you realize God has brought that mechanic into your life for a reason?
Some of you play bridge, some of you have hobbies, some of you crochet, some of you play softball. Don't you here's what's your network? We always are thinking, who am I going to share with Christ and build this evangelistic relationship with? Here's the secret. How about all the people you already know.
I mean, I've been sharing the Lord with a guy at the coffee shop for. Close to seven years. I just made a major breakthrough after about a year with the lady at 7-Eleven, and she saw my Bible, asked what I did, found out her son's a Christian, is sharing Christ with her, and now we have 30 to 2-minute conversations about the scripture. I have a neighbor that I've been praying for for eight years, and one day I just had an impulse from God. He brought a verse to my mind.
Let your light so shine before men that they can see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. And just at an impulse, I went over and cut her grass. She's a single mom. And I'm thinking, no big deal. I mean, yards here.
Where I grew up when you cut grass, it was an hour. You know, here it's 12 minutes, you're done. And I mean, you would think I was passing out bags of gold to this lady. She's a sweet lady, she's a great lady. And I don't know really where she's at spiritually, but I live close to her, but I've never really connected.
I came home last night and there were two cartons of eggs and two things of jam on our front door from her saying thanks. What's your network? It's not some way, someday, somehow when you, it's right now where you're at. Let me give you number three. Because you need to know how to do this.
There's six steps, I call it everybody evangelism. You move from success to significance by one, clarifying your mission, why am I here? Two, embrace your mission field, where are my spheres of influence? The home, work, my network. Three, engage in the harvesting process.
First Corinthians 3 says that we can't make anything grow, only God can do it. But some water and some plant. And we all work together. I know I have only a handful of relationships where I build a relationship, I water, I do this, I do this, I do this, and six months or two years later, I lead that person to Christ. There's people I meet that people have been working on for 20 years, and I get to lead them to Christ.
There's other people that I build a relationship with, and I, you know what? Boy, I sure hope God does something because I haven't seen anything. But I'm not discouraged about that anymore. In fact, I took the gun away from my head. I don't have to do one.
See, I am not, and you are not a prosecuting attorney. You know what we are? Witnesses. You know what witnesses do? Witnesses step up on the plate and say, This is what's true of me, this is what Jesus did in my life.
Now let me give you a way to get involved in this. Notice the little chart. I took this out of a book called The High Impact Church. Linus Morris did this, and he ministers in Europe. Notice there's about six steps.
First, look at your network. Make contact with the unchurched is your goal. Action step, establish visibility in the community. Identify and pray for and contact people in social networks. It's like helping out with a little league team.
Two, after the network, befriend people. The goal? build trusting relationships, like really care about them. The action, build bridges socially, show love and care, look for divine appointments, just start serving people. Step three.
Identify. Look for a felt need. You know, it took me eight years. I mean, I must be like slow of speech, slow of tongue, and way low on brains. Took me eight years to figure out a felt need in my neighbor's life was cutting the lawn, so simple.
What are the felt needs of the people? Going through divorce. Have financial problems? Struggle with aging parents. Pressure in their marriage?
Here's the action step. Listen attentively, show concern. You don't have to jam Jesus down their throat and give them five Bible verses. Just listen. You will be a minority.
Just listen. Network, befriend, identify, then share. Share your story. Action step, look for receptivity and sensitively share your story. This takes most of you off the hook.
You don't have to have all the answers. Just, this is what Jesus did in my life. This is what Jesus did in my marriage. This is what Jesus did in that relationship, and I'm still struggling with it. Just share your story.
And then, when they ask that real hard question that's so hard, and the reason why we don't share, here's the answer: I'm going to tell you in advance. They ask this, what about da da da da da? Right? The real hard question. Here's your answer: I don't know.
I don't know. Here's what I know he did for me. But uh You know what? The way I've learned is through the New Testament. And I'd like to give you one if you want to start reading it.
As you have questions, I'd be glad to talk with you. And that is a good question. I don't know that one, but I'll go do some study. Would you like to get a cup of coffee and talk about it later? You're not under pressure.
You don't have to have all the answers. Just share your story. Fifth, invite. The goal is to expose them to the gospel. Action step: bring an unbelieving friend or a contact to a weekend service or to a small group.
Invite them. Harvest. Encourage commitment to Christ and assimilate them in the life of the church. There's a point in time where people get ready and you need to cross over the line and say, Would you like to receive Jesus as your Savior? Would you like to have your sins forgiven?
And I'm always amazed because I have this unbelieving mind. How many times people would look at me right? Yes, I would. And you know what kept them from it? No one's ever asked.
Wow. You're here in Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, and what a practical reminder that your mission field isn't someday, somewhere else, it's today, right where God has placed you. Before Chip shares a closing thought, if you'd like to pass this message along to someone who needs clarity about their purpose, you'll find it at livingonthege.org. As you think about embracing your mission field in your home, your workplace, and your network of relationships, let me recommend a tool that can strengthen your daily walk with God. It's a free resource Chip created called Psalms of Hope.
Here's how it works: each day for 10 days, Chip guides you through Psalm 1, Psalm 15, or Psalm 23, providing 10 minutes of biblical insight. Then you spend 10 minutes in personal prayer and reflection. Just 20 minutes daily, 10 life-changing days. These psalms speak directly to the challenge of living purposefully in a world that constantly pulls us toward meaningless pursuits. They'll help you stay focused on what matters eternally, maintain spiritual clarity in the midst of daily pressures, and discover the joy that comes from investing your life in things that truly last.
If you need wisdom for living out your mission right where you are, these ancient songs offer timeless guidance. Begin your journey in the Psalms of Hope free online at livingonthege.org. Just search for Psalms of Hope. Friend, this teaching ministry continues because listeners choose to invest in it. Your financial support helps us equip people like you to live with purpose and significance.
Would you partner with us in this mission? To give, visit livingonthege.org or mail your gift to livingon the edge PO Box 3007 Atlanta, Georgia 30024. You can also call 888-333-6003.
Well, now here's Chip with some final thoughts. I taught this very recently, and there were two young couples, both that are fairly brand new Christians. I mean, like within the last year, and they contacted Teresa and myself because we all live in the same neighborhood. And the one lady had been through, I mean, super, super serious cancer, you know, like stage four. I don't know if she's going to make it, but they grew up in this area.
And so they had all kinds of friends. And we prayed, we anointed her with oil as elders. We prayed, we fasted. God miraculously intervened. She went through all kinds of difficult times and then was restored to health.
And in that journey, She and her husband came to a personal relationship with Christ. And then all these friends and neighbors and college and fraternity and People that they knew for like 25 years, they'd rallied around them and they saw their life, and they came to Teresa and myself. And they said, you know, we want our neighbors to really hear about Jesus, but I mean, you know, we don't even hardly know what we're talking about, but we really want to see this happen. What could we do? And we literally did what I talked about in this message.
And here, can I tell you something? God is preparing people. The people at work, the people in your neighborhood, you think they're not open. They just need someone to invite them, to love them, to care about them, take an interest in them, find another person or two, pray for them. And here's how it starts: absolutely small.
It was six of us around a kitchen table six months before we started it, and then God began to work. What does He want you to do? It's absolutely small. It's just a mustard seed. Take the step and watch God work.
Tired of the pursuit that leaves you empty? I'm Dave Druy. Discover the pathway to true fulfillment tomorrow on Living on the Edge. Uh Today's program is produced and sponsored by Living on the Edge. Uh
