MADE FOR A MISSION

The Purpose Driven Life – Part 6

Picture, if you will, a wealthy government employee. He had become wealthy by making the government rulers rich and brutally oppressing and stealing from the people of his community.

Through all of his wealth he never seemed to have enough. He always wanted more and more. He started spending more time at work and less time with his family.

The stress began to mount and he began drinking to relieve the tension he felt in his head.

His desire to get more led him to associate with pretty shady characters, but because of these newfound contacts he was able to expand his power and territory. His political power and wealth surged forward.

With this came more pressure and stress. His wife wanted more money to by more furs, fancier cars and bigger vacation homes; his kids became rebellious and he spent a lot of money keeping them out of trouble and well stocked in clothing and cars. His government superiors were pleased with the money he made for them, but began demanding he raise more.

He graduated from alcohol to drugs as his life began to spiral out of control. He seemed to be trapped in vicious circle that seemed to have no end in site - he was a rat trapped in a cage and he couldn't get off the wheel.

It was when he was the wealthiest and most powerful that he felt the emptiest and most afraid. He started to ponder how he could get out the trap he was in. He even considered ending it all.

One day in his office, he was counting money and trying to figure out how much to skim off, how much to send to his superiors and how much to hide from his family; all the while contemplating taking his own life.

All of the sudden he heard a great commotion outside and he went to see what was going on.

He grabbed a weak old man by his collar as he limped by and demanded, in his best official government voice, " What is going on here?!"

"Jesus of Nazareth is coming! Jesus is coming! I am going to go see Him and ask Him to heal me" the old man replied.

"Who is this "Jesus of Nazareth?" the tax collector asked; "Why is He so important to everyone?"

The crippled fellow replied that Jesus was a great healer and prophet, some even claimed that He was God's Son and He was bringing restoration and hope wherever He went. "HOPE? How can a mere man give me hope?"

"He is no mere mortal, He IS much, much more. God Himself has declared that Jesus is His Son and there are many well documented cases of His miracles! He is the Messiah!" was the reply, and the old man limped away up the street as fast as he could.

WOW! I must see what sort of man this is that gets so many people in such a rush of excitement. If I only see Him maybe I can figure out what to do with my life!

The man ran out to meet Jesus. The crowd was great and the tax collector was very short so no matter how hard he tried he could not even get a glimpse of Jesus. He remembered a tall Sycamore tree he passed on the way out of town and ran back to it and climbed up to a limb about 8 feet up in the air and waited. He WOULD see Jesus!

Here He comes. Look at all the people trying to touch Him. Hey - I know that guy - he is the cripple who sets at the town gate…but he is walking perfectly now! There is Blind Billy - I have been taking money from his family since he was born! I know he is blind...but now he can see! This "Jesus" is able to heal - maybe he could save me from all my trouble and …and ..and...give even me hope? LOOK – there is the old man I grabbed outside my office, he is so frail and sick he is just barely able to get to Jesus – WAIT – he is standing up straight – he is throwing away the bent stick he used as a cane – he is JUMPING? He is healed. I must MEET this Jesus

No. The best I can hope for is to see Him. He would never want to help someone as guilty and unaccepted as I am. Nobody wants to even be around a tax collector, much less help one.

Here He comes…wait ...He is pointing to me. He is motioning me down from the sycamore tree…why. Hey, how do you know my name? How did He know my name?

You want to WHAT?! Come to my house and eat at my table? BUT, But…do you know what I do for a living? You do?…but you don't know what my life is like. You do?! Everything?

And you still want to come to my house? This is cool! I would be happy to have the honor of opening my house to such a man as this.

He came to my house and showed me how to find Hope. He forgave me of my sins, every one of them. He removed every desire I every had for a drink or a drug and took away the pride and arrogance that had dominated my like.

He saved my life. I felt brand new and I knew what good was and justice was and what God wanted for my life.

I gave back what I had stolen and shared the rest of my riches with poor in the city. It felt good to give instead of take.

I asked Him a simple question - "WHY?" He told me that He "had come to seek and to save what was lost, and that I was most certainly lost before but now I was found."

I have never been the same again.

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Most of us recognized the story of Zacchaeus from Luke 19: 1 - 10 but wonder what it has to do with today's topic of evangelism - our 5^th, and most important purpose in life.

Jesus knew His mission while He was here on earth, "to seek and save those like him who are lost." (NLT) Jesus was here to save people from the wages of death and give them eternal life.

Evangelism is the only purpose that we will not be able to do in Heaven, it must be accomplished here on earth.

Zacchaeus's story is my story as well. I was lost and wandering in a pit of self and pride until someone representing Jesus Christ came to me and told me about a Man who could change my life.

We, who have received so great a gift, have a responsibility to share what we have with others.

Jesus commanded us to Love Him with everything we have, to love others just as we love ourselves - in fact love them enough to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with them and lead them to eternal life in Him, the same eternal life He has already given us.

To do this:

· WE MUST SHARE WITH THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY.

· WE MUST DARE TO REACH BEYOND OUR COMMUNITY

· WE MUST CARE ABOUT THE WHOLE WORLD

We must become the very presence of Christ to those in my community and the world.

Will you purpose that in your heart and life today? Right now?

Listen to this: "But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus-- the work of telling others the Good News about God's wonderful kindness and love." (NLT) Acts 20:24

Let's bow our heads. Father, as I looked out on these faces in this service, I know you're calling all of us to accept our mission from you, and I pray you'll give people the courage to do the right thing and not walk away in disobedience. Thank you for the privilege of being invited to be a part of the greatest cause, the building of your family. ***Now, you pray. Say, "Father, more than anything else, I want to fulfill the purposes you made me for. So today, I accept this fifth purpose, my mission to tell others. I want you to use me any time, any way, any place. I want to bring others to you. I want to serve your purpose in my generation. And I want to be a part of what you're doing in the world. From this day forward, I want to build my life around Your eternal purposes, and I want to help our church do the same. Help me to reach one more for Jesus. In your name I pray. Amen.”