God has made you on purpose, with a purpose, for a purpose. Do you know God’s purpose for your life? The Gospel of Mark succinctly reveals Jesus’ purpose for His disciples:

And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach and to have authority to cast out the demons. (Mark 3:14-15)

The wonderful truth is that just as Jesus called His twelve disciples, He is also calling us:

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. (Revelation 3:20)

Jesus desires that we would be with Him. The Gospel narratives account for approximately sixty days in the three year span of Jesus’ earthly ministry. What was occurring in the other days of His three year ministry that were not recorded in the Gospels? The implication is that He was investing His time in training His disciples. They were traveling with Jesus throughout Galilee as well as being with Jesus during their travel to and from Judea. Jesus knew that more is caught than taught and His disciples were gaining an experiential knowledge of the nature of God as they were with Jesus. Jesus responded to Philip, “The one who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). A foundational principle of Christianity is people grow more spiritually when they are connected relationally. As we invest time with Jesus, and others who reflect the life of Jesus, we become more like Him. How are you investing time with Jesus?

Jesus taught that our relationship with Him precedes our work for Him. Our time with Jesus enables us to work effectively for Him. The disciples were imbued with power from on high because they had been with Jesus:

Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)

What is the work that Jesus assigns His disciples? We see that He calls us to preach the good news. The word preach means to proclaim publicly as a herald. A herald is one who proclaims a message with formality, gravity, and authority to emphasize that the message must be heeded.

He has also called us to engage in spiritual warfare. He has given His disciples the authority to overcome the the forces of evil. Jesus has delegated His authority to us and we can go forward with confidence knowing that we are not simply working to victory, but from victory:

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

May you fulfill your God-given purpose as you faithfully invest time with Him.

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

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