Beacon Touchpaper #7: "What on EARTH are you doing?!!"

What are we here for? What is the expectation upon us as Christians here on earth? Why does Beacon have "Living life Jesus' way, by His Spirit, on His mission, for His glory" as a purpose statement?

"Living life Jesus' way...": We as God's people are expected to live life the way Jesus created, modelled and commanded. A life of humility, of holiness, of transformation; a life that is different to the ways of the world. A life that stands out, a life that smells of LIFE, not of death.

"...by His Spirit...": That's all very well, but how on earth are we supposed be able to do such a thing? That bar's a bit high for me to reach, I have to be honest... Thank God, then, that THAT'S the point, and He has given us His Holy Spirit to be able to live life His way. It is the Holy Spirit's working in me that means I'm not a divorced guy who takes little responsibility for his daughter, who has had multiple partners, likes getting drunk, and is altogether not a nice person to boot. Because that's where I could well have been right now without Christ's salvation and work in me. It is HE Who helps us live the life He has designed for us. He's not an unreasonable God Who gives us a blueprint for something that we'd never be able to achieve and then gets the hump when we don't live up to it. He's a loving Father Who wants the best for His children and provides the means and mutual gifts for that to come to fruition.

"...on His mission...": What's the point? It's all very well living a holy life, but we could do that with Julie Andrews up a mountain (or similar...). The point is, of course, that Jesus has much more than 'just' personal change in mind, He has PURPOSE in mind, He has plans for His church, ones which give us the privilege of being on the very front-line of His military movements. He wants the likes of you and me (yes, even us!) to participate in His kingdom's advancement, to demonstrate that the Word of God is not a dusty book of historical moments and myths written by men with beards, but it's His living revelation; that He is alive and well and seated at the Father's side, interceding for us right now; that His blueprint for how life should be really lived IS applicable to today's society, and is able to transform it too! And He wants you and me to play a part in that! Hallelujah!

"...for His glory.": Why? Everything was created through Him and for Him. And it's gonna stay that way forever. He's the King of the universe, and He deserves every breath we breath and every ounce of our being to honour Him for that very reason. Our King is seated on the throne and it's to Him we live our lives...

"Living life Jesus' way, by His Spirit, on His mission, for His glory": thirteen simple words that can be sung about, written about, talked about and applied to our everyday lives for as long as we want and we'll never get to the bottom of what is really at stake here. But I'm up for the ride... wanna join me?