What is our purpose?

Today I want to give more questions than answers. The greatest impact of what I share now is going to come from taking some time before the Lord to answer these questions.

You are unique! Why? How?

God appointed place and time of your birth

God appointed your physical attributes—color, shape, genetics, etc..

God appointed where you are living now

God appointed your talents 

God appointed your spiritual gifts—if you have trusted him as Savior

God appointed a purpose and a task for you to do

God appointed your calling

Dear friend, if you are trying to be like someone else, then those around you are missing out on what you have to contribute, which is unique to you. 

What is YOUR purpose?

On the Damascus road Paul asked: "Who are you Lord? What would you have me do?" (not "What would Jesus do?")

Acts 17:24-28 (ESV) 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for

"'In him we live and move and have our being';

as even some of your own poets have said,

"'For we are indeed his offspring.'

(ESV) Acts 13:36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep...

You're not too young to begin discerning it (Lake Harriet story)

1 Samuel 3:1-14 (ESV)  Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place.  The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, "Here I am!" and ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call; lie down again." So he went and lay down. 

And the Lord called again, "Samuel!" and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, my son; lie down again."

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant hears." Then the Lord said to Samuel, "Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever."

Jeremiah 1:4-8 (ESV) The Call of Jeremiah

4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

and before you were born I consecrated you;

I appointed you a prophet to the nations."

6 Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth." 7 But the Lord said to me,

"Do not say, 'I am only a youth';

for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,

and whatever I command you, you shall speak.

8 Do not be afraid of them,

for I am with you to deliver you,

declares the Lord."

Isaiah 6:8-9 (ESV) 8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me." 9 And he said, "Go, and say to this people...

Calling of Moses, Naaman's servant girl, Jonah, Peter, Paul, many

What is your passion in life, your God-given ambition?

Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

God's plan for our lives. He made it really simple - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself." How does your passion fit into this?

What are your talents? What skills could you develop to help you fulfill what God has called you to do?

Galatians 6:4-5 (ESV) 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load.

Galatians 6:4-5 (NLT) 4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

What are your Spiritual Gifts? Are you using them to serve in the church and in ministry? What is your calling?

What Scripture verses has the Lord given you that have given you some guiding principles in your life? What life markers have you experienced that have shaped you?

1 Peter 4:7-11 (ESV) 7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

"These Spiritual Gifts, then, perhaps more accurately can be called ministry istry areas, or areas of calling. Paul does, however, make it clear that these Gifts are to be used for the betterment and advancement of the Church: "to equip the saints [members] for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ." Through the centuries, Christians have sought to identify and put into practice their unique Spiritual Gifts or callings. Identifying your talents isn't intended to take the place of identifying your Spiritual Gifts, but rather, it can be a powerful way to enhance your Gifts and calling. Your Spiritual Gifts help you find what the ministry is that God wants to see you accomplish; your talents are God's way of showing you how you will accomplish it."

Albert L. Winseman;Donald O. Clifton;Curt Liesveld. Living Your Strengths: Discover Your God-Given Talents and Inspire Your Community (p. 30). Kindle Edition.

http://giftstest.com/

https://spiritualgiftstest.com/

How will you fulfill your calling?

1. Seek the Lord. Ask "Who are you, Lord?" Acts 22:7
2. Ask the Lord "What shall I do, Lord?" Listen for the Lord to reveal to you what He is calling you to do. Acts 22:9
3. God's plan for our lives. He made it really simple - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself." How does your God-given ambition fit into this?
4. Start doing ministry in your church to gain experience but also to fine tune your understanding of what God is uniquely calling you to. Discover your spiritual gifts and understand your talents.
5. Seek counsel with your church leaders and godly people in your life.
6. Obey. Do not be afraid. Say "Yes, Lord!"

Expand from there

• Psalm 139:13-18
• Jeremiah 1:4-5
• Acts 6:1-7
• Matthew 25:14-30
• Galatians 6:4-5
• 1 Corinthians 12:4-5; 12-26
• Acts 2:43-47
• Romans 11:29
• 1 Peter 4:10-11
• John 15:16 
• Ephesians 4:15-16 (ESV) Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Why the title "Crushed Myrrh"?

Back in the mid-70s, my dad published a book called "What's In A Name?" He had done a couple years research on the meanings of people's names and how they could derive a character quality from that meaning. In his research he learned that "Mary" means "bitter." The origin of the name Mary comes from a bitter resin from the sap of a myrrh tree. When that resin is dried and then crushed, it gives off a sweet aroma.  It was a costly and rare spice that was used in healing, beauty treatments and embalming.  It has an extremely bitter taste, but it has a sweet scent that is released when it is pierced or wounded. When extracted, it forms of a yellow fluid that collects and hardens in small lumps known as tears. Then they must be crushed into powder for the fragrance to be released. The sweetest myrrh comes from the resin that comes out naturally. 

Myrrh is referred to a few times in the Bible and it is interesting how it was used. It was given to Jesus as a gift along with gold and frankincense by the Wisemen at the time of His birth. One source I read said that it may have the drug effect like Valium which may be why Jesus rejected it when it was mixed with vinegar and offered to him while he was on the cross. Myrrh was wrapped on Jesus’ body at his death. Names from the Bible that get their meaning from Myrrh are Miriam, the sister of Moses, Marah, the bitter waters that the Children of Israel complained about in the wilderness. Naomi said to call her Mara because she was bitter over losing her two sons and husband. And Mary has its roots in this word. Myrrh is mentioned often in the Song of Solomon as a symbol of love. It was used in Esther’s beauty treatment. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery in exchange for myrrh. It was one of the ingredients in the Anointing Oil that was put on the priests in Exodus 30:22-29. They had to be worthy to wear this oil.

In the same way that the gum from the myrrh plant can be released naturally or by piercing, Jesus offered up himself as a sacrifice and he was pierced. Myrrh reminds us of the outpouring of Christ’s love in a bitter but fragrant death.

My middle name is Ann which means “full of grace.” Myrrh reminds me of my need to have any bitterness in my life crushed, by God’s grace, dying to self and my rights. Only then will the sweet aroma of Christ come out of my life.

Integral Missionary Development

Last May our mission leaders met in the UK for what they call International Council meetings. During that time Jeff turned over his position of Associate International Director to another man named Daren Beck. Jeff took on Daren’s role of Asia Regional Coordinator. We will be writing more about this new role in our upcoming newsletter. I was appointed as the International Integral Missionary Training Coordinator. It is in regards to this role that I am writing. Jeff on my task force since we will be developing a training program in the Philippines—primarily for ACTION missionaries but it can be expanded to others as we are able. It will include both classroom (with ourselves and other leaders) and on the street aspects to the training.

We are concerned about unnecessary missionary attrition that happens during the first term of service. It is our desire as a task force to investigate ways of better preparing missionaries to avoid pre-mature departure from field service. We will be investigating how we can do a better job of selecting potential missionaries and then guiding them to the point where they are ready to serve and be effective in their first term of service. Missionary preparation encompasses four aspects (at least) which our task force will be working on. Although I list them in a linear sequence, each aspect overlaps. 

1. The individual or couple, their calling into foreign missionary service and their own preparation, schooling and personal development

2. The churches' guidance, mentoring and ministry training opportunities

3. The application process and orientation with their mission agency

4. The training provided by their mission agency which is specialized to that organization

Jeff and I will be primarily focused on the 4th aspect for missionaries who are joining our organization but we want to investigate the first two aspects. When someone is called of the Lord to become a missionary, what steps can they take to begin preparing themselves for foreign service? What disciplines, training or character qualities need to be developed? Then, what role does the church have in helping that individual or family to be prepared for missionary service? How can they provide a venue for ministry within the church prior to being deployed to the field?