This past weekend the Celebration Congregation concluded our 40 DAYS OF PURPOSE Spiritual Growth emphasis for the second time (back in 2002 we were one of the first 1500 churches in the world to participate in 40 DAYS OF PURPOSE). I’m confident that this has been a wonderful time of growth for those who read daily from The Purpose Driven Life book (written by Rick Warren), participated weekly in a Life Group, and attended all 7 weekend services during the 40 DAYS OF PURPOSE. One of the greatest and godliest people I know, a lady who was walked with the Lord for many years, said to me via email, “The 40 DAYS OF PURPOSE have been like revival time.”

In the last couple of weeks, our Pastors and I asked our people to communicate back to us via emails and bulletin inserts what they’ve learned about God, life, spiritual growth and our world during the 40 DAYS OF PURPOSE. Here are their responses.

We have learned that life is about the Lord, not us. So many people learned during the 40 DAYS OF PURPOSE that their purpose in life is far greater than their personal fulfillment, comfort, success, dreams or goals (although those are important), but that their primary purpose in life is to bring honor to God and encouragement and salvation to others.

We have learned that God loves us and has great plans for our life. In Jeremiah 29:11 the Lord said, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

We have learned that God still works miracles. Many of our people communicated back to us about miracles that happened in their health, finances, relationships, career, etc. during the 40 DAYS OF PURPOSE.

We have learned that life is preparation for eternity. When we understand that God has created us to spend eternity with Him, it causes us to understand how significant our lives are. One guy wrote, “During the 40 DAYS OF PURPOSE I finally realized that God is not there to insure my comfort. He’s there to develop my character for eternity.”

We have learned that we were put on earth for five primary purposes. Although each of us has a distinct calling and destiny for our life, the Lord wants us all to worship Him daily, fellowship with His children, become more and more like Jesus, serve Him and others, and take the good news to people near us and around the world. One person wrote, “It’s so strange to look back at my life before surrendering it to Jesus Christ, and what a struggle each day was because I was so totally focused on my way and will rather than God’s plans and purposes for my life. It’s so amazing to now experience His joy, love and peace as a result of seeking and executing God’s will and purposes for my life.”

We have learned that life is about building relationships. Loving God and loving others is far more important than accomplishments, accolades, pleasure, possessions, etc.
We have learned that God uses our difficulties to make us more like Jesus. Numerous people said, “The greatest lesson I’ve learned is that my sufferings are used by God to mold me more into the image of Jesus.”

We have learned that we grow through making commitments. We have to do more than listen and learn – we have to begin to put into action what we’ve learned.

We have learned that we grow through engaging in fellowship. Lots of people said, “I grew more spiritually by getting involved in fellowship through a Life Group than I would have grown on my own.” Spiritual growth comes from being in relationship with other Christians.

We have learned that growth takes time. Spiritual maturity is neither instant nor automatic; it is a gradual progressive development that will take the rest of our lives.

We have learned that we grow through serving and giving back. It’s the donation of our lives, rather than the duration of our lives, that really matters.

We have learned that people are hungry for spiritual truth. According to a Gallop poll, 34 million Americans would visit a church if someone would just invite them.

We have learned that we can make a difference in our world. Through praying for, encouraging, helping, inviting and sharing our faith with others, we can make a difference in the lives of people around us. And through praying, connecting with missionaries, giving and going on mission trips, we can take the message and ministry of Jesus all around the world.

NOW WHAT? Now what are we to do since we’ve learned these great principles during the 40 DAYS OF PURPOSE? First, we need to start living what we’ve learned. God’s blessings don’t come from knowing about His purposes, but living them out in our lives. Second, we need to start passing on what we’ve learned to others. The more we “give away,” the more the Lord blesses us. So we need to communicate to others in a variety of ways what we’ve learned during the 40 DAYS OF PURPOSE, so they can begin living “purpose-driven” rather than purposeless lives.

Here is one final testimony. “My life is so much better because I’ve now experienced the love and life of God and started living a purpose-driven life. My life is no longer empty, but now I have peace, joy, purpose and hope in my life.” Let’s help others experience the same blessings and transformation in their lives by passing on what we’ve learned to them.”

If you have a testimony of what the Lord did in your life during the 40 DAYS OF PURPOSE, please comment on this blog. I would love to hear from you.