2 Corinthians 5:11-21

You have a ministry! If you are in Christ, you are a new creation (5:17). God has reconciled us to himself and given us the ministry of reconciliation (5:18). This ministry is centered in a message (5:19). … Every Christian has a ministry. Having a ministry isn't just for pastors, it's something we all have as believers. A ministry isn't all about preaching. A ministry is a service and we all have a service to provide. Our primary ministry is one of reconciliation, one where we work to bring other people to Christ to be reconciled. We do this by talking to people and telling them about Jesus. 

Because we have a ministry of reconciliation:

• We no longer live for ourselves (5:15). … Jesus died for us and now we are to live for Him. ``It would make sense if we were happiest living for ourselves, but the Bible tells us this isn't how it works. Instead, we find purpose and joy by living for Christ. 

• We view people differently (5:16). … As Christians we shouldn't judge people on external factors. Instead, our first thought should be "do they know Jesus?" and if they don't we look at the next bullet point.

• We try to persuade people (5:11-14). … The best that could possibly happen to someone is for them to come to know Jesus. The vast majority of believers will agree with that statement. If we truly believe that, then one of our goals should be to persuade others to know Jesus. Unfortunately, we are losing the drive to persuade others because we've been taught that sharing what we believe with someone else is judgmental and wrong. It's better to be called judgmental by human society than it is to let someone live and die without hearing the Gospel. 

• We are Christ’s ambassadors (5:20). … An ambassador is someone sent from one country to live in another. They live there as representatives of their home country and speak with the authority of their home country. As Christians our home is Heaven. We live on Earth as ambassadors, as representatives, from our home, Heaven. We are to represent our ruler, God, on Earth. Part of that is telling the world about God and what He has done for us, which verse 21 sums up so nicely.

Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33). 

What is the Kingdom of God?

Wherever God rules is his Kingdom. The Kingdom is both present (Luke 11:20; 17:20-21) and future (Matthew 26:29; Revelation 11:15). … If Jesus rules in your heart, then the Kingdom of God is in your heart and you are part of the Kingdom. The Kingdom already exists on Earth within believers. It can't be seen, but it is there. And there is coming a day when the Kingdom will be over all the Earth. 

What does it mean to seek the Kingdom?

To seek means to look for, to chase after, to pursue. It's an action. Often we seek things we are passionate about. The next cool tool we need for the shed, that new game that looks like hours of fun, videos of horses, tutorials on how to build, cook, train, or play, the new Star Wars Pop! figure. We seek these things because we're passionate about them. We even sacrifice other stuff like our time and money. We should be passionate enough about Jesus that we seek, chase, and pursue the Kingdom, sacrificing our time and money to advance it. Do you have a passion like that?

Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find him, and with him everything else (C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity).

John 4:31-34

These verses come after Jesus meets the woman at the well. His disciples had left him to go find foos and when they get back and off Him food, He said He was full. He was filled because He was doing God's will. 

There are three parts to God’s will for your life:

1. God’s universal will for everyone. This is revealed in the Bible (1 Timothy 2:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 5:16-18). … There are many things God wants for everyone and we can read about those things in the Bible. He wants us to be saved. He wants us to be sanctified. He wants us to be joyful and thankful. 

2. God’s individual will for your life (Acts 16:7-10). This is discerned through a relationship with Christ (John 10:27) and the wisdom given by the Holy Spirit (Colossians 1:9). … Some Christian teachers will disagree with this and say only the revealed universal will is the only one and that we can do whatever we want within that. For the most part that is the case, but the Bible also gives plenty of examples of God having individual plans, individual wills, for different people. Acts 16:7-10 is a good example of this. The hard part is discerning this will. There's no surefire way to always discern it. Sometimes doors just open and it seems obvious what to do. Other times, the door is closed. Jesus tells us that we should keep knocking. Getting advice from Godly people can help. But circumstances and advice from people won't always be enough. A relationship with Jesus and wisdom from the Spirit are the key. Jesus says His sheep will know His voice. 

3. God’s hidden will. This is not known in advance. We must humbly submit to his will (James 4:13-16). … Not everything in God's will gets revealed. We often don't understand this hidden will as it unfolds. For example, why did 2020 happen as it did? We don't know God's reason for allowing it, but later we will, either in this life or the next.

Do you have a sense of purpose in life? … People are always trying to find a purpose for their life. Some popular purposes or reasons are family, work, and fun. Those aren't bad things, but in this series we're going to see we were made for so much more. 

You were made for a relationship with God, and you will find purpose by living for Him. You can live for the glory of God. That means to live in a way that honors him or brings praise to him.

1. You can glorify God by your words (Psalm 63:1-5). … David brought glory to God using words. David was on the run from his son who was trying to take the throne. Yet, David still found purpose in praising and glorifying God. 

2. You can glorify God by the way you treat your body (1 Corinthians 6:13-20). … Paul told the church in Corinth that they needed to be different from others in Corinth. Corinth was a major port city that was full sin, like Vegas but worse. The church there reasoned that what they did with their bodies because the body is temporary, but Paul gave four reasons why they should be different. 

1. Our bodies will be raised and united with Christ. 

2. Sexual sins, unlike other sins, are also against our own body. 

3. The Holy Spirit lives inside us, making our bodies like temples. 

4. It's Jesus's body now. He paid for it with His blood. 

3. You can glorify God even in the most ordinary choices and activities of life (1 Corinthians 10:31). … The church in Corinth asked Paul if it was ok to eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols. He spent three chapters answering it and sums it by saying that everything we do should be for the glory of God, even the little things like eating or drinking. Whatever we do we should be aware of God's presence and do everything to glorify Him. 

4. Your good deeds can cause others to glorify God (1 Peter 2:12). … Paul told Peter that the church would be ridiculed by their culture, but that they should keep doing good deeds. Those good deeds could help inspire others to come to know and glorify God.

5. You can glorify God by the way you endure suffering (1 Peter 4:12-16). … Paul goes on to say that persecution is normal for Christians and that even though it can be difficult, we should still praise God and be glad we bear the name Christian. We often associate our purpose with what we do, but just our existence can bring glory to God.