How to Find Your Kingdom Purpose in Life
By Chris Eyte
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. – Luke 10:1-12
Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36). Finding our purpose in his kingdom - the tasks he wants us to do for the glory he lovingly shares with us - evolves against this background of otherworldliness. We are in the world but not of the world. Our citizenship is in heaven with God, who is himself our ‘home.’
Any work in his kingdom starts foremost with knowing this born again identity. We don’t work to be saved by the King of kings, but we are saved by the King of kings who graciously served us with salvation by the death of his own body - and therefore we ‘work’. This work is an all-in response to a love which has no quantifiable parameters. It’s too deep for our comprehension but we respond in any way we can.
The overall ‘kingdom purpose’ is to obey Jesus Christ’s commands. Simply to love God and to love others. And we do that firstly by understanding that God loves us. Within that larger umbrella stands a number of smaller purposes throughout the course of our earthly lives. Your kingdom purpose as a teenager attending a church youth group and college is likely to look different to your kingdom purpose as an elderly man who has years of experience in serving a local fellowship.
I know of an elderly lady who was a missionary nurse to Nepal for 10 years. At the time, that was what defined her calling. But there were many adventures after that chapter ended - she married in her 40s, served a local church in England, particularly helping young mothers. As the years went by, she grew in her role as a prayer warrior, which she still does today. Perhaps not so physically competent at practically helping but certainly prayerfully competent in spiritual warfare. Her whole life is a witness to chapters of connected kingdom purposes.
Finding your kingdom purposes (plural not singular because there is more than one purpose) thus starts with knowing your own identity in him. What we do comes from who we are. It also involves wearing various hats in different chapters in life. Paul was a powerful preacher but he also spent time making tents! One moment he found himself speaking the word of God and healing the sick in various locations around the Mediterranean coast; the next he was holed up in a prison cell in Rome, writing letters to encourage churches. Different seasons mean different activities for the kingdom.
So the key question is, how do we clock-in and find these varying purposes at numerous junctions throughout our lives? In the passage above, Jesus trains his company of first disciples, including the 12 apostles (no favoritism), for the battles ahead. It’s fascinating reading and we are privileged to see how the Lord taught his followers in the first discipleship school!
Firstly, they are appointed. By grace we have been appointed too as his followers! Next, he sends them out in twos. We can’t work out our kingdom purposes by ourselves - we need prayer partners to work with! Thirdly, as the Lord sends them out, he gives the mission statement: this is a harvest and they are sent to prepare places where ‘he was about to go.’ We don’t need to have our own private mission, but to be aware of HIS mission to reach others through us.
Jesus Christ is coming back soon. A thousand years are like a day to the Lord (2 Peter 3:8). That means it’s only two days since Jesus returned to heaven to prepare places for us AND to prepare for his return. He is ‘about to go’ to the Earth at any time. And, just as with these 72 disciples, we are called to go into villages, towns and cities to prepare for him. To reap a harvest of lost and lonely souls needing the hope of his salvation.
The Lord also gives practical pointers to these first disciples - heal the sick and proclaim the kingdom. The healing is a physical reminder of the truth of the kingdom of heaven. God wants to move through us to heal other people’s lives, waving the banner of his love to bring light into darkness.
It’s also clear from this passage that some people welcome the gospel and some don’t. If they do, the peace is with them but if they don’t, the darkness stays. Jesus seems to have no time for time wasters. People either receive the gospel or they don’t, notwithstanding that becoming a subsequent disciple of the Lord takes time. A whole lifetime, in fact, and into eternity (John 4:14).
Every day we can use our gifts to bless others in his name. All the little things matter: looking after children and elderly parents, being responsible in our day jobs, having a conversation with a lonesome stranger in a cafe. Opportunities abound to encourage others, speaking the truth about Jesus and offering prayers. To open our hearts for the Holy Spirit to powerfully reach others, making ‘the most of every opportunity.’ (Ephesians 5:16).
There are not enough Christians engaged in this mission. “The workers are few,” said Jesus. It’s a solemn statement. Let’s get involved in the harvest because there is a massive need for reaping and not enough followers of Christ doing it! Our main purpose is to love, and our consequential purposes are to do that again and again, in any given context.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
The first disciples went to training school with Jesus. Have you been to training school? In a sense, we are always at training school because we are always being discipled. How can you receive more training? Jesus sent his followers out in twos. Do you have a prayer buddy to support you and vice-versa? Lastly, why not make a note of all the known opportunities in your daily life whereby you can proclaim the kingdom. Pray over it. Ask the Lord to give you a clearer revelation of his mission statement and how you can be engaged in this particular chapter of your life (and remember there are other chapters ahead!).
Further Reading:
Matthew 4:1-17
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
John 18:36
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/stocksnapper
Christopher Eyte lives with his wife Céline and three children in Swansea, Wales, UK. He has worked as a journalist for many years and writes his own blog (hislovefrees.life) encouraging others in their walk with Jesus. He became a Christian in February 2002, after a friend explained God's amazing grace!
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