Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16
Last week we came to understand that we must understand our purpose if we are to ever be what God wants us to be. We have come to understand that in our lives we must strive to answer the question, Why? No more are we going to walk through life without a clear sense of purpose. When we understand our purpose we can begin a long journey and continue knowing that what lies ahead of us is better than what we left behind and is better than where we are now.
Global Positioning System
This is a system that helps us find certain points on the earth with an amazing amount of accuracy. It works on knowing that if you know three points or locations then you can find a given location to a varying degree of accuracy. The process is called triangulation and the military has used it for years, its what guides cruise missiles to their targets, it also aides in search and rescue as well as many other applications. With a decent signal you can find a point to within six feet of its actual location on the ground. Think of GPS as a compass on steroids.
Geocaching
In recent years the GPS technology has become available to the general public and so know we can enjoy this same technology and put it to use in many areas of our own lives. Hunters, Fishermen, Hikers, Farmers, Cars, Law enforcement, Emergency Services, can all use GPS.
Here lately a new outdoor activity has emerged called Geocaching, and at its heart is the Global Positioning System. People find interesting, scenic spots to place what they call a “cache”. Usually this is a small Tupperware bowl with a lid on it, with a pencil, paper and other trinkets inside. Then they get on the internet and post the exact Latitude and Longitude for the cache, and then people take those coordinates and go and find this cache. Think of this as a global scavenger hunt. Well this last week my brother has gotten me into this geocaching, and yesterday we went looking for a cache that was up in Lexington.
My Experience
Getting Prepared: the night before we got on the internet and found the spot we were going to look for, but we didn’t just up and go without doing a little research.
We got online and found maps of the area, we got a street map to help us get close without getting lost. We found a map that showed us the exact terrain of the area where we were going. We even found aerial photographs of the area, using all of these we were able to get a better idea of where we were going.
We even read experiences from others who have found this same spot, and they helped by giving us more information about the area. With all this information we developed a plan of how we were going to find this box in the middle of a heavily wooded area.
What is interesting though is the fact that even with all this information we still only had a general idea of how we would get there and what path we would take through the woods, and we only had a relative idea about where this thing was.
So when we set out we had to rely completely on the information in our hands to get us close then we simply had to look around for ourselves to find the cache, and after awhile we did find it.
For most people this wouldn’t be a spiritual experience, but for me I couldn’t help see how this same experience reflects our lives.
Church’s direction
Abraham knew that he was on a journey to a better place, he knew that God had promised to lead him into a land that he could call his own and bless him with a family that would live on for generations. So by faith he followed where God led him toward the promised land.
Abraham knew that he was on a journey, but many times we in the church forget that we are indeed on a journey too. Not, a journey to a foreign land but a journey following God’s footsteps in fulfilling his commission to make disciples of all nations, a mission to love others, and to grow in our own spiritual maturity. As a church we too have been placed upon a path that we are called to go down together.
As I said last week, once we understand our purpose we can then begin to put together a plan that will lead us to our destination. This plan is the vision that will guide us. It will help us get to where God wants us to be, and we can only find this destination if we follow the vision that maps out our steps for our journey.
Christian’s direction
As individuals we have this same task, we have each been given our own destination, a place where God wants us to be, a place where God is calling us to.
For each of us this is different, and for each church it is different as well, none of us are on the same mission. None of us are called to the exact same thing in the same place in the same way.
For the most part, I believe that many of us believe that this is true we simply lack the tools that will help us find the way. Where do we get our coordinates, what map do we use, who do we listen to.
With Geocaching, the coordinates come from the web-site, we use maps to help us plan the route, and we listen to others who have gone before us, and we must rely on our own experience to help us find our destination.
Many of us struggle to find tools that are as valuable as these in our lives, but truly there are tools to help us along the way.
Technically they are called the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, but I believe that they are simply the tools that helps us along the journey.
Scripture, Through scripture we find our coordinates, we are able to find where God is calling us to be and what he is calling us to do. This is our purpose this is why we set out on the trail to begin with.
Reason, God has given us the ability to think and with the ability to think we have the ability to figure stuff out. With reason we are able to understand where God is calling us, and we are then able to figure out some way of getting there. This is basically our map reading skills, reasoning helps us with course corrections along the way.
Tradition, This is simply how people have done it in the past. Sometimes tradition is viewed negatively but tradition is simply the testimony of those who went before us along this same journey. What we must watch is if we try to follow their exact steps and do things the way they did we limit ourselves to the path that they took and can loose track of where God wants us to go.
Experience, we each have our own experiences, we have each done things in our lives that help us in similar situations. These too help us as we continue to follow where God wants us to go.
But probably the most important tools that God has given us are our hands and feet.
Before we ever set out Kurt and I knew the area where we were going, we knew what it looked like and what was around it. We knew how to get there, and we knew what we would find when we got there.
Sometimes as Christians this is where we stop, we understand what God wants us to do, we have the plan and we know what will happen when we get there. And, sadly too many times we stop right there.
It would seem like a fraud if Kurt and I stopped at when our planning was done, and claimed to have gone on the journey.
But, this is exactly what many of us to with our spiritual lives, for some reason we think that if we simply read about where God is calling us and what he wants to us to do, or talk with those who are there then we convince ourselves that we have made the journey, and in reality we have never left the house.
God is calling us out of the house, out into the world around us, to love those who surround us, to minister to them, to help them accept Jesus Christ as their savior and train them to go out and do the same for others, so that more and more people will come to receive the forgiveness that Christ offers for the sins that we have committed.
Non-Christian’s direction
Matthew 7:13
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. 14 For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
In life we are called down many different paths of ministry, but when it comes to our salvation there is only one path that God is calling us down. That path begins and ends with Jesus Christ and the forgiveness that he offers.
Where is God calling you? Into the mission field, or to receive his forgiveness?
