GRII Retreat 2006 Session 5 - God's Target for Us

This is my personal summary of Rev.Stephen Tong's sharing on Session 5 of "Seeking and working out your calling in God's big picture" in GRII Singapore Retreat on 11-13 May 2006

If our life does not have a purpose, we will live wastefully. But if we believe there is purpose in life, we will seek after the purpose. The concept of sin in the Bible includes the word ‘hamartia’ which means off target. To live is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. A person who glorifies God has a very high value. Jesus said the Father will honor Him.

If we look down on God's ministry, He will reject us. If we serve Him, He will honor us. God desires that we have deep hunger for Him. He is pleased with those who truly seek after His spiritual blessings. What are God's targets for us?

There are 4 aspects of being God's representatives on earth.

1. We are mandated to rule, to have dominion, to protect and preserve the world. This is the culture mandate where Christ is to have preeminence in all aspects of life.

2. We are to reflect His attributes and character. In moral attributes, we are the representatives of God.

3. We are to be vessels of His grace. We need to realize that we can receive a lot more grace than what we have already received. But because we limit ourselves we let a lot of His graces pass by. We should open our hearts humbly and allow ourselves to be filled with His grace. First, we need to receive the grace of salvation, and then we need to continually fill ourselves with His Word of Truth. We should not hurry to ministry before we are filled with the living water.

4. We are to do the will of God. This is very difficult. When we do the will of God, we have accomplished ourselves. All that is used to serve self will be lost, but all that is dedicated in the hand of God will be protected forever. No one who loves God will lose out. God gives a lot of grace. The devil never wants to make a deal where he loses out. But God never makes deals that cause men to lose out. We need to prepare our hearts to offer everything back to God.

All the four targets above are general targets for all of us. We should ask ourselves how we can do all those things most efficiently.

As for specific target in our lives, the principles are embedded in Romans 12:1-5. We are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God. This phrase ‘living sacrifice’ only appears once in the Scriptures. All other sacrifices mentioned are killed and died. After Jesus, there is no more priest, king or prophet in Jewish history, only rabbis. After the sacrifice of Jesus, no more sacrifice is needed. Now all of us who have been redeemed are the living sacrifices who are to live our lives for God's glory.

We are to search the good, pleasing and perfect will of God. This is done by renewing our mind so that we become able to discern. So as far as specific target is concerned, this is God's personal guidance which no seminary can tell us, we are supposed to seek Him ourselves and hear from Him!