Why Are You Here?

Why are you still here?

If you are a believer, why are you here? If God is a loving God, and He is - why doesn’t He bring us home to paradise with Him the moment we are saved? Have you ever wondered about that question? It sure would save us from a bunch of pain and suffering. And disappointment over missteps in our walk as a Christian. We all have them. Dr. Dave Park of Infusion Ministries is fond of a saying I love. He says, “We model growth, not perfection.” The idea is that we should not expect to ever be perfect, but that should not keep us from working to improve. To get closer and closer to Christlikeness each day.

There is one reason, and one only, that we remain in this life on earth the moment after we accept Christ - to be Jesus to those around us. To draw others to Christ, to point a lost and dying world to the wonderful news – the gospel – of salvation and a future secured in heaven with Father God.

Much of my life as a believer has been spent trying to balance in my heart, and in my head how to invest my time in work, play, worship and service to God – how to divide our time between the things we need to do, and the things we want to do … that’s just wrong thinking. This mindset frequently led to ill contentment and internal struggle, and always resulted in less than God has planned for my life. Infusion Ministries EPIC Series ties God’s words from the Bible to a journey that starts with Identity. And Identity is the foundational concept that every Christian must build on to understand fully why we’re still in this life after we’re saved. Identity is the key to not only understanding your purpose, but it’s also the key to a productive life full of joy, full of all the things we seek. When Jesus is the center of our life, our Identity – we literally eat, work, play, worship, and rest all at the same time.

Scripture tells us that Christ has secured a place for us in heaven. Actually, it’s a mansion. How cool is that?

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:1-3 (NKJV)

The bible also teaches us that God wants everyone to be with Him in eternity. And Christ made clear our assignment, in His “Great Commission,” noted in Matthew. These words were spoken originally to the 12 disciples and were further passed down and are a charge for every believer.

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behod, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB)

“But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:8-9 (NASB)

Remember that hell was never created for humankind. It was built for Satan. Hell is a place of eternal punishment for Satan and the fallen angels that followed him out of heaven in the fall. God created heaven for his children and desires that we spend eternity with him there. Unbelievers that go to hell do so only because they choose to reject Christ’s sacrifice and remain separated from God.

“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels…’” Matthew 25:41 (NASB)

God’s original plan was for man to live forever in perfect paradise here on earth with Him. But Adam and Eve derailed that plan. And so, God’s backup plan was to come to the fallen earth, in human form as Jesus Christ, and demonstrate that a perfect life could be lived, and then He would die as a perfect sacrifice – the only acceptable sacrifice to bring us back into a right relationship with Father God.

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:1-2 (NASB)

Join me in a life journey that is full of joy, contentment, and accomplishment. I’m not doing it perfectly, and I’m pretty sure you aren’t either. But I’ve found the key to living a life that is EPIC in all ways is to stop trying to figure out how to divide my time, talent, and treasure into various pursuits, and to trust the Holy Spirit that lives inside all believers to direct the path. I don’t need to get up and decide to work or to play or to worship. God intends for us, designed us to do it all continually every day. Having purpose is critical to living daily with any sense of contentment. The only purpose that sustains us for more than a short time is to fulfill the purpose God designed you for. Strike out on your own in complete confidence that if Jesus is at the center of your Identity, then you can clearly answer the question – Why are you here?