Living the purpose-driven life

Dr. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., is the author of “The Purpose-Driven Life,” the New York Times best-selling book that has been purchased by more than 6 million people. That book is having an amazing impact on the Christian culture, as Dr. Warren encourages believers to put into practice five God-ordained purposes – worship, community, discipleship, ministry and evangelism – as the keys to living a fulfilling life.

This week, in Lynchburg, Va., more than 13,000 people attended the first Purpose-Driven Church conference Dr. Warren has led on the East Coast. I was so pleased that he chose Liberty University as the site for this special conference.

I wish I had the words to properly explain the spirit that invaded this campus as men and women from around the country joined hearts to learn how to better carry out the Great Commission in their hometowns.

Dr. Warren absolutely set hearts afire, encouraging attendees to reach out to people with the Gospel. I have never seen souls stirred the way they were this week.

Christians are often condemned for attempting to “force” their faith on others. In this politically correct age that sees all religions as equal and sprinkled with some component of truth, the absolutes of the Bible are not welcomed.

Nevertheless, Christians must be prepared and willing to invade the culture in order to respectfully and lovingly proclaim the truth of the Bible.

Dr. Warren is wonderfully equipping multiple thousands of people and church congregations to take this bold approach to Christian evangelism.

On Sunday evening, Dr. Warren opened his heart to the crowd, encouraging attendees to devote themselves to a spirit of sacrifice to Christ. In an exceptionally moving moment, he related the deathbed expression of his father – “got to win one more for Jesus” – as a way of encouraging attendees to reach out to everyone they know who does not personally know Jesus Christ as Savior.

On Tuesday evening, I had the privilege of addressing the conference. Utilizing the words of the great evangelist Dwight L. Moody – who said, “I have never known God to use a discouraged person” – I urged attendees to commit their problems to God so that He can fully use them for ministry.

I noted that in life there are “far more valleys than mountaintops,” and it is imperative that we learn to “get over it” when things do not go our way. It was during times of great spiritual duress that God taught me to stand alone with Him.

The conference concluded on Wednesday, but there’s much excitement on the horizon. In fact, next week, 5,000 churches across the nation will participate in the “40 Days of Purpose” campaign, including Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University. This seven-week seminar created by Dr. Rick Warren is dedicated to helping church members jointly explore their life’s purpose from a biblical perspective. Entire church congregations will begin living out God’s purposes for their lives.

Dr. Warren explained, “Through ’40 Days of Purpose,’ thousands of people have come to Christ, been baptized, welcomed into membership, connected to a small group or Sunday School class, been taught the meaning of real worship, been equipped for personal ministry and been commissioned to fulfill their mission in the world.”

The Oct. 12 kickoff with 5,000 churches involved could ultimately have a worldwide impact of extraordinary magnitude.

I thank God that he has sent Rick Warren to us for such a time as this. In this age of terrorism, political unrest, wars and rumors of wars, the ultimate truth of the Bible remains the only hope for man. It is up to Christians to be willing instruments to compassionately reach out with the Gospel to our fellow man, no matter the cost.