There is no more exciting adventure than the Christian life.  There are peaks and valleys.  There are plains and caves. And sometimes a re-focus is necessary.  If you are a Christian, where is your life headed?  How do you know what you are supposed to do?

When you start out in the Christian life there are many basic things to learn. For example, you learn that life is about Jesus, growing in grace, growing with others, pursuing holiness and telling others about your faith.  As you continue to grow, you learn that the Christian way of life is not just about Jesus, but abiding in Him. You also learned that life is about bearing fruit, because you are abiding in Him. You learn about the filling of the Holy Spirit, who will help you deal with selfishness and spiritual growth. You have begun to learn that life is about assembling with other believers and sharing your faith with those who do not know Jesus Christ. Now, it is time to get a “laser focus.”

First, life is about glorifying Jesus Christ. There is nothing more important in life than bringing honor and glory to Jesus.  After death, every person in the world, both Christian and non-Christian will honor Him. Paul wrote,

⁹ Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,

¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,

¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phi 2:9-11 NKJ)

At some point in the future, every knee will bow to and every tongue will confess Jesus Christ is Lord.  It is not a question of if it will happen, but when it will happen.  That event will include both believers and non-believers.  That event includes those who do not fear God and those who fear the Lord. Life is not about you; life is about glorifying Jesus Christ.

            Secondly,  life is about connecting to other believers in a relational environment. God has so composed the Body of Christ with different members who have strengths and weaknesses, gifts and abilities, along with positions and responsibilities to build God’s kingdom for His name sake (1 Cor. 12:19-25).  God never intended anyone to be independent from others.  God never intended people to function without other team members. God never intended one person to work, while others watched. God’s intention is that every member stirs others up to action. The writer to Hebrews wrote,

²⁴ And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Heb. 10:24-25 NKJ)

Connecting is part of discipleship. It is what life is about.

            Thirdly, life is about equipping other believers with a biblical foundation. If anyone uses something other than God’s Word, it is just sinking sand.  God’s Word is ultimately what is important.  It is the foundation upon what a house can be built and stand up against the floods of life (Matt. 7:24-27). God provided communication gifts to equip saints for the work of service so that all might be built up to the unity of the faith in maturity. Paul wrote,

¹¹ And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

¹⁴ that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, (Eph. 4:11-14 NKJ)

The equipping process is designed so that all can be conformed to the image of Jesus as Paul wrote, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Rom. 8:29 NKJ) God wants you equipped to be like Jesus so that you can multiply in His kingdom.

            Fourthly, life is about multiplying together with the gospel to build the kingdom. Your life priority is discipling people for God’s kingdom. The last words of people are often considered very important. We have the last words of Jesus recorded in Scripture. He said,

¹⁹ “Go thereforeand make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

²⁰ “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Mat 28:19-20 NKJ)

Jesus commanded you and me through His disciples to “make disciples of all the nations.”  How were we supposed to accomplish that? Jesus used a verb that meant “As you are going, go…” make disciples.  In other words, as you go about life, do not get distracted with your job or your hobbies or even only your family.  Go and make disciples.  Lead them to Jesus Christ and come alongside the new converts to Jesus and teach them everything that you have been taught. But first, baptize them, or identify them into Jesus Christ in the family of God. Make sure you have a reproducible process so that your disciples will be able to continue multiplying.  Make sure what process you use can be used by 80% of the people with whom you come into contact.  Do not make it so simple that people will not grow.  Do not make it so difficult that people become overwhelmed and the process halts. Life is about multiplying.

            Fifthly, life is about commitment to God’s calling. There are many wonderful things to do in life, but none compare to those divine callings that have an eternal influence.  You can be a great politician, great athlete, great movie star, great businessman, or even a great salesman, but those are all only tools for God’s purposes to build disciples for His kingdom. When Isaiah was confronted with the astonishing vision of heaven and he saw the Lord sitting on a throne with a white robe that filled the scene and a six-winged seraphim that cried out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!” the place shook! Isaiah recorded the conversation between the Lord and him, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” (Is. 6:8 NKJ) Isaiah went.  His ministry lasted sixty years.  He ministered during the downfall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in B.C. 722.  He rebuked Hezekiah the king of the Southern Kingdom. Isaiah is the one referred to in Hebrews 11:37, which says, “…they were sawn in two…” (Heb. 11:37 NKJ) Isaiah was committed and faced all challenges trusting in God’s calling.

At this point in your spiritual walk, you need a laser focus.  Meditate on the above five principles and you will maintain a lazer focus for life.  You will be challenged.  You may be spiritually oppressed by spiritual forces. But you will remain committed to Jesus by connecting, equipping and multiplying disciple-makers for His kingdom’s sake!