Bible Study 

SUCCESS AND SIGNIFICANCE 

Success and Significance can often be misunderstood to be one and the same. The desire to have meaning and worth in one’s life is a commonality that is shared within the hearts of many people around the world. To realize our true calling, often confused as material success, comes from a deeper place, a deeper desire to be valued. So in other words ‘Valued’ really means ‘Significance’ and that is what our heart truly desires. So what is ‘Significance’?

This means to bring a positive change to the world and have a purpose. 

Our Faith, if we actually hold it dear and hold ourselves to its standard, will give us the same answer from none other than the main figure, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus has pointed out that our true calling for Significance is more a synonym for the biblical term ‘Kingdom of God’. This Kingdom of God is what our hearts yearn for, that place where the soul soothing peace that passeth all understanding comes from. Leading us to the realization that was mentioned before, the positive change in the world, is the same as seeking the Kingdom of God. Significance equals the search for The Kingdom of God.

What’s the biblical reference that points to this?

Luke 17: 20-21

20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

 The Kingdom of God is within the hearts of men, the peace that was lost when we fell to Sin is what humanity has been searching for ever since, that peace can only be found in the Kingdom of God. 

We convince ourselves it comes from Worldly Pleasure, Materialistic things, and being important in the Dominance Hierarchy of a social group. However that does not bring us true peace which only comes from seeking into our hearts for the Kingdom of God. It is only by accepting Christ, that you enter the gates of that Kingdom, for he is the King of that reality and only by accepting his offering will you be permitted. He accepts you through every situation you may be in, every walk of life. 

So is that it? Just accept Christ and call ourselves by the name “Christians” or a denomination?

From acceptance at the gate he calls you to Walk the path that he walked, Live as he had lived. By the entrance to that Kingdom, this is what he calls you to do. To leave behind the World, The Dominance Hierarchy, The Carnal Pleasures, The Way of life in this world, and break the grip of influence The Devil has in your life and set your eyes on his Kingdom. 

How do we do that? Where are HIS instructions?

 Mirroring Christ if you will, is the only way to that goal. In doing so we will all be one step closer to Peace, The Kingdom of God, to Significance. 

He has instructed us in this:

John 15:9-11

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Knowing this, Knowing to imitate him and walk his path, to carry his yoke upon yourself even unto death is the only way to our hearts true desire, we have to ask internally

How do we get there? Can we do this by our own strength?

Following his yoke is one thing, his yoke is light and God will always be there to help us, However we have to remember where God’s helping hand often comes from.

None of this will be easy without the help of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Often rejecting that help, means your efforts may be in vain. 

So follow his standard together in Unity. We work in One Spirit and one Body in Christ to bring forward the Kingdom of God on Earth. Unity and One in Spirit is where we must be. For this is what scripture has taught us. 

1 Corinthians 1: 10 – 17

10 I appeal to you, brothers,[a] by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

The things that separate us in this world WILL NOT matter when the Lord is before us. We will be followers of Christ and not be divided by the world’s standards anymore. 

Let not pride and success take you over, try to make yourself mean something for the Kingdom of God instead. When he died on the cross, he showed us how to lead ourselves to The Kingdom.

 He has taught us to lead from the bottom, to be a servant leader. Washing the feet of his disciples and taking himself to the cross for all of us was his example to us. 

Leaving his disciples in the end of his time with them, he gave us the mission we are to follow to bring Significance, and where we should practice our humility without asking for glory or fame. 

Mark 16 : 15

“He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation”. 

To bring true peace in this world, that passage must be our mission always.

To conclude, we seek success in all its form thinking it will give us value, ie. Significance. Following God’s inspired Holy Book, we know it to be as the search for The Kingdom of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ has given us an example, of how to search and follow his path to his Kingdom. Most importantly, God has provided us a helping hand in this search, and that is the Unity that we must share. With this Unity we can accomplish our age old desire, our true hearts yearning, Peace, Progress, Love, Harmony, ie. The Kingdom of God. Let us not be prideful, let us humble ourselves together to our God and create Heaven on Earth. 

Peace in our time.

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Matthew 28 : 20 

“Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

We are not confining ourselves in any denomination, language, nationality, culture, creed, or gender. UNITED we stand to accomplish the Kingdom of God, that is what Christ called us to do. Therefore remember the words of your true Leader, your King, your God, Christ and know he is with you.

Mathew 6 : 3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 

Not for pride and fame, but for his Glory then your life will truly mean something. 

Those we help, are not beneath us, and those that help us are not above us. There is only one God and one mediator between man and God, Jesus Christ, and then all of creation below them equally. We bring the Kingdom of God to Earth because it is our responsibility, our duty, our purpose to be the voice that makes straight the way for it. Let us do so in Humility.

Amen.

God bless you all