The GPS Life Journey Summit
Seeking God’s Plan for Success for My Life
Nolen Rollins
President and Founder
Kingdom Mobilization, Inc.
The GPS Summit
Table of Contents
1. God Has a Purpose and Plan for Every Christian.
(Scriptural Presentation on Theme)
2. The Vast Majority of Christians Never Discover and Fulfill their God-Designed Purposes.
(Making a Difference Assessment)
3. There Is Huge Untapped Potential in the Church.
(Survey of the Skills and Experiences of Participants)
4. The World Is Being Significantly Changed by Christians Who Are Pursuing their God-Designed Purposes.
(Stories of People Who Are on Mission)
5. Every Christian Should Know How God Has Designed Them.
(SHAPE Concept)
6. Every Christian Should Know How to Discover God’s Plan for their Lives.
(General Principles for Hearing God)
7. Every Christian Should Maximize their God-Given Potential.
(Creating Margins in Life)
8. Every Christian Should Be Engaged in Fulfilling God’s Purposes for their Lives.
(Mission, Vision, Values, Venues)
9. The GPS Life Journey Will Help Every Christian Discover and Fulfill their God-Designed Purposes.
(Value of the Small Group and Coaching)
GPS Summit … One
Welcome to the Mountaintop!
“And he brought them to his holy land, to the mountain
which his right hand had won.” (Psalm 78:54)
I am a mountain man. I grew up in the foothills of the Great Smokey Mountains in East Tennessee. I love the mountains.
Years later, I discovered a totally different kind of beauty in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. You cannot help but marvel at God’s beauty as you ski down the slopes of a Colorado Mountain. And, for me, who skis with a sense of the fear of death, it is also a time of really getting close to God.
All throughout history people have gathered at a mountain to seek wisdom and to discuss life issues. There are many stories of mountain adventures in the Holy Scriptures and in ancient and modern history.
The mountaintop, or summit, has become synonymous with significant meetings to seek solutions to problems. For almost 40 years the leaders of the most wealthy, industrialized countries of the world have been meeting at an annual G8 Summit to explore solutions to the problems of the world.
The GPS Life Journey Summit is designed to encourage you to discover and engage in God purpose for your life. God has created you, gifted you, equipped you, and given you life experiences and passions, all for His glory while you are here on earth.
We will explore what all this means as we journey to the summit. Enjoy the trip to the mountaintop!
“Mountain hikes instilled in me a life-long urge to get to
the top of any inviting summit or peak.” (Paul D. Boyer)
God Has A Purpose and Plan for You!
God has a general purpose for everyone.
For example, He desires that everyone should repent and follow Jesus, obey the commands of His Word, and serve others.
II Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count
slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should
perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Deuteronomy 4:2, “You shall not add to the word that I command
you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the
Lord your God that I command you.”
I Peter 4:10, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another,
as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”
God has a specific purpose for every Christian.
He has a plan for each of us to bring him glory while we are here on earth.
Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the
Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a
hope.”
Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we
should walk in them.”
John 17:4, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work
that you gave me to do.”
GPS Summit … Two
Less Than 2% Are on Mission
It has been my privilege to serve as a consultant and leadership trainer in all kinds of churches in past years. I feel like I have an accurate inside view of what’s going on in many churches across America. While the majority of my experiences have been in mega-churches, I have assisted churches of all sizes.
I have discovered one discouraging, common thread in most all of these churches. The vast majority of Christians never discover and engage in fulfilling God’s purposes for their lives. When I ask, “How many of you can stand up and clearly tell me what is your personal mission statement?” less than 2% ever respond positively. Most not only do not know, they have never even given it a passing thought.
Little Standards Lead to Little Success
I am afraid we have unintentionally given the people in our churches a weak standard for Christian living. By what we give priority to, we have led people to believe that the essence of living the Christian life is being saved, attending church, giving money, and serving in one of our church programs. Of course, there is nothing wrong with these things. The problem is in people believing that this is all there is.
God has a special purpose for every one of us. If we do not know what that purpose is, we cannot fulfill it. According to author Henry Blackaby, “Many Christians are so busy doing the work of the church they miss the will of God for their lives.” Just being busy is not God’s will for any of us. Fulfilling His specific purposes for our lives is His will for all of us.
How about you? Do you know His purpose and mission for your life? If so, are you actively engaged in fulfilling that mission? Remember, Jesus said He brought glory to God while He was here on earth by completing the assignment God had for Him. Nothing less than your doing the same will bring God the glory He desires through your life.
Making A Difference Assessment
Please rate your present life situation in regards to the following ten statements concerning making a difference in the world.
Use a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high) for each statement.
_____ 1. I have a significant desire for my life to make a difference
in the world.
_____ 2. I have a stated personal life mission statement
(not work or professional mission).
_____ 3. I can clearly, vividly describe my personal vision for
the next stage of my life.
_____ 4. I have stated personal core values that drive my
behavior in life.
_____ 5. I know and understand my personality type and how to
function successfully in my relationships with others.
_____ 6. I understand and use my spiritual gifts in service
to others.
_____ 7. I know, understand, and function within my major
strengths and abilities in life.
_____ 8. I understand my greatest passions and am currently
serving in ways to fulfill those passions.
_____ 9. I have determined the greatest priority action steps
for making a difference in the world for the next stage
of my life.
_____ 10. I am currently engaged in activities and that are fulfilling
my life purpose, giving me a great sense of significance,
and making a difference in the world.
_____ TOTAL SCORE
GPS Summit … Three
Why Would I Want To Do That?
I was serving as Executive Pastor in a well-known mega-church and was seeking to enlist deacons for the upcoming new year. I immediately wanted to approach one gentleman whom I knew well. I felt like he was highly qualified. He was faithful in service to the church. He had great leadership skills and experience. He was well respected and a “man of good report.” He was a retired CEO of a Fortune 300 Company.
When I asked him if he would consider my nominating him as a deacon for the coming year, his response shocked me. “Why would I want to do that?” he said. I didn’t know what to say. While I was fumbling for words, he continued, “Tell me one significant thing the deacons did last year that changed the world.”
I could not. I had been in every deacons’ meeting the past year and here was what came to my mind, “If I didn’t have to be there, I would not want to be a part of that group either.” I knew that it was not a venue that was having significant impact in the Kingdom of God.
Therein lies the problem in many churches and other non-profit organizations. Our churches and ministries are filled with individuals who have great capacity to make a difference in the world. Rather than engaging them in such life-changing activities, we are enlisting them to hand out bulletins at door number 6 or to attend boring meetings that rarely accomplish anything worthwhile.
The challenge before us is to enlist, equip, empower, and encourage these individuals to discover and engage in their God-given purposes. We can mobilize an incredible labor force for the Kingdom of God. We can, we should, and we must!
Why? Not only for the sake of the Kingdom, but also for the sake of people who truly desire to make a difference in the world. By the way, people really want to do that!
Survey of Kingdom Potential
Talents …
Education & Training
______
Artistic
______
Leadership & Management
______Trades
______Professional
______
Ministry
______
Time …
______Retired
______Semi-retired
______Summer
______Seasonal
______Margin
Treasure …
Discretionary
______
Giving Funds
______
Foundations
______
Connections
______
Additional Earning Capacity
______
GPS Summit … Four
What the World Needs Now …
On April 15, 1965, Jackie DeShannon released one of my favorite songs from the glorious, sixties oldies (at least from the perspective of another oldie). “What the world needs now is love, sweet love; it’s the only thing that’s there’s just too little of,” played loudly from the tiny transistor radio. And at 16, I was in love … with every cheerleader in school!
After many years of observing Christians functioning in the Kingdom of God, I have concluded that what the world needs now is for followers of Jesus Christ to follow their God-given mission here on earth. We have the capacity to change the world! We have tremendous potential (as we discovered in the last session). We can share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the entire world. We can meet the humanitarian needs of food, clean water, clothing, medical care, and shelter for the impoverished peoples of the world. We can leave our mark on a very fallen world.
Come on In, the Door Is Open …
When I was a child we did not lock our doors. When someone knocked, we yelled out, “Come on in, the door is open.” There are no closed regions for businesspersons, tradespersons and professionals. Many believe that the next great spreading-of-the-gospel movement will be led by professionals other than ministers and traditional missionaries. Hundreds of thousands of working people have discovered this and are making a huge difference in their local communities and all around the world.
The New Testament Church was not led by trained ministers. It was led, and the gospel was spread, by working people and business professionals. God’s plan for a few is to leave your profession and pursue full-time ministry. God’s plan for most is to use your profession full-time as ministry.
Come and Listen to a Story …
The Beverly Hillbillies, unfortunately, represented how life really was growing up in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains. That popular TV series opened each week with, “Come and listen to the story of a man named Jed …” I want you to listen to a few real life stories of people, just like you, who are changing the world …
Friends from Abroad
A small group of local businesspersons from Southwest Florida travel into the Muslin region of Southern Russia, in the Caucasus Mountains, to lead business and life-skills seminars on a regular basis. They are able to help students in their preparation for success in life and to share their faith in the natural process of doing what they do best.
The Power of Prayer
Retired business owner, Jerry Findley, daily fulfills his God-given mission of prayer. He impacts lives locally and globally as he leads in prayers movements for his local church, small groups, non-profit organizations, family, and missionary friends.
Wings of Shelter
Retired realtors, Sally and Lowell Senitz, founded and give full-time leadership to Wings of Shelter. This non-profit ministry rescues and restores to a healthy lifestyle people from human slavery trafficking. They minister both locally in their home state and globally, partnering with other like-minded organizations around the world.
Helping Communities Help Themselves
Bill and Sue Bidwell, as full-time owners and operators of several business franchises, founded Grace Works Unlimited to encourage communities to take care of the needs of people in their own communities.
Let Me Help You Find a House and a Home
Karen Hodge had been a successful realtor for many years. It was a job. A job she was good at and enjoyed doing. After discovering that her life purpose was to impact the lives of her clients, she now is totally fulfilled in her significant ministry of helping people find the right house and a home … a community that meets their needs and a local church that points them to God.