What is my purpose? Why am I here? How can I make a difference?

Hi all, Jonathan Schweinshaupt here! I just wanted to kind of introduce myself and let you guys know, though I wasn't part of the team that went to Russia, I am praying for you all and hope these blog posts have been able to answer some of your questions.

My topic for today is, Why am I here? What is my purpose in life? and how can I make a difference in the world today?

First of all, I'd like to share from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body; and in your spirit, which are God's."
The first thing is that we are not our own. I am not my own, WE ARE GOD'S. When Jesus Christ came and died on the cross for our sins, with his blood, he bought us. He saved us from our sins and because of that, we are not our own.

Basically, the bible tells us that we are to glorify God, not only in our body, but also in our spirit. The reason being because when we are saved, the Holy Spirit comes and dwells in our hearts. The Holy Spirit dwells in a temple, and when you are saved, your body becomes a temple of the Holy Ghost. And now because of salvation and Jesus Christ, our body is now a temple - therefore we are to keep it holy.

So why am I here? What is my purpose? And the answer to that is found in verse 20 that I just read. '.. to glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.' THAT is the purpose of our lives on this earth - to bring glory to God!

What can I do to make a difference?
Hebrews 12:1 - "Wherefore, seeing as we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."
Galatians 5:25 - "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
There are a lot of different ways we can make a difference! For example, we can witness to others, telling them about Jesus Christ. We can set an example by living a godly life. We can give to those in need. There are countless ways to make a difference in the world by the things we do - but I believe the best thing we can do to make a difference in this world is to let others see Jesus Christ in you.
How do we do that? And that is answered in Galatians 5:25. WALK IN THE SPIRIT.

As it says in Hebrews, we have a race to run! It is our life as a Christian. And we run that race by NOT giving in to sin, but by walking in the Spirit. When we begin to live in the Spirit and put off this world, those around us will KNOW that we are a temple of the Holy Spirit - and they will begin to ask you questions.. what makes you so different from those around you? And through the testimony of the way you dress, your music standards, your attitude, the way you live your life; you will be able to make a difference in this world.
When we are living in the Spirit, everything about our life changes! It says in scripture that we 'become a new creature in Christ'. 'Old things are passed away and all things are become new'. When we receive Christ, everything becomes new, and the old things, the sins you used to walk in, you will no longer strive for - because you will be striving to walk in the Spirit. And when that is our desire, then we can truly make a difference in the world.

I hope that I was able to answer some of these questions for you guys, and if there were other questions that you had, I will be happy to answer them if you go ahead and leave a comment on this post.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

Who is the Holy Spirit? What is His role in the Christian life?

Well hello again! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

So… Who is the Holy Spirit? And what is His role in the Christian life?

He is the third member of the “trinity”, which means three in one. Meaning that He is God! He is also sent by Jesus to be to us what Jesus was to His disciples.

Jesus said, “But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate [speaking of the Holy Spirit] won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send Him to you.”

The Holy Spirit is here to be to you and me what Jesus was to His disciples. Jesus was a teacher. The Holy Spirit is now here to teach us. He was the One who taught them what the Word of God meant. That is what the Holy Spirit is here to do for you and me.

Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth.” That means that the Holy Spirit is the One who will help you understand the Truth. He will help you learn from the Bible what it means for you.

The most amazing thing is, He comes to live inside of you when you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior!

Romans 8:11 says, “The Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you…”

That means that the same Spirit that made Jesus come alive from the dead is now living inside of you, causing you to have real life! His main purpose is to connect you to God.

One of my favorite things about the Holy Spirit is this: He is not a Spirit that makes us fearful slaves, but rather a Spirit that helps us to know that we are God’s children.

Romans 8:15 says, “So you have not received a Spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, ‘Abba, Father.’”

The Holy Spirit is also there to help us pray. Romans 8: 26 says, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groaning that cannot be expressed in words.”

He also helps us worship. John 4:23 says, “…True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.” We can’t truly worship God in spirit apart from His Spirit. Philippians 3:3 talks about worshipping “by the Spirit of God.”

The Holy Spirit helps us to live out the Christian life. We can’t do it apart from Him. He wants to give you the strength to obey God and to live like Christ. He gives the power to love people, to have peace and joy in every situation, to be gentle and patient to everyone, to be kind and good. He gives the power to live out your Christian life.

Galatians 5:22-23 says this: “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

One of the most important things He helps us do is speak up about Jesus! Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere…”

The Holy Spirit gives courage in the face of fear. So trust in Him. Let Him help you in every aspect of your life. He is there to help you!