What On Earth Am I Here For? Bible Study Guide

What On Earth Am I Here For? Bible Study Guide

by Rick Warren
What On Earth Am I Here For? Bible Study Guide

What On Earth Am I Here For? Bible Study Guide

by Rick Warren

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Overview

*The official study companion for Rick Warren's bestselling book—The Purpose Driven Life. Discover the answer to life's most fundamental question: What is my purpose?

In this six-session video-based Bible study (DVD/digital video sold separately), What On Earth Am I Here For? Rick Warren takes participants on a journey through life's most fundamental questions. Throughout these six sessions, you'll reflect on:

  • What drives your life and gives it meaning.
  • How to see life from God's view.
  • Why life here on Earth is only a temporary assignment and what that means.
  • What it looks like to glorify God with our very lives.

You are about to embark on a journey of discovery to dramatic spiritual and personal growth—the discovery that your life is not about you…You were created by God and for God, and when you understand that all-encompassing purpose, life begins to make sense. It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. Whether you are going to experience this adventure with a small group or on your own, this study will change your life.

When combined with the reading of The Purpose Driven Life, this study will give you and your small group the opportunity to discuss the implications and applications of living the life God created you to live.

Sessions include:

  1. You Matter to God
  2. You Were Planned for God’s Pleasure
  3. You Were Formed for God’s Family
  4. You Were Created to Become Like Christ
  5. You Were Shaped to Serve God
  6. You Were Made for a Mission

Designed for use with the What Am I Here For? Video Study (sold separately).


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780310696186
Publisher: HarperChristian Resources
Publication date: 11/21/2012
Series: The Purpose Driven Life
Pages: 96
Sales rank: 73,180
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

About The Author
A Time magazine cover article named Rick Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Tens of millions of copies of Pastor Rick’s books have been published in 200 languages. His best-known books, The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, were named three times in national surveys of pastors (by Gallup, Barna, and Lifeway) as the two most helpful books in print.

Rick and his wife, Kay, founded Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He is the cofounder of Celebrate Recovery with John Baker.

Pastor Rick has spoken in 165 nations. He has spoken at the United Nations, US Congress, numerous parliaments, the World Economic Forum, TED, Aspen Institute, and lectured at Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, and other universities.

Rick is executive director of Finishing the Task, a global movement of denominations, organizations, churches, and individuals working together on the Great Commission goals of ensuring that everyone everywhere has access to a Bible, a believer, and a local body of Christ.

Read an Excerpt

What on Earth Am I Here For

A Six-Session Video-Based Study for Groups or Individuals
By Rick Warren

Zondervan

Copyright © 2012 Rick Warren
All right reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-310-69618-6


Chapter One

SESSION 1

YOU MATTER TO GOD

CATCHING UP

• If this is your first time to meet together as a group, or if you have any new members, be sure to introduce yourselves.

• Before you jump into this study, we recommend that you review the Small group guidelines on page 70 of this study guide.

• What are you hoping to get out of this study of What on Earth Am I Here For? _____________________________________ _____________________________________

MEMORY VERSE

"I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born." Isaiah 44:2a (CEV)

YOU MATTER TO GOD

The Question of Existence: Why Am I Alive?

Why was I born? Was it only to have trouble and sorrow, to end my life in disgrace? Jeremiah 20:18 (TEV)

You were made by God and for God's purposes, and until you understand that, life will never make sense.

The Lord has made everything for his own purpose. Proverbs 16:4a (GW)

God created me to _______________________ .

Long before [God] laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love ... Ephesians 1:4 (MSG)

The Question of Significance: does my Life matter?

My work all seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose at all. Isaiah 49:4 (NLT)

"I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born." Isaiah 44:2a (CEV)

You are not an accident. There are accidental parents, but there are no accidental births. There are illegitimate parents, but there are no illegitimate children. There are unplanned pregnancies, but there are no unpurposed people. God wanted you in this world. You are not an accident.

You, [God], saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book! Psalm 139:16 (TLB)

His plans endure forever; his purposes last eternally. Psalm 33:11 (TEV)

Life is preparation for eternity.

I was made to _________________________________ .

When this tent we live in—our body here on earth—is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home he himself has made, which will last forever. 2 Corinthians 5:1 (TEV)

The Question of intention: What is my purpose?

Why did you create us? For nothing? Psalm 89:47b (NCV)

The only way to know your purpose is to ask your Creator.

Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding. Proverbs 9:10b (TLB)

I find my purpose _________________________ .

For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible ... everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. Colossians 1:16 (MSG)

Life is not about you; it's all about God.

It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for ... part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. Ephesians 1:11–12 (MSG)

If you live to be seventy years old, you will live 25,550 days. Don't you think it's worth just forty of those days to find out what you're supposed to do with the rest of them?

"It makes no difference who you are or where you're from—if you want God and you are ready to do as he says, the door is open." Acts 10:35 (MSG)

Discovery Questions

• "God created me to love me." When did you first hear about God's love? ____________________________________ ____________________________________

• "I was made to last forever." How does that statement strike you? Are you encouraged, puzzled, disappointed, surprised? _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________

Please don't feel pressured to discuss every discovery question. It's okay to choose the questions that are right for your group. The point is not to race through the session; the point is to take time to let God work in your lives.

• "I find my purpose in God." As you embark on this journey of discovery, how ready are you to explore the truth about God's purpose for your life? _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________

• "Life is not about you; it's all about God." What difference could it make if I acted like life is all about God and not about myself? _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________

Living on purpose

Reading Partner: A central component of this study is the daily reading of The Purpose Driven Life. Take a moment to pair up with someone in your group to be your reading partner. A little encouragement and friendly accountability can help you stay on your reading schedule. We recommend that men partner with men and women with women. Check in with your reading partner throughout the week or at your group meetings to share what you are learning, and to encourage each other in your progress through the book.

Now turn to the Daily Reading Plan on page 84, and decide as a group the date you will start reading Day 1 of The Purpose Driven Life.

We don't want to be just hearers of the Word. We also need to be doers of the Word. This section of the study contains application exercises that will help your group apply the things you are learning. Be sure to leave time each week for this material.

Diving Deeper

Spiritual Checkup: Most people want to live healthy, balanced lives. A regular medical checkup is a good way to measure physical health and spot potential problems. In the same way, a spiritual checkup is vital to your spiritual well-being. The Purpose Driven Spiritual Health Assessment was designed to give you a quick snapshot or pulse of your spiritual health. Take three to four minutes alone to complete the Purpose Driven Spiritual Health Assessment, found on page 74 of your study guide. After answering the questions, tally your results. Then, pair up with another person (preferably your reading partner), and briefly share one purpose that is going well and one that needs a little work.

• Read chapters 1 to 7 in The Purpose Driven Life before your next small group meeting. Share with the world what you are learning by placing a favorite quote from the book on your Facebook page or by tweeting with the hashtag #PDL.

• Read the memory Verse on page 2 every day this week as part of your daily devotions. See if you can have it memorized before your next group meeting.

• Visit purposedriven.com to find suggested next steps in living a life of purpose.

* Discover Purpose Driven Leadership Courses designed to help you learn to fulfill God's purposes in your personal life, small group, and in your church.

* Sign up for Pastor Rick's free Daily Hope Devotions by email.

* Receive access to 42 audio sermons by Pastor Rick to supplement the message of The Purpose Driven Life.

Prayer Direction

• Pray for your group's prayer requests. Be sure to record their request son the Small Group Prayer and Praise Report on page 72.

Before you go ...

• Turn to the Small Group Calendar on page 73 of this study guide. Healthy groups share responsibilities and group ownership. Fill out the calendar together, at least for next week, noting where you will meet each week, who will facilitate your meeting, and who will provide a meal or snack. Note special events, socials, or days off as well. Your Group Host will be very appreciative and everyone will have a lot more fun together.

• Also, start collecting basic contact information like phone numbers and email addresses. The Small Group Roster on page 86 of your study guide is a good place to record this information.

(Continues...)



Excerpted from What on Earth Am I Here For by Rick Warren Copyright © 2012 by Rick Warren. Excerpted by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Table of Contents

A Note to Small Group HOSTS vi

Understanding Your Study Guide vii

Small Group Sessions

Session 1 You Matter to God 1

Session 2 Worship-You Were Planned for God's Pleasure 11

Session 3 Fellowship-You Were Formed for God's Family 21

Session 4 Discipleship-You Were Created to Become Like Christ 31

Session 5 Ministry-You Were Shaped for Serving God 41

Session 6 Evangelism-You Were Made for a Mission 51

Small Group Resources

Helps for HOSTS 64

Frequently Asked Questions 67

Circles of Life 69

Small Group Guidelines 70

Small Group Prayer and Praise Report 72

Small Group Calendar 73

Purpose Driven Spiritual Health Assessment 74

Purpose Driven Spiritual Health Plan 77

Purpose Driven S.H.A.P.E. Profile 78

Answer Key 83

Daily Reading Plan 84

Small Group Roster 86

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