#21 Discover Your Purpose in Christ
Time Stamps
00:00 - Welcome from Matt and Deon
04:30 - Talk: Discover Your Purpose in Christ with Sharon Edmundson
07:32 - Finding Value in God's Craftsmanship
13:45 - Breaking Free from Society's Self-Creation Pressure
17:32 - Understanding Your General and Specific Purpose
31:33 - Conversation Street: Finding Worth Beyond Comparison
38:12 - The Adventure of Discovering Who God Made You To Be
God's Work of Art: Finding Your True Purpose
Ever feel like you're just another face in the crowd? Like you're scrolling through life wondering if what you do actually matters?
This Sunday, Sharon Edmundson continued our "Becoming Whole" series with a refreshing take on purpose and identity. Drawing from Ephesians 2:10 – "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" – Sharon unpacked what it means to be God's masterpiece in a world obsessed with self-creation.
The Cabinet: A Picture of Purposeful Creation
Sharon began with a beautiful illustration – a drinks cabinet her husband Matt had crafted as a birthday gift for their friend Simon. This wasn't just any cabinet; it was made with rare purple wood (Purple Heart), carefully designed to fit bottles and glasses, and textured with thoughtful details that reflected Simon's unique personality.
Just as that cabinet was created with specific intention, so are we. We're not mass-produced items rolling off an assembly line – we're crafted works of art, each designed with purpose and care by a Creator who knows exactly what He's doing.
"Just as the cabinet was created for a purpose, so are we created for a purpose," Sharon explained. We're God's workmanship – His craftsmanship, His masterpiece, His poem.
Breaking Free from the Pressure to Self-Create
One of the most liberating parts of Sharon's message addressed the exhausting pressure many of us feel to "create ourselves" in today's culture.
"In our Western society, there can be a lot of pressure today for us to create ourselves," Sharon noted. "There are so many messages that shout out that we can be anything we want to be and do anything that we want to do. That may feel exciting to some, but it can be pretty overwhelming to others."
This constant pressure to define and reinvent ourselves can be exhausting. Even choosing tea bags in the supermarket can feel overwhelming with all the options – let alone trying to craft your entire identity from scratch!
The biblical alternative? Discovering who God created you to be rather than trying to create yourself.
This approach offers incredible security. Our value isn't based on how we look, our social standing, or anything we've done. We're valuable simply because we're God's work of art, and He loves us. As Sharon powerfully reminded us: "The price paid for us is God himself... not because of anything we've done to deserve it."
Romans 8:31-32 captures this beautifully: "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"
Your General and Specific Purpose
So if we're God's masterpiece, what are we designed for?
Sharon explained that we all share a general purpose: to be in relationship with God and to represent Him on earth – "rule on Earth on God's behalf, following His ways, reconnecting people with Him."
This doesn't mean oppression or control. Rather, it means bringing God's culture of love, life, and wholeness to every area we touch. As Proverbs says, "When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice."
But what about our specific, individual purpose? This is where many of us get caught in the comparison trap, looking at others who seem to be making a bigger impact and wondering if we're missing our calling.
Sharon vulnerably shared her own struggle with this: "I recently caught myself comparing myself with the many successful people I know, wondering if I'm missing it somehow."
As she prayed about it, she was reminded of Jesus' parable about the shepherd leaving the 99 sheep to find the one that was lost (Matthew 18:12-14). This was a powerful reminder that while God cares about global affairs, He's equally invested in each individual life – including yours.
The Parable of the Talents: Using What You Have
Sharon turned to the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, where three servants were entrusted with different amounts of gold – five bags, two bags, and one bag respectively.
The first two servants invested what they had and doubled it. The third buried his portion out of fear. When the master returned, he praised the first two equally, despite their different results. The second servant wasn't judged for not producing as much as the first – he was judged based on what he did with what he had.
This brings incredible freedom. Your purpose isn't about comparing yourself to others but about faithfully using what God has given specifically to you.
"It doesn't matter if you're the leader of a country or a big organization, or if you're sweeping the streets and don't have anyone working under you," Sharon explained. "Let's not compare what we have with that of other people. Let's look at what we've been given and make sure that we do something with it."
From Conversation Street: Finding Worth Beyond Comparison
During Conversation Street, Matt and Will explored how this understanding of purpose transforms how we see ourselves and others.
Will highlighted the beauty of seeing each person as uniquely crafted: "When you've got eyes to see the uniqueness of everyone that you meet on a daily basis, that is wonderful." He shared a powerful story of an astronomy lecture where, after showing stunning images of planets and galaxies, the professor ended with a simple photo of his students – reminding everyone that the complexity and potential of individual human beings is even more breathtaking than cosmic wonders.
Matt added that this perspective changes how we understand humility: "Humility is seeing yourself through the eyes of God." It's not about thinking less of yourself, but seeing yourself accurately – as God's workmanship.
This truth is especially powerful for young people today. Both hosts acknowledged the immense pressure that social media places on us to conform to impossible standards. As Will reflected, "My 17-year-old daughter sees three or four thousand images a day at least, all projecting on her some kind of expectation."
Your Journey of Discovery
So how do you discover the purpose God has for you? Sharon offered these practical steps:
Begin with relationship – Submit your life to God and become part of His family
Study God's word – Find out His general purpose for each area of your life
Use what's in your hand now – Start where you are with what you have
Ask God for direction – Sometimes God only shows us the next step because "He wants to walk and talk with us on a daily basis"
The beautiful thing about this approach is that it takes the pressure off. You don't need to have your entire life purpose figured out at once. You simply need to take the next step with God, trusting that He'll reveal more as you walk with Him.
This doesn't mean it's always easy. The parable of the talents shows that fear can paralyze us from using what God has given us. But as you step out in faith, using your gifts and talents for the benefit of others, you'll discover more of who God created you to be.
Your Next Step
As we continue our "Becoming Whole" series, here's a simple invitation:
Take a moment this week to reflect on the truth that you are God's workmanship – His carefully crafted masterpiece. Write Ephesians 2:10 somewhere you'll see it daily: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Then ask yourself these questions:
What has God placed in my hand right now?
How can I use it to serve others and bring His love into my world?
What's one small step I can take this week to move toward the purpose He has for me?
Remember, you don't need to create yourself or figure everything out at once. Your purpose unfolds as you walk with God daily, following His lead one step at a time.
Join us next Sunday as we continue our exploration of becoming whole in Christ!
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10)
RECENT EPISODES
RECENT LIVESTREAMS
More from this series
At Crowd Church, we are committed to creating a space for you to explore the Christian faith, regardless of where you are on your faith journey.
What happens at Crowd Church?
Every week we livestream our online church service and release a new story on What’s The Story Podcast. We have weekly online community groups that meet up and all of that good stuff. You can find out more about everything that goes on at Crowd by browsing through this site, and you can reach out to us via our contact page.
Come and Join In!
Are you interested in joining in with what is happening here at Crowd? We would love to meet you!
Join in with the Church Livestream
Subscribe to Crowd Church Podcast & What’s the Story Podcast
Follow us on Instagram
Subscribe to the YouTube Channel
New to church? If so - check out the New Here link.
Any questions? Please connect with us via our Contact Page, or via WhatsApp: +44 7984 530 429