The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren—A Synopsis (continued). Chapter 38—Becoming a World-Class Christian (pages 297-304) Summary Every believer has the choice of being either a worldly Christian, one who looks to God primarily for personal fulfillment; or a world-class Christian, one who looks to God to be used in God’s service. The Great Commission is charged to every believer. But in order for a believer to experience ownership in the Great Commission and thereby be a world-class Christian, he must restructure his thinking in the following manner: Shift from self-centered thinking to other-centered thinking. The believer, through moment-by-moment dependence on God, should strive to shift from a spiritually immature self-centered way of thinking to a spiritually mature other-centered way of thinking. This manner of thinking should be automatic when a believer comes into contact with anyone in life by the believer asking God for understanding of the other person’s spiritual needs. Shift from local thinking to global thinking. The believer should expand his witness-horizon by adding to the local community around him all the communities of the world. This process can be cultivated through his prayer ministry (praying for other countries, for missionaries, for more opportunities to witness), through becoming more informed of world events, and through participating in short-term mission projects in other countries. Shift from “here and now” thinking to eternal thinking. The believer should maintain an eternal perspective instead of majoring on minor issues that have no eternal value. In all matters and with all possessions in life, the believer should conduct his affairs for eternal results. Shift from thinking of excuses not to witness to thinking of creative ways witness. The believer should realize that there are myriad ways in which his witness can be effective throughout the world. He needs only to trust God to reveal those that have been designed for him. He needs no “special call” from God, because God has given His call to spread the gospel message to every believer.   Quotes “You have a choice to make. You will be either a world-class Christian or a worldly Christian.” (pg. 297) “Worldly Christians look to God primarily for personal fulfillment. . . . They want to use God for their purposes instead of being used for His purposes.” (pg. 297) “God invites you to participate in the greatest, largest, most diverse, and most significant cause in history—His kingdom.” (pg. 298) “Someday the Great Commission will be the Great Completion.” (pg. 298) “The great barriers are no longer distance, cost, or transportation. The only barrier is the way we think.” (pg. 299) “So much of what we waste our energy on will not matter even a year from now, much less for eternity. Don’t trade your life for temporary things.” (pg. 302) “You’ve probably heard the expression ‘You can’t take it with you’—but the Bible says you can send it on ahead by investing in people who are going there!” (pg. 303) “Maybe you have believed that you needed a special ‘call’ from God, and you’ve been waiting for some supernatural feeling or experience. But God has already stated His call repeatedly. We are all called to fulfill God’s five purposes for our lives: to worship, to fellowship, to grow like Christ, to serve, and to be on mission with God in the world. God doesn’t want to use just some of His people; He wants to use all of His people. We are all called to be on-mission for God. He wants His whole church to take the whole gospel to the whole world.” (pg. 303) Scriptures Mark 16:15; Psalm 67:2; Revelation 7:9; 1 Corinthians 14:20; Philippians 2:4; 1 Corinthians 2:12; 10:33; John 3:16; Acts 17:26, 27; Colossians 1:6; Psalm 2:8; Colossians 4:3; Romans 1:10; Ephesians 6:19; John 17:20; 2 Thessalonians 3:1; Matthew 9:38; 2 Corinthians 1:11; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 4:18; Luke 9:62; 1 Corinthians 7:31; Hebrews 12:1; Matthew 6:20, 21; Luke 16:9; 1 Timothy 6:19; Jeremiah 1:7, 8; Mark 8:35. Conclusion/Comments Every believer has a choice of either existing as a worldly Christian (thinking only of self) or as a world-class Christian (thinking of others). It all depends on his thought processes. If he will shift from self-centered to other-centered, from local to global, from temporal to eternal, and from excuse-laden to creative thinking about his place and mission on earth; he will mature into a world-class Christian. This is every believer’s personal call from God.