For a discussion of this excerpt, see The A-Team Blog (www.ateamblog.com).

Excerpt from Rick Warren's 40 Days of Purpose Campaign Video

The following is transcribed from the "40 Day" home group video. This is the video that contains all of the sessions that the home groups go through when they meet once a week.

Part 1: The following is at the end of what the home group leaders listen to before they lead the group in Session 1:

"Finally, I want you to know that at the close of this session, session 1, I'm going to invite those who have not previously begun a relationship with Jesus Christ to open their hearts to Him and to follow me in a prayer of commitment. After you turn off the video tape in your group meeting let me encourage you to be sensitive to what may have just happened. Gently congratulate and celebrate anybody who did pray to receive Christ. Now, don't put them on the spot or make them feel awkward but encourage them to tell someone of their decision before they leave the class or the meeting. During the prayer time of the video I'm going to ask you to please be praying for each member of your group just in case someone has not yet opened their life to Christ.

This is going to be a fun journey together. Thank you for this privilege of having this special time with you each week before your class or before your small group. Remember the words of God to Joshua as he started an important journey himself, He said 'Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.'

God is going to be with you in the next six weeks. God bless you."

Part 2: The following is toward the end of Session 1. Everyone involved in the small groups listen to this:

"Now what you do with your life on earth will determine where you spend eternity. Imagine this: let's say I had a tape measure that stretched all the way from Los Angeles to New York City. And if that tape measure represented how long eternity is, the first fraction of that inch on the tape measure would represent the 70, 80 or 90 years you'll be here on earth. You're going to spend far more time on the other side of eternity than on this side. So what are we supposed to do now? We're supposed to use this life to prepare for the next life. This is a dress rehearsal before the real show. It's the warm up act. It's the trial run. It's the preparation lap before the real race begins. The Bible says "He has set eternity in the hearts of men." Psalms 33 says "His purposes last eternally". It is an understatement to say that God has [inaudible] plans for your life. They are never ending. And one day you're going to stand before God and He's going to do an audit of your life. He's going to ask you two questions: #1: "What did you do with my Son, Jesus Christ"? And #2: What did you do with what I gave you? What did you do with your life?

During the next five weeks I'm going to help you to prepare for the second question. But as we end this introductory session, I want to make sure you know the answer to the first question. Do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ? If you're not sure of thisŠmaybe you've gone to church all of your life, maybe you've never been to churchŠit doesn't matter. I'd like the privilege of leading you in a prayer to settle this issueŠ.that you are connected to Christ. So let's bow our heads together. I'm going to pray a prayer and you can follow it silently in your mind. Let's pray.

Just say something like this: Dear God, I want to know Your purpose for my life. I don't want to waste the rest of my life on wrong things. Today I want to take the first step in preparing for eternity by getting to know You. Jesus Christ, I don't understand it all but as much as I know how I want to open up my life to You. I ask You to come in to my life and make Yourself real to me and use this series in my life to help me know what You made me for. Thank you. Amen.

Now, if you've just prayed that prayer for the very first time I want to congratulate you. You've just become a part of the family of God. The first thing you ought to do is share your decision with somebody else. And if you feel comfortable doing so I hope you'll share it with the people you are with right now in this class or this group.

Now as we go to your group discussion time let me encourage you to really participate. Do you have something to contribute that the group will be far richer because of what you share? And when you close in prayer at the end of this session if you've never prayed aloud in front of a group you might simply say a single sentenceŠjust say something like this: "Thank you God for making me for a purpose." That's all you need to say. It will be meaningful to you if you can just say a single sentence. "Thank you God that you made me for a purpose." My second suggestion as we close is that you invite a friend to next week's study group. We'll be covering the very first purpose that God created you for and I know everybody is interested in that. So we'll see you next week. God bless you."