Friday, March 27, 2015

March 28, 2015

The Apostle Paul testifies why he keeps running as he rounds third and heads for the plate.

He is in the game for the right reasons.

He runs according to God’s pattern for the right reasons.

He runs to win for the following reasons found in II Corinthians 5.

HE IS CONVINCED OF ETERNAL LIFE, Vv. 15-19

“15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”

Touching the bases matters for eternity!

Are you running according to God’s pattern?

Are you running with conviction?

HE IS COMPELLED BY THE LOVE OF GOD, V. 14

“14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.

Apostle Paul was compelled by love!

“COMPELLED” does not equal being “emotionally moved by my desire”

“COMPELLED” equals being “freed from control of sin and controlled, imprisoned by God’s love.”

The same word Paul used for compelled is the same word used when Christ was arrested and led away from the garden. Jesus was compelled to suffer and die on the cross because of the will and purpose of God.

What compels you?

Are you compelled by the love of Christ?

HE IS COMMITTED AS AN AMBASSADOR, Vv. 18-20

18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 

What is an ambassador?

An ambassador represents a nation or a kingdom in another land for the purpose of creating good relations between them.

Paul was committed and compelled to represent the Gospel of eternal life to an unbelieving world. He was committed because he was convinced and compelled by God’s love for lost people.

You are representing God and His gospel every day. Are you committed to do it well?


Will anyone be drawn to faith in Christ by the way you represent Him today?

March 27, 2015

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2

Like kids, churches are cute when they are little. You almost wish they could stay little and cute. But you want them to be healthy and when they are healthy they will grow. You don’t want unhealthy kids or unhealthy churches because even though they get expensive when they grow it costs a lot more when they are not healthy.

At FredWes we have valued spiritual health believing that it will lead to growth. We are seeing that develop. During the 40 Day Emphasis we are getting a new vision of what spiritual health looks like. It looks like running the bases in the proper order during a game of baseball.

There is a pattern to running the bases if you want to score and win. You can’t run the bases backwards and hope to win.

Home plate is the connection base. It is at home where you connect with God to enjoy His presence, to gain His power and find His purpose. Nothing happens until you connect with God by faith at home plate.

A healthy church is populated by people who connect well at home plate.  A healthy church points people to home plate and promotes healthy connections with Christ. When you have considerably more people who are connected with God at home plate than those who aren’t you have the makings of a healthy church.

First base is the character development base. Connecting with God at home gets you right with God but then God wants to get you thinking right, believing right, deciding right and doing right. A healthy church understands the importance of first base and challenges people to spend time there. When a church has a significant number of its people who understand the value of and place a priority on character development that church has a chance to be healthy.

Home plate is where healthy churches win with God. First base is where healthy churches win within. And that brings the focus to second base.

Second base is the community base. A healthy church develops good community as a result of its people connecting at home and at first. Learning to love God passionately and love self properly leads to loving others powerfully. Healthy churches are filled with people who know how win with others.

Third base is the competency base where the results of loving God and loving self and loving others brings results. Third base is where you turn to head home, getting people to third is vital. Healthy churches grow at third base but they grow at third as a result of healthy things that are happening at home and first and second!

Healthy people produce healthy churches and God uses healthy churches to produce more healthy people!

Healthy churches produce healthy people because they play by God’s pattern. The order of the bases is vitally important! Getting God at home plate, growing in God at first base, glorifying God at second, and gaining for God at third base are what healthy churches are made of.

A healthy church, like a healthy person, respects the process and the pattern and pays the price to stay healthy and produce healthy believers.

FredWes is healthy but MUST continue to touch ALL the bases!


Are you on base with that?