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Three Secrets to a Great Life

Philippians 3: 12-15 - 12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. So it doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle; but when the sun comes up, you'd better be running!

Friends, if you are seeking the Lord, the devil is seeking you. In the Christian life, it's not enough simply to wake up. We are called to run, to become more like Christ, to press ahead in godliness. In the scripture text Paul assured his friends at Philippi that he knew that he had not yet completely arrived concerning Christian growth (v. 12). But he also assured them that he was striving each day to reach the goal that God had for him. Then Paul outlines three steps to reach God's purpose for his life.

Forgetting the Past (v. 13) When looking back over things that have happened in life, many of us have mixed emotions. How much of our past should we remember? There are many things that serve as experience. But some things must be forgotten completely if we are to stay sane and experience a productive Christian walk. Whatever the past has been, God wants to make certain it will not hinder us and that is done by concentrating on what lies ahead. Our attitude should be that we have repented of our sins, we have prayed for the grace of God to remove those sins and He has done that. Paul said to handle the past by forgetting it.

Face the Future (v. 13) Paul pictures his enthusiasm for the future as "reaching forth." This expression is used for a racer or runner as he goes hard for the finish line. He has his eyes on nothing but the goal. This type of enthusiasm motivates us to look forward. We must consciously include the Lord in every thought and activity until the habit is established. And when this happens in lives, there will be better tomorrows.

Keep your Eye on the Goal (v. 14) None of us are truly free to be God's children until we lay everything down that hinders our commitment to Him. Jesus boldly stated that in order to be His follower, we must break all ties that weaken our commitment to Him. And to attain the goal, we must concentrate all our efforts on that which we have adopted as our purpose in life. Motivation is the most important factor in everything we do.

Newsweek magazine reported on what it called the new wave of mountain men. These are the serious mountain climbers. But in the upper echelon of serious climbers is a small elite group known as "hard men." For them climbing mountains and scaling sheer rock is a way of life. And their ultimate experience is called free soloing: climbing with no equipment and no safety ropes. Who are the hard men and women for Jesus? Who are those who will bring all their energies for Jesus? They are men who will forget the past, face the future and keep their eye on the goal.

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Time Management

The 5 Major Time Wasters

Spreading yourself too thin by trying to do too many things at once.

Being afraid to delegate.

Not wanting to say "NO" to requests.

Being tied to a phone.

Procrastinating.

Just Thinking.............................

Look carefully at the closest associations in your life, for that is the direction you are headed.

People are your only appreciable asset.

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Developing a Growing Church

Pastor Ray Johnson of the Denham Springs Pentecostal Church shares the characteristics of a growing church.

There are specific, reasonable and attainable growth goals that have been developed. A pastor must see, believe it and work for it!
There is powerful Bible-based preaching and teaching, anointed singing, vibrant worship, fervent praying, and generous giving.
There is consistent visitation and follow-up on visitors.
The pastor recognizes and releases the gifts and callings among the congregation. These gifts include the gifts of teachers, helpers, prophecy, exhortation, ruling, etc.
The organization, coordination, and emphasis of the basic departments - Sunday School, Youth, Outreach, Music, New Convert Care - is always on soul-winning and discipleship.
The pastor works to have every member involved in the church in some capacity.
There is continual training and disciplining for all members and leaders throughout all the ministries.
The pastor and church has considered the importance of church location, parking, properties for expansion, and development of new buildings for growth.
There is good financial planning and money management with emphasis on giving.
The church has good community visibility, which includes not just the church building, but also the involvement of pastor and members in the community.

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Personal Preaching Goals

Be true and faithful to accurately proclaim all the teachings of Scripture in a balanced manner (Acts 20:27; 2 Timothy 4:2-5). Keep a balance that reflects the breath in God's character of sovereignty, holiness, and love. Keep a balance between Old Testament, New Testament, and topical messages.

Be clear and simple enough for the unbeliever and new Christian to understand it. Relate the message to current events or universal relatable experiences. Be interesting enough to hold the interest of all listeners and not be "boring" to anyone, communicating with both passionate zeal and eloquent phrasing. Include appropriate humor. Use a gripping, penetrating, and memorable close.

Preach in the present tense and aim for definite results in people's lives. Make sure I have a specific purpose for why this message is needed to change people's thinking or how it will meet their real needs.

Use illustrations about people, not things; that show, not just tell; that are true, not hypothetical; that are descriptions, not allusions; that have both emotional and logical appeal. Speak for people before I speak to them, so they will know that I think and feel as they do and therefore do understand their situations.

Although much of the message will be directed toward younger believers, include small chunks of theological meat to stretch the thinking of mature believers so they will feel "fed" and "freshly instructed" by the Word of God.

Use specific and accurate applications that appeal to all types of listeners (children, teens, young adults, seniors, male and female, businessman and laborer, housewife and retiree). Show the personal relevance of the message by attaching it to a specific people and places, not abstract ideals or vague generalities. Use "we" language more than "you" language. Challenge people to spiritual growth by providing inspiration for them to put it into practice today.

The best sermon is one that is full of Jesus Christ; He is our source, He is our Savior, He is our goal. Preach Christ crucified and Christ victorious and Christ as Lord to shake the gates of hell and to tear down stones from Satan's castle fortress. Include the gospel message, at least in capsule form, in every sermon.

Speak with personal passion and emotion that reflects what it means in my own life, reflecting my own original intensity in discovering these truths. Prepare to preach by thinking myself empty, then reading myself full, then praying myself warm.

Remember that effectiveness in preaching is based on three factors: the interest level of my content, my relationship to the hearers, and the quality of my delivery style. Improving my delivery style will have the most impact in communication life-changing truths. When God communicates His truth, His method is exciting, creative, memorable, simple, surprising, and attention grabbing. It is not like God to do it the same way each week. Spend time each week thinking about how to deliver the message in a fresh new way.

Preach to change people's way of thinking, to change their minds, to get them to repent of wrong thinking and do a mental paradigm shift, for this is the only way for transformation to take place. The root of what they believe is more crucial than the fruit of their behavior, for our beliefs drive our behaviors. Deliberately break strong fortified mental strongholds that keep people from seeing their lives from God's perfect point of view, ripping down false ideas and lies until people are convicted through the clear seeing of the truth.

Talk from the heart to the heart, addressing people's needs, problems, and fears. Use simple stories about people that they can relate to and understand. Speak with authority without overly depending on written notes.

Allow people to discover truths for themselves by letting them find answers to their own questions in the text. Permit tension and drama and doubts to build until they are surprised and excited to see the relevance and answers of the Scripture for themselves; anticipate and answer objections, for this will drive the applicational changes deeper into their lives.

Before writing a message, pray that God will supply the proper passages, words, emphasis, depth, and applications. After writing the message, pray for God to prepare open hearts and minds to receive newly discovered truth, and to do any necessary spiritual warfare so that it will come across as a clear, relevant, and interesting message from God.