Moving Forward with Jesus and Pleasing God

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (2 1/2 minutes) – “When the days drew near for Him to be taken up, He set His face to go to Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51)
     Passage: Psalm 118:19-24

Over 100 years ago, the most popular college sporting event in America was not March Madness. Rowing was one of the most popular amateur sports and the most famous event was the Harvard/Yale Regatta, which in 1925, recorded over 100,000 attendees. Some years later, some football players at Clemson, thinking they were better athletes than boys from Harvard, decided to ask the coach/athletic director, Frank Howard if he would support starting a rowing team. I paraphrase his reply: “Clemson will never subsidize any sport where they sit down and go backward.”

In a spiritual sense, many believers and many churches have sat down and gone backward. Sitting down is a picture of getting comfortable in the status quo of doing church the same way without being willing to adapt methods to reach a changing world. They quit focusing on reaching people and impacting the world. God does not want His children or His local churches to sit down and go backward. Jesus came for a mission and He kept moving forward in His mission to “seek and to save that which was lost.” Our mission and the gospel message never changes, but we must be willing to change methodologies and do whatever God leads us to do to move forward and keep reaching people for Christ. Doing that is pleasing to Him.

Apply - (2 1/2 minutes)
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Pray - (1 1/2 minutes)