1-6-2013

12 I have not yet received all of those things. I have not yet

been made perfect. But I move on to take hold of what Christ

Jesus took hold of me for.

13 Brothers and sisters, I don’t consider that I have taken hold of

it yet. But here is the one thing I do. I forget what is behind me. I push hard toward what is ahead

of me.

14 I move on toward the goal to win the prize. God has

appointed me to win it. The heavenly prize is Christ Jesus

himself.

• The only safe direction for the Christian and for the church is forward and upward. If we as Christians and we as the church stop making forward progress, we are in danger.

•We need to know that there are CHALLENGES TO ACCEPT if the church is going to move forward.

1. ERASE from your mind the past. (v.13c)

•Change your focus --quit looking behind and

start looking head.

We need to understand that God is far more interested in our future than He is in our past.

2. ENVISION the future. (v.13d)

•God is going to do something “new” in and

through your life.–Isaiah 43:19

3. ESTABLISH a priority. (v.13b)

• Jesus is saying that if you take care of my business, I will take care of blessing

you!–Matthew 6:33

4. EMBRACE the calling. (v. 14)

All believers are to bring salvation to the

lost.–Matthew 28:19

–John 20:21

• As Jesus touched people, he was embracing the missional purposes of God. It is not how often you come (to church), but how you go (into the world).

• Mark 16:15-19

We are called to teach others on what it means to be an disciple of Jesus.Acts 6:7

•The church must go forward and grow! The early church, the first church was a growing church!

•There is a saying that is basically true: we are either going forward, standing still, or falling behind.