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world champions!
phillies celebrate

There’s a chill in the air, the roar of several thousand people fill the packed stadium. The pitcher snaps the pitch, soaring through the autumn air past the swing of a bat into the catcher mitt – strike three and the Philadelphia Phillies are World Series Champions! After letting the shock, elation, and frustration of twenty-eight years without a winner fly away, I said to my son Jacob, “Take it all in, you’ll be my age the next time you see this, again!”

What is it about me? Here I am in the midst of witnessing something that has not happened for “my team” since I was 9-years-old and I am already looking for future failure. Many times in our Christian journey, I find that there are tremendous “World Champion moments” of faith; yet, too often instead of living full lives as champions for Christ, we Christians end up looking for and expecting the next failure.

The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 9, “Do you not know that in a race all runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” I want to be a WORLD CHAMPION CHRISTIAN so, how can we begin run life’s race in a way to win the prize?

First, we must commit to training in order to bring about godliness. Paul in 1 Timothy 4:7b-8 states, “train yourself to be godly…godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” By godliness, Paul desires for us to have the character and attitude of God. We develop this through an in depth study of scripture, dedicated prayer life, Spirit-filled worship and assembling together with other committed Christians.

Second, we must stop allowing others to derail our “championship run.” In Galatians 5:7a it is written, “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you…?” Far too often we allow situations and others to cut in on us and cause us to veer from our goal of abundant life in Christ Jesus. Instead of a clear path, our race becomes an obstacle course or a maze. We have to be clear that our race is about us reaching Jesus and reject those people or things which “cut in” on us.

Lastly, we need to be focused on Jesus and seek him above all things. You may have heard most World Champions say, “When we came together this year we were not going to stop until we reached the championship.” Every champion reaches a point where they have to overcome the challenges in their way. We must have the mindset that nothing is impossible if we seek God first. The Apostle Paul understood this by stating in Hebrews 12, “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”

As thrilled as I am over the Phillies winning the World Series and becoming champions, I know that the elation only lasts until the 2010 Major League Baseball season begins. However, through Jesus we can forever have the real and abundant life He offers even in times of conflict and uncertainty. Seek Jesus as your goal and guide to truly be World Champions!

 

God’s Word in Action: “Taking Him To The Streets”

by Jill Cohen

“Therefore, go, and make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19) is not only the mission verse for Kohath Ministries, but it’s also Christ’s commission for all Christians. Haven Community Church in North East, MD, has taken this commission to heart, and is actively finding ways to reach out into their community.
hooked at haven

Although Haven CC has seen dramatic growth and blessing since it’s start-up in January of this year, they haven’t lost sight of the world outside their walls. Jim Cochran of BelAir, Md, put it this way: “I am a Christian because someone brought me to church and told me about the love of Christ. How could I refuse to share the same with others?”

In August, a group of members formed the “Haven Street Team” and began developing what they’ve termed their “Taking Him To The Streets Campaign”. The initial goal of the campaign was to draw more people to worship so that the word of God could be shared more broadly in the community. T-shirts, signs, member referrals and door-to-door visits have been key to raising awareness, but in addition, the team is also hosting special community events and improving their visitor welcoming efforts. Ultimately, their goal is simple, to follow the example of Christ in serving people in the North East area.

“What a blessing it is to invite someone to church,” said church member Linda Seward of Oxford, PA. “It just may be the key step in a person finding Christ in their life!” That is exactly the hope of those at Haven -- to connect people to Christ and make disciples for Him. For more information on Haven Community Church, visit www.havencc.org

 

What do you think?

Do you ever stop to think about how much God truly loves you? The reality is… God’s love for us is so amazing, that it not only can change people, it can change the world. This video from GodTube.com does a great job of explaining the sacrifice God made on our behalf. Please take 5 minutes to watch “The Bridge” and ask yourself how much you are willing to sacrifice for the life of another. Send us your comments at www.kohath.org.

 

Kohath Happenings

Date/Time
Event
11/16/08 – 5:30 pm Spiritual Renewal Encounter, Lewes, DE
01/11/09 – 5:30 pm Spiritual Renewal Encounter, Lewes, DE
02/19/09 – 03/02/09 Trip to Israel with Mauro Tours
03/09 (Date TBD) Lenten Weekend Retreat
05/09 (Date TBD) Pastors Conference


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