Swofford: Reaching Texas, touching world requires sacrificial commitment, transformation

AMARILLO?”If we’re going to reach Texas and touch the world, it’s only going to happen if we’re totally committed to him,” declared Rockwall pastor Stephen Swofford, addressing the annual meeting theme Oct. 25 in his convention sermon.

Basing his message on Romans 12:1-2, the pastor of First Baptist Church and the new SBTC president said commitment is not doing things for God, studying about him or worshipping corporately, especially “if you’re at church every day and night and you’re out of God’s will.”

Romans 12:1-2 calls believers to be living sacrifices and to be conformed to Christ’s image by renewing their minds.

“(The church) is the filling station. Then you go out to the world and deal with it,” Swofford told messengers. “Others think commitment is believing and studying about God. If you ask about going out witnessing, they say they’re busy maturing. They’re sitting, soaking and souring, most of them.” Furthermore, he said, “It’s not just worshipping and enjoying God.”

Committed Christians will naturally do for God, study and worship, he explained, noting the preceding verse in Romans 11:36 that acknowledges God’s sovereignty and glorification.

“To try to do verses 1 and 2 without verse 36 is like starting in the middle of the story. Because you’re of him, he created, fashioned and formed you,” Swofford said, “You ought to be totally committed. He knows everything about you?your weaknesses and strengths.”

Furthermore, Swofford said all things are held together through him and ultimately, all will be accountable to him.

The Christian’s response ought to be the presentation of his body for sacrificial service, Swofford explained.

“The body represents the totality of who we are. You can get so busy doing the work of God that you can’t do anything for God because you’re not available to God. If anything, being committed means being totally available to him.”

“When you and I present our bodies as living sacrifices, we’re not donating something we ought to. We’re simply acknowledging what already is his. Only then does the activity begin,” he added.

“We’ve flip-flopped that and start with the activity. The books of heaven are not going to record the activities that God’s not involved in because God only acknowledges in our lives that which comes about when we’re available and acknowledge he owns everything we have.”

The result of Christians glorifying God by making themselves available and acknowledging what is his already will be a transformed mind.

“After that you think and act differently.” Then, “You’ll find that good and perfect and acceptable will of God … that will be pleasing in life,” Swofford said. “The Christian life lived the way God intends is a delightful thing.”