Friday: Further Thought ~ Developing a Winning Attitude
Further Thought:
“In Christ is the tenderness of the shepherd, the affection of the parent, and the matchless grace of the compassionate Saviour. His blessings He presents in the most alluring terms. He is not content merely to announce these blessings; He presents them in the most attractive way, to excite a desire to possess them.
So His servants are to present the riches of the glory of the unspeakable Gift.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
The wonderful love of Christ will melt and subdue hearts, when the mere reiteration of doctrines would accomplish nothing. ‘Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God’. ‘O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! … He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom’. Isaiah 40:1, Isaiah 40:9-11”. — Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, pages 826, 827.
Discussion Questions:
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So much of our dialogue in church circles is about why we are right and everyone else is wrong. We argue that we have the right view of the Trinity, the right sense of the Sabbath, the right interpretation of prophecy, we understand the nature of death, we have the right view of the investigative judgement, and so on. And we have lots of arguments to "prove" that everyone else has got it wrong! What if I was to tell you that none of that counts if, at the end of the day, all we have achieved is that we have proved it to ourselves, and nobody is willing to listen to our arguments?
Jesus did not spend a lot of time talking about the rightness of belief, but he talked a lot about the Kingdom of God now and the characteristics of its citizens now.
Turning the other cheek, going the second mile, adding flavour to the world, loving one another, guarding against hypocrisy, sharing with one another, bearing one another's burdens. At its core, the Gospel is about living with one another now.
If you want to understand the Gospel in present terms rather than future fulfilment, read the kingdom parables in the Gospels. Most of them are about the characteristics of God's Kindom now.
There are two branches of mathematics; Pure and Applied. Pure mathematics is interesting to the theorists, but applied mathematics is where the rubber hits the road. I studied both and they both contribute to our knowledge and understanding, but for the average person, they reap the immediate benefits of applied mathematics.
Likewise, if our rightness of doctrine, interpretation, world view and so on, only makes us smug in our sense of belief, and makes it difficult for us to interact with the great multitude of people, then all our rightness is "filthy rags".
Currently, many of us are unable to meet in our churches because of the social distancing requirement of the COVID-19 crisis. Are we whining and complaining about our loss of freedom, or have we taken the opportunity to seek out new ways to share our Christianity? Maybe it is the opportunity for us to share our relationship with Jesus to others in new ways. Do we have a relationship to share?
Amen!indeed we need to uplift tbe gospel of Christ.
Then shall the King say unto them on the right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom of God.........Matt 25:34.
Pointing out evil in people to feel good.
Is it wrong to point out evil in others? Should you see evil in others and call it good? What is considered evil in others? How do we separate evil from good in others? How do we make all bear some burden in the church and not only a few bear the load?
Sad that sin had created so many different kinds of personality traits. Many people want to make themselves look good and feel good but at the expense of others. Many has a low self esteem, some people have psychological issues, mental issues, social issues etc. So to conceal those factors, make people focus on others as a response to magnify others faults and lessen theirs. Many who are wrong, first carry the gossip/chatter to others as a way of looking good so the other person will look bad. E.g someone might borrow money from another in church, they can’t repay so they refused to answer the phone calls from the lender. As a result, they go about saying how they other person keep calling their phone and the other person is so evil to be calling them all hrs of the day.
Is good subjective? Is evil subjective?
Maurice - happy to read your comments to encourage the living of the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth - now! Comparing 'Pure vs. Applied' with 'Theory vs. Experience' is a great metaphor for 'just learning about Faith' versus 'living our Faith'.
Yes, our walk of faith needs to be in the here and now, the 'Way' can not be proofed and learned(obsereved) unless it is applied. This is how our mind (understanding/intellect) experiences the spiritual as well as practical transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
Spirit becomes observable/visible through action!
There is still always the grocery store to interact with people. I went to a store, ending up praising God with the store owner as he shared that he was wondering if it was God's providence that made it possible for him to fulfill his dream of starting his own business. It had taken 3 years, many twists and turns before the 'right' opportunity came about.
I did not know him at all, met him just then and was able to encourage his faith to believe that all things that are good come from the Lord. He is a happier 'customer' of Faith now. 🙂
Ok Maurice, while I can't disagree, let me counter a little with a few thoughts...
Jesus did talk a lot about knowing the truth, of being the Truth Himself, and that truth would make us free(from what?).
The truth on the Sabbath is the sign between God and HIS people. The state of man in death is vital to understand if we would not be deceived when many of those who have died "come back to life" as visitors from heaven. The law is what Jesus pointed to when asked about obtaining eternal life, and without a knowledge of the law, the gospel makes no sense(in fact, we are counseled to "make plain the requirements of the law and the gospel", which makes perfect sense). The prophet said Jesus would come and magnify the law and make it honorable.(as you recall, there were those in Jesus day who manipulated the law and made it grievous, a heavy burden, and among the gentiles, despised.)
I agree that we should not focus on truth for arguing, but without truth, how would we know the will of God? How would we avoid deception? How could we walk with the Lord(Amos 3:3)?
Our focus/purpose regarding truth will make all the difference between what matters and what doesn't matter, as your "if" indicates. Truth lived is everything, and it is what we DO that we will be judged by, not by what we profess or boast about, or the arguments we "win".
I believe the Gospel is only relevant if understood in terms of today. The future fulfillment is conditioned upon our reception today.
Smug is nowhere to be found among the Fruit of the Spirit, though I'm quite sure it is clearly implied in the "other list" of Galatians 5.
Lastly, COVID has opened some new doors and given us opportunity for a wider audience in our outreach here. Too bad we needed COVID to figure this out. Maybe God DID bring COVID?! (some are claiming He did it to "punish") I don't think God needed to bring what we do quite well on our own, but He has used it to help us expand our efforts to bring to Jesus those who "labor, and are heavy laden" that they might enter into His Rest.
These are the varied aspects I discovered to develop an attitude that wins friends and influences people to follow Jesus
accept and affirm you for who you are and your potential to grow
become genuinely interested in your life and ideas
will not criticize, condemn, or complain
acknowledge I am still discovering more truths
respect your opinions and beliefs
seek to discover beliefs on which we both agree
speak the truth in love
How can we ble to seek new opportunity? and how to share with other? In this affection time of covid 19,any way by the will of God we have the new ways to share with other in this affected time, if we are not meet to church we have, meet with other people at home and this the one way to share with other at home.
Dear brothers and sisters, I cannot stop crying. Here is so much Holy Spirit. Is this the latter Rain? Let it fall, Father. God bless.
Amen! and God bless you all my dear brother and sister.
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth .........and he will shew you things to come. John 16:13
Bro Paul, I do not know why you are crying but people cry for several reasons. Crying is a response to an emotional state, pain, sorrow or happiness. Mainly being happy or being sad. But when the Holy Spirit comes, he comes to show us Jesus so we can follow him and do what is right and pleasing in his sight. One potion of the fruit of the spirit is long suffering. We suffer long but our trust in Jesus is unwavering. Can you explain some more why you are crying?
Dear brother Lyn, blessed Sabbath. Thank you for asking why I was crying this morning. I hope that sharing that, was also the Holy Spirit guiding me. I had one of those days when I felt everything, including this Sabbath School and the comments above, is falling into place. In my life and concerning those in my sphere of influence. Family and brothers and sisters and some colleagues. The feeling that God is in control of my life. After much toil and doubt. It is wonderful, is it not? That wonderful feeling made me cry and the evidence of the Spirit of God working in you, my brethren, made me want to share that with you all. May He keep leading us.
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine; but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Prov 17:22
Ok Bro Paul, I guess you are so happy and over joyed. The reason for crying is now understood. Keep trusting in Jesus for his guidance, he will never leave you nor forsake you.
To be honest, I don't care for a focus on "attitude". I've seen this subject treated in such misleading ways. I've heard faculty tell students that they needed to change their attitude, as if it were possible to do just that. Whatever attitude is perceived to be, what/where does it come from? Addressing symptoms only will never cure the disease.(see Jer 13:23)
I don't find Jesus focusing on attitude, but I do find Him calling sinners to repent and believe the gospel. He speaks of the life of faith, and demonstrated how it is lived. Attitude will reflect our faith or our unbelief. Changing one's attitude alone would be like trying to change the color of your eyes or your skin, not like changing a shirt. At least that is how I understand attitude. An orange tree will never produce apples, no matter how much the orchard owner tells it to.
Attitude reveals the heart, and only a clean heart and right spirit(Ps 51:10) can correct a wrong attitude.
Hi Robert - yes, many others have shared comments similar to your last sentence: "Attitude reveals the heart, and only a clean heart and right Spirit can correct a wrong attitude." I am happy to be part of a group of learner's and sharer's of insights we have gained from the Holy Spirit's work in our heart and mind.
Good day brethren. This has been a very interesting and practical lesson this week, as have been the other previous lessons this quarter.
But as I studied this week, I had a nagging question that maybe you can help me answer. With the limited resources that we have in any given congregation (I know we have unlimited resources from heaven, but you know where I am coming from) does it not make sense concentrate our evangelism efforts on those areas and groups of people that are more receptive to the gospel, as it were to gain more harvest by concentrating on the more fertile areas?
I believe God expects us to be wise stewards. What are your thoughts?
It is a good question Jacob, and economic use of our resources should always be considered. However, the Gospel message is often not about economics but need. Jesus makes that clear:
And again here:
The Gospel should be preached (lived) to reach those in greatest need.
Hello Jacob - what comes to mind in reply to your questions is, that we would do well to strengthen the sapling in our garden (church) who has started to grow by faith.
If we give it deligent, spiritual nourishment within the safe environment of fellow, compassionate believers, this sapling will grow strong; well established, it will come to produce fruit and seeds which scatter as it bursts into full bloom.
My focus would be on nurturing the faithful that are under your care already, establish their firm foundation based on spiritual faith guided by the right understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit to form in us the new nature. The believer will learn to understand that the road of Faith - the new Life - is guided by the Light of the Holy Spirit for teachers and learners alike.
This new nature receives its form when it practices its faith by trusting the Word of God explicitly. How do we live as citizens in Jesus' Kingdom of Heaven here on earth? - By living the Gospel teachings and examples of Jesus' life; we trust that our Faith in His Light - the Holy Spirit - will lead us into deeper Truth as our Faith matures.
Then, every faithful believer who is on the path of growing into the strong tree can spread the good news through example as well as in conversation.
Faith as small as a mustard seed will grow into a strong tree, its fruit will multiply as leaven does when it spreads through dough.
Jacob, I personally do not think so. We don’t know who will be converted to the gospel or not. Everyone should have a fair share at the gospel message. I understood what you meant but pray for more members on the field and more love for each other as we help each other moving forward. Earlier in the year I was looking at the Adventist Review magazine. Because of the crisis now affecting all of us, leadership in the GC is planning to cut approximately $5 million of funding throughout the world. This will affect many of the people who really need it. Let us continue to do our part. Those who have I pray will help those who don’t have.
In regard to Jacob’s question, from my perspective, the issue of limited resources is much more of an issue when it comes to ‘corporate evangelism’, and much less of an issue when it comes to ‘personal evangelism’.
Jacob, in the story Jesus told of the sower, where was the seed sown?
Our resources are as limited as our faith/unbelief allows.
The earth is the Lord and the fullness therefore........
Ps 24:1
Robert you have being thinking just like me. ‘Our resources are as limited as our faith/unbelief allows’. I can give testimonies and testimonies about this. E.g when my children and I were in college I didn’t knew where the money will come from but I trusted God and he supplied. We never went begging nor hungry one day. We even had to give. As long as we had faith and believed that God will supply for that purpose, he did. Now no one is in school that money dried up. There is a Bible story in 2 Kings 4: 1-7. That story like others has a motto. The power of God and how faith works. I believe with the COVID Jesus is preparing a people who can stand for him against all odds. Those who lapped the water like in the days of old- Judges 7:5
‘Those who were unwilling to face danger and hardships, or whose worldly interests would draw their hearts from the work of God, would add no strength to the armies of Israel. Their presence would prove only a cause of weakness’. PP 548
Success does not depend upon numbers. God can deliver by few as well as by many. He is honored not so much by the great numbers as by the character of those who serve Him. PP 550
Enjoyed your testimony Lyn. Wonderful how God works.
I also enjoy 1 Sam 14. So uplifting and encouraging!
Hello Jacob,
You have raised a question that is important to consider. What is the objective of our "evangelism efforts"? Is it our responsibility to run some sort of a "cost effectiveness" analysis to decide who is more likely to be "receptive"?
Or is it to be guided by the Holy Spirit in our interactions with others in such a way that Christ is uplifted to all, whether or not they are deemed receptive? Do we sometimes measure success in terms of numbers added to the church roll?
I am not denigrating focused corporate evangelism programs, but from my perspective, these often seem to be focused on strengthening the faith of those who already know Jesus (which is very good) rather than reaching those who do not already know Him.
Luke 17 tells the story of 10 cleansed lepers, and only one came back to thank Jesus. But that did not stop the Master from reaching out to all 10, because they were in need, rather than only focusing on the one who was "receptive".
Clearly a local church needs to make wise decisions on stewardship of their resources. However we should carefully and prayerfully consider what our aim is. Do we measure "success" by number of conversions or baptisms, or are we to reach out to all within our sphere of influence?
Hi Peter - I had also responded to Jacob, suggesting to continue to 'feed the sheep', so that they become established in their 'Walk by Faith'. I know many believers who are not able to discern/distinguish the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives and feel inadequately equipped to comfortably share the Savior and His Message.
I think that fellow believers desperately need to be firmly established in their Faith, even the long-time members need this basic understanding of applied Faith. A new believer is a babe in Christ Jesus' eyes; he needs to be considered as such in our eyes as well, and the leaderships' efforts to help mature him into a strong, faithful servant of Christ should be reflective of those needs.
Teachers, just as in the old days of the Apostels, help us to know what to expect when we learn to believe, what our walk-by-faith is based on and who helps us with His Light.
Caring for our own children starts befor they were born, this is the same with the children of faith. God calls them before they meet us, they are 'newborns' when they commit themselves to walk by Faith. This is when teaching and nurturing starts, fresh out of the womb. They have believed that Jesus is the Son of the Father who gave us the Way, the Light and the Life to live in from then on, now it is up to the environment they find themselves in to be meeting their spiritual needs for growth.
Why should we think that the believer will ever come into the fullness of the knowledge of God whiles we are still walking by Faith? He will certainly grow, though, with the right exposure to the Truth.
We need to diligently help mature EVERY believer that joins the family of Faith and those we meet yet undecided. We will always be able to share the Love of God residing in us; eventually we will overflow with the Spirit of Truth and Love and so direct the seeker to the Father.
It is not wise to stop 'educating' at any stage of the believer's faith-growth and abandon him/her to walk with the Father alone - though He is able!. Jesus admonished Peter to feed His Sheep and did so three times!
We have been discussing developing a winning attitude when really we mean our character needs to become more like Jesus' character. How we interact with people depends on our character, it is not an "attitude" that we put on to achieve our goal. We need to ask Jesus through the Holy Spirit to create in us a new heart.
Are we changed over night into the image of Jesus or is it a process of a lifetime?
Yes Shirley, "winning attitude" too often strives to please everyone, which requires compromise. So if Jesus was so "winning", why were some always wanting to pick up stones in reaction to His "winning ways"? Why was Peter in prison and Paul needing to leave in a hurry if not getting stoned and left for dead? Did they need to be more "winning"?
John 6:66 proves that even Jesus "offended" those who have no desire to surrender to the love and will of God.
Interesting to see how Paul's counsel to a young pastor included "rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith", but He also wrote that we are to "restore[one taken in a fault]in the spirit of meekness". Irritation, impatience, anger, etc, have no place in labors for the lost, yet at times, truth even kindly spoken will bring out the worst in some, while those who love truth will be rejoicing. If we hold to truth, Jesus said we would find enemies in our own household.
Truth cannot be compromised.
I do believe the authors missed the best summary of this weeks lesson. It is found in chapter 9 of 'Steps to Christ' I do not find the title of this book offensive, however when I am sharing it with a believer of another faith I give the ASI version, 'The Happiness Digest'
One way we can humble ourselves before the Lord is to reread Steps to Christ, The Faith I Live By, and the Desire of Ages, remembering that the sometimes harsh instruction, and displine is to do just that, to humble ourselves before the Lord.
"So those who are the partakers of the grace of Christ will be ready to make any sacrifice, that others for whom He died may share the heavenly gift. They will do all they can to make the world better for their stay in it. This spirit is the sure outgrowth of a soul truly converted. No sooner does one come to Christ than there is born in his heart a desire to make known to others what a precious friend he has found in Jesus; the saving and sanctifying truth cannot be shut up in his heart. If we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ and are filled with the joy of His indwelling Spirit, we shall not be able to hold our peace. If we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good we shall have something to tell. Like Philip when he found the Saviour, we shall invite others into His presence. We shall seek to present to them the attractions of Christ and the unseen realities of the world to come. There will be an intensity of desire to follow in the path that Jesus trod. There will be an earnest longing that those around us may "behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29 SC 78.2
With this in mind and the fact that Christ came to uplift humanity, we can better deal with those who take advantage of our effort to help.(sometimes we have to chalk it up to 'tuition')(leaving it in the Lord's hands).