INTRODUCTION
1. The world wants to be on the side of victory but the appalling results worldwide indicate to us that these desirable goals are not being met.
2. In order to be victorious we need to realize that God made us in His image yet we have to follow His rules that balance mind, body and spirit in order to get optimum results. The more we worship human intellect and ignore God, more appalling results will follow.
3. One such area that makes us win or lose is our Attitudes that need to be closely monitored. All the talent in the world cannot make up for the wrong attitudes.
With the right attitudes, our efforts in service to the Lord are enhanced and live up to their full potential
4. Apart from our attitudes toward God we need to be concerned about our attitudes towards:
a. ourselves as individuals
b. toward our colleagues
c. toward the work we do together
I. ATTITUDES TOWARD OUR SELVES
A. HUMILITY...
1. A humble estimation of one's self is very important - Ro 12:3,16
2. Humility includes a willingness to serve, even to do "menial" tasks - Jn 13:6-17
3. "Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things and I'll show you a man who cannot
B. TEACHABILITY...
1. To be teachable is to be wise -Pro 15:31,32
2. Teachability includes:
a. An eagerness to learn and grow
b. The ability to learn from correction, to profit from advice and criticism
3. The old as well as the young need a teachable attitude
C. HONESTY TOWARD OUR MISTAKES...
1. This includes a willingness to admit our mistakes - cf. Ja 5:16
2. And a willingness to correct them
--Everyone makes a mistakes; a congregation that functions well and grows is one
filled with people who learn from their mistakes!
II. ATTITUDES TOWARD OUR COLLEAGUES
A. LOVE...
1. Jesus taught us the necessity of loving our brethren -Jn 13:34-35
2. We have been born again that we might love one another fervently -1 Pe 1:22-23
--If we truly love one another, how can we not work together?
B. COOPERATION...
1. This involves a willingness to work together, as God intended -1 Co 12:21
2. We need to be able not only to work, but to work together!
3. "It marks a big step in a man's development when he comes to realize that other men can be called on to help him do a better job than he can do alone." (Andrew Carnegie)
-- Where there is cooperation, a good way of doing things will be more productive
than a better way of doing thing where cooperation does not exist!
C. APPRECIATION FOR OTHERS AND THEIR WORK...
1. We need to appreciate what others are doing - e.g., 1 Co 1:14; 1 Th 5:12,13
2. True appreciation for others will eliminate destructive criticism, gossip, divisiveness
--Expressing appreciation is like grease on the gears of a machine...it makes others
do their work much better!
D. HOSPITALITY...
1. Christians are to be hospitable -Ro 12:13
2. This includes both hospitality to strangers and to brethren - cf. He 13:2; 1 Pe 4:9
-- A factor in the rapid spread of the church in the first century was the hospitality
extended by the Christians - cf. 3 Jn 5-8
E. WARMTH, FRIENDLINESS, OPENNESS...
1. We see this expressed by those in the church at Jerusalem -Ac 2:44-47
2. It continued with the saints in Antioch -Ac 11:27-30
F. GENTLENESS, MEEKNESS...
1. Especially necessary in dealing with the spiritual weak -Ga 6:1
2. But also in dealing with those who oppose us -2 Ti 2:24-26
III. ATTITUDES TOWARD OUR WORK
A. GRATITUDE FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF OUR WORK...
1. Paul certainly possessed this attitude -1 Ti 1:12; 1 Co 15:9,10
2. Do we appreciate what an honor it is to offer service in kingdom of our Lord?
B. ENTHUSIASM, EAGERNESS...
1. Remember, God loves a cheerful giver -2 Co 9:7
2. Nothing is so easy but that it becomes difficult if done with reluctance
3. Nothing is so hard that it cannot be made easier with enthusiasm
C. INDUSTRIOUSNESS, DILIGENCE, ENERGY...
1. Like those in Nehemiah's day, we need a "mind to work" - Neh 4:6
2. If we are to serve men "heartily", how much more the Lord - Co 3:23
3. Some people are like blisters...they never show up until the work is almost done
4. The slothful person is just as harmful as the destructive person -Pro 18:9
D. POSITIVENESS...
1. We are to do things without murmuring and grumbling -Ph 2:14
2. The chronic complainer and the negative thinker are obstructions to the work of a
congregation
E. PERSISTENCE...
1. We must have the attitude of Christ, not just to do, but to finish the work of God -Jn 4:34
2. We need "finishative" as well as "initiative" - cf. He 6:12
3. Then we can say with Paul: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." -2 Ti 4:7
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