Lasting Impact – I Will – Part 1

I’m excited about this new series that Ken is doing on How to Make a Lasting Impact. Nothing is worse than living a life of mediocrity, especially having a mediocre ministry. I think we all want to make an lasting impact in this life, and what’s the best way to do it? Last weekend Ken talked about ATTITUDE, (using Philippians 2:5-11 for his text) and the attitude of Christ is our prime example.

In order to develop our first core value (COMMUNITY) we need to become a great church member, and to do that, we need to have the right attitude. The health of any group is dependent upon unity. It’s true for sports teams. It’s true for businesses. It’s true for family. And it’s true for churches. Each individual in the group must decide to put the good of the group ahead of his or her own needs. Proper Christian community will only happen as individuals have the right attitude.

The Bible mandates us to have an attitude of unity in the church, but remember what unity requires… humility, gentleness, patience, and acceptance of one another.

What could bring more unity, and humility, than remembering how much Christ loves us? Remember how and why he died for us. We remember how we deserve none of his grace or forgiveness, but isn’t it wonderful that he thought we were worth it.

Another attitude we must have is that of sacrifice. This is exactly what Ken preached last Sunday. When we sacrifice, we are acting more like Christ than at any other time. We are learning that our greatest joy comes when we put others before ourselves.

In the “I will” book, Thom Rainer talks about the GCM, the GRUMPY church member, versus the JCM, the JOYOUS church member. We could probably think through our membership role to discover those who readily complain, persistently criticize, and constantly view the church as an organization where they pay their dues to get their perks and their privileges. Contrast this with those who count their blessings, are grateful for the freedom and the opportunity to worship with other believers, and who are a consistent source of encouragement to pastors, staff, and fellow church members. The JCM is always grateful, the GCM is regularly complaining, criticizing, and frustrated, usually finding fault in in a lot of things at the church.

Rainer challenges us to move from “I AM” to “I WILL” because your attitude determines who you are. Will you be joyous? Will you be angry? Will you be grateful? Will you be jealous? Our attitudes really are the foundation of our actions, so if we have a healthy attitude in place, our actions will naturally follow.

I plan to make a video each week to help encourage discussion in your class about the principles that are addressed in the I Will book. The point is to talk about the ways that King’s Grant may need to develop a more outward focus. We can just say that we have one, so let’s take an honest self-evaluation to determine if that is really so.

You can take a few minutes in your Sunday School class to ask a few questions, and talk about it, or plan a get-together in homes at some point during the week. It’s up to you. There is no test, no graded papers, no certain language or actions we are seeking, just talk about who we are and how we are making a lasting impact in our community and.circles of influence for the kingdom’s sake.

I challenge you as a class to get together and discuss the principles that you will read in this book. Let the Holy Spirit guide you as you make personal changes, and help facilitate corporate changes in order to embrace the vision that God has for our church.

Thank you for taking the time to watch this video. May the Holy Spirit guide your discussion, attitudes, and your desire to make a difference in the lives of those around us. Let’s all determine to embrace these nine traits of a church with an outward focus.

Spread the Community, Faith, Love