Attitudes Needed In Congregational Work

INTRODUCTION

Phil 4:1-12

1. As Christians work together in a local congregation, the right attitudes are necessary...
a. All the talent in the world cannot make up for the wrong attitudes
b. With the right attitudes, our efforts in service to the Lord are enhanced and live up to their
full potential

2. In what areas should we be concerned about our attitudes?

a. Our attitude toward God
b. Our attitude toward ourselves as individuals
c. Our attitude toward our brethren
d. Our attitude toward the work we do together as a church
-- In a least these four areas, we must be sure to maintain the proper attitudes

I. ATTITUDES TOWARD GOD

A. LOVE...
1. We must have the right kind of love toward God
2. Jesus defined that kind of love in Mt 22:37
-- Do we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind?

1 John 4:20 KJV

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he
hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
Deuteronomy 6:5 KJV
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Deuteronomy 10:12 KJV
And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in
all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
Deuteronomy 11:1 KJV
Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments,
and his commandments, alway.
Deuteronomy 11:13 KJV
And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you
this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
Deuteronomy 11:22 KJV
For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the
Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him;
Deuteronomy 13:3 KJV
Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your
God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul.
John 14:15 KJV
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Mark 12:30 KJV
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,
and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

1 John 3:1 KJV

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:
therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

1 John 4:20 KJV

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath
seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
 B. FAITH AND TRUST...
1. Faith is a strong conviction and trust in things one does not see - He 11:1
2. Without faith, it is impossible to please God - He 11:6

In Scripture, faith is defined as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”
(Hebrews 11:1). In other words, faith involves trusting in something you cannot explicitly prove. Faith is
inseparable from trust; it’s the confidence that God can and will do what He says in His Word. Faith
includes both intellectual assent to something and trust in it. So we believe something to be true, and we
also place our trust in it—we rely on it.

-- Do we have the kind of faith which pleases God? If not, cf. Ro 10:17

C. THANKFULNESS...
1. Every Christian should have “the attitude of gratitude” - cf. Co 3:17; Ep 5:20
2. God’s righteous indignation is toward those who have become unthankful - cf. Ro 1:18-21
-- An attitude of thankfulness for the blessings we have will help allay the
bitterness that often destroys the spirit in any congregation

[If our relationship with God is right, it increases the likelihood that our relationship with others will
be smooth as well (cf. Pro 16:7). What also helps are the proper...

II. ATTITUDES TOWARD OUR SELVES

A. HUMILITY...pagpapakumbaba
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 be trusted to do big things” (Lawrence D. Bell) - cf. Mt 25:21
-- Are we humble enough to serve your fellow brother?
 B. TEACHABILITY...kakayahang turuan
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: “Education is too good to limit to
the young” (Elton Trueblood)
-- How teachable are we, when it comes to opportunities to study God’s word?

C. HONESTY TOWARD OUR MISTAKES... – katapatan sa ating mga pagkakamali

1. This includes a willingness to admit our mistakes - cf. Jm 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!

[The attitudes of humility, teachability, and honesty will certainly prepare us to be useful to the Lord.
They will also have a bearing on our relationship with others in the congregation. Let’s now focus our
attention on...]

III. ATTITUDES TOWARD OUR BRETHREN

A. LOVE...pagibig
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 - 1Pe 1:22-23
-- If we truly love one another, how can we not work together?

B. COOPERATION...pagtutulungan
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. SUBMISSIVENESS...pagiging masunurin or nagpapasakop

1. We are to submit to one another - Ep 5:21
2. And we are to submit to those in positions of leadership (e.g., elders) - He 13:17
-- Too many chiefs, not enough Indians...that is a common problem in many
organizations!

E. PEACEABLENESS...pagiging mapayapa
1. Peace among brethren is something that we should purse - Ro 14:19
2. It is part of walking worthy of our calling - Ep 4:1-3
 -- The true children of God are those who are peacemakers, and sow their deeds of
righteousness in the atmosphere of peace - cf. Mt 5:9; Jn 3:17-18

F. HOSPITALITY...- mabuting pakikitungo

1. Christians are to be hospitable - Ro 12:13
2. This includes both hospitality to strangers and to brethren - cf. He 13:2; 1Pe 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

G. WARMTH, FRIENDLINESS,o OPENNESS...init, pagkamagiliw, pagiging bukas

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

H. GENTLENESS, MEEKNESS...kahinahunan, mahinahon, at maano

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

I. FORGIVENESS, FORBEARANCE, PATIENCE, LONGSUFFERING...pagpapatawad, pagtitiis,

pasensya, mahabang pagbabata

1. All of these attitudes overlap, and are very important - Ep 4:2,32

2. They help smooth out the bumps and obstacles that Satan will put in our way in his effort to
destroy the local church

[Finally, let’s survey some of the necessary...]

IV. ATTITUDES TOWARD OUR WORK

A. GRATITUDE FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF OUR WORK...pasasalamat sa pribilehiyo sa gawain

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... sigasig, pagkasabik, excitement

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... kasipagan, sipag, lakas

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. INITIATIVE... the ability to decide in an independent way what to do and when to do it

1. Initiative has been defined as willingness to do what is right without having to be prodded,means no
need na magturuan kung sino gagawa at kikilos
2. We should not have to be reminded constantly of our responsibilities - cf. 1 Ti 4:14; 2 Tim
1:6
3. When you see something that needs to be done, don’t criticize, energize! (i.e., do
 it yourself!)

E. POSITIVENESS...
Pagiging positibo
 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

F. PERSISTENCE...pagpupursige
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

CONCLUSION

1. Ideal attitudes make for ideal working conditions among the members of a local church...
a. Attitude improvement can be compared to the woodcutter sharpening his ax - Ec 10:10
b. If we want the work of the congregation to go smooth, hone our attitudes!

2. Certainly the attitudes described this lesson will help the cause of Christ in any

congregation...
a. They will improve our relation with God, ourselves, our brethren, and our work
b. They will make us “useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” - 2 Ti 2:21

Are we developing the right kind of attitudes that prepare us for the work of the Lord?