Good morning. Everyone is a wonderful day, a
wonderful New Year. We have the start and a no, not
a better way to do it, and what we have this morning to start
our new year and praise to God, and learning from hills, will I
pray and from doing those self evaluation today.
So everyone was supposed to get one of these little papers.
If you do not get one, I will try to get 10 after services, so
please just come see me. I don't like giving homework in
my classroom, but I think homework is very important for
Christian because we have to be doing this stuff all the time.
So I beg you. Please do this.
Please take this self-assessment.
I've given at some point. If you're like me, I wouldn't
benefit the most from, doing it during the service.
Although I went, I think we should all be doing that during
a study, please. If you will take this home and
do it yourself and keep it for you, it's not to turn into
anything this. Is for you.
This is for us to do individually today and this is
what our whole study is about. Our whole study.
This morning is a where I am. And I appreciated, Salas prayer
this morning. He asked for us to have clear
minds and Open Hearts. And that's a perfect.
Perfect request for a study like this.
And my little introduction versa have on the board is Psalm 119
verse 59, kind of the driver of everything.
When I think on my on my, on my ways, the psalmist said, I turn
my feet to your testimonies when I think on my ways that causes
me to turn my feet to your testimonies.
And so this morning, my goal is for us as we start this New Year
to evaluate ourselves where are you at today?
And specifically I'd like us to look at it through the lens of
where have you come in the past year, where have you grown in
the past? Past year, where has your
progress been made? Where's your development come in
the past year? But if you want to look at this
from a where you're at, in general, either one is fine.
Those will both be very productive Endeavors.
Now, I'm trying to find a ways and I've been trying to look for
different ways. I can work it.
When I've learned as a teacher through the all the classes we
took and all the things we have to go through as teachers to
leverage that to better my teaching and here and this is
something we do in the classroom, a lot
self-assessment, and we'll talk more in a little bit.
The reasons for that, but it's a great indicator of your maturity
level. If you can self assess, if you
are self aware enough to look at yourself and any skill in life
and say, how can I be better? Higher level of growth and
development. And so we try to do this in the
classroom and I'll start out by giving so much I think
justification why I think it's important that we do this just
real quick. I will have this QR code on the
board after Services. I'm not going to leave it up so
if you're familiar with this you just scan this with your camera
and it takes you to a digital version of the survey, please do
both. So this one that I've handed out
is for you. The what I'm going to put on the
screen for after services on your Our own time is it's going
to be anonymous, so I'm not going to know who sent it in,
but if I figure out some 50, 60 people, you know, how strong am
I in? And identifying ways?
I can help serve the church. How strong have I how strong
have I been in this area? If we can collect data?
That's an honest and say okay we had 20 people say I'm not very
good in this area that's going to be very helpful for us as
teachers and teaching we try to use data driven practices to
really get to the The heart of what are our congregations needs
or what is our group's needs? So please do both.
It will really help you for this one and us as teachers for this
one after Services. Okay, those are your only two
things. I'm going to ask you to do.
So here's our outline for this study.
Number one, we're going to look at some examples.
We're going to look at the purpose and the value of
self-assessment second. We're going to look at some
barriers to self-assessment thirdly.
We're going to actually do the self-assessment.
We're going to walk through each of these questions and talk more
about them. And number 4, we're going to ask
ourselves the question. Hopefully get an answer to the
question. What is one thing I should do
going forward? Because the whole point of any
self-assessment, I do in my room, they're not graded, it's
the point is, how do you move forward?
What is our best? Stepping stone.
Now, to go forward from where we're at.
That's the whole point of this. So, no, at no point.
Do I want anyone to get locked or lost in the past in your old
year, about moving forward. So first, one of the reasons.
So what is our, what is the purpose of a self-assessment and
it's to combat stagnant faith. And these first couple questions
will just lead us off. Are you in the same place that
you were a year ago? Spiritually.
Now life can be challenging and it can put us in tough
situations and sometimes those situations make us grow.
But it doesn't always mean we're growing spiritually, you might
have grown as a person, but are you growing spiritually?
Are you the same place? You were five years ago?
Spiritually. Or not even 10 years ago.
And another important caveat is, we're not looking for today is
not about numerical growth. I want everyone today to put on
blinders in some sense. I have to talk to everyone, so I
don't have the same blinders on, but I'm gonna go home and I'm
gonna do the same thing. We need to put blinders on
because we're not worried about numerical growth.
What's going on around us? We're not worried about the
person sitting next to us or across the building.
This is about our own individual development.
How can we ever expect to grow for not self-aware?
Lamentation, Lamentations, ver 3:40 says, let us test and
examine our ways and return to the Lord.
Psalm, 139:16 23 through 24. Several of these verses are from
the ESV Search me, o God and know.
My heart. Try me and know my thoughts and
see if there be any Grievous way in me and Lead Me in the way
Everlasting. Search me, try me and Lead me.
That's our ultimate goal and we we ask God to help us do that.
But we have to turn our own our own brains on to be an active
part in this process Joba 1323. How many are my iniquities in my
sins? Jobe ask this question.
How many are they? And we learn later.
Job was a blameless, man. But He was asking God.
This question make me to know my transgression, and my sin, and
that is our prayer this morning, I appreciate Frank, praying
night, it will be self-reflective.
And I hope if any of us start to days off this morning, we
realize we're only hurting ourselves.
God make me to know our transgressions.
First Corinthians, chapter 11 28, let a person examine himself
then and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup that's
regarding communion. We're supposed to examine
ourselves in every area of our life.
First Corinthians 10 verse 12. Therefore, to anyone who thinks
that he stands take heed, lest he fall.
Galatians chapter 6, verse 3 and 4.
If anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing,
he deceives himself. But let each one test his own
work. We are very much in danger of
deceiving ourselves and if we don't take a careful look at
ourselves, that's that's a big part of this lesson.
This is the set of pattern of self-reflection.
So we get the value of that and we set our own goals and make
our own pattern of self-reflection.
Second Corinthians 13, verse 44 though he was crucified and
weakness. Speaking of Jesus yet he lives
by the power of God for. We also are weakened him but we
shall live with him by the power of God towards you examine
yourselves as to whether you are in the faith, test yourselves
Paul writes and Second Corinthian letter.
James chapter 14, if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a
doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in
the mirror for. He looks at himself and goes
away at once and forgets what he was like, but the one who looks
into the perfect law, the law of Liberty and perseveres.
Being a here being no here who forgets but a doer who acts, he
will be blessed in his doing. Okay, so kind of starting to
close up our preparation for the self-assessment.
This is some emphasis on the idea that I don't want us to
look around at other people or other people in our life because
in 2nd Corinthians chapter 10. It says not that we dare to
classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are
committing themselves. But when they measure themselves
by one, another, and compare themselves with one another,
they are without understanding they are ignorant.
He says when we look around and just try to compare ourselves
with others, the only people we should be comparing ourselves
with is the Lord Jesus Christ, and his standard, and our own
past self for betterment. That's our only source of
comparison, Philippians 2:12. We're told I'm going to skip
down to the end to work out our own salvation with fear and
trembling Psalm 19 says, who can discern his errors.
And that ultimate perspective of this is to ask God that.
God declare me. Innocent from the hidden faults,
keep back your servant from presumptuous sins.
It's a prayer for God to help us avoid not knowing ourselves, so
that we don't look past our own wrongs in our own sins.
So we are going to need God's help in this process and we will
talk about that that prayer and asking.
For God's help is a vital part of this process.
So and kind of summary the big Main It's the reason why
self-assessment is so important is.
It is a great indicator of maturity level.
In anything you do, whether it's your job, whether it's, your
family. If you're able to look at your
own life and say, how can where am I at?
And how can I be better? That's a mature person that
area, that's an experienced person.
And the people who don't look at that are considered infants in
their field. So, number one, it helps us the
great skill of Taking stock objectively which is self
awareness understanding the standard as a huge part of
self-assessment. You got to understand the
standard. So ignorance and knowledge are
very intertwined in this study identifying ways to move
forward. These are the three main points
of self-assessment as I've got to come up with them.
And one last emphasis Jesus is great criticisms, his most fiery
criticisms of people or based on A lack of doing that.
He says you're like whitewashed tombs Frank talked about the
other day. They weren't aware of what they
truly were on the inside where Jesus says later Matthew 22
verse 29. You do not understand the
scriptures or the power of God. So I want to help us avoid these
issues. Some to start off this
self-assessment. We're now looking at the very
top. I'm going to work our way down
this paper. If you want to read that.
In front of you, I'll have the questions up here.
Our first category, I I put on there is prayer.
Question number one, and we're going to be rating ourselves.
I have at the top, a scale of one to five.
Number one will be week, number five, will be strong.
So anywhere in between there, you think you're at, you can
write that number. So on a scale of 1 to 5 from
weak to strong, where are you? And they're in the area of, I
pray God's word, back to him regarding his plans and his will
Do you do that in the question? It the way?
It's phrase. I hope it's not confusing but
the question is, do I pray? God's will back to him regarding
his plans and his will. When I've done Bible studies
with people when they're ones. We have going on right now with
with Jose and Eric over Zoom right now.
One of the best things that you start to see happen is when, you
know, you're starting out do an introductory prayer or a closing
prayer and they're praying about the things that you either
talked about last study or that you've just studied about.
Praying God's word. Back to him is a way of
communicating about God's will and his desires and your
understanding connection to it. Do you pray?
God's will back to him saying God I heard that you said this
helped me to have an open heart, help me to go the Second Mile,
whatever that teaching is. In Psalm chapter 37 verse 1,
through 8, I think it captures the importance of doing this.
It says do not fret because of evildoers nor be envious of the
workers of iniquity for. They shall soon be cut down like
the grass and wither as the green herb trust in the Lord and
do good dwell in the land and feed on his faithfulness.
So basically the first thought is Trust in God don't worry
about the evil doers but here is the kicker verse 4 says delight
yourself also in the Lord and what will happen and he shall
give you the desires of your heart.
So, if we are going to be praying, God, asking God for
things later, like Jesus says, ask and you shall receive.
We have to follow this pattern, then the things we want to have
to be the what the things that God wants.
Because when Jesus says, ask and you shall receive he later,
says, you don't receive you. Ask amiss that you will spend it
on your pleasures and so you don't get what you want.
So the this in summary, God will give us a, give us what we want.
But not if it's just a serve our own Pleasures, God will give us
what we want. If our desires are lined up with
him. So back to that verse delight
yourself in the Lord set up, your desires, your goals, your
motivations toward him, and that he's going to satisfy that
desire. He's going to fill that with the
right response and prayer and then the satisfaction in our
lives. So are we praying God's will
back to him? Are we praying with the
intention to fill God's purposes and God's will he goes on the
sale to finish out the rest. The couple sentences about
Psalm. He says, commit your way to the
Lord trust in him and he shall bring it to pass.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light.
Not your evil selfish desires, your righteousness and your
justice as the noon day. And this is a side point and
we're going to get to some other areas later in the survey that
talk about this but I love this, this passage it go.
This is continuing on the same idea rest in the Lord and wait
patiently for him, do not fret because of him who prospers in
his way because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass
cease from anger, and forsake wrath do not fret.
The only causes call. We're going to talk about
rejoicing later in this study. But it's easy to get caught up
in fretting and worrying and being angry about the wicked.
What we need is not people to continually fret and worry about
the wicked because that can always just cause harm to the
people who are trying. May we be examples young and old
of how to rest in the Lord. This is a place of rest from the
Troubles of the world, not a place to worry, over the
Troubles of the world, all the time.
This is a place where we should share in and learn in resting in
the Lord young and especially older.
Please be example, show us how to do that.
Show us how to find rest in God's presence, and rest in his
purposes and how to wait patiently for the Lord.
Because fretting often only causes harm.
Question. Number 2, do I leave my time of
prayer with peace. Do I leave my time of prayer
with peace and a week in this area or my strong.
First Peter 5 verse 7 says casting all your anxieties on
him because he cares for you, Matthew 6 verse 7.
And when you pray this is the ESV.
I like how it says it do not Heap up empty phrases as the
Gentiles do when I get it mental image in my head.
I don't this is super accurate but almost like you're taking
trash bags and was throwing them on a pile.
You're not doing anything with it, it's just empty.
It's pointless. When you pray, do not just Heap
up empty phrases as the Gentiles do for they think they will be
heard for their many words, he goes on to say, Go talk to your
father in the secret place. One on one and say what you
mean. It doesn't have to be a long
prayer is the essence of what he goes on to say.
Now, the reason I think this question is such a helpful
indicator for me, personally of, whether my prayer life is being
effective, is because when I don't leave my prayer time with
peace, it's often because I'm just keeping up, I'm just, I'm
just throw it all on there. I'm not really trusting God, I'm
not really We are taking something to God and then laying
it. They're casting the anxiety on
him. I'm just piling it up.
Are we trusting in God enough to leave time of prayer with peace?
The third question. Are you an M?
I constantly in prayer. First Thessalonians 5 Verse 6
says to pray without ceasing it just means prayed non-stop
praying without stopping. Don't stop praying.
You could say that in a bunch of different ways, And the idea
behind that is that we should all be running conversation with
the Lord of our life. Doesn't mean, you have to
literally have a distracted mindset old.
I'm talking to God right now all the time.
It means you have a running conversation about what's coming
in your day. What's happening in your day and
what happened in your day? Are you praying God's will in
your day? Are we constantly talking to
God? On a scale of 1 to 5.
The next category, we're on to Fellowship question for having
to do with fellowship with one another.
The question is the first one here.
Do I carry responsibility in the congregation?
On a scale of 1 to 5. Am I weak?
Or am I strong in the area of caring responsibilities in the
congregation? I think this is a helpful time
to look at. I saw this visual online.
I'm not going to go through all of it, but as this person
outlined from scripture, what they thought might be a dead
Christian and infant Christian, a child, a young adult.
And a parent, many of the things that we consider to be good
Christian habits. You can be an immature Christian
and doing them. And I think the visual you can't
see because I had to zoom in enough to see the whole all the
words. But the parent version of this
this image is lifting others up. So in your maturity level, are
you the one getting pulled up? Are you an infant?
Are you the one may be going along by your own strength, but
still pulling on others. Are you?
The one climbing wall? You're pulling up others or
maybe are you the one who's actively just using all of your
energy to help others? zup that can be a good
indication of where we're at because we might be doing good
Christian habits, but it often a sign of Christian maturity is
where is your responsibility In a congregation we are we are
member or we are a congregation. That is close-knit, in many
places don't have the kind of individual responsibility that
we have here but individually, when is your responsibility an
infant? It says, here they are the Lord
of their life. They're beginning to learn
truth. A child goes on to say they are
growing in their relationship with God.
They're building relationships with other believers.
They're developing habits of Bible study and prayer there.
Plugging into relational environments for discipleship.
So plugging in here in the congregation but I think that
it's interesting they include that with still being a child.
And I think these things can be filled in all the other areas
but if that's all you're doing consider some of the
responsibilities of maybe young adult, they're becoming less
self-centered and more other-centered they're beginning
to see themselves as servants. they are giving to the two
others into the church comes from a place of thankfulness and
love and their understanding of the Kingdom, the Kingdom Purpose
of going out and serving other members of the congregation.
Some phrases. They might say, I kind of like
this. Well, let's go the phrases, the
child, they say some phrases a child.
Chris you might say, is I love my church because I feel like I
belong. I love my church because people
make me feel welcome and there's nothing wrong with that.
But if that's the extent of how you see things, for example, a
young adult Christian here, it says they might say, I'm going
to visit so-and-so in the hospital tonight rather than
going to the movies. I'm going to serve in this way
so that it can benefit someone else and they have here as a
parent Christian, they might say they're teaching other people
how to serve So there's various levels of responsibility on this
and this is not straight from the it's based on biblical
principles but I'm not going to spend too much time on it
because that they further on to say I'll start here the
spiritual child. At this stage, people are
growing in their relationship with God and are also beginning
to grow and their relationship with other Christians.
They are applying God's word, however it's still mostly about
them their needs their A spiritual young adult.
And this stage people are making a big shift from being
self-centered. They're serving others being
doers of the word. A spiritual parent as a solid
understanding of God's word and a deep abiding relationship with
the father. They're living out God's word,
other sent others centered, and God dependent.
They are able to reproduce mature Disciples of Christ by
inviting others to follow. Okay.
I think that's enough time. I've spent on that.
So, the question was, where is your responsibility level in the
congregation? Number 5, do you share or how
much do you share accountability with someone in the
congregation? Where are you with sharing
accountability with someone in the congregation and anything?
You you go in the world. If anyone is struggling with
someone, something you have to attach an accountability partner
to get out of a cycle of not succeeding, whatever you're
doing, attaching accountability, partner, and I, and my personal
experience, and from advice from others, having an accountability
partner. That's other someone other than
your spouse or a close family member, it can become an echo
chamber. The same things are being said,
the same things are being thought and maybe even you need
to get outside that to confess some things that might help you
aside. From that relationship in my
experience, having someone who is separate from your normal
every single day around relationship can be helpful.
So, do you share accountability with some of the congregation?
For example, I'm going to work on this.
Can you hold me to that next, by next week?
I just did this with my, one of my students, we're working on.
She's trying out to be a liar and she said, okay, we're going
to start tomorrow, come back, tell me.
If you've lied in 24 hours, we're going to work on this.
She didn't do that. So in three days, and three days
you're gonna come back. You're going to we're going to
celebrate the fact that you didn't Terrell tell a lie in
three days and in a week and she had made it a week.
He was a compulsive liar. We have to have accountability.
Do you have someone that you are accountable with?
Number 6. Do you study and discuss the
Bible with someone else in the congregation as we were to tie
it back to maybe what an infant a child or young adult?
Might do I thought maybe an infant would always be led by
others and study? Maybe a child will be studying
hand-in-hand with another person.
Maybe a young adult would be leading a study.
And I have said here, don't over complicate.
Getting started is the hardest part, because we often feel like
we have to have something special to say in my study.
Is he? I'm not saying I'm the model at
all. But, but in my studies, I read
with them. And we talked about what they
think. It means that what from my
understanding, what it's what I understand.
And if I don't get it, I say I'll come back to you on that.
Don't overcomplicate it. Read it together.
And let that just be that simple.
Are you leading a study? Even if you don't feel like, you
know, everything I do not know everything by any means.
But you can lead a study, maybe if you're an adult Christian
maybe this is a strong level of maturity.
You lead, other leaders and study.
So maybe a little perspective shift to where we think I'm
studying God's word that's enough.
Well we still might be not taking enough responsibility of
study with others. Okay, our next category, I've
labeled it service number 7 in service to others.
And scale of one to five. How much have I identified ways?
I can help and actively seeking opportunities to use those
skills, or those ways I can help.
So I have identified ways, I can help.
Have you done that on a scale of 1 to 5 and how much are you
actively seeking opportunities to use them?
And maybe a few helpful steps. You know people talk about.
I just you know I need a little more.
How exactly do we do that? I put maybe I put together a
little list so make a list of something of some things that
you are able to do, make a list and right ways that you could
hypothetically see yourself using those.
And then pray with a sincere heart for opportunity to do to
see opportunity to be aware of your talents and to build those
Talent. I think that would get us pretty
far if we would do those things, that's just what I came up with.
Maybe you have a better strategy for finding ways and seeking
opportunities to use them. Matthew 25.
There's a parable there of the talents where Jesus talking
about using intelligence in that context was money.
But the idea is, do you use what you have for God?
And he's, he doesn't say, you know, the people who buried and
didn't use their abilities, or what they had or fine, he called
them Wicked. Are you actively seeking to use
the abilities that you have? And it's not an excuse to just
not know, we have to figure it out and sometimes we may need to
ask others for help but don't rely on asking other people.
To tell you what to do all the time because as a worker, you
know, when you're if you have an employee's under your and and
that employees always have to say, okay, what do I do now?
What do I do now? How do I move my hand?
Now, I'm here, now in here. Now maturity says, I'm going to
help you for a little while but you're going to start figuring
out on your own, what you can do.
So it's a process, it's all processed, but ways to make it
grow in these areas. Okay, the next question, I'm
going to start moving faster through these.
We're going to we're going to make pretty good time.
Number 8. in the regard to benevolence or giving in the
contribution, how much do I give Cheerfully and generously.
So on a scale of 1 to 5. Am I weak or my strong?
In the area of giving cheerfully and generously to the
contribution. An approval Asterix here next to
being mindful of the works and the needs involved with because
those should motivate are giving even further and I think that's
an area that we as the male members have been talking about
being better, we want to talk more about, where's the money
being used? How can we make it more
transparent to our people see? Hey, this is was well, I was
able to support whether it's the Filipino Brethren, the eight
preachers or so that we're supporting to spread the gospel
or we want to keep it, you know, discreet.
I don't want to make people feel bad if their members getting the
support, but just to know, we've supported members who are in
need in this congregation who have needed the help.
That's a huge blessing to them and it's a blessing to give to
them. So we're going to I think we're
going to work on doing that more.
How much a scale 1 to 5? Are you benevolent in the
contribution? Second Corinthians 8, verse 2,
Chris shared this in one of our meetings, the other day, the
scripture and it's it's a beautiful passage.
It says they're in a great trial of Affliction.
The abundance of their joy and the Deep poverty abounded in the
riches of their liberality. So out of a trial of Affliction,
not a typical place, we might think.
Oh that's where good things are going to come from the abundance
of their Joy. In their deep poverty, actually
abounded in the riches of their liberality.
That's the Christ effect. That's the Christ effect for I
bear witness that according to their ability, what they could
do. Yes and beyond their Ability
Beyond what they could do. They were freely willing
imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift
and The Fellowship of the ministering to the Saints and
not only as we had hoped. I love this part.
This is a key. I think to everything we're
talking about but they first gave themselves to the Lord,
that's how all this happened. The reason they're able to give
with joy and liberality eight of them, out of their poverty.
Was they first gave themselves to the Lord and then To Us by
the will of God. Giving ourselves to the Lord
will produce fruit beyond what we expect to be normal.
Now here I want to pause for a careful caution as you're going
through the survey as I did, it became easy to think.
Well, I mean, what does it really mean to do that in this
list? Like I think I'm doing it.
And I don't mean to be overly self-critical but I want to be
careful that we don't start to classify our way out of growing
because that's what happened with Jesus.
And the Pharisees verse Luke, 10 verse 25, it says there and
behold a certain lawyer stood up and tested him.
Jesus saying teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life.
And he said to him what is written in the law?
What is your reading of it? So he answered and said, You
shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, your soul
with your strength and all your mind, and your neighbor as
yourself. And he said to him, Jesus said
to him, you have answered rightly do this and you will
live, but he wanting to justify himself said to Jesus.
And he was my neighbor. We can easily ask questions that
kind of scorm ourselves out of responsibility out of growth.
We can classify wolf. Well, who really is my neighbor?
I me, I'm giving to this and that and, you know, I'm serving
this way. But who do I really need to
serve let's be careful that we answer these questions honestly
for ourselves because it can be easy to classify our way out of
doing something. Myself included.
Number nine, benevolence in our personal lives.
So we've talked about benevolence in the congregation.
What about benevolence in our personal lives toward Brethren.
First of all, we can be good to our Brethren.
And it says in Matthew 10 verse 42, that you give even a cup of
cold water basically God sees that as the idea of you can give
a something simple to the Brethren God appreciates that
but also in general, And what I mean by that is is it your
life's Habit to be generous person on a scale of one to
five? How generous are you in general?
The parable of the Good Samaritan.
We call them in the parable of that good man.
The whole point of the parable, I think is it wasn't specific.
The good man who gave you wasn't giving specifically to who the
victim was. We didn't really know much about
the victim who was hurt in that parable of the Good Samaritan.
We know about the perspective of The Giver, the perspective of a
givers, I guess I don't have the verse there but he basically
says, Frank mentioned this in his lesson the other day,
whatever he needs. When I come back I'll give it to
him. I'll pay for whatever he needs.
He came along saw a man that was hurt on the road.
He took him to an end paid for Sighs.
I'll take care of the needs. When I come back, do you stop
and say, well, do I need to help this guy's it really within my
jurisdiction of money, to help? It was just a spirit.
Let me help. This guy who's in need, whatever
he needs out, pay for it. I will take care of it.
That's the perspective on a scale of 1 to 5.
How much do we have that? Yeah, I'm doing this for myself
to I'm not not a standing above anyone even though I'm up on the
stage number 10. How much do I step out of my
comfort zone regularly for God's work in, whatever form it takes
A scale of 1 to 5. Do I find myself stepping out of
my comfort zone regularly for God's work in whatever form.
It may take The next category of Outreach, number 11, do I
actively befriend people who are lost.
In regard to outreach how much of scale 125, Dwight, actively
befriend people who are lost. And I think this is important
for outreach and evangelism because consider how we would
respond to someone who is trying to teach us about religion.
We have to be we have to be honest, our beliefs are pretty
guarded. Now for Goodwill we need to have
a strength about our convictions.
That's not just going around with every foot in the fleet.
We have to be strong, but we do have pretty guarded beliefs.
It is hard to penetrate to our faith to make us change.
So why would we expect others to change?
If we don't befriend them first and tear down.
Those barriers with Art of Christ plan.
Part of his work Christ, love that will help us get past.
Those barriers through befriending people.
Who are lost? Number 12.
How much do I work? Spiritual matters into
conversation as I was thinking about this, you know, especially
growing up, thinking that I had to have a certain way of talking
to people about God. Now, maybe I will grow in these
different ways that I'm not there yet, but I have a hard
time walking up and saying something like, have I told you
about my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
That's not how I talk and work it into conversation.
I don't Don't communicate like that.
That's not what I do. And so it might look different
for everyone for how you work in those spiritual matters in the
conversation. Again, I'm not the standard, but
just tell you my for my experience, just having a casual
conversation, it's going to come up if it's a pattern in your
life. So you don't have to do
something. Extravagant here to be working,
spiritual matters in the conversation.
But are you doing it regularly? The next category, we're moving
quickly through no disposition. So in the category of Christian
disposition, your attitude and perspective.
Number 13 scale of one to five. How is your patience with
others? Are you weak in this area?
Are you strong your patients with others?
Number 14? How is your patience with
yourself now? I've gotten parentheses here
perseverance because I think / patience with yourself.
Is part of just having a patient.
Christians are to be patient, and I think it permeates into
your patience with others. Your patience with yourself, as
you seek to grow, and it applies heavily to perseverance.
If I am patient enough with myself, I say, okay, I didn't do
well there, but I can't overreact and just get too
discouraged because then you don't persevere, you have to
have enough patience with yourself to say, okay, I'm going
to lay on my side. Those things are behind and move
on to things that are ahead. And I'm going to persevere.
How much do you have patience with yourself?
As you grow as a Christian. What a joy seeing.
So we talked a little bit earlier, we're going to get back
to it, on a scale of one to five.
How do you feel like you are? Are you weak?
Are you strong about rejoicing? I'm gonna break it into two
separate ones. I didn't have enough space in
the paper on one side to do two separate questions, but it could
definitely get its own questions.
How are you about rejoicing publicly?
I don't mean standing on the street corner, like the
Pharisees. I mean, there's a way about
having that excited disposition and Joy about your faith.
That doesn't have to be fake and self-promoting.
Like the Jews. Did the Pharisees did.
Are you weak in the area of rejoicing or you should strong?
Specifically, I think it's important to look at how we
rejoice when we're alone. Do you find yourself rejoicing
in God alone? So I think that will spill over
into the public part. Once you start rejoicing more on
your own time, Philippians 4, verse 4.
Gives us a command to rejoice in the lord always whether it's in
public, whether it's alone. You rejoice in the Lord.
Again, I will say rejoice, God, repeated himself for a reason.
Do we rejoice? And where the tough thing is.
I've there have been quite a few Christians, I've known who I've
had 40 or 50 conversations with about how bad the world is.
But maybe one conversation of rejoicing in the Lord.
Think about your ratio of rejoicing to criticism.
You're rich, you're a ratio of rejoicing to criticism has
effect on people. You talk to Do you rejoice in
conversation when you come together with the brethren?
You rejoice in the assembly, when you're sitting in your seat
praising from your heart when you're sitting your car.
Driving down the road talking to the Lord.
On a scale of one to five. How much do you rejoice, 16?
Am I open to finding new ways to grow?
Even if it doesn't come from a source, I want to hear from We
can often learn and find ways to grow the most from people.
We do not want to hear it from. When I I find the areas I need
to grow the most when it's somebody I don't really like
Jesus said what credit is that to you?
When you do good to those who are good to you, even the even
the Sinners do that. It's a given.
So are we open to growth even when it doesn't come from a
source? You want to hear it from
oftentimes? We just would, well, we'll take,
we'll take criticism, will take ways to grow from people that we
like anybody else. We'll find a way to criticize
them and push your way their feedback.
Even if it might be valid. Okay, next category, purity.
Number 17, I welcome God's word to expose my sins instead of
hiding them. Scale of 1 to 5, do you?
Welcome God's word exposed sins, instead of wanting to hide them,
18? How much do I seek
accountability for both? Identifying and fleeing sin in
my life. So identifying sins.
Sometimes we need somebody else to help us.
See it, we have blind spots. We don't see our own self.
That's why I'm so thankful to be married because I find a lot of
my blind spots with the woman standing at the back.
Identifying and fleeing sin in my life so someone can help you
see your sin. And as we talked earlier getting
away from that involves accountability, and I put
specifically seeking accountability, not open to
accountability. Because as we mentioned last
question, we often reject people's attempts to help us and
get keep us accountable. So if we're not actively seeking
accountability, there's a good chance we're not getting
accountability and we're not really open to it.
Because people who have tried to give us accountability, have
long probably been dismissed. Am I after we seeking
accountability. Hey, so and so would you, you
know, maybe somebody you trust? I'm not saying grab anybody, but
Will you help me in this area? I'm going to check back with you
next week. Once you to ask me how this went
for me this week. Now, as Jonathan mentioned,
count, abilities Partners might not be totally reciprocal, and
you might have a different accountability partner for
different struggle. Maybe somebody else can relate
to you and you trust them because they've been through
that totally understandable. Okay, we're coming close to the
end. No, and habits number 19, how
much did your knowledge grow this year?
And how much did you set aside time for daily reading?
Okay, so I put grow here, especially for this question
because your knowledge might not be what you want it to be ever,
but how much did it grow this year?
How much did improve? And that's a related question
that we set aside time for daily reading.
This year, verse 20 or number 20, when I find a weakness, do I
take daily? Measures of maybe meditation,
prayer and scripture reading in that specific area, So, like a
localized treatment for that area of weakness.
Do I do a spiritual rehab or therapy for that muscle?
That's weak and my spiritual life.
That will cause growth. Do I do that with a focus and
intent? To cause growth final category
is the heart. We're going to look at and we're
going to move through pretty quick.
Where is your love for truth? Second Thessalonians 2:10, says,
withhold Wicked deception for those who are perishing because
they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
Therefore God sends them a strong delusion that they may
believe a lie or what is false. He doesn't just say that they he
didn't talk about how they didn't believe the truth.
He said they didn't love it. And the reality is, we don't
love truth or more than likely. Not going to hold on to it.
The way God wants us to There is a relationship between belief
and love. I don't believe you can love
something unless you believe it. But just because you believe, it
doesn't mean you love it. Do you love truth?
Do you take pleasure and joy as we mentioned earlier, delighting
in the Lord and his ways. Number 22, a mic.
My confident and assured, that I am going to heaven.
Am I confident and assured that I'm going to have on a scale of
1 to 5 number 23? On a scale of 1 to 5.
Where is my passion to share Jesus with others?
That can be in word or an action.
What is my passion level? To share Jesus with others.
Number 24. Are you available to God?
Throughout the scriptures where you learn, this is not about
your ability. Jesus chose the lowest class
people to do is work the lowest, maybe educated people to do his
work. It's not about our ability.
It's about our availability to God.
Are you available a scale of one to five to God?
25. Where is your reverence for God,
on a scale of 1 to 5. Where is your deep and residing
reverence for the creator of this world that is in this room
with us today? Even though we can't see him?
And the final question. Where is your desire to make God
proud? You have a weak desire to make
God. Proud to make him happy and
pleased in your life or is a strong you wake up, wanting to
make, put a smile on the face of the father because we can do
that. We learned that in scriptures,
he exalts and excites and shouts over his children with joy.
How much do you want to put a smile on God's face?
We're going to close up today. Thank you for your patience with
a couple last thoughts. Someone asked his eye Was
talking to them about the study, they thought, what do you think?
Is that one thing? That if our congregation would
do this one thing, what would it be?
That would make everything change.
And you know what? I think.
I think it's the one on this list.
Maybe not that you're the worst at could be.
But the one that you kind of cringe at, when you read it, the
one that you least want to do when you go home, because you're
going to want to, if you go home, look at this, you're going
to think. Ok, I'm going to start with
this. We're probably not going to
gravitate toward the one. That's the one we need the most.
But I think if every single one of us finds the one we least
want to do or maybe the one where the weakest F and we work
on that. Everything will change.
When Jesus was asked just what one thing do, I need to do to be
saved? He said, all these, the Rich
Young Ruler said, all these things I've done for my youth
just said, one thing you need to do is give what you have to the
poor. And Jesus said that because it
was the one thing he didn't want to give up, just didn't really
require all of his servants to be poor living on the streets
with nothing. He knew that this man had
something in his heart. He did not want to give up.
So if we want to really grow we have to gravitate toward that
thing that we do not want to or have not grown in the most and
it's true. There are physical development
working out in the gym, a bunch of my buddies, you know, we
always get together and whether it's football, players and stuff
and football players and tutorials for bench press.
Is squatting, the weight and doing a clean and pray clean and
jerk. So they do basically just a
couple lifts the really strong on.
You see these guys walking through the gym, you think
that's a strong person but they have really serious areas of
weaknesses because that's all that they do.
They do those three main things. And one day I was warming up and
I was doing a hip workout in the gym, okay?
It was just a warm-up exercise to get my hip flexors going.
And one of them was like laughing, he's like what are you
doing that for? What's that about?
Get over there in the squat machine.
I said I'm going there but I found that my hips are the
weakest muscle in my body and when I worked on those, my whole
body got stronger and everything felt better.
My legs felt connected to my back.
Everything start feeling good, when I worked on my weakest
muscle. And that dude was playing
linebacker in college football and he's like, oh yeah whatever.
And he tried it with me, he came back to me a month later and he
said I do that before every single workout now.
He's like, I love it, I feel so much better.
I'm stronger, my lips have all gone up, I'm better in every
area because I worked on my weakest muscle that I thought
was Dumb and I didn't need to mess with it.
And I think it's true spiritually as well.
What is that one area? Number one today?
Please be honest with yourself, take this self-assessment.
Pray about what exactly on your mind.
The exact thoughts that you want to talk to God about pray, those
thoughts because God cannot work with insincerity.
No matter how moral we are. God cannot work with
insincerity, no matter how, no matter how moral we are.
But God can work with honest. Sincere, efforts, and honesty
with ourselves. No matter how Tangled in sin.
We might be, that's the lesson this morning again, I'll put
that QR code. Backup on afterwards.
If you please, take that survey, so we can figure out as
teachers. Where's our congregation?
Now, what ways can we grow? What ways can we help?
So that we can be more effective public teaching and hopefully,
our goal to be more effective as a congregation individually and
collectively wear you out today. We've asked a lot of questions,
are you saying have you heard the word believed repented of
your past life, then willing to change and turn around
confessing? That Jesus Christ is the Son of
God. I mean, baptized for the
remission of your sins, have you done that?
If you have, it's a joyful thing to be a member of the body, and
maybe you need support today, maybe you need to ask
forgiveness of sins. You need support of this body,
maybe you want Collective accountability.
We were talking about individual accountability one-on-one, you
can do that. But if you want Collective
accountability this morning, we're happy to do that.
We're here for each other and there's one of either class,
please come when we stand and sing.
We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the
Church of Christ at 22:15 plan. Road in Bakersfield.
If you would like any additional information or you would like to
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