HoHum:
Louis Evens went to Africa. While in Africa he visited a doctor who gave up a fine practice in America to be a missionary. The doctor invited Evens to observe a major surgery. Louis noticed the obvious strain of the surgery afterwards. Here is part of their conversation: Evens- “How many times a week do you do this kind of procedure?” Doctor- Sometimes, several times a day. Evens- How much would you receive for this surgery in the United States? The doctor told him the price. Evens- How much will you get here? Beads of perspiration still in his face, lips purple the doctor said, “A few dollars, a smile of gratitude, and the blessing of God. Man, this is really living!” This doctor is highly effective, not because he is making a lot of money, but because he is helping many people and helping to grow the Kingdom of God. Are we that effective and fulfilled?
WBTU:
Last Sunday night we talked about 3 of the 7 habits of highly ineffective people. This is a take on Steven Covey’s book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People but in reverse. Last week:
1. Highly ineffective people are not good time managers
2. Highly ineffective people have a losing attitude
3. Highly ineffective people stop growing
Tonight we are going over the last 4 and learn how to be more effective and not ineffective.
For instances:
4. Have no plan for their lives
“Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.” John 6:15-21, NIV. Notice 3 things in these verses
1. The control Jesus exercised. People wanted to plan His life for Him. Sound familiar? When that happened, he withdrew again to a mountain by himself. Note the word 'again'. Spending time with God was something He did regularly. Do we?
2. The criticism Jesus evoked. When the crowd wants to make us 'King', it's hard for our egos to walk away. But Jesus did. Others couldn't impose their will or agenda on Him. Why? Because He was committed to doing the will of God and nothing else.
3. The communion Jesus enjoyed. He emerged from a night of prayer empowered to walk on the water and subdue the storm. If we want to succeed in life, there's only one source we can go to for strength and guidance: God. Do we want to take control of our lives? That's how it’s done!
Now wait a minute, we are not Jesus. We do not have that clearly a defined mission like dying on the cross for the sins of mankind. This is true but we need a mission, we need goals and plans for the Kingdom of Christ. Spending time with God through His Word and prayer will help us to have a plan.
Are Unwilling to change
Many times people will cling to an unsatisfactory way of life rather than embrace healthy change. We’d rather die with the old than live with something new and different. “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” Romans 6:16, NIV.
As we look at the Gospels and the NT we see a classic resistance to change. Many Jews were impressed with Jesus. Yet, most resisted change and did not become Christians.
Edward Skidmore- Years ago a Christian Church in Albuquerque hired a church growth expert from California. I remember his presentation to the church board while I was a Youth Minister there. He gave many suggestions, but his biggest recommendation was that the church was located in a part of town that had no growth potential left. He urged them to sell their property and move to a part of town where growth was happening. Well, they owned their property free and clear. They’d been there a good while. The truth is, they weren’t interested in any solution that involved major change of any kind. Since they didn’t like the advice they were given, they began to question the church growth expert’s qualifications. (Never mind the fact that he had helped other churches.) In the end, they chose to do nothing the consultant had suggested. Sure enough, today that church is in decline --- barely able to keep the doors open. That was precisely what the Consultant warned would happen if they were unwilling to change. Like a knowledgeable Consultant, God always knows the changes we need to make. He knows exactly what will make things better … and He knows exactly what will make things worse.
Why do people resist change? Church leaders responded with 4 answers:
1. Fear of the unknown
2. People have a vested interest in the status quo
3. People assume new ministries and programs will overlook them
4. Fear of failure
“And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3, NIV.
Highly Ineffective People Fail in Relationships
We see that the leaders of the early church were effective in relationships. Beginning with Jesus and going through the apostolic era, these leaders built teams centered on a relationship with Christ and then relationships with each other. Look at Paul’s letters and many names are mentioned because it was a team idea. We do find in Acts 15 that Paul and Barnabas had a falling out but this was an exception and not the norm.
There are people who have an abrasive and cantankerous spirit and they seem to glory in how many people they have upset or in how many churches have escorted them out. See this as a sign that they are doing God’s work. Need to look at how this person handles relationships. If no good relationships, then they have a problem and they will have problems doing God’s will because they cannot get along with anyone.
For a business study a few years ago, more than 2,000 employers were asked, “For the last three persons dismissed from your business, why did you let them go?” Turns out two out of every three fired employees were dismissed for the same reason: THEY COULDN’T GET ALONG WITH OTHER PEOPLE.
Relationships make or break us. From the quality of our family time to our interactions at work, our relationships are largely responsible for success or failure. To be effective in life, you must learn to get along with people.
An effective person knows the value of good relationships. They bring both personal satisfaction and professional success. As Teddy Roosevelt said, “The most important single ingredient to the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.” If we aren’t naturally gifted in this area, don’t worry. People skills can be learned, so work at improving them. Even Jesus grew in this area- “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Luke 2:52
How many people today fail in their marriages? There are few divorces the fault of only one party, most are the result of two parties. We need to work on our relationship skills.
Highly ineffective people are unwilling to sacrifice
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.” Romans 12:1, NIV. In the KJV- which is your reasonable service
John Henry Jowett stated it perfectly: "Ministry that costs nothing, accomplishes nothing." I might add that ministry that costs nothing is not really ministry at all. Jesus sets the standard: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). To be effective involves sacrifice.
One man prayed "Oh, God, all that most of us know about sacrifice is how to spell the word!" Sacrifice--a word in our Christian vocabulary, but not a force in our lives. To be effective there is a price to be paid, a sacrifice that must be given.
Salvation is not free. It cost God his one and only son, It cost Christ his dignity, the cross and his life. It cost the first century followers. They were greatly oppressed, all the 12 apostles met a martyr's death but John who lived much of his life in prison and suffered many tortures. Steven was stoned, Paul was imprisoned and beheaded. Many early Christians were thrown to the lions just for sport and endured all sorts of cruel persecution. William Tyndale is a familiar name to some. Most do not know of his sacrifice. Born in 1494, Tyndale was brilliant linguist with a passion to translate the Greek New Testament into English language, something the English-speaking world lacked. That is exactly what he did. In a very short time, Tyndale was peppering England with Bibles, hidden in sacks of flour and bales of corn. And he kept on the move so that King Henry VIII of England could not find him, that is, until a man named Henry Phillips turned him in. His pursuers found him on May 21, 1535. William Tyndale was strangled, and they burned his body at the stake in 1536. As he gasped his last breath, he cried out, “Lord! Open the king of England’s eyes.” And that prayer was answered! Two years later, in 1538, the king reversed himself and issued a royal injunction that required a copy of the Bible to be available in every church in England. Tyndale won the cause, but lost his life in the process. Think about the people across our globe right now who sacrifice so much for the cause of Christ. Sacrifice much, how about us?
