Click on the banner to hear the Heart Attitudes sermon series.
It’s been said, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’ When leaders set the example, followers get the picture.”
- Harold Bullock, Founding & Senior Pastor, Hope Church
There is no one who perfectly lives out all that the New Testament envisions for the Christian life. However, it is our desire to try and live up to the standard that we are called to as followers of Jesus Christ. The Heart Attitudes are an attempt to express some of the more important changes that the Holy Spirit is working in the life of disciples.
The first four Heart Attitudes deal with our personal relationships with one another, and the last three deal with our relationship to the church as a body.
1) Put the goals and interests of others above your own.
Everybody has an agenda. Everyone has things to do. We are all busy. There are expectations that others have for us. As Christians, we are called to consider others agendas, others goals, others interests. The essence of the Christian faith is learning the virtue of unselfishness. We move in that direction when we consider the needs of others rather than working on my own agenda, I am called as a follower of Christ to work for the success of others.
Philippians 2:3-4
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
John 13:34-35
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
2) Live an honest, open life before others.
The masks behind which we hide and the image that we project of ourselves can keep us from living the kind of life that brings deep satisfaction to our souls. In our commitment to community, we are called as followers of the Lord to an appropriate level of transparency. Among those with whom we have built relationships of trust, we are freed to share honestly our struggles, our fears, our hopes and dreams. A life marked by such freedom is one that allows us to develop deep relationships both with God and with his people.
Ephesians 4:25
“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor,
for we are all members of one body.”
1 John 1:7
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
3) Give and receive Scriptural correction.
In a family and in the church every one of us tends to make mistakes. There is the ongoing struggle for those of us seeking to follow Jesus to find ourselves following either the world, or our own understandings, rather than the Word of God. We need each other in order to stay on track. Blind spots and willful rebellion will pull us out of fellowship. The biblical corrective to sin is a firm and loving intervention by someone who has our best interests and the interests of the group at heart. It takes a huge dose of humility both to give correction and to receive correction.
Hebrews 10:24-25
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Hebrews 3:13
“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today,
so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”
4) Clear up relationships.
At the core of humanity we are relational. Inevitably, living in close proximity, we hurt one another. Sometimes it is intentional; sometimes it is accidental. Regardless, we need to take ownership for the damage that we have done to relationships. Spiritual maturity has the expectation that we will be responsible for healing the brokenness that we have caused to the relationship. This includes acknowledging hurts, accepting responsibility, and making restitution where appropriate.
Matthew 5:23-24
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”
Colossians 3:13
“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
5) Participate in the ministry.
We're in this together. The work of the kingdom of God is a joint effort. There is little room for self-promotion and solo adventure. If the church is going to be the influence in our community that God intended us to be, we must work together. Finding your spiritual gifting and a place for using that gift in service to the world through the body of Christ for the glory of God is the expectation for all of us. It seems self-evident that the body needs each part to play its part.
1 Peter 4:10
“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others,
faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”
Ephesians 4:16
“From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament,
grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
6) Support the work financially.
Those committed to the ministry of the church make ongoing investments of their time, their skills, and their financial resources. Jesus indicated that a person's heart is wrapped up in what he spends his money on. We choose to voluntarily, generously, cheerfully, and sacrificially give regularly to the mission that God has called us to be a part of at our church. It is through this means that the Holy Spirit has chosen to carry forth his work in our world.
1 Corinthians 16:2
“On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income,
saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.”
2 Corinthians 9:6-7
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.”
7) Follow spiritual leadership within Scriptural limits.
God has, in every sphere, chosen to establish authority, responsibility, accountability, and protection through his designated leadership. This is true in the family, on the job, in government, and in the church. The leaders that God has given to people are for their good, and for their protection. To rebel against the authority established by God is to rebel against God. While acknowledging scriptural limitations, following spiritual leadership is one of the surest ways of experiencing spiritual blessing.
Hebrews 13:17
“Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
1 Peter 5:5-7
“Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.’”
