10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
Basic Discipleship
Written by Dr. Lester Hutson
This material is copyrighted c2002 and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of the Berean Baptist Church.
To order a copy of Basic
Discipleship,
please visit our Publications section.
PHASE 4 GROWTH TO MATURITY
SESSION 4
This session is closely akin to Session 3 but it is not merely a repetition. One's attitude and his spirit are not altogether the same although they are closely related. Both one's attitude and his spirit are clearly perceived by those around him. They determine how one views another and become a part of that person's reputation. People soon establish a reputation or testimony of being sour, cheerful, bitter, positive or otherwise. The spirit becomes known.
People open up to certain spirits and they close to others. They seem to warm up to and allow themselves to be influenced by those with beautiful, positive spirits. They tend to turn away from those who are bitter and ugly.
Our goal here is to make an effective minister for Christ of your disciple. We want him/her to reach people, not repel them. Filling your disciple with a head full of great truths and knowledge is not enough. His spirit will be to others what music with its beat is to the words of a song. They will first size up what his spirit is before giving serious attention to anything he says or does.
Neither you nor your disciple can possibly become a true and consistent discipler of others apart from a good spirit. That is why this last Phase of Basic Discipleship is given so heavily to attitude, spirit, mentality and approach. Help your disciple realize that not only what he teaches and does is important, the spirit in which he does it is equally important. Strangely, the vast majority of God's people seem totally uninterested in or concerned about their spirits. To them it seems that the spirit doesn't matter. Such is truly a blinded position. Very few stances are further from the truth.
As usual this session is designed to get your disciple into the word of God where he can see these truths for himself. He may very well have questions. Make yourself available and let him see a right spirit in you.
Make sure he receives the next assignment.
Attitude matters and the kind of attitude you have is determined and controlled by you. Your attitude is very closely related to the spirit of your life. Your attitude determines your spirit or how others perceive you.
Here is another list of adjectives. They describe the spirits you observe in those around you. From the list, choose the ones that best describe you. Be objective. Are you willing to show your selections to your mate or someone near you who is candidly truthful?
Joyful.
Gloomy. Sour. Cheerful. Upbeat. Pessimistic. Kind. Cruel. Positive. Negative.
Happy. Defeated. Pleasant. Unpleasant. Distant. Warm. Gentle. Terse. Abrasive.
Harsh. Touchy. Indifferent. Concerned. Lovely. Grace. Legalistic. Bossy.
Superiority. Meek. Humble. Proud. Deceptive. Volatile. Boisterous. Quiet. Evil.
Bitter. Troubled. Transparent. Contrite. Broken. Hasty. Faithful. Haughty.
Excellent. Poor. Slothful. Good. Bad. Calm.
Words That Describe Your Spirit
_____________ _____________ ______________ ______________
_____________ _____________ ______________ ______________
_____________ _____________ ______________ ______________
_____________
_____________ ______________
______________
REPUTATION / TESTIMONY
Look up the word reputation in a good dictionary. You will find that reputation is what people generally think about the character of another person or thing.
It is not difficult to see that your spirit is a part of your reputation, how you are perceived or known by others. There is more to your reputation than your spirit, but your spirit is a definitely a big part of your reputation. Your effectiveness in life, particularly in Christian ministry to others, will largely depend on how you are perceived. If you are perceived as a good, honest, caring person with something to offer, then some others will be impacted for the better by you. If not, you and whatever you have to offer will largely be rejected.
Look up the following scriptures. Let then speak to you about the value of a good reputation or testimony. Match each passage to the correct concept.
1. For the
better or the worse, others do read you like a book and you do have a reputation
( 4) 1 Tim. 3:7
2. A good
name or reputation is a treasure more valuable that silver or gold
( 6) Acts 10:22
3. "A
good name is better than precious ointment"
which seems to suggest healing qualities
( 7) Acts 16:1-2
4. It is
required that pastors have a good reputation among
believers and non-believers (
5) Acts 6:3-7
5. Men "of
honest report" is a clear teaching that church leaders have good reputations
( 9) Prov. 17:28
6. Cornelius
was a lost Gentile, but he had a good testimony of
honesty & responsibility
( 8) 3 John 12
7. One of
the factors that attracted Paul to Timothy was Timothy's good reputation
( 2) Prov. 22:1
8. Demitrius
had a good testimony or reputation among
all men (
3) Eccl. 7:1
9. "Even
a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is
counted wise" (
1) 2 Cor. 3:2
10. Soon after Goliath, David has a name "much set
by" which speaks of his reputation (12) Gal. 2:2
11. Those who faithfully give themselves to vocational ministry are to be highly esteemed (11) 1 Thes. 5:13
12. "To them which were of reputation" reveals
great wisdom & respect by Paul
(10) 1 Sam. 18:30
13. Like dead flies in ointment, a little folly in one of
good reputation does much damage
(15) Heb. 11:5
14. Faithful men like Epaphroditus are to be held in great
reputation (16) Acts 22:12
15. Enoch had one of the greatest testimonies of all, "that he pleased God" (14) Phil. 2:25-29
16. In a time of great persecution of Christians, Ananias has
a good reputation
(17) Acts 5:34
17. Even a lost person can behave in such a way as to have a
good reputation (13) Eccl. 10:1
18. "So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was
noised throughout all the country"
(18) Josh. 6:27
Food for Thought
1. How would you describe your reputation?
2. How do you think those around you describe your reputation?
3. Do you really want to obey 2 Timothy 2:1-2 and become a mentor, teacher, discipler of others?
4. Do you think the spirit and reputation you have will allow you to have an effective ministry with others?
5. Your
spirit and approach to life will directly impact your reputation and
effectiveness with others. For the cause of Christ are you willing to change
your spirit?
A
CASE STUDY OF A GREAT SPIRIT
Read the story of Old Testament Joseph in Genesis 37, 39-41 then
answer these multiple choice questions. Particularly note Genesis 41:38. Bear in mind that more than one of the answers may be correct.
1. Joseph was:
A. A very withdrawn, introverted and timid person from his childhood through adulthood.
B A very secular man with little confidence in the true God of the Bible.
C. The favorite son of his father Jacob.
D. A boy with a
very bad spirit.
2. From the time Joseph was 17 years old until he was 30, his life could be characterized as:
A. A life of ease without disappointments.
B. A life of continuous raw deals, injustices and disappointments.
C. A life of numerous calamities none of which involved efforts against him by humans.
D. A life of
numerous calamities most of which involved efforts against him by humans.
3. Among the cruel injustices Joseph experienced was:
A. Sold into slavery by his own flesh and blood brothers.
B. Removal from his homeland and country to a foreign country of a different language.
C. Imprisonment in a foreign country over a false and groundless charge against him.
D. Ingratitude
at the hands of the fellow prisoners whom he helped.
4. Genesis 41:21-22. When Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery:
A. Joseph was so hardened in spirit that it didn't matter to him.
B. The experience was cruel, heartbreaking and devastating to Joseph.
C. All of his brothers were sympathetic to Joseph's plight.
D. His brothers
clearly "saw the anguish of his soul."
5. The kind of treatment Joseph received for 13 years would:
A. Turn the spirits of most people very bitter, hard, defensive, cynical and ugly.
B. Turn the spirits of most people to joy, thanksgiving, optimism and beauty.
C. Have no impact one way or the other on most people.
D. Make most
people very mad at God and those treated them with such evil and injustice.
6. When Joseph was called from the prison to meet with Pharaoh:
A. He knew he was being considered for release and high placement in Pharaoh's government.
B. He was determined to use the opportunity to enhance himself.
C. He had no idea or intent that this was an opportunity for improvement of his situation.
D. He had been
thinking of this meeting for a long time and had plotted carefully what he'd say
to Pharaoh.
7. When Joseph came before Pharaoh:
A. He changed his spirit from the norm to be pleasant, cheerful and positive.
B. He didn't change his spirit at all from the norm but manifested his usual spirit.
C. His spirit was so beautiful, positive and good that no one could miss it.
D. He soon began
to present his case of abuse, injustice and mistreatment to Pharaoh.
8. This case of Joseph as presented in the Bible:
A. If full of his whining, complaining and self pity over his mistreatment.
B. Does not mention any whining, complaining or self pity in Joseph.
C. Reveals that Joseph resented his brothers for what they did to him and never forgave them.
D. Reveals that
Joseph was content in the providence of God even though there were long periods
of time when he didn't understand what God was doing.
9. The case of Joseph:
A. Is proof that ill circumstances and injustices are not sufficient justification for a bad spirit.
B. One can have a great spirit on a routine basis in spirit of whatever evils life may provide.
C. Is proof that the spirit of every person is a victim of his environment and circumstances.
D. Is proof that
all people with ugly, sour and bad spirits are justified in having them.
10. The spirit of Joseph which became immediately evident to Pharaoh is the prime reason why:
A. Joseph was immediately sent back to prison after his meeting with Pharaoh.
B. Joseph was passed over in favor of someone else for promotion.
C. Joseph was immediately elevated to the level of prime minister in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.
D. Joseph
became such a grand story of ministry and lasting success.
11. Joseph's example:
A. As a clear case of the value of a routine good spirit.
B. Says that anyone can have a good spirit regardless of the circumstances that surround him.
C. Says that injustices, evils against you and bad circumstances are no excuse for a bad spirit.
D. Says your
ministry and effectiveness with others will largely depend on your spirit.
12. Genesis 45:1-8. Joseph illustrates:
A. That a clear focus on God as the ultimate director of all providential affairs and a steadfast trust in Him is the basis for a good spirit void of offence, bitterness and revenge.
B. That God doesn't matter, but the power of positive thinking is the key to a good spirit.
C. That forgiveness is vital to a good spirit.
D. That God is
able to sustain and take care of you regardless of the circumstances.
13. As illustrated in the case of Joseph, at least three ingredients are essential to a good spirit. They are:
A. Forgiveness.
B. Commitment of management to God.
C. Emotional focus on God and not on people, things or circumstances.
D. Lots of money and a trouble-free environment in which to function.
Meditation
Dear disciple, you are preparing for ministry, to impact lives around you for the better. God forbid that you remain a babe, that you relegate yourself to the status of perennial bench warmer. 2 Tim. 2:1-2 is for you. How people perceive you will make or break you and your spirit is what they will see.
Will you commit yourself right now to its improvement?
"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"