With so many people hurting around us and as life takes its own fair share of twists and turns in this season, there are times where our attitudes as not only pastors, but followers of Christ could just be a little bit better. In last week’s Midweek Worship Service at Life.Church, Pastor Craig Groeschel spent some time in Philippians chapter 2 talking about how attitude is everything, and outlined a challenge for us all: a 7-part Christ-Centered, Others-Oriented Challenge.
Think about it: with all that’s going on in the world right now, a positive attitude is very important, right? But if we’re honest about it, we also know that it can often be the most difficult. The reasons not to have a great attitude are surely piling up, both for us as pastors, but also for our attenders. As Chuck Swindoll says, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond.” A positive attitude always matters. A negative mindset never leads to a positive life. So how can we encourage our church communities to look to scripture to find a positive attitude in this season? We can start in Philippians 2:1-8.
This passage of scripture paints the picture for all of us as to what it means to have a Christ-Centered, Others-Oriented attitude.
We’re called to have the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus. He was never focused on himself, but he always had others in mind. In this season we’ve all lost a lot, and we could focus on what we’ve lost, or we can focus on what we still have in Christ. Here are 7 different ways that we can encourage our attenders to have a Christ-Centered, Others-Oriented attitude this week:
- Pray with someone you’ve never prayed with before. — In a time when so many people are physically distancing themselves from others, we can encourage people to spiritually unite with the people around them. It’s easy to stay comfortable and pray with those closest to us. But imagine what God will do when we step out of our comfort zones this week and pray with someone we’ve never prayed with before!
- Give to someone in need. — Often we think in order to give, it needs to be a big offering or a grand gesture. Let’s help our church communities understand irrational generosity in this season. We can’t underestimate the power of making someone a meal or even giving away a roll of toilet paper! God calls us to give even in times of our own need, and we will see blessings all around.
- Serve someone. — We may not have a whole lot of freedom right now, but we can find a way to serve the people around us. We can empower our people to use what they have to be a blessing to the people around them. If we ask Him to, God will make the opportunities to serve in our communities clear in this season.
- Encourage someone who is hurting. — We have no idea what one word of encouragement can do to make a difference in someone’s life! No matter a person’s background or current situation, everyone has the ability to encourage others. God can use each of us to lift someone up who may be down.
- Post something about your faith. — Social media is a powerful tool. In this time where people need hope, we can give it to them! We can encourage our church communities to share sermon clips, Bible verses, or their favorite worship songs. Some may want to record a video sharing their faith journey with their social media friends. Social media can be a platform on which we all can spread hope and let our light shine for the world to see.
- Invite someone to church online. — Are our church communities spreading the word about the unique ways their friends can experience Christ in this season? The great thing about watching church online is that an experience with God can truly meet people where they’re at, whether in their living rooms or back porches. People can host watch parties on Facebook or choose to log on to the same service time together. Some families may even experience church together for the first time in this season.
- Pray for those outside your normal circle. — We all spend a lot of time praying for our friends or family or even the things that we’re facing in our lives currently. But we can use this time to encourage people to step out in faith and pray for those outside of their normal circle. Whether that is the healthcare professionals on the frontlines, missionaries across the world, or the neighbors in their backyards, we can take time this week to lift those outside our normal circles up to God in prayer.
As we encourage the people we lead to take these steps, and as we lead by example by stepping into them ourselves, we will see a shift in our attitudes in this season. When we take the focus off of ourselves and put it on those around us, things begin to happen. Communities come together. The kingdom of God reaches further. Attitude truly is everything! We hope this Christ-Centered, Others-Oriented Challenge empowers your church community to change their attitude in this season!
If you’d like to encourage your church with this reminder that attitude is everything, feel free to use these resources! Here are some social media images for this Christ-Centered, Others-Oriented Challenge.
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