Purity: Lesson 4…
It’s very rare that I find direction this far in advance for my sermons but when they hit, the hit hard. Enjoy the notes in advance! Purity in Attitudes!
Attitude is the EYE of your soul! Our attitude will determine how we view life and will ultimately take us to a place of disaster or our destiny in life.
If our attitude is negative, then all we will see life in a negative response.
If our attitude is positive, we will see life positively.
If we have a thankful attitude, we will see the things that we encounter as gifts to be thankful for.
One writer said:
“I may not be able to change the world I see around me but I can change the way I see the world within me!”
The power to see things come to pass is in your ability to have a positive attitude. If all we think, breathe, eat, drink, and live is a negative attitude … the result will in return be negative!
God needs people with POSTIVE, pure attitudes!
If there is going to be a revival in this youth group, there must be a spirit of UNITY and it must start tonight! God has INCREDIBLE things for this church, for this youth group and for this community. But if we’re NOT unified with the same attitude and purpose, then everything we do will be a waste of time, energy, and life. When I look at the term “UNITY” … I find many different meanings and I would like to share them with you tonight.
UNITY …
- The state of being one single entity
- The state of being combined with others to form a greater whole
- The state of being a complete or harmonious combination of elements
- Harmony among the parts or elements of a work producing a single major effect
- Complete accord among persons regarding attitudes, opinions, and intensions
Unity is a very important part of growth and revival!
I like is the last one, “Complete accord among persons regarding attitudes, opinions, and intensions,”
Take for an example … I have been a musician for the majority of my life and started playing the drums in church services when I was 5 years old. When I was in Junior High School, I started taking band, and orchestra. One thing that I remember my band director teaching us was the importance of playing together and making the world of music pleasant to the ears of the audience.
There were 3 major points that he presented to us in our first day of classes.
- The music itself is greater than one individual and when everyone agrees to this truth, a great sound is produced
- In playing a piece of music, the tempo is the force that hold everything together
- When everyone plays together on the same page and in the same tempo, the orchestra unites and the produce a sound that is un-stoppable
Here’s the deal guys … If you have an orchestra playing the same piece but with different tempos and with different levels or sound, what happens to chaotic. It literally creates a world is disunity!
When the audience listens to the piece being played, if all they hear are the percussionist going crazy, a few saxophone players hitting high notes without any clue of what’s going on, and the violin player is playing a classical song with a country groove … confusion is present!
When everyone actually gets on the same page and they all have the same attitude, UNITY comes to the group of musicians trying to accomplish the same goal and they all create a concert of excellence!
What I’m trying to present to this group of people sitting under the sound of my voice is simple and if we can all get together for the same purpose and the same reason, I’m telling you the truth when I say God will honor us and as a result, he will cause great growth and great revival through our unity!
The bible says in Ephesians 4:16
- From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
There are people in this room right now that have more talent and more skill than the person sitting next to them.
In fact, I’m positive that there are people who have the ability to sing a solo but yet the person across the pew from them doesn’t have this gift. And while this is true, there are people in here who are blessed with an ability to play an instrument better than someone else.
Is this a bad thing?
Does this mean we’re not unified?
NO WAY!
All this means to me is the fact that we all have different talents and we have different gifts. So in order for this youth group to go ANYWHERE, it’s going to require some bonding moments and some time to unite with each other, causing those gifts and those talents to come together!
Bro Avant, where are you going with this thought?
I’m simply trying to say, revival is here! Growth for B1 Student Ministries is ready to happen!
And the only way revival and growth will take place is when everyone in this building gets the same attitude, the same opinion, and the same intension about serving God! I’m not asking you to change your personality! And I’m not asking you to stop serving God the way you know how to serve God.
I’m just asking us to get an attitude of UNITY!
That when I step into this house of worship, I’m stepping in here because I want to usher in the presence of the Lord! When I come to youth functions, I’m coming because I want to bring a spirit of unity in our youth group!
I’m not showing up because I know I can sing better than this person …
I’m not showing up because I know I’m popular and this other person isn’t …
I’m not showing up because I have more friends than anyone else in this youth group …
I’ve showed up because I care about the people I call my youth group and in doing so, I’ve showed up because I want God to show up!
I am here because I am hungry for a move of God!
I am here because I am hungry for revival!
I am here because I am hungry for the best that God has in store for us!
I’m simply stepping into the position of unity because I want to possess a POSITIVE attitude and I want to go places in Jesus Christ!
Listen, I really feel that we are on the edge of a great explosion, but if we can’t get the same attitude about this, the chances of revival are slim! There is only one way to stop a move of God in this youth group and not only this youth group but this entire church. It’s through the lack of positive attitudes.
Truth be told, we need an attitude adjustment!
A positive attitude will change the way we respond to the singing and preaching in our Worship services!
A positive attitude will …
a. make us show up on time for pre-service prayer
b. keep us from talking during church
c. cause us to really seek God when the altar call is given
d. make us pick up the phone and make sure that our friends are doing good and if there’s a problem in their life, we will pray for them and ask God for his help
A positive attitude will keep the devil from causing problems in our youth group!
A positive attitude will rebuke the idea of each other talking trash and creating a world of gossip on our cell phones when we leave church and someone who doesn’t have enough money to dress like you dress!
A POSITIVE ATTITUDE WILL BE SEEN AND KNOWN BY YOUR FACEBOOK, MYSPACE, & TWITTER STATUSES …
Why or how could we ever convince people that we have a PURE ATTITUDE if we are constantly posting loaded comments …
Comments like:
“You know, I wonder about some people…”
“People just get on my nerves…”
“It’s amazing how people say one thing a do another…”
And then … we have people posting comments in reply to what has been posted by the other person.
The bible has a word for this … It’s called DISCORD!
Do you know that discord is an abomination unto God?
Let’s read it:
Proverbs 6:12-21
A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth, He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy. These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
We’ve should really watch the things we say in the public world because those are the ones who are going to judge us the most!
I’d hate for Jesus to reject us from making it to heaven because we didn’t live up to the commandments of His Word.!
I’m being tough right now, but every youth group deals with this problem!
Even the most spiritual youth groups in the United Pentecostal church have their own issues!
And the thing I’m trying to say in this message is not negative but rather it’s a challenge to be different and to be positive!
We must defend each other!
We must uplift each other!
We must serve each other!
We must protect each other!
There is a POWER in people who are positive and in people who have a heart beat for UNTIY!
I don’t want this to be the extent of our Sunday reVerb class!
I don’t want this to be the extent of our youth functions period!
We are too close to the coming of Christ and if there’s ever been a time for the people of Jesus Name to be together it’s RIGHT NOW!
We’ve got to be unified and we must possess the positive attitude that requires us in going to another level!
Don’ let the devil break us away from each other!
We must keep a bond and pray for each other!
There are people in this place right now that need a friend to lay a hand on them in prayer and a friend to just lift them up when nobody else cares!
That’s how we grow!
That’s how we reach the goals of life!
That’s how we make a difference!
ONLY THROUGH ATTITUDES OF UNITY … …
Different people have spoken of attitudes saying …
“Revival comes from heaven when heroic souls enter the conflict determined to win or die-or if need be, to win and die! “The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.”
– Charles Finney
“Our love to God is measured by our everyday fellowship with others and the love it displays.”
- Andrew Murray
“The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies: probably because they are generally the same people.”
- G.K. Chesterton
I’m am confident beyond the shadow of any doubt that the Lord has great expectations about us and if we can get the same level of expectancy then I firmly feel that will be the birthplace of a great outpouring of God’s spirit!
We have way too much talent …
We have way too much anointing …
We have way too much gifting …
We have way too many abilities …
Just to let them sit idle because we can’t get unified and get on the same page one with another concerning positive attitudes of UNITY!
If there has ever been a time for God to do the miraculous, it is now and it is through us! And if we can possess a positive attitude with each other and for our own personal life, we will see the greatness of God displayed in our youth group!
