Ep 481 | Where Am I - Wade Branch 1/1/23

Good morning. Everyone is a wonderful day, a

wonderful New Year. We have the start and a no, not

a better way to do it, and what we have this morning to start

our new year and praise to God, and learning from hills, will I

pray and from doing those self evaluation today.

So everyone was supposed to get one of these little papers.

If you do not get one, I will try to get 10 after services, so

please just come see me. I don't like giving homework in

my classroom, but I think homework is very important for

Christian because we have to be doing this stuff all the time.

So I beg you. Please do this.

Please take this self-assessment.

I've given at some point. If you're like me, I wouldn't

benefit the most from, doing it during the service.

Although I went, I think we should all be doing that during

a study, please. If you will take this home and

do it yourself and keep it for you, it's not to turn into

anything this. Is for you.

This is for us to do individually today and this is

what our whole study is about. Our whole study.

This morning is a where I am. And I appreciated, Salas prayer

this morning. He asked for us to have clear

minds and Open Hearts. And that's a perfect.

Perfect request for a study like this.

And my little introduction versa have on the board is Psalm 119

Psalms 119:59

verse 59, kind of the driver of everything.

When I think on my on my, on my ways, the psalmist said, I turn

my feet to your testimonies when I think on my ways that causes

me to turn my feet to your testimonies.

And so this morning, my goal is for us as we start this New Year

to evaluate ourselves where are you at today?

And specifically I'd like us to look at it through the lens of

where have you come in the past year, where have you grown in

the past? Past year, where has your

progress been made? Where's your development come in

the past year? But if you want to look at this

from a where you're at, in general, either one is fine.

Those will both be very productive Endeavors.

Now, I'm trying to find a ways and I've been trying to look for

different ways. I can work it.

When I've learned as a teacher through the all the classes we

took and all the things we have to go through as teachers to

leverage that to better my teaching and here and this is

something we do in the classroom, a lot

self-assessment, and we'll talk more in a little bit.

The reasons for that, but it's a great indicator of your maturity

level. If you can self assess, if you

are self aware enough to look at yourself and any skill in life

and say, how can I be better? Higher level of growth and

development. And so we try to do this in the

classroom and I'll start out by giving so much I think

justification why I think it's important that we do this just

real quick. I will have this QR code on the

board after Services. I'm not going to leave it up so

if you're familiar with this you just scan this with your camera

and it takes you to a digital version of the survey, please do

both. So this one that I've handed out

is for you. The what I'm going to put on the

screen for after services on your Our own time is it's going

to be anonymous, so I'm not going to know who sent it in,

but if I figure out some 50, 60 people, you know, how strong am

I in? And identifying ways?

I can help serve the church. How strong have I how strong

have I been in this area? If we can collect data?

That's an honest and say okay we had 20 people say I'm not very

good in this area that's going to be very helpful for us as

teachers and teaching we try to use data driven practices to

really get to the The heart of what are our congregations needs

or what is our group's needs? So please do both.

It will really help you for this one and us as teachers for this

one after Services. Okay, those are your only two

things. I'm going to ask you to do.

So here's our outline for this study.

Number one, we're going to look at some examples.

We're going to look at the purpose and the value of

self-assessment second. We're going to look at some

barriers to self-assessment thirdly.

We're going to actually do the self-assessment.

We're going to walk through each of these questions and talk more

about them. And number 4, we're going to ask

ourselves the question. Hopefully get an answer to the

question. What is one thing I should do

going forward? Because the whole point of any

self-assessment, I do in my room, they're not graded, it's

the point is, how do you move forward?

What is our best? Stepping stone.

Now, to go forward from where we're at.

That's the whole point of this. So, no, at no point.

Do I want anyone to get locked or lost in the past in your old

year, about moving forward. So first, one of the reasons.

So what is our, what is the purpose of a self-assessment and

it's to combat stagnant faith. And these first couple questions

will just lead us off. Are you in the same place that

you were a year ago? Spiritually.

Now life can be challenging and it can put us in tough

situations and sometimes those situations make us grow.

But it doesn't always mean we're growing spiritually, you might

have grown as a person, but are you growing spiritually?

Are you the same place? You were five years ago?

Spiritually. Or not even 10 years ago.

And another important caveat is, we're not looking for today is

not about numerical growth. I want everyone today to put on

blinders in some sense. I have to talk to everyone, so I

don't have the same blinders on, but I'm gonna go home and I'm

gonna do the same thing. We need to put blinders on

because we're not worried about numerical growth.

What's going on around us? We're not worried about the

person sitting next to us or across the building.

This is about our own individual development.

How can we ever expect to grow for not self-aware?

Lamentation, Lamentations, ver 3:40 says, let us test and

examine our ways and return to the Lord.

Psalm, 139:16 23 through 24. Several of these verses are from

the ESV Search me, o God and know.

My heart. Try me and know my thoughts and

see if there be any Grievous way in me and Lead Me in the way

Everlasting. Search me, try me and Lead me.

That's our ultimate goal and we we ask God to help us do that.

But we have to turn our own our own brains on to be an active

part in this process Joba 1323. How many are my iniquities in my

sins? Jobe ask this question.

How many are they? And we learn later.

Job was a blameless, man. But He was asking God.

This question make me to know my transgression, and my sin, and

that is our prayer this morning, I appreciate Frank, praying

night, it will be self-reflective.

And I hope if any of us start to days off this morning, we

realize we're only hurting ourselves.

God make me to know our transgressions.

First Corinthians, chapter 11 28, let a person examine himself

1 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

then and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup that's

regarding communion. We're supposed to examine

ourselves in every area of our life.

First Corinthians 10 verse 12. Therefore, to anyone who thinks

1 Corinthians 10:12

that he stands take heed, lest he fall.

Galatians chapter 6, verse 3 and 4.

Galatians 6:3

If anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing,

he deceives himself. But let each one test his own

work. We are very much in danger of

deceiving ourselves and if we don't take a careful look at

ourselves, that's that's a big part of this lesson.

This is the set of pattern of self-reflection.

So we get the value of that and we set our own goals and make

our own pattern of self-reflection.

Second Corinthians 13, verse 44 though he was crucified and

weakness. Speaking of Jesus yet he lives

by the power of God for. We also are weakened him but we

shall live with him by the power of God towards you examine

yourselves as to whether you are in the faith, test yourselves

Paul writes and Second Corinthian letter.

James chapter 14, if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a

doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in

the mirror for. He looks at himself and goes

away at once and forgets what he was like, but the one who looks

into the perfect law, the law of Liberty and perseveres.

Being a here being no here who forgets but a doer who acts, he

will be blessed in his doing. Okay, so kind of starting to

close up our preparation for the self-assessment.

This is some emphasis on the idea that I don't want us to

look around at other people or other people in our life because

in 2nd Corinthians chapter 10. It says not that we dare to

classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are

committing themselves. But when they measure themselves

by one, another, and compare themselves with one another,

they are without understanding they are ignorant.

He says when we look around and just try to compare ourselves

with others, the only people we should be comparing ourselves

with is the Lord Jesus Christ, and his standard, and our own

past self for betterment. That's our only source of

comparison, Philippians 2:12. We're told I'm going to skip

Philippians 2:12

down to the end to work out our own salvation with fear and

trembling Psalm 19 says, who can discern his errors.

And that ultimate perspective of this is to ask God that.

God declare me. Innocent from the hidden faults,

keep back your servant from presumptuous sins.

It's a prayer for God to help us avoid not knowing ourselves, so

that we don't look past our own wrongs in our own sins.

So we are going to need God's help in this process and we will

talk about that that prayer and asking.

For God's help is a vital part of this process.

So and kind of summary the big Main It's the reason why

self-assessment is so important is.

It is a great indicator of maturity level.

In anything you do, whether it's your job, whether it's, your

family. If you're able to look at your

own life and say, how can where am I at?

And how can I be better? That's a mature person that

area, that's an experienced person.

And the people who don't look at that are considered infants in

their field. So, number one, it helps us the

great skill of Taking stock objectively which is self

awareness understanding the standard as a huge part of

self-assessment. You got to understand the

standard. So ignorance and knowledge are

very intertwined in this study identifying ways to move

forward. These are the three main points

of self-assessment as I've got to come up with them.

And one last emphasis Jesus is great criticisms, his most fiery

criticisms of people or based on A lack of doing that.

He says you're like whitewashed tombs Frank talked about the

other day. They weren't aware of what they

truly were on the inside where Jesus says later Matthew 22

Matthew 22:29

verse 29. You do not understand the

scriptures or the power of God. So I want to help us avoid these

issues. Some to start off this

self-assessment. We're now looking at the very

top. I'm going to work our way down

this paper. If you want to read that.

In front of you, I'll have the questions up here.

Our first category, I I put on there is prayer.

Question number one, and we're going to be rating ourselves.

I have at the top, a scale of one to five.

Number one will be week, number five, will be strong.

So anywhere in between there, you think you're at, you can

write that number. So on a scale of 1 to 5 from

weak to strong, where are you? And they're in the area of, I

pray God's word, back to him regarding his plans and his will

Do you do that in the question? It the way?

It's phrase. I hope it's not confusing but

the question is, do I pray? God's will back to him regarding

his plans and his will. When I've done Bible studies

with people when they're ones. We have going on right now with

with Jose and Eric over Zoom right now.

One of the best things that you start to see happen is when, you

know, you're starting out do an introductory prayer or a closing

prayer and they're praying about the things that you either

talked about last study or that you've just studied about.

Praying God's word. Back to him is a way of

communicating about God's will and his desires and your

understanding connection to it. Do you pray?

God's will back to him saying God I heard that you said this

helped me to have an open heart, help me to go the Second Mile,

whatever that teaching is. In Psalm chapter 37 verse 1,

Psalms 37:1

through 8, I think it captures the importance of doing this.

It says do not fret because of evildoers nor be envious of the

workers of iniquity for. They shall soon be cut down like

the grass and wither as the green herb trust in the Lord and

do good dwell in the land and feed on his faithfulness.

So basically the first thought is Trust in God don't worry

about the evil doers but here is the kicker verse 4 says delight

yourself also in the Lord and what will happen and he shall

give you the desires of your heart.

So, if we are going to be praying, God, asking God for

things later, like Jesus says, ask and you shall receive.

We have to follow this pattern, then the things we want to have

to be the what the things that God wants.

Because when Jesus says, ask and you shall receive he later,

says, you don't receive you. Ask amiss that you will spend it

on your pleasures and so you don't get what you want.

So the this in summary, God will give us a, give us what we want.

But not if it's just a serve our own Pleasures, God will give us

what we want. If our desires are lined up with

him. So back to that verse delight

yourself in the Lord set up, your desires, your goals, your

motivations toward him, and that he's going to satisfy that

desire. He's going to fill that with the

right response and prayer and then the satisfaction in our

lives. So are we praying God's will

back to him? Are we praying with the

intention to fill God's purposes and God's will he goes on the

sale to finish out the rest. The couple sentences about

Psalm. He says, commit your way to the

Lord trust in him and he shall bring it to pass.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light.

Not your evil selfish desires, your righteousness and your

justice as the noon day. And this is a side point and

we're going to get to some other areas later in the survey that

talk about this but I love this, this passage it go.

This is continuing on the same idea rest in the Lord and wait

patiently for him, do not fret because of him who prospers in

his way because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass

cease from anger, and forsake wrath do not fret.

The only causes call. We're going to talk about

rejoicing later in this study. But it's easy to get caught up

in fretting and worrying and being angry about the wicked.

What we need is not people to continually fret and worry about

the wicked because that can always just cause harm to the

people who are trying. May we be examples young and old

of how to rest in the Lord. This is a place of rest from the

Troubles of the world, not a place to worry, over the

Troubles of the world, all the time.

This is a place where we should share in and learn in resting in

the Lord young and especially older.

Please be example, show us how to do that.

Show us how to find rest in God's presence, and rest in his

purposes and how to wait patiently for the Lord.

Because fretting often only causes harm.

Question. Number 2, do I leave my time of

prayer with peace. Do I leave my time of prayer

with peace and a week in this area or my strong.

First Peter 5 verse 7 says casting all your anxieties on

1 Peter 5:7

him because he cares for you, Matthew 6 verse 7.

Matthew 6:7

And when you pray this is the ESV.

I like how it says it do not Heap up empty phrases as the

Gentiles do when I get it mental image in my head.

I don't this is super accurate but almost like you're taking

trash bags and was throwing them on a pile.

You're not doing anything with it, it's just empty.

It's pointless. When you pray, do not just Heap

up empty phrases as the Gentiles do for they think they will be

heard for their many words, he goes on to say, Go talk to your

father in the secret place. One on one and say what you

mean. It doesn't have to be a long

prayer is the essence of what he goes on to say.

Now, the reason I think this question is such a helpful

indicator for me, personally of, whether my prayer life is being

effective, is because when I don't leave my prayer time with

peace, it's often because I'm just keeping up, I'm just, I'm

just throw it all on there. I'm not really trusting God, I'm

not really We are taking something to God and then laying

it. They're casting the anxiety on

him. I'm just piling it up.

Are we trusting in God enough to leave time of prayer with peace?

The third question. Are you an M?

I constantly in prayer. First Thessalonians 5 Verse 6

1 Thessalonians 5:6

says to pray without ceasing it just means prayed non-stop

praying without stopping. Don't stop praying.

You could say that in a bunch of different ways, And the idea

behind that is that we should all be running conversation with

the Lord of our life. Doesn't mean, you have to

literally have a distracted mindset old.

I'm talking to God right now all the time.

It means you have a running conversation about what's coming

in your day. What's happening in your day and

what happened in your day? Are you praying God's will in

your day? Are we constantly talking to

God? On a scale of 1 to 5.

The next category, we're on to Fellowship question for having

to do with fellowship with one another.

The question is the first one here.

Do I carry responsibility in the congregation?

On a scale of 1 to 5. Am I weak?

Or am I strong in the area of caring responsibilities in the

congregation? I think this is a helpful time

to look at. I saw this visual online.

I'm not going to go through all of it, but as this person

outlined from scripture, what they thought might be a dead

Christian and infant Christian, a child, a young adult.

And a parent, many of the things that we consider to be good

Christian habits. You can be an immature Christian

and doing them. And I think the visual you can't

see because I had to zoom in enough to see the whole all the

words. But the parent version of this

this image is lifting others up. So in your maturity level, are

you the one getting pulled up? Are you an infant?

Are you the one may be going along by your own strength, but

still pulling on others. Are you?

The one climbing wall? You're pulling up others or

maybe are you the one who's actively just using all of your

energy to help others? zup that can be a good

indication of where we're at because we might be doing good

Christian habits, but it often a sign of Christian maturity is

where is your responsibility In a congregation we are we are

member or we are a congregation. That is close-knit, in many

places don't have the kind of individual responsibility that

we have here but individually, when is your responsibility an

infant? It says, here they are the Lord

of their life. They're beginning to learn

truth. A child goes on to say they are

growing in their relationship with God.

They're building relationships with other believers.

They're developing habits of Bible study and prayer there.

Plugging into relational environments for discipleship.

So plugging in here in the congregation but I think that

it's interesting they include that with still being a child.

And I think these things can be filled in all the other areas

but if that's all you're doing consider some of the

responsibilities of maybe young adult, they're becoming less

self-centered and more other-centered they're beginning

to see themselves as servants. they are giving to the two

others into the church comes from a place of thankfulness and

love and their understanding of the Kingdom, the Kingdom Purpose

of going out and serving other members of the congregation.

Some phrases. They might say, I kind of like

this. Well, let's go the phrases, the

child, they say some phrases a child.

Chris you might say, is I love my church because I feel like I

belong. I love my church because people

make me feel welcome and there's nothing wrong with that.

But if that's the extent of how you see things, for example, a

young adult Christian here, it says they might say, I'm going

to visit so-and-so in the hospital tonight rather than

going to the movies. I'm going to serve in this way

so that it can benefit someone else and they have here as a

parent Christian, they might say they're teaching other people

how to serve So there's various levels of responsibility on this

and this is not straight from the it's based on biblical

principles but I'm not going to spend too much time on it

because that they further on to say I'll start here the

spiritual child. At this stage, people are

growing in their relationship with God and are also beginning

to grow and their relationship with other Christians.

They are applying God's word, however it's still mostly about

them their needs their A spiritual young adult.

And this stage people are making a big shift from being

self-centered. They're serving others being

doers of the word. A spiritual parent as a solid

understanding of God's word and a deep abiding relationship with

the father. They're living out God's word,

other sent others centered, and God dependent.

They are able to reproduce mature Disciples of Christ by

inviting others to follow. Okay.

I think that's enough time. I've spent on that.

So, the question was, where is your responsibility level in the

congregation? Number 5, do you share or how

much do you share accountability with someone in the

congregation? Where are you with sharing

accountability with someone in the congregation and anything?

You you go in the world. If anyone is struggling with

someone, something you have to attach an accountability partner

to get out of a cycle of not succeeding, whatever you're

doing, attaching accountability, partner, and I, and my personal

experience, and from advice from others, having an accountability

partner. That's other someone other than

your spouse or a close family member, it can become an echo

chamber. The same things are being said,

the same things are being thought and maybe even you need

to get outside that to confess some things that might help you

aside. From that relationship in my

experience, having someone who is separate from your normal

every single day around relationship can be helpful.

So, do you share accountability with some of the congregation?

For example, I'm going to work on this.

Can you hold me to that next, by next week?

I just did this with my, one of my students, we're working on.

She's trying out to be a liar and she said, okay, we're going

to start tomorrow, come back, tell me.

If you've lied in 24 hours, we're going to work on this.

She didn't do that. So in three days, and three days

you're gonna come back. You're going to we're going to

celebrate the fact that you didn't Terrell tell a lie in

three days and in a week and she had made it a week.

He was a compulsive liar. We have to have accountability.

Do you have someone that you are accountable with?

Number 6. Do you study and discuss the

Bible with someone else in the congregation as we were to tie

it back to maybe what an infant a child or young adult?

Might do I thought maybe an infant would always be led by

others and study? Maybe a child will be studying

hand-in-hand with another person.

Maybe a young adult would be leading a study.

And I have said here, don't over complicate.

Getting started is the hardest part, because we often feel like

we have to have something special to say in my study.

Is he? I'm not saying I'm the model at

all. But, but in my studies, I read

with them. And we talked about what they

think. It means that what from my

understanding, what it's what I understand.

And if I don't get it, I say I'll come back to you on that.

Don't overcomplicate it. Read it together.

And let that just be that simple.

Are you leading a study? Even if you don't feel like, you

know, everything I do not know everything by any means.

But you can lead a study, maybe if you're an adult Christian

maybe this is a strong level of maturity.

You lead, other leaders and study.

So maybe a little perspective shift to where we think I'm

studying God's word that's enough.

Well we still might be not taking enough responsibility of

study with others. Okay, our next category, I've

labeled it service number 7 in service to others.

And scale of one to five. How much have I identified ways?

I can help and actively seeking opportunities to use those

skills, or those ways I can help.

So I have identified ways, I can help.

Have you done that on a scale of 1 to 5 and how much are you

actively seeking opportunities to use them?

And maybe a few helpful steps. You know people talk about.

I just you know I need a little more.

How exactly do we do that? I put maybe I put together a

little list so make a list of something of some things that

you are able to do, make a list and right ways that you could

hypothetically see yourself using those.

And then pray with a sincere heart for opportunity to do to

see opportunity to be aware of your talents and to build those

Talent. I think that would get us pretty

far if we would do those things, that's just what I came up with.

Maybe you have a better strategy for finding ways and seeking

opportunities to use them. Matthew 25.

There's a parable there of the talents where Jesus talking

about using intelligence in that context was money.

But the idea is, do you use what you have for God?

And he's, he doesn't say, you know, the people who buried and

didn't use their abilities, or what they had or fine, he called

them Wicked. Are you actively seeking to use

the abilities that you have? And it's not an excuse to just

not know, we have to figure it out and sometimes we may need to

ask others for help but don't rely on asking other people.

To tell you what to do all the time because as a worker, you

know, when you're if you have an employee's under your and and

that employees always have to say, okay, what do I do now?

What do I do now? How do I move my hand?

Now, I'm here, now in here. Now maturity says, I'm going to

help you for a little while but you're going to start figuring

out on your own, what you can do.

So it's a process, it's all processed, but ways to make it

grow in these areas. Okay, the next question, I'm

going to start moving faster through these.

We're going to we're going to make pretty good time.

Number 8. in the regard to benevolence or giving in the

contribution, how much do I give Cheerfully and generously.

So on a scale of 1 to 5. Am I weak or my strong?

In the area of giving cheerfully and generously to the

contribution. An approval Asterix here next to

being mindful of the works and the needs involved with because

those should motivate are giving even further and I think that's

an area that we as the male members have been talking about

being better, we want to talk more about, where's the money

being used? How can we make it more

transparent to our people see? Hey, this is was well, I was

able to support whether it's the Filipino Brethren, the eight

preachers or so that we're supporting to spread the gospel

or we want to keep it, you know, discreet.

I don't want to make people feel bad if their members getting the

support, but just to know, we've supported members who are in

need in this congregation who have needed the help.

That's a huge blessing to them and it's a blessing to give to

them. So we're going to I think we're

going to work on doing that more.

How much a scale 1 to 5? Are you benevolent in the

contribution? Second Corinthians 8, verse 2,

2 Corinthians 8:2

Chris shared this in one of our meetings, the other day, the

scripture and it's it's a beautiful passage.

It says they're in a great trial of Affliction.

The abundance of their joy and the Deep poverty abounded in the

riches of their liberality. So out of a trial of Affliction,

not a typical place, we might think.

Oh that's where good things are going to come from the abundance

of their Joy. In their deep poverty, actually

abounded in the riches of their liberality.

That's the Christ effect. That's the Christ effect for I

bear witness that according to their ability, what they could

do. Yes and beyond their Ability

Beyond what they could do. They were freely willing

imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift

and The Fellowship of the ministering to the Saints and

not only as we had hoped. I love this part.

This is a key. I think to everything we're

talking about but they first gave themselves to the Lord,

that's how all this happened. The reason they're able to give

with joy and liberality eight of them, out of their poverty.

Was they first gave themselves to the Lord and then To Us by

the will of God. Giving ourselves to the Lord

will produce fruit beyond what we expect to be normal.

Now here I want to pause for a careful caution as you're going

through the survey as I did, it became easy to think.

Well, I mean, what does it really mean to do that in this

list? Like I think I'm doing it.

And I don't mean to be overly self-critical but I want to be

careful that we don't start to classify our way out of growing

because that's what happened with Jesus.

And the Pharisees verse Luke, 10 verse 25, it says there and

Luke 10:25

behold a certain lawyer stood up and tested him.

Jesus saying teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life.

And he said to him what is written in the law?

What is your reading of it? So he answered and said, You

shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, your soul

with your strength and all your mind, and your neighbor as

yourself. And he said to him, Jesus said

to him, you have answered rightly do this and you will

live, but he wanting to justify himself said to Jesus.

And he was my neighbor. We can easily ask questions that

kind of scorm ourselves out of responsibility out of growth.

We can classify wolf. Well, who really is my neighbor?

I me, I'm giving to this and that and, you know, I'm serving

this way. But who do I really need to

serve let's be careful that we answer these questions honestly

for ourselves because it can be easy to classify our way out of

doing something. Myself included.

Number nine, benevolence in our personal lives.

So we've talked about benevolence in the congregation.

What about benevolence in our personal lives toward Brethren.

First of all, we can be good to our Brethren.

And it says in Matthew 10 verse 42, that you give even a cup of

Matthew 10:42

cold water basically God sees that as the idea of you can give

a something simple to the Brethren God appreciates that

but also in general, And what I mean by that is is it your

life's Habit to be generous person on a scale of one to

five? How generous are you in general?

The parable of the Good Samaritan.

We call them in the parable of that good man.

The whole point of the parable, I think is it wasn't specific.

The good man who gave you wasn't giving specifically to who the

victim was. We didn't really know much about

the victim who was hurt in that parable of the Good Samaritan.

We know about the perspective of The Giver, the perspective of a

givers, I guess I don't have the verse there but he basically

says, Frank mentioned this in his lesson the other day,

whatever he needs. When I come back I'll give it to

him. I'll pay for whatever he needs.

He came along saw a man that was hurt on the road.

He took him to an end paid for Sighs.

I'll take care of the needs. When I come back, do you stop

and say, well, do I need to help this guy's it really within my

jurisdiction of money, to help? It was just a spirit.

Let me help. This guy who's in need, whatever

he needs out, pay for it. I will take care of it.

That's the perspective on a scale of 1 to 5.

How much do we have that? Yeah, I'm doing this for myself

to I'm not not a standing above anyone even though I'm up on the

stage number 10. How much do I step out of my

comfort zone regularly for God's work in, whatever form it takes

A scale of 1 to 5. Do I find myself stepping out of

my comfort zone regularly for God's work in whatever form.

It may take The next category of Outreach, number 11, do I

actively befriend people who are lost.

In regard to outreach how much of scale 125, Dwight, actively

befriend people who are lost. And I think this is important

for outreach and evangelism because consider how we would

respond to someone who is trying to teach us about religion.

We have to be we have to be honest, our beliefs are pretty

guarded. Now for Goodwill we need to have

a strength about our convictions.

That's not just going around with every foot in the fleet.

We have to be strong, but we do have pretty guarded beliefs.

It is hard to penetrate to our faith to make us change.

So why would we expect others to change?

If we don't befriend them first and tear down.

Those barriers with Art of Christ plan.

Part of his work Christ, love that will help us get past.

Those barriers through befriending people.

Who are lost? Number 12.

How much do I work? Spiritual matters into

conversation as I was thinking about this, you know, especially

growing up, thinking that I had to have a certain way of talking

to people about God. Now, maybe I will grow in these

different ways that I'm not there yet, but I have a hard

time walking up and saying something like, have I told you

about my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

That's not how I talk and work it into conversation.

I don't Don't communicate like that.

That's not what I do. And so it might look different

for everyone for how you work in those spiritual matters in the

conversation. Again, I'm not the standard, but

just tell you my for my experience, just having a casual

conversation, it's going to come up if it's a pattern in your

life. So you don't have to do

something. Extravagant here to be working,

spiritual matters in the conversation.

But are you doing it regularly? The next category, we're moving

quickly through no disposition. So in the category of Christian

disposition, your attitude and perspective.

Number 13 scale of one to five. How is your patience with

others? Are you weak in this area?

Are you strong your patients with others?

Number 14? How is your patience with

yourself now? I've gotten parentheses here

perseverance because I think / patience with yourself.

Is part of just having a patient.

Christians are to be patient, and I think it permeates into

your patience with others. Your patience with yourself, as

you seek to grow, and it applies heavily to perseverance.

If I am patient enough with myself, I say, okay, I didn't do

well there, but I can't overreact and just get too

discouraged because then you don't persevere, you have to

have enough patience with yourself to say, okay, I'm going

to lay on my side. Those things are behind and move

on to things that are ahead. And I'm going to persevere.

How much do you have patience with yourself?

As you grow as a Christian. What a joy seeing.

So we talked a little bit earlier, we're going to get back

to it, on a scale of one to five.

How do you feel like you are? Are you weak?

Are you strong about rejoicing? I'm gonna break it into two

separate ones. I didn't have enough space in

the paper on one side to do two separate questions, but it could

definitely get its own questions.

How are you about rejoicing publicly?

I don't mean standing on the street corner, like the

Pharisees. I mean, there's a way about

having that excited disposition and Joy about your faith.

That doesn't have to be fake and self-promoting.

Like the Jews. Did the Pharisees did.

Are you weak in the area of rejoicing or you should strong?

Specifically, I think it's important to look at how we

rejoice when we're alone. Do you find yourself rejoicing

in God alone? So I think that will spill over

into the public part. Once you start rejoicing more on

your own time, Philippians 4, verse 4.

Philippians 4:4

Gives us a command to rejoice in the lord always whether it's in

public, whether it's alone. You rejoice in the Lord.

Again, I will say rejoice, God, repeated himself for a reason.

Do we rejoice? And where the tough thing is.

I've there have been quite a few Christians, I've known who I've

had 40 or 50 conversations with about how bad the world is.

But maybe one conversation of rejoicing in the Lord.

Think about your ratio of rejoicing to criticism.

You're rich, you're a ratio of rejoicing to criticism has

effect on people. You talk to Do you rejoice in

conversation when you come together with the brethren?

You rejoice in the assembly, when you're sitting in your seat

praising from your heart when you're sitting your car.

Driving down the road talking to the Lord.

On a scale of one to five. How much do you rejoice, 16?

Am I open to finding new ways to grow?

Even if it doesn't come from a source, I want to hear from We

can often learn and find ways to grow the most from people.

We do not want to hear it from. When I I find the areas I need

to grow the most when it's somebody I don't really like

Jesus said what credit is that to you?

When you do good to those who are good to you, even the even

the Sinners do that. It's a given.

So are we open to growth even when it doesn't come from a

source? You want to hear it from

oftentimes? We just would, well, we'll take,

we'll take criticism, will take ways to grow from people that we

like anybody else. We'll find a way to criticize

them and push your way their feedback.

Even if it might be valid. Okay, next category, purity.

Number 17, I welcome God's word to expose my sins instead of

hiding them. Scale of 1 to 5, do you?

Welcome God's word exposed sins, instead of wanting to hide them,

18? How much do I seek

accountability for both? Identifying and fleeing sin in

my life. So identifying sins.

Sometimes we need somebody else to help us.

See it, we have blind spots. We don't see our own self.

That's why I'm so thankful to be married because I find a lot of

my blind spots with the woman standing at the back.

Identifying and fleeing sin in my life so someone can help you

see your sin. And as we talked earlier getting

away from that involves accountability, and I put

specifically seeking accountability, not open to

accountability. Because as we mentioned last

question, we often reject people's attempts to help us and

get keep us accountable. So if we're not actively seeking

accountability, there's a good chance we're not getting

accountability and we're not really open to it.

Because people who have tried to give us accountability, have

long probably been dismissed. Am I after we seeking

accountability. Hey, so and so would you, you

know, maybe somebody you trust? I'm not saying grab anybody, but

Will you help me in this area? I'm going to check back with you

next week. Once you to ask me how this went

for me this week. Now, as Jonathan mentioned,

count, abilities Partners might not be totally reciprocal, and

you might have a different accountability partner for

different struggle. Maybe somebody else can relate

to you and you trust them because they've been through

that totally understandable. Okay, we're coming close to the

end. No, and habits number 19, how

much did your knowledge grow this year?

And how much did you set aside time for daily reading?

Okay, so I put grow here, especially for this question

because your knowledge might not be what you want it to be ever,

but how much did it grow this year?

How much did improve? And that's a related question

that we set aside time for daily reading.

This year, verse 20 or number 20, when I find a weakness, do I

take daily? Measures of maybe meditation,

prayer and scripture reading in that specific area, So, like a

localized treatment for that area of weakness.

Do I do a spiritual rehab or therapy for that muscle?

That's weak and my spiritual life.

That will cause growth. Do I do that with a focus and

intent? To cause growth final category

is the heart. We're going to look at and we're

going to move through pretty quick.

Where is your love for truth? Second Thessalonians 2:10, says,

2 Thessalonians 2:10

withhold Wicked deception for those who are perishing because

they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

Therefore God sends them a strong delusion that they may

believe a lie or what is false. He doesn't just say that they he

didn't talk about how they didn't believe the truth.

He said they didn't love it. And the reality is, we don't

love truth or more than likely. Not going to hold on to it.

The way God wants us to There is a relationship between belief

and love. I don't believe you can love

something unless you believe it. But just because you believe, it

doesn't mean you love it. Do you love truth?

Do you take pleasure and joy as we mentioned earlier, delighting

in the Lord and his ways. Number 22, a mic.

My confident and assured, that I am going to heaven.

Am I confident and assured that I'm going to have on a scale of

1 to 5 number 23? On a scale of 1 to 5.

Where is my passion to share Jesus with others?

That can be in word or an action.

What is my passion level? To share Jesus with others.

Number 24. Are you available to God?

Throughout the scriptures where you learn, this is not about

your ability. Jesus chose the lowest class

people to do is work the lowest, maybe educated people to do his

work. It's not about our ability.

It's about our availability to God.

Are you available a scale of one to five to God?

25. Where is your reverence for God,

on a scale of 1 to 5. Where is your deep and residing

reverence for the creator of this world that is in this room

with us today? Even though we can't see him?

And the final question. Where is your desire to make God

proud? You have a weak desire to make

God. Proud to make him happy and

pleased in your life or is a strong you wake up, wanting to

make, put a smile on the face of the father because we can do

that. We learned that in scriptures,

he exalts and excites and shouts over his children with joy.

How much do you want to put a smile on God's face?

We're going to close up today. Thank you for your patience with

a couple last thoughts. Someone asked his eye Was

talking to them about the study, they thought, what do you think?

Is that one thing? That if our congregation would

do this one thing, what would it be?

That would make everything change.

And you know what? I think.

I think it's the one on this list.

Maybe not that you're the worst at could be.

But the one that you kind of cringe at, when you read it, the

one that you least want to do when you go home, because you're

going to want to, if you go home, look at this, you're going

to think. Ok, I'm going to start with

this. We're probably not going to

gravitate toward the one. That's the one we need the most.

But I think if every single one of us finds the one we least

want to do or maybe the one where the weakest F and we work

on that. Everything will change.

When Jesus was asked just what one thing do, I need to do to be

saved? He said, all these, the Rich

Young Ruler said, all these things I've done for my youth

just said, one thing you need to do is give what you have to the

poor. And Jesus said that because it

was the one thing he didn't want to give up, just didn't really

require all of his servants to be poor living on the streets

with nothing. He knew that this man had

something in his heart. He did not want to give up.

So if we want to really grow we have to gravitate toward that

thing that we do not want to or have not grown in the most and

it's true. There are physical development

working out in the gym, a bunch of my buddies, you know, we

always get together and whether it's football, players and stuff

and football players and tutorials for bench press.

Is squatting, the weight and doing a clean and pray clean and

jerk. So they do basically just a

couple lifts the really strong on.

You see these guys walking through the gym, you think

that's a strong person but they have really serious areas of

weaknesses because that's all that they do.

They do those three main things. And one day I was warming up and

I was doing a hip workout in the gym, okay?

It was just a warm-up exercise to get my hip flexors going.

And one of them was like laughing, he's like what are you

doing that for? What's that about?

Get over there in the squat machine.

I said I'm going there but I found that my hips are the

weakest muscle in my body and when I worked on those, my whole

body got stronger and everything felt better.

My legs felt connected to my back.

Everything start feeling good, when I worked on my weakest

muscle. And that dude was playing

linebacker in college football and he's like, oh yeah whatever.

And he tried it with me, he came back to me a month later and he

said I do that before every single workout now.

He's like, I love it, I feel so much better.

I'm stronger, my lips have all gone up, I'm better in every

area because I worked on my weakest muscle that I thought

was Dumb and I didn't need to mess with it.

And I think it's true spiritually as well.

What is that one area? Number one today?

Please be honest with yourself, take this self-assessment.

Pray about what exactly on your mind.

The exact thoughts that you want to talk to God about pray, those

thoughts because God cannot work with insincerity.

No matter how moral we are. God cannot work with

insincerity, no matter how, no matter how moral we are.

But God can work with honest. Sincere, efforts, and honesty

with ourselves. No matter how Tangled in sin.

We might be, that's the lesson this morning again, I'll put

that QR code. Backup on afterwards.

If you please, take that survey, so we can figure out as

teachers. Where's our congregation?

Now, what ways can we grow? What ways can we help?

So that we can be more effective public teaching and hopefully,

our goal to be more effective as a congregation individually and

collectively wear you out today. We've asked a lot of questions,

are you saying have you heard the word believed repented of

your past life, then willing to change and turn around

confessing? That Jesus Christ is the Son of

God. I mean, baptized for the

remission of your sins, have you done that?

If you have, it's a joyful thing to be a member of the body, and

maybe you need support today, maybe you need to ask

forgiveness of sins. You need support of this body,

maybe you want Collective accountability.

We were talking about individual accountability one-on-one, you

can do that. But if you want Collective

accountability this morning, we're happy to do that.

We're here for each other and there's one of either class,

please come when we stand and sing.

We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the

Church of Christ at 22:15 plan. Road in Bakersfield.

If you would like any additional information or you would like to

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