Jump Start # 2375

Philippians 2:5 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.”

I taught a class the other day about thinking like Jesus. Boy, our day sure would be different if we could do that well. Imagine entering that meeting at work, but you enter it thinking like Jesus would. Imagine a disagreement at home, but you’re thinking like Jesus. Maybe things wouldn’t get so heated. Maybe you’d not be so bothered about things that really do not matter. Have this attitude, or as other translations say, have this mind, which was also in Christ Jesus.

I wonder, if we were walking the dusty trails of Judea, what we would have noticed about Jesus? The two on the road to Emmaus, in Luke 24, actually got to experience that. They walked seven miles with Jesus. They talked. They listened. They entered a village together, and then a house. They sat at a table and as we’d say today, “had lunch.” Their eyes were opened and then He was gone. Can you imagine being a part of that journey?

When you read the Gospels, what do you notice about Jesus?

One of the first things, so different than today, is that no one talks about His appearance, His clothes, His tone of speech, how tall He was, or even if He was handsome. Hollywood is stuck on those things. It’s all about the package even though there may not be much on the inside. We sure pour a lot of effort into looking good. We try to impress each other by the way we look. The attraction to Jesus was not the outside, but the insides, His heart.

I think we would be amazed at how accessible Jesus was. For who He was, God on earth, you’d tend to think that He’d spend His time in high level meetings. You’d think that he had a series of bodyguards, and front people around Him that allowed the crowds to see Him, but not too close. I got to go to a Paul McCartney concert earlier this month. Impressive show. Large crowd. Giant video screens showing close ups of the icon preforming. I expect he arrived in a limo and was ushered in through some secret doors that were heavily guarded, and had a series of people around him to take care of him and keep the fans at a distance. Paul McCartney did not walk down the aisles of the arena. The president travels much that way. The queen in England travels that way. But, not Jesus. So, close, people could ask Him questions. So close, people could reach out and touch Him. Jesus was right there among the people. He didn’t act as if He was too good for everyone else, even though He was. If someone tried to touch the president from behind, like the woman with the issue of blood did to Jesus, they would be tackled, handcuffed and whisked away to jail. Jesus in the home of Zacchaeus. Jesus with children surrounding Him. Jesus walking among the crowd, heading toward Jairus’ home. I think we would be amazed at how available Jesus was. And, do you know what? He is still that available to you, especially in prayer. You can pray anywhere. You can pray in places where they don’t allow prayers. And, God is there to hear you. He’s never too busy. He’s never tied up at the moment and will have to get back to you later. He’s never with people who are more important than you. God is accessible.

I think we would notice the kindness of Jesus. You can tell when someone is sincere. You can tell when someone truly means what they say. There were several situations in the Gospels that got heated and certainly could have turned very ugly and even violently, but Jesus calmed the situations down. When the woman caught in adultery was dragged through the streets of Jerusalem and brought before Jesus in the temple, the emotions were running high. She was scared, embarrassed and guilty. She wasn’t caught stealing a cookie. She was caught with no clothes on and doing what decent people do not do, having sexual relations with someone she was not married to. The mob was ready to pick up stones and throw them at her. The wrong words and the wrong tone, could have turned this into a very violent situation. The stones may have been thrown. They may have even thrown a few at Jesus. But He clamed things down. Another occasion is when Jesus was arrested. The mob came with sticks and swords. Peter tried to kill one in the mob. The words of Jesus stopped a blood bath from taking place. Several of the apostles could have been killed in that garden had the wrong words or the wrong tone been used. When a person is in the presence of goodness, it tends to make them feel good. We would have noticed His kindness.

I think we would have noticed how much Jesus loved His Father. He was always honoring His Father. He was always talking about His Father. He was trying to get people to turn their hearts to His Father. His prayers, His use of Scriptures, His humbleness all pointed to His Father. There was no pretense with Jesus. He never said things to make Himself look good. He never was careless with the Word of God. He never bent the rules, nor winked at wrong. He never played favorites, nor gave His chosen ones a pass if they did wrong. His Father was more important to Him than anything else. He truly honored and loved God.

Now, having that mind of Jesus in us, what do people notice about us? What do they hear us saying? What do they walk away thinking about us? Are we so absorbed in material things? Are we always talking about ourselves? Do we try to out do the people who are with us? Do people notice kindness in us? Do they sense goodness, spirituality and love from us? Can others tell that we really love our Father in Heaven? There are some things you just cannot fake. Jesus was dedicated, sincere, and motivated in all that He did. He was true, through and through.

The mind of Jesus. The mind of Jesus in us. What a wonderful thing that is. It ought to be noticed.

Roger

Jump Start # 1423

Philippians 2:5 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus”

  Thinking like Jesus. That’s tough. In the setting of this passage, Paul addresses the selfless servant spirit that must be manifested among brethren if unity, compassion and love have any hope of existing. Paul, as he often does, points out what not to do—the negative; and then he focuses upon what we ought to do– the positive.

• Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit (3)
• Do not merely look out for your own personal interests (4)

The positive thoughts are:

• Regard one another as more important than yourself (3)
• Look also for the interests of others (4)
• Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ (5)

Some versions use the expression, “have the mind of Christ.” Thinking like Jesus—that’s what it comes down to. Boy, that’s hard. He was always right, and there are days that we are rarely right. He was pure, sometimes we are not. He was considerate, compassionate and generous. And, we can be just the opposite. More of our bumps and trouble with one another comes from not thinking like Jesus. We fuss, argue and get upset with one another. We say things that we shouldn’t say. We get our feelings hurt. We feel left out. We think we deserve a bit more honor or praise than we got. We want a shout out in our direction. We want a bit of recognition for what we’ve done. We see others getting more attention for doing less than what we have done. Our feathers get ruffled. The pride rises within us. We immediately stop thinking like Jesus and turn to being selfish. We think the three greatest people are “Me, myself and I.” And when we stop thinking like Jesus, we stop acting like Jesus. Pride and selfishness turns us into being greedy, stingy, closed to others. We stop being there for others. We focus too much attention to self.

The principle that Paul introduced in this section was, “being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.” This is achieved by thinking  outward not inward. This is accomplished by thinking like Jesus.

Have you ever noticed that no one ever asked Jesus how He was doing? The Lord was always there for others. When the disciples were fearful, the Lord calmed them down. When their thoughts were getting selfish He brought them back to earth. When they lacked faith, He was there for them. He fed them. He calmed the storms for them. He answered their questions. He taught them. He did these things to show that He was God on earth. He did these things to accomplish His goal. He looked out for others. He thought about others.

This spirit of Jesus must first be expressed by shepherds in the church today. A selfish shepherd will not devote the time nor the energy to lead the flock nor tend to their needs. Leadership  in God’s church is not accomplished by sitting behind a large desk and barking out orders, but rather, it is by being among the people. It is seeing the teenager who is having a hard time fitting in. Bullied by some, tempted by others, he wants to be a disciple of Christ but he’s pulled and challenged. The selfless shepherd will see that and spend some time with that teenager and help him. The shepherd will see a young family that is so busy. The babies keep them up at night, work is demanding and a hassle, they feel compelled to do more at church, but they are stretched thin. The selfless shepherd will understand that and encourage them and offer them some helpful ideas. The shepherd will also notice the widow who is alone. She is regular in her attendance and has a smile on her face but he is concerned about her. She is worried about her finances. She often has to make daily decisions that are hard for her. The selfless shepherd will spend time with her and be a friend that she can trust and rely upon.

That selfless spirit, coming first from Jesus and today, from the shepherds of the church will influence others. They will take time for others. They will be there for others. They may give up a Saturday because someone needs them. They will take time during their lunch to run to the hospital to visit someone. They will see after others.

Soon, that selfless, generous spirit becomes the norm in a congregation. It is expressed, felt and shared among everyone. It becomes contagious. New people recognize it immediately. And what happens, is exactly what Paul was driving at, the church pulls together as one. They stand united. They have one mind, one spirit and are intent upon one purpose. That purpose is pleasing God.

It all starts with having that mind of Jesus. Thinking like Jesus. Thinking less of self and more of others. Praying more for others than for self. Doing more for others than for self. It comes from realizing that each of us needs one another. It comes from understanding that together, we are God’s family. No one is left out and no one is left behind.

It’s a beautiful thing when you find a congregation like that. It doesn’t just happen. It is the result of folks who have taken on the mind of Christ. They are thinking like Jesus. And when this is missing, it is so easy to see. Tension, indifference, gossip, back talking and a competitive spirit dominates. The leaders receive pot shots. Everyone becomes suspicious. Everyone tries to get their own stake in the ground and make their own claim. There prevails a “us” and “them” spirit. Internal division happens rapidly. Eventually, external division takes place. It’s all so obvious. Get rid of the pride. Stop the selfishness. Start thinking like Jesus.

The mind of Jesus. Spiritual. Pure. Good. Prayerful. Thoughtful. Reflective. Deep. Compassionate. Kind. Godly. Helpful. Selfless. Serving. Those are just a few of the words that define the mind of Christ. The way He thought was the way that He was. And so it will be for us, when we start thinking like Jesus.

Think like Jesus…how about starting right now!

Roger