Sunday Words of Encouragement April 18, 2021

This morning pastor shared about a new community outreach to youth that our church is starting. I add my prayers that God will bless the work.

Then pastor continued with his sermon series “It Matters”.

Sometimes you have another person who thinks just like you (or you think like them). Maybe a parent, a sibling, a spouse, or a co-worker. What we think matters a lot. We have learned not to always blurt out what you are thinking… and sometimes your thoughts are portrayed on your face. Your filter (words or expressions) may fail. You need to work on your thoughts.

Paul tells us that we should have the “mind of Christ”. We’ll have Jesus-like words and actions if we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:6-16.

1. There is a wide gap between God’s wisdom and the foolishness of man’s wisdom.
2. The Holy Spirit reveals the truth of God, the wisdom of God, the deepest secrets of God to the Christ follower.
3. It is impossible for the God deniers to see how the truth and wisdom matters! They make up their own truth for today.
4. God-deniers are in no place to judge the God Believer.

For a person to have the mind of Christ, they must be a Christ Follower. Romans 12:2 – 'let God transform you'.

The presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer when they are born again is the reason for the mind to be transformed or renewed. There is a conflict between the faith transformed (Romans 12:2) and the God-deniers.

THE POINT: What happens in your mind matters. You must have the mind of Christ.

Far too often we resist the mind of Christ. What we think matters. Paul says – become an imitator of Christ. The Bible tells us the mind of Christ. Treat people the way Jesus would. Do our words and actions mirror those of Jesus? Lessen the gap between what we think and what we do that reflects Christ.

Do you have the mind of Christ? Stop making excuses for the shortcomings in this area. There is a difference between temptation and dwelling on right or wrong thinking. Are we being real? We might show one image or face to the public but is it real? What we think matters.
Narrow the gap between man’s mind and God’s mind:

1. Give your whole mind to Jesus.
2. Position yourself for times of renewal. More than one time. Downloading from God instead of just uploading.
3. Invest time in His Presence where His thoughts and attitudes can grow in you.

I think this song fit today’s message: Less Like Me.

Verses for Today:
1 Corinthians 2:10-16
10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. 11 No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. 12 And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. 14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. 16 For,
“Who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
Who knows enough to teach him?”
But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

My Prayer today: Lord, help me to have the mind of Christ.