WCTLC

The Holy Spirit is your attitude for bringing the life and ministry of Jesus into your life and ministry.

We looked at this attitude issue in previous studies. The Beatitudes are not only the attitudes of Jesus and the attitudes we have to have for spiritual growth; but, they are the attitudes we have to have for ministry.

POOR IN SPIRIT

Christianity and ministry both start with a poor spirit. As a minister, we may have learned a whole lot of things that we COULD share with people. We know a lot of things we COULD use to help with the ministry. When people ask us questions, we start having more and more answers we COULD give. The more we desire, study, pray, believe, and take faith-action, the more we get qualified for sharing these things with people. But, what does God want us to share? If we remain poor in spirit, we will let our lives be like a piano key board. All we are and all we are living become more and more keys for God to decide which ones He wants to use.

MOURNING

Mat 5:4 (NIV) Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

We never become perfect; but, we have made great strides in our spiritual growth. As we are praising God for all He has done in and through us, we have to still be aware of those things God wants us to allow Him to work on. As God uses you in a mighty way, you have to stay humble before Him. You have to see your imperfections and continue to seek His delivering power over them. Mourning must stay in our hearts so we won’t allow ourselves to think more highly of ourselves than we should. Rom 12:3 (NIV) For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

MEEKNESS

Mat 5:5 (NIV) Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

We have to always be aware that we are just being used by God. We aren’t doing the work of God; God is doing His Own work in and through us. The more He uses you, the more difficult it becomes for you to stay meek. Great authority and power will be flowing through you. You must never allow this life and ministry of Jesus to seem like it is actually your life and ministry. 1 Cor 3:7 (NIV) So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, Who makes things grow. We may plant the gospel seed for salvation and we may water the plants for sanctification, but God makes it all work.

HUNGERING AND THIRSTING

Mat 5:6 (NIV) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

You may be living a very righteous life; your relationships with yourself and others may be great; but, you still need more of God’s righteousness. If at any point you start feeling perfected, finished, or pretty good, it is time to turn to God in prayer and ask for more hungering and thirsting for righteousness. As you start giving out to others, it empties you of God’s power. You will need to hunger (desire) more of God, study for yourself and then for others, pray for your own needs and then for the needs of those around you, believe for things for your own life and then start believing for those things others need, and take faith-action for your own life applications and after that take faith-action for helping others.

MERCY

Mat 5:7 (NIV) Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Some breakthroughs have come easily into your life, but will be extremely hard for some of those you work with. Some things may come at a great price and a lot of prayer with God before you get the victory; but, those things may come immediately for some of those you are working with.

Mercy will help you not be frustrated, envious, or covetous of their easy breakthroughs. And, mercy will help you not be impatient with those who are having a lot of trouble with things you were immediately delivered from.

PURE HEART

Mat 5:8 (NIV) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

It is hard to understand; but, we can get so busy dealing with other people’s sins, shortcomings, and mistakes that we fail to see that we have a problem in the same area. We can’t help people with things we don’t have the victory over. But, it can be very easy to start teaching them things we know but aren’t living. Being pure in heart requires that we not teach those things we know how to do but haven’t quite gained the victory over. It is at such a point where we need to let someone else help them. We become hypocrites, if we act like we have a breakthrough in an area where we really don’t.

PEACEMAKING

Mat 5:9 (NIV) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

The ministry brings you in contact with people who are dogs, hogs, and wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:6; 15). You will be dealing with new and untrained Christians whose record is clean but they are very much living out the life of Romans 7:15-24. You will be working with the unsaved and they will have a lot of problems with relationships and you will experience their lack of spiritual understanding. Having peace through the character of Jesus in Galatians 5:22-23 will help you be a minister of peace.

PERSECUTION

Mat 5:10 (NIV) Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Satan has a lot of people who are not interested in Jesus and they have committed themselves to resisting all who try to share Jesus with others. Some of them will be changed into followers of Jesus like Paul was. Many of those who demanded that Jesus be crucified, later became Christians. Acts 2:36-37 (NIV) “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, Whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” But, they will be very verbal and very resistive of the message for as long as they remain unsaved.

There will be verbal persecution and may be physical persecution.

Acts 4:1-3 (NIV) The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day.

Acts 4:16-19 (NIV) “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God.”

Acts 5:27-29 (NIV) Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!”

Acts 5:40 (NIV) His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

Acts 5:41-42 (NIV) The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

The apostles did exactly what Jesus told them to do. They rejoiced and were exceedingly glad to be able to suffer for the cause of Jesus.