You Be the Change You Want to See - 2

                                                 You Be the Change You Want to See - 2

Subject:  Leading The Change in Your Family, Church, or Business

By Rick Welborne

2 Kings 7:1-4 (NLT)
¹  Elisha replied, “Listen to this message from the LORD! This is what the LORD says: By this time tomorrow in the markets of Samaria, five quarts of choice flour will cost only one piece of silver, and ten quarts of barley grain will cost only one piece of silver.”
²  The officer assisting the king said to the man of God, “That couldn’t happen even if the LORD opened the windows of heaven!” But Elisha replied, “You will see it happen with your own eyes, but you won’t be able to eat any of it!”
³  Now there were four men with leprosy sitting at the entrance of the city gates. “Why should we sit here waiting to die?” they asked each other.
⁴  “We will starve if we stay here, but with the famine in the city, we will starve if we go back there. So we might as well go out and surrender to the Aramean army. If they let us live, so much the better. But if they kill us, we would have died anyway.” 

1. You will never create the change you want to see as long as you stay where you are.

--The truth is that in every situation we have a choice or an option, and for sure, we all have opinions. The truth is our opinions can be accurate or misdirected…powerful or impotent.

--How quickly do all of us form an opinion just from a minute sound bite on the news when we have no clue what the whole truth is.  News Flash…they are most of the time telling us what they want us to hear.

--Every family, church, or organization has those who are trying to make it happen and those who are resisting the direction that is being pursued.  

--As stated last week, many of the people who are resisting the change or direction have just as many gifts and talents of those who are all in…they are just holding back. So why do they hold back?

--Many allow their differences with the leader or leaders to keep them from being totally committed to the institution they could bless.

--I hope you realize that your pastor fellowships with other pastors who do not believe exactly as I do, or we do as the A/G, but I choose to focus on what we have in common…not the differences.

--Maybe you have noticed that millennials (ages 18-34 – numbering 75 million) seem to be extremely bright and highly opinionated. They struggle moving beyond criticizing to giving constructive input.

--All you have to do to see this is to look on social media or read their blogs…our challenge is moving them from the background of negativity and encouraging them to help the organization be stronger.

--What I have learned is that if you get these folks on board and helping with a positive attitude…they have so much to offer that will propel you to the place you want to be.

--One of the reasons I have very young staff around me is to keep me relevant in our society and culture, and I have some older than me to help keep me balanced.

--I believe this is true in every organization but I especially see it in church…that it is not just the young who resist change…many are singing “I will not be…I will not be moved.”

--They come wanting to be moved or impressed by those on the platform instead of being the change they want to see. Warning: if you have a bad attitude you are probably affecting others in the same way. Jesus:

Matthew 23:15 (NIV)
¹⁵  "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. 

--Most of these people are not mounting an open rebellion but their disapproval is obvious to those who have gathered to listen to them…they are just not willing to step up and add to instead of take away.

--Yes, there are things that probably need to be improved, and could be made better, if they would just engage the leadership in a humble and respectful manner. (This is key).

2. So why sit there until you die and the organization dies when you could be the change you want to see.

--The story in 2 Kings would have had a sad and terrible ending if those four outcast (outsiders literally) would not have made a decision to do something even if it was wrong.

--They would have died and those in the city would have died! The enemy would have been able to waltz right in, bury the dead, and take over the city without much effort.

--I believe some people stay in the background or on the outside and criticize because they do not believe there is a possibility of seeing constructive change. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

--They ask themselves…Would it really make a difference if I started engaging in the present system?  Can there truly be viable change? 

Jean Sibelius (Great Classical Composer) – A statue has never been set up in honor of a critic.

--Let me say that there is always a place for constructive clear eyed discussion of the issues but there also comes a time when we must move beyond criticism and start positive improvement. 

--Just maybe, God could use you to lead others around you toward doing something great for the Kingdom of God.  I wonder who was the first of the four lepers who spoke up…we will find out in heaven. 

--Why are people so critical?  An article in the Harvard Review says people are critical because of something called projection.

Projection – It is a psychological defense mechanism that people use to deny their own faults by attributing those faults to others.  

--In other words, be careful what you complain about or talk about, because it might shine a light on your faults.

--Of course, most of us do not see ourselves as being critical…we see ourselves as being right. We just do not realize the power of thinking in such a negative way.

Luke 6:45 (NKJV)
⁴⁵  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 

--Be careful not to listen to those who are constantly negative, who will hold you back as well as the organization they are a part of…those who will hold a church back from biblical growth.

3. What to do if you are stuck in negativity.

--If you find yourself getting negative or maybe you have been negative for a long time here are some things you can do to help bring you out.

A. Learn how to be thankful. Make a list of all the things you are thankful for. 

--Especially think about family, friends, the things you have, and even your church. It is hard to be negative when you are full of gratitude. Be careful of the downward spiral Romans talks about:

Romans 1:21-25 (NLT)
²¹  Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.
²²  Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.
²³  And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
²⁴  So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.
²⁵  They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 

B. Complete this statement: I can make a difference by ______________.  Spend quality time praying about and thinking about ways you can make your family, church, community, or workplace better.

C. Once you have thought and prayed about the previous point choose one thing that you can do within the next week that will make a difference. Don’t put it off or you will probably not follow thru.

D. Replace negative influences with positive ones. You really cannot stop negative thoughts from coming to your mind but you can replace them with positive ones.

Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV)
⁸  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
⁹  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

--I know this is probably hard for some of you to do but if you encounter someone who is constantly negative or critical, you must confront them about it and if they are unwilling to change…find new friends.                                    

E. Learn to talk to yourself when you start down a negative path and ask yourself the question, “Really?” Is what your imagination saying to you really going to happen? 

--It has been proven that most of the things we worry about never come to pass…about 97% of them.  It is so easy to make up excuses but it so much better to pray.

Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV) ⁴  Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
⁵  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
⁶  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.                                                                                                                                                               ⁷  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.