Motivation - The Propulsion of Disciplemaking, Part 2

George has reminded me that on those first few weeks that we were together nine years ago that we had huge offerings every week.

We did. Tons of money came in from people who wanted to see a church get off the ground, and he wanted to remind me of that because God is so faithful in terms of. How he made sure that everything was taken care of, all of our needs were taken care of. In fact, just as a side note, we used to look for something to happen every day. Something significant every day and anticipated every day something new happening. And you know what? It did. It did. We can go back and look and see what God did on a daily basis, on a weekly basis, to supp all of our needs in an incredible amount of ways.

And it was so fun to watch. I mean, it was a lot of fun to see how God would work in people's lives and through their lives, and how God would open doors that we thought could never be opened. And the vision of the people to start a church. And that's why we're here today. It's not because of me. I mean, it wasn't my vision. It was a group of 17 people who had a vision to impact the San Gabriel Valley. And that helps us understand the motivation in disciple making. That's our topic for this evening.

People of vision. People who were dissatisfied with the way things were, but had a clear grasp of the way things could be. That's a man of vision. And the 17 people that began the church were dissatisfied with the way things were. And yet, they had a pretty good understanding of what they wanted to see happen. And so they began a journey. A journey that has led us to where we are today. And we praise the Lord for their vision. Remember, the Bible says in Proverbs 29 that without a vision, the people are.

are unrestrained. We talked about it last week. Without revel, the people are unrestrained. A man's vision is based on the revelation of God. The only way we can see into the future, the only way we can be dissatisfied with what is, is to understand what God says about the way things should be.

And when you understand that, then you're able to say, okay, I know where we're at today, I know where we need to be tomorrow. Let's make sure we set in motion the wheels so we can get there. That's a man of vision. And that's a man, that's a woman who can motivate other people, who can move those who seem to be immovable. From one location to another location. And we said that that man or woman of vision is characterized by three prerequisites. We gave them to you last week. They focus on God's presence.

We looked at Moses in Hebrews 11. They follow God's path. Looked at Joshua, excuse me, Caleb in Joshua chapter 14. And they're fueled by God's power. We looked at David in 1 Samuel chapter 17. Those three elements characterize the man or woman of vision. And in the disciple-making process, you need to be able to understand God's plan for the individual or individuals you are investing your life in. In order that they might be able to be moved from one location to another, spiritually speaking, that they may be able to progress spiritually.

And so we want to be able to understand this evening. How do you take the lethargic individual and motivate them to be a one who loves their God? How do you take the apathetic individual and motivate them to adore their God? How do you take the pessimist and motivate them to become an optimist? How do you take the one who's down and depressed and motivate them to be one who is driven because of a great desire to honor their God? How does that happen? Tonight, we want to take you to the second point in the outline and help you understand.

The procedure by which God uses us to motivate other people. I want to give you six principles this evening. There are probably more, but these are six that I think are very important. And the first one is number one on the list.

It has to be. And this is it. You need to be able to explain the grace of God. You need to be able to explain God's grace. And the reason I say that is because the greatest motivating Factor in the life of a person has to come from the inside, not the outside. As disciple makers, as fathers, as parents, as leaders, we do all we can to move people. To try to get them from one place to another, spiritually speaking. But what really moves an individual is what's on the inside. And the only way that's going to happen is for them to have a firm grasp of the marvelous grace of God, because that's what ultimately moves someone.

And so I want to explain that to you this evening. It was C. T. Studd, a great pioneer and missionary, who said, if Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice is too great for me to make for him. Think about that. If Jesus Christ be God, and he is, and he died for me, and he did. Then there should be no sacrifice too great for me to make for him. There's a man who understood the grace of God. I was sharing with our men on Monday night at our men's study. The man Ep. In Philippians chapter 2.

Let me read to you about what Paul says about this man. He says in verse number 25, But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who was also your messenger and minister to my need. Because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you all heard that he was sick. He was distressed because somehow those in Philippi heard that he was sick. Usually we get distressed because people don't hear that we are sick. But this man was distressed because people were concerned about his physical condition.

Listen to what it says. For indeed he was sick to the point of death. The guy was about to die. He was so sick, he was on death's bed. And yet, what distressed him was not his physical condition. But what people had heard about his physical condition that distressed him that upset him Listen to what it says But God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but also on me, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore, I have sent him all the more eagerly in order that when you see him again, you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you.

Therefore, receive him in the Lord with all joy and hold. Men like him in high reg. Hold this guy Ep on a very high level. Esteem this man. Because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service. To me, Paul says this man looked at his life as a sacrifice, and he was willing to die for the work of Christ. So much so that he was upset that you heard he was sick because he doesn't want you thinking about him. He doesn't want you concerned about his condition.

Why? Because he's concerned about ministering to you. And he doesn't want to come or doesn't want anything to hinder that ministry because he's going to give his life away for the sake of the people of God. Here's a man who understood the grace of God. Here's a man who understood that if Jesus Christ be God and die for me, there is no sacrifice too great for me to give to God. That's a man who was motivated. And so Paul says, hold this guy in high regard. Put him on a spiritual plane. This man is incredible.

Rejoice when you see him. Because this man, by nature of his sacrifice, would motivate people in the service of the king. I read a story like that and I say to myself, boy, I need to be more sacrificial in my ministry. I need to be sacrificial even to the point of death, if need be, in order that people might be ministered to. It comes from an understanding of God's grace. That's why Paul said in 2 Corinthians chapter 5: the love of Christ. Compels me, constrains me, controls me. Having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died.

And he died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again on their behalf. Paul says, Look, this is the way it is. Because he died for you, he died so that you would no longer live for yourself. But you live for him. That's what he wants. There's a man who understands the grace of God. And you see, when you get a hold of God's grace and you understand what God did for you, you're going to live for Him. You're going to sacrifice for Him. You're going do whatever he asks.

See, God's love enjoyed is God's love expressed. Once enjoyed, you want to give it out. And so let me help you understand grace.

I'm not going to be able to give you everything this evening because of time, but just write the word grace on the side of your paper, G-. Because you're going to have to explain this to your disciple. As a parent, you've got to make sure your children understand this. As a leader in the church, you've got to make sure the people you oversee understand this. G-R-E. And I want to talk to you, first of all, about the principle of grace.

The principle of grace is this: grace is a gift. That's the principle of grace. Something that is unearned and un. You can't obtain it, you can't earn it. It's unearned. Classic illustrations: you go all the way back to Genesis chapter 6, and you realize that as God saw the world, He saw that all the hearts of men. And all the deeds of men were wicked. Every single man on the face of the earth had a wicked heart. So he purposed in his heart to destroy man. But the Bible says in Genesis 6 that Noah found favor in the eyes of God.

It's the first time the word grace is used in the Bible. God graced Noah. You see, Noah was one of those wicked men on the earth. Noah was one of those men who did what he wanted to do, but God decided in his eternal plan to grace Noah. And the grace he received was a gift. It was unearned, and no way Noah could ever repay that gift to God. You see, the Bible says that God is the God of all grace.

1 Peter 5, verse number 10. It says in John 1:1 that his Son, Jesus Christ, is fu of grace. In Hebrews. 10. Verse number 29 says that the Spirit of God is called the Spirit of grace. So, God is the God of grace. So, He can dispense grace. He is the source of grace. And the principle of grace is this: that It is a gift. For by grace, Ephesians 2 says, verse number 8, for by grace you have been saved through faith. You've been saved. It's a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. That's the principle of grace.

It's a gift. Number two, the purpose of grace is redemption. It's redemption. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, Paul said, 2 Corinthians 8:9. How he was rich, yet for your sakes, he became poor. That you, through his poverty, might become rich. That's the grace of God. And the purpose of his grace is redemption, that somehow he might be able to redeem man. Titus 2: says it well. When Paul said, For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men. That's the purpose of grace.

It is to redeem man. And the principle of grace is that it's a gift from God. You follow the outline so far? G, gift. R, redemption. You with me so far? All right. Third, the privilege of grace: acc.

Access to God. Hebrews 4, verse number 16 reads as follows: Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace. That we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need. The privilege of grace is that I have access to God. I have access to the throne of grace in order for God to dispense even more grace in my time. Of need. Isn't that good? Then comes the product of grace. The product of grace. If the principle of grace is that it's a gift of God that's unearned and unrepayable, and the purpose of grace is redemption, and the privilege of grace is access, then the Product of grace is character.

Character. Paul says it well in Titus 2. We read verse 11. He says this in verse 12. Because God's grace has appeared, bringing salvation to all men. It instructs us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age. Looking for the blessed hope in the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus, who gave him for us, that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good deeds.

The product of grace is character. Ephesians 2:8:9 talks about how God's grace is a free gift, and Ephesians 2. 10 says that we are His workmanship. Having been created in Christ Jesus unto good works, He's shaping us into His image, He's molding us to look like Him, He is redirecting our character and reshaping our character and molding us into His image. And last, the prospect of grace is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Listen, we need to grasp God's grace. Because we have received something we do not deserve. And therefore, it should motivate us to sacrifice for God. Your disciple needs to understand that. Your children need to understand that. They need to grasp that. You need to teach it to them. You need to explain it to them over and over and over again. Isn't it interesting that if you go back to the book of Revelation, the last chapter of the Bible, listen to how it ends. Verse number 21, Revelation 22. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

Amen. Listen to how the book of Revelation begins. Revelation chapter 1, verse number 4. John to the seven churches that are in Asia, grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits who are before his throne. Revelation begins with grace. Revelation ends with grace. And Revelation depicts the judgment upon all the people who des to be damned. And yet, God begins, it ends a book that describes the damnation of the ungodly with an imitation of grace.

Because all those people don't deserve grace. They deserve hell. They deserve to be damned forever because of their sin. But because God is a God of grace, He extends grace to the unbelieving world. See that? And once that is understood, you're motivated. You're motivated. And your job as a disciple maker is to teach and explain the grace of God. Number two Example Example.

If you want to motivate people, exam becomes your most powerful means of doing so. That which is propagated in your message must be patterned in your mannerisms. That which is propagated in your message must be patterned in your mannerisms. You must live what you preach. I'm going to tell you why most children have a hard time following God. It's because their parents don't pattern that model before them. That's why. Now, it doesn't mean that they don't do it at all. No. A lot try to. But for the most part, When we go home, we don't think about living Christ.

And therefore, our children pick up on our example. The same thing is true with your disciple. They pick up on your example. Why? Because what they get is more caught than taught. Isn that true? Sure, it is. I can teach my kids till I'm blue in the face, but they are going to do the same things I do. They are. It's amazing to me what I see them do. I try to blame it on their mother. That doesn't go very far in my house. But if you want your children to be students of the word, you've got to be a student of the word, right?

If you want your children to be prayer warriors, you've got to be a prayer war If you want your children to live a pure and holy life, guess what? You have to live a pure and holy life. If you want your children to worship God, you must worship God. If you want your children to learn to respect authority, you must respect authority. If you want your children to take a strong stand on the truth, you must take a strong stand. On truth. If you want them to develop convictions, you must have convictions.

Because your example Speaks to them. And you can read it all throughout the Bible about example, about modeling, about following. Paul would say to Timothy, 1 Timothy:12, Timothy, let nobody despise your youth. You 're a young man in the church. But don't let anybody look down upon your youth, Timothy, but you be an example. In your life, in your speech, in your love, in your purity, and in your faith. Why? Because Timothy, that becomes a motivating factor for the people of God that you oversee. If you get up every Sunday and you preach something and don't live it, The people have a hard time following that.

They don't get it. You send a mixed message to them. You're telling them one thing and you're living another way. Example becomes a powerful, motivating example. Influence in the lives of people. And you need to have that example, a godly example. Says over in Second Thessalonians chapter three, verse number nine, these words.

Paul said Not because we do not have the right to do this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you that you might follow our exam He speaks about living a disciplined life versus an undisciplined life. And you want to be able to follow our example when it comes to that. You know, that is so important. I have found out that, you know, we homeschool our children. Some of you know that, some of you don't. And maybe I've shared this with you, but I've come to find out that my children are getting up earlier and earlier and earlier to do their homeschooling.

It began with Andrew, and he would get up at 5:30 in the morning to begin his homeschooling. He'd get up and he'd walk the dog and he'd do his homeschooling. So by the time breakfast rolled around, he had already completed several lessons. Well come to find out that that translated over to Ashley and then that has translated over to Aaron and now that has translated over to Anna Where all of them are saying, make sure I'm up by 6 o'clock, Dad. Make sure I'm up by 5:30, Dad. I want to begin my homeschooling.

And so I've seen what has happened by living a disciplined life, by getting up early every morning, that translates itself over to your children. I never made my children get up early. I never told them, you got to get up early. This is what you got to do. They just knew that dad was always up early. So they now are getting up early. So much so that if I ever want to sleep in, it's impossible. I can't do that. Because they're always up. Now, that's just a small example of how one's life influences someone else.

You see, the disciples saw Christ in every kind of situation imaginable. And you know what? They always forgot what he said. But they never forgot what he did. They didn't. I mean, he'd tell them, he who has ears to hear, let him hear, and they'd go in one ear, not the other. And they'd forget. And boy, every time they saw him, they marveled at what he did. In Luke 22, Christ tells Peter. These words. Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.

And you, when once you have turned again, Strengthen your brothers. Christ says, Peter, listen, Satan wants you.

Now, he can't have you because you're mine. But I'm going to let him tempt you. I'm going to let him test you. And you're going to deny me three times, Peter. Of course, Peter was, you know, that's not going happen to me, Lord. I'm a pillar in the kingdom of God. That's not going to happen to me. And Christ says, when you fail, You're going to come back again, and that is what's going to strengthen your brothers.

Sure enough, it was Peter's life that strengthened the others. And he becomes that leader in the book of Acts as the church begins because of the man's example for how he lived. Remember, the greatest exam is for you to be able to model to your disciple, to your children. To whomever God has given you to invest your life, a biblical response to imperfection. That's the key. When you fail, You model a biblical response and that sends a powerful message to those you lead. God's not expecting you to be perfect.

Although he says, Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect, God knows you're going to sin. God knows you're going to trip up. God knows you're going to stumble. God's not expecting you to be the perfect model, but he wants you to be able to mod a biblical response. To your imperfections. And that becomes the powerful tool in motivating people towards Christ-likeness. It was Edgar Guest who said this, I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day. I'd rather one walk with me than merely tell the way.

The eye's a better pupil and more willing than the ear Find counsel is confusing, but exam's always clear. The best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds. For to see good in action is what everybody needs. I soon can learn to do it if you'll let me see it done.

I can watch your hands in action, your tongue too fast may run. You deliver may be very wise and true, but I'd rather get lessons by observing what you do. I may not understand the high advice you give, but there's no misunderstanding how you act and how you live. That's true. So exam becomes a very powerful motivating tool. Number one, explain the grace of God.

And you'll do this forever as you help them understand their relationship with the living God and how you need to give your life away for the one who gave his life for you. Number two, example.

Number three, encouragement. Encouragement. The word encourage means to instill cou into someone else. Instill courage into someone else. You know, having coached on the college level for many years, I had to learn to understand that all my players were not motivated the same way. I had to figure out what made them tick and look for ways to motivate them. And one year I was coaching one of the teams. That I had the privilege of overseeing. And there was one young player who wasn't going to come back the next year and play.

It was December, and we were getting ready for For our winter practice to move into our spring season, to go down to Florida. And he just thought he wasn't going to play. And I got word of the fact that he wouldn't want to play because he didn't want me yelling at him all the time. You, I have a tendency to do that, you know, when I'm coaching. I get a little excited, you know, and so I get a little revved up at times. And I know it's hard for you guys to understand because I'm so meek and mellow all the time around the church, but you know, I get a little revved up at times, and he didn't want me.

Rev him up. So one night I went to his room, knocked on his door, and his name was Tracy. And I said, Tracy, let me help you understand something.

I 'm going do all I can to motivate you. And I realize what doesn't motivate you. But I think I know what can motivate you. And I make you this commitment. I will never raise my voice. I will never look at you in a stern way.

I will encourage you from December all the way to May. That's all I'm going to do. If you put on a uniform and play for me. He says, okay, I'll do that. He became the most valuable player on a team that year. He became the winning pitcher on our team. I learned to realize that this man needed encouragement. And so, man, I was encouraging this guy. As much as I possibly could. Right, having notes of appreciation, I'd tell him how good a job he did. You know, I'd give him the game ball and tell him what a wonderful job he did.

And you what? This guy got better and better and better and better, way beyond what it is Anybody ever imagined he could become? His bet average jumped 170 point from the previous year. He became our number two hitter in the lineup.

The year before, he always batted ninth because he always struck out. But now he became a number two hitter.

He became better and better just because he needed some encouragement. And that becomes a very powerful, motivating Two. Acts fifteen, twelve says that Judas and Silas said much to encourage and strengthen the brethren. Ephesians 6:2, Paul says, I'm sending Tit to you for this very purpose, that he may encourage you. Over in 1 Thessalonians 2, verses 11 and 12, Paul gives his example as being a father who implores and encourages those in Thessalonica. And over in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, it speaks of our Lord in these terms.

Verse number 16: Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort, and good hope by grace, comfort. And strengthen your hearts in every good work and wor. How does God strengthen us? How does God comfort us? Through His Word. He wants to encourage us. He doesn't beat us down when we sin. He doesn't say, oh, you know what? You did it again. Oh, I am through with you. It's over. He didn't do that. It's not the way God operates. No, not at all. He picks you up from that day and moves you on.

Is he disappointed? Sure, he is. Is he brokenhearted? Sure, he is. The boy, he always is looking for the opportunity to encourage you, to motivate you, to move you on to maturity as you seek to honor him in your life. Wh you tell them of the joy he brings to your life, as Paul did in 1 Thessalonians 2, 19 and 20, or whether you tell them how much you notice the growth in their lives spiritually, 2 Thessalonians 2, verses 3 and 4.

Or tell them of the positive qualities that others have noticed in them, Phile 4 and 5. It's one of those ways in which we are able to instill cou in people's lives. When praying for them, you pray for them by name, as Christ would pray for his disciples in John 17, mentioning them and thanking God for them. That instills courage in their lives. Be interested and excited in what they themselves are doing. Even though you might not like it, and even though it might not interest you, you get excited about what they're doing.

And that encourages them and motivates them. Number four: ent. Enthusiasm is a great motivator of people. Paul would say over in 2 Corinthians 4, verses 1 and 16, on two separate occasions, We do not lose heart. In chapter 5, in verses 6 to 8, he says, We are always confident. Romans 8:3, we are more than confident. Conquerors. We'll talk about that on Sunday. Huper Nike, over conquerors. That was Paul 's attitude. Paul was a motivator of people because Paul was enthusiastic about the ministry that God had given to him.

And he was enthusiastic about how God would operate in the lives of people. One of the greatest ways that we can motivate people that God has given to us is through an enthusiastic attitude, a joyous attitude. That's why Paul would say, rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say, rejoice. Why are we enthusiastic? Because of what God has done in our lives. It was Walter Moble who said, If one-tenth of what you believe is true, you ought to be ten times as excited as you are. Now he's right. That's the way it ought to be.

It was Henry Drummond who said, How many prodigals are kept out of the kingdom of God by the unlovely character of those who profess to be inside the kingdom? I mean, our attitude should be one of excitement about the work of God, the ministry God's entrusted to us. And enthusiasm breeds motivation. It moves people to action. There must be something about your walk with God. Our Christian life must be the most exciting life in all the world. We've got to get fired up about it. We've got to be excited about our relationship with the living God, so much so that our children know that that is the most exciting thing about us.

Do your children know that about you? Do the people you disciple know that about you? That there's nothing more important to you than your walk with God, your love for God, your commitment to God? That nothing stands in your way between you and God. Ah, so important. So, so important. Many years ago there were two farmers, one a pessimist, the other an optimist. When the sun would shine, the optimists would say, wonderful sunshine. But the pessimists would respond by saying, yes, but The sun is going to scorch the crops.

Would it rain? The op will say, Oh, fine, fine rain. But the pessimists would respond, yes, but I'm afraid we're going to have a flood. One day the optimist said to the pessimist, Have you seen my new dog? He's the finest money can buy. The pessimist said, You mean that old little mutt you have pinned up behind your house? He don't look like much to me. The optimist said, Well, how about going hunting with me tomorrow? And the pessimist said, Okay, I'll go hunting with you. So they went out and shot some ducks.

The ducks landed in the pond. The optimist looked at his dog and said, Fetch the ducks, boy. Dog took off. Instead of diving into the water, the dog walked on top of the water. Retrieved the ducks, walked back on top of the water. And laid the ducks at his master's feet. The optimist stood back, looked at the pessimist. And said, What do you think of my dog now? To which the pessimist replied, Hmm. He can't swim, can he? You know, there's people like that all over the place, isn there? Everything is always negative.

They always see the dark side of everything. You know, as a people of God. We need to be excited about what God is doing because He's done it in our lives. That should excite us and motivate us. It was Robert Ols who said that the difference between successful creative people In many of us, it is not the difference in our problems, but in the difference in our attitude toward the problem. Isn 't that true? Sure, it is. We need to be enthusiastic about what God is doing. And you know what? That trans into enthusiasm into the lives of those we lead.

They wonder, why are you so excited? Why does this turn you on so much? Why does this mean so much to you? You can tell them. That's a powerful motivating tool. Next, we must hurry: evaluation. Evaluation. It's important that we evaluate people. This becomes a very powerful motivating tool. Over in Matthew, excuse me, Mark chapter 6, verses 12 to 13, Christ would take his men away after they had been out on a mission. And they were full of excitement. He gathered them together. In verse number 31, he would give them feedback about that mission.

He would evaluate their mission. That's important. As you begin to sit down with your disciple, as you begin to sit down with your children whom you disciple, you evaluate the progress in life. And the book of Proverbs gives us some certain principles that will help there. We won't look at them this evening.

Let me just give you the verses. Proverbs 15, verses 22 to 23, talk about the timing in our evaluation. It must be the proper time. You must be able to tell them in advance that you want to be able to evaluate their lives. Over in Proverbs 18:17, objectivity must be part of that evaluation. You must be objective. You must be able to objectively evaluate your disciple based on all that's happened, not just on certain hearsay or what you think has happened. Over in Proverbs 20, verse number 18, guidance becomes a crucial element in your evaluation.

We must. Give wise counsel and wise guidance to help that individual understand how they progress from point A to point B to point C. And then in Proverbs 2, verses 17 and 19, there must be a personal interest on my part in their life. So that I can really show them my desire for them to grow. And it's important that I learn to evaluate the people over me in a way on a regular basis so they can see where they were, where they need to be going, so they then. Can become people of vision, dissatisfied with where they are, but yet a clear grasp of where they can be.

See that? Evaluation does that. And we need to be able to evaluate those we lead. Need to be evaluating our children, right? You know, we do this with our children at home. We evaluate where they were last year, where they are this year. Not just in their academics, but most importantly, their character. Where they are, how they're responding to situations, how they used to respond to them, and how they're now responding to them. That's important. Same thing we should do with our disciple. Lastly, entrusting responsibility.

Entrusting responsibility. Listen, as you entrust your disciple with responsibility, it becomes a great motivator for them. Why? Because now they are watching God work in your life, and now God is going to work in their lives as you give them opportunities to do ministry. Christ did this with his men. You can read about it in John chapter 4, verse number 2, where his disciples were. Involved in baptisms. John 6, verses 1 to 13, they were involved in the feeding of the 5,000 as they would learn to take the baskets and distribute the food and watch how God was using them in the process.

John 21, verse number 15, Peter was given the responsibility to feed the lambs, ent them with responsibility. And the more responsibility they receive, the more motivated they are to fulfill that responsibility. If you read about it over in Luke chapter 10, when Christ would send out the 70, he told them that he was sending them out as lambs in the midst of wolves. And having heard that, that could not have really truly motivated them. I'm going out as a lamb amidst wolves. What is this? But God sent them out, He empowered them, and they came back.

And the text says in verse number 17, they return with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. Oh Lord, this is great! Unbelievable! But he entrusted them with responsibility. They were able to see God work in and through their lives. And that would motivate them to serve God even more in the future. That's why we try to encourage people in the church to be involved in the different ministries of the church. Because once you see God working in your life, it motivates you to serve Him all the more.

All that to say this, point number three, you must maintain perspective. We gave you the prerequisite, we gave you the procedure, but you must understand The pers. And for that, turn with me just briefly in your Bible to 2 Corinthians chapter 4.

You must maintain perspective. You know why? Because Satan wants to blur your vision. And your ability to motivate people all depends on how you see God at work, how you view God. And that only happens through the Word of God. So, without a vision, without revelation, the people are unrestrained. But happy is he who keeps the law. Proverbs 29:18. So what is it that I need to keep perspective on? Three things. Number one: God and His mercy.

God and his mercy. Paul said, Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we receive mercy, we do not lose he. Paul says, you know what? Here's my perspective. I have been entrusted with the ministry because of the mercy of God. And therefore, I'm not giving up. I'm not going to quit. I'm not going to lose heart. When you want to quit, Because you don't see things moving as rapidly as you like to see them move. You need to gain perspective on God and His mercy. And when you do, you don't lose heart, Paul.

Had the sense of the surpassing superiority of the ministry that had been entrusted to him. He said over in 1 Corinthians 15:9, I am the least of the apostles who am not fit to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God, but I received mercy, he says. I'm not worthy to be here, but because of the mercy of God, I am here. He had perspective on God and His mercy. Mercy is God's ministry to the miserable. And therefore, when I understand the mercy of God, it motivates me. Satan wants to get you off of that.

Don't let him do it. Number two, the gospel and its ministry. The gospel and its ministry. Verse number 7, 2 Corinthians 4. I wish we had time to go through this chapter. It's a marvelous chapter. He says, But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from oursel. The gospel and its ministry. He says, we have a treasure. This treasure, that treasure is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The most valuable treasure. It's the word of truth that Paul would tell Timothy he needed to protect and to guard.

The gospel and its ministry, the priceless treasure of the gospel, the truth of God. Remember the parable of the treasure and the parable of the pearl of Matthew 13:4 and 4. The man found something so valuable that he was willing to suffer the loss of everything else in order to obtain the treasure. He found something of such value as the pearl that he got rid of everything he owned just to buy it. We have lost perspective. That the gospel, the truth of God, is not the highest treasure we possess anymore.

But it is. There's nothing more valuable than the eternal wor of God. And we need to see. the gospel and its ministry as the most priceless commodity that we have. We need to understand that God and His mercy gives us the most precious call known to man. And lastly, the good life and its mean. The good life And its meaning. Paul said in verse number 16: Therefore, we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day, for a momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison And while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.

For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eter. Paul says, we do not lose heart because we have a keen perspective on the good life and its meaning. We understand the life of God. We understand the eternal value of the life that God has given to us. It's greater than the temporary life we now live. It was one of my seminary professors who used to always say these words. He says, The choice before each and every student in this room is rather stark, he would say.

Either live to be comfortable or live to know God. You can't have it both ways. One choice excludes the other. That's how he ended his class. He must have ended every class the same way. The choice before you is rather stark, my friend. Either live to know God or live to be comfortable. You can't have it both ways. Choose one or the other. For your choice will exclude the other. He's right. Man rarely, if at all, ever comes to know God in the realm of comfort. He would go on to say, until we acknowledge painful disappointment and circumstances, particularly In relationships, we will not pursue Christ with the passion of deep thirst.

Or to put it more simply, we rarely learn to meaningfully depend upon God when our lives Are comfortable. That's so true. Think of your life. When our lives are comfortable, we're just not kind of dependent upon God at all, are we? When our lives are uncomfortable? We're on our knees. We're in the word. We're crying out to God. Oh, God, be merciful to us. God, help us in our time of need. God, protect us. God, watch over us. God, minister to us. And Paul says, you know what? Everything around us is decaying.

It's all going away. But there's something greater than that. And because there is, we don't quit. We don't give up. We don't lose heart. The man had vision because the man had perspect. He had perspective. On the good life and its meaning, the gospel and its ministry, his God and his mercy. Let's pray. Our most gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for the opportunity that we had this evening to look into your word. And I want to pray for these people tonight that are here, who have taken time out to come and sit under the teaching of your word.

I pray for them. Help them in their disciple-making. Help them to understand that the ministry you've given to them is so valuable, so great. Nothing else compares to it. And as they disciple their children, as men disciple their wives, and even as wives would even disciple their husbands who are new in the Lord. As those who have a ministry in the church, disciple those in their classes or those under the leadership, God give them wisdom. Help them not to get discouraged. Help them to be men and women of vision, to be able to have a firm grasp of the way things can be because they understand the revelation of Almighty God.

And may you use them in a powerful way to propel those they lead to a deeper understanding of their God. In Jesus' name, amen.