August 5th, 2025
The Upward Look, by Jon Forrest
The “I Will” Attitude
Based on Philippians 2:1-11
It was one of the greatest days of my life. It was March of 1976 and I was a green 19-year- old Bible college student. I had been trying to figure out how to say it. I had practiced over and over again saying it more ways than I could imagine. Then, one evening, I turned to a cute petite little 18-year-old girl and blurted out, “Cheryl will you marry me?”
Without hesitation she said, “Yes!” That’s right! She said “Yes!” I don’t know why she said “yes” but, for 49 years I’ve been very glad she did.
We married on December 10, 1976 and she has faithfully taken care of me and loved me through thick and thin.
I can be hard to live with. I can say and do the wrong things. I can be self-centered and a bit of a jerk, but she still loves me. She still sticks with me. Why is that so?
When she said, “I do” it was for better or worse, for richer and poorer in sickness and in health, till death do us part. That has been her attitude for one year shy of 5 decades.
You see, she made a decision about her attitude. Many of you have also had this attitude in your marriages and have found joy and satisfaction in your lives.
I want to address the attitudes we must possess in the church if we want to succeed in being the church God wants.
If we do the right things without the right attitude, we just follow legalistic guidelines. The result of that would be frustration and burnout.
But, with the right biblical attitude, doing becomes natural, joyful and even fun.
The right attitude recognizes that no church, no pastor, no member and no program is perfect. But we serve anyway. We serve, not out of a sense of obligation, but an attitude of gratitude for what God has done for us through his Son, Jesus Christ on the cross. If we are to become “I Will” Church members we must have the right attitude.
Let’s take a look at 4 correct attitudes that we need if we are to be “I Will” Church Members.
1. I will be a unifying church member
The health of any group is connected closely to unity. That is true of sports teams, businesses, families and especially true of church families.
However, unity only occurs when the people involved have made the decision to put the good of the group ahead of their own personal wants or needs.
Paul urged unity in his letters to several churches. Look at what he said to the church in Ephesus:
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3
There is a mandate in Scripture to keep, or maintain, unity in the church. But look at what it requires:
When I look at these behaviors, I think there is no way I can be humble, gentle, patient and accepting of some people I know, but then when I think about how much grace Jesus gave me when he died for my sins, I realize I don’t deserve those things myself. In his strength I can have an attitude of unity.
2. I will be a sacrificial church member
Look at the example of Jesus…
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! –Philippians 2:5-8
As born-again believers in Jesus Christ we take on his attitude, a sacrificial one. His sacrifice for us was the ultimate one. He lowered himself to become one of us and gave his life for us.
We honor his sacrifice for us by being sacrificial toward him, his church and others. Amazingly, when we gratefully sacrifice time, money, labor, blood, sweat and tears for the Lord it demonstrates our passion and love for him and his church. Parents sacrifice in such ways for their children because they put them ahead of themselves. Their great reward is the success of their kids. For us to sacrifice for the Lord’s church we are rewarded to see the kingdom of God grow in the lives of others. When we sacrifice, we are acting most like Christ.
3. I will be a prayerful church member
She was 92 years old and a longtime member of the First Christian Church in Wellington, Texas. Her parents were part of the church when the building they were in at the time was erected in 1928. Valeath Bartlett’s health had failed and she was unable to go to worship services anymore. However, she knew that she could do the most powerful thing possible for her church family. She could pray! And how she prayed? Every Sunday, when the men brought communion to her home, they would give her a bulletin and prayer list. I still believe that a major contribution to the remarkable growth that church had during our first year there was the prayers of Valeath. Before she passed away, she prayed constantly for her pastor, her elders, her deacons and for the unsaved in the community. Of all the things you can do for your church, the greatest thing you can do is pray.
In 1 Timothy 3:7, Paul mentions that an elder or pastor should have a good reputation among outsiders so that he does not fall into disgrace and the Devil’s trap. Traps are never set unintentionally. They are one of the Devil’s strategies to take down church leaders. The sixth chapter of Ephesians tells us to put on the full armor of God so we can stand against Satan’s tactics of terror. In the 18th verse Paul concludes: And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. –Ephesians 6:18
Prayer is the reason we put on the armor of God. This attitude will protect and propel the church into joy.
4. I will be a joyful church member
Have you ever noticed that grateful people are joyous people? Paul commanded to Philippian church to rejoice and he tied it to gratitude.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7
If we are to have joy in our lives. we must be gracious and gentle. We are to pray instead of worry. When we pray, we are to pray with a spirit of gratitude.
Have you ever met a grumpy church member who complained about everything? They see the church as a club or organization where they pay membership dues so they can have perks and privileges.
On the other hand there are joyous church members who count their blessings over and over again. They are constantly seeking to encourage their leaders or other members.
Look at more of Paul’s writings about this. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. -1 Corinthians 12:27-28
When you became a follower of Jesus Christ you received the gift of membership. You were made a part of the body of Christ and gifted by the Holy Spirit. When you receive a gift, you should be joyous and grateful.
It truly is a matter of attitude.
Your attitudes determine who you are; joyful or angry, grateful or jealous. It will determine whether or not you are an “I Will” outwardly focused church member or the kind who is inwardly focused and grumpy.
What kind of church member are you?
I look forward to seeing you this Sunday morning as we share a heartfelt message from Matthew 25:31-46 titled Serving Jesus. We will look at what it truly means to live outwardly focused Christian lives. We also look forward to hearing from Frances Martinez, Director of the Matt 25 Hope Center here in Clovis about a very special project that we can share with the community. I look forward to seeing you then.
Sharing the “I Will” attitude with you,
Jon
The “I Will” Attitude
Based on Philippians 2:1-11
It was one of the greatest days of my life. It was March of 1976 and I was a green 19-year- old Bible college student. I had been trying to figure out how to say it. I had practiced over and over again saying it more ways than I could imagine. Then, one evening, I turned to a cute petite little 18-year-old girl and blurted out, “Cheryl will you marry me?”
Without hesitation she said, “Yes!” That’s right! She said “Yes!” I don’t know why she said “yes” but, for 49 years I’ve been very glad she did.
We married on December 10, 1976 and she has faithfully taken care of me and loved me through thick and thin.
I can be hard to live with. I can say and do the wrong things. I can be self-centered and a bit of a jerk, but she still loves me. She still sticks with me. Why is that so?
When she said, “I do” it was for better or worse, for richer and poorer in sickness and in health, till death do us part. That has been her attitude for one year shy of 5 decades.
You see, she made a decision about her attitude. Many of you have also had this attitude in your marriages and have found joy and satisfaction in your lives.
I want to address the attitudes we must possess in the church if we want to succeed in being the church God wants.
If we do the right things without the right attitude, we just follow legalistic guidelines. The result of that would be frustration and burnout.
But, with the right biblical attitude, doing becomes natural, joyful and even fun.
The right attitude recognizes that no church, no pastor, no member and no program is perfect. But we serve anyway. We serve, not out of a sense of obligation, but an attitude of gratitude for what God has done for us through his Son, Jesus Christ on the cross. If we are to become “I Will” Church members we must have the right attitude.
Let’s take a look at 4 correct attitudes that we need if we are to be “I Will” Church Members.
1. I will be a unifying church member
The health of any group is connected closely to unity. That is true of sports teams, businesses, families and especially true of church families.
However, unity only occurs when the people involved have made the decision to put the good of the group ahead of their own personal wants or needs.
Paul urged unity in his letters to several churches. Look at what he said to the church in Ephesus:
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3
There is a mandate in Scripture to keep, or maintain, unity in the church. But look at what it requires:
- Humility is looking at others as more important than ourselves.
- Gentleness is controlling our tempers and demonstrating kindness to everyone, even to people who are self centered and unkind to us.
- Patience means putting up with a lot even if we are frustrated and confused by the behavior of others.
- Acceptance of one another in love is receiving others and loving them unconditionally. There are no strings attached. We don’t condone sinful behavior, but we demonstrate an abundance of grace.
When I look at these behaviors, I think there is no way I can be humble, gentle, patient and accepting of some people I know, but then when I think about how much grace Jesus gave me when he died for my sins, I realize I don’t deserve those things myself. In his strength I can have an attitude of unity.
2. I will be a sacrificial church member
Look at the example of Jesus…
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! –Philippians 2:5-8
As born-again believers in Jesus Christ we take on his attitude, a sacrificial one. His sacrifice for us was the ultimate one. He lowered himself to become one of us and gave his life for us.
We honor his sacrifice for us by being sacrificial toward him, his church and others. Amazingly, when we gratefully sacrifice time, money, labor, blood, sweat and tears for the Lord it demonstrates our passion and love for him and his church. Parents sacrifice in such ways for their children because they put them ahead of themselves. Their great reward is the success of their kids. For us to sacrifice for the Lord’s church we are rewarded to see the kingdom of God grow in the lives of others. When we sacrifice, we are acting most like Christ.
3. I will be a prayerful church member
She was 92 years old and a longtime member of the First Christian Church in Wellington, Texas. Her parents were part of the church when the building they were in at the time was erected in 1928. Valeath Bartlett’s health had failed and she was unable to go to worship services anymore. However, she knew that she could do the most powerful thing possible for her church family. She could pray! And how she prayed? Every Sunday, when the men brought communion to her home, they would give her a bulletin and prayer list. I still believe that a major contribution to the remarkable growth that church had during our first year there was the prayers of Valeath. Before she passed away, she prayed constantly for her pastor, her elders, her deacons and for the unsaved in the community. Of all the things you can do for your church, the greatest thing you can do is pray.
In 1 Timothy 3:7, Paul mentions that an elder or pastor should have a good reputation among outsiders so that he does not fall into disgrace and the Devil’s trap. Traps are never set unintentionally. They are one of the Devil’s strategies to take down church leaders. The sixth chapter of Ephesians tells us to put on the full armor of God so we can stand against Satan’s tactics of terror. In the 18th verse Paul concludes: And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. –Ephesians 6:18
Prayer is the reason we put on the armor of God. This attitude will protect and propel the church into joy.
4. I will be a joyful church member
Have you ever noticed that grateful people are joyous people? Paul commanded to Philippian church to rejoice and he tied it to gratitude.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7
If we are to have joy in our lives. we must be gracious and gentle. We are to pray instead of worry. When we pray, we are to pray with a spirit of gratitude.
Have you ever met a grumpy church member who complained about everything? They see the church as a club or organization where they pay membership dues so they can have perks and privileges.
On the other hand there are joyous church members who count their blessings over and over again. They are constantly seeking to encourage their leaders or other members.
Look at more of Paul’s writings about this. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. -1 Corinthians 12:27-28
When you became a follower of Jesus Christ you received the gift of membership. You were made a part of the body of Christ and gifted by the Holy Spirit. When you receive a gift, you should be joyous and grateful.
It truly is a matter of attitude.
Your attitudes determine who you are; joyful or angry, grateful or jealous. It will determine whether or not you are an “I Will” outwardly focused church member or the kind who is inwardly focused and grumpy.
What kind of church member are you?
I look forward to seeing you this Sunday morning as we share a heartfelt message from Matthew 25:31-46 titled Serving Jesus. We will look at what it truly means to live outwardly focused Christian lives. We also look forward to hearing from Frances Martinez, Director of the Matt 25 Hope Center here in Clovis about a very special project that we can share with the community. I look forward to seeing you then.
Sharing the “I Will” attitude with you,
Jon
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