Mindset Shift

Lori and I have thirteen grandchildren.  When our kids started to have kids and we began this grandparenting journey, we realized that we were at a distinct disadvantage.  Neither Lori nor I had great models for good grand-parenting.

We were not close to our grandparents.  I was the youngest son in my family.  My sisters named their kids after our grandparents, I did not.  My grandfathers were quiet, distant men who had worked hard and lived hard lives.  Lori’s grandfathers were mostly out of the picture.  All of our grandmothers were in a word, mean.  They’d had rough lives, so they were rough around the edges.

And our own parents were not that involved with our kids.  Our folks had a lot going on, we lived far away, they were not hands on.  Our kids would remember, “We didn’t spend much time with our grandparents growing up.”  And we would say, “You are welcome.”

Lori and I didn’t know how to do this grandparenting thing we were supposed to do.  So how do you do something you are supposed to do but don’t know how to do?

There are three answers to that question.  First, you learn all you can about it.  You study up.  A mentor of mine had read all the grandparenting books and he suggested I pick up, “Extreme Grandparenting” by Tim and Darcy Kimmel.  I recommend it. 

A second way to do something you don’t know how to do is to simply get some experience, make some mistakes, trial and error.  That’s what the oldest grandkids are for!

There is third piece to doing something you don’t know how to do, and that’s what we are talking about today.  It is to shift your mindset.

We had to get past our past, throw out all the negative connotations and baggage of grandparenting we carried and adopt a new mindset that we could actually grandparent effectively.  We’ve been working on this mindset shift for the last thirteen grandkids.

 When it comes to reaching out, some are great at it—evangelism is their gift.

But what about those of us who know we’re supposed to reach out, but we don’t have good models, we haven’t seen it done well, and we’re not good at doing what we’re supposed to do?

There are three answers to that question.  First, we study up.  We learn the who, why, when and how of outreach.  Second, we just do it, we tell our story, we make a few mistakes.  We need to gain some experience.

But a third way to do what we don’t know how to do is to shift our mindset.  Some of us need to dump all of our preconceived notions about outreach and start with a brand-new mindset.

Let’s look at four mindset shifts that will not only help us be more effective in outreach, but the shifts may also help us have more doing it.

These mindset shifts come from an obscure verse in the Bible - one of my life verses - Acts 15:19:

“It is my judgment that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.”
Acts 15:19

Jesus’ brother James makes a statement that we should not make it difficult for people to turn to God.  In this one soundbite, James suggests four mindset shifts:

First, adopt an expectation mindset. 

James assumes people are turning to God. 

James simply believes that there are people who want to turn to God.  More than that, he is referring to the Gentiles who are turning to God.  Who were the Gentiles?  Obviously, they were people who were not Jewish. But more than that, the term denoted pagans, heathens, uncircumcised, unclean dogs. To a Jewish person in the first century, to someone like James, the Gentiles were the last people they would have even expected to turn to God.  But James admits people - even people we least expect - are turning to God. 

The context of his statement is the first all-church council meeting of the early believers.  They had this meeting because so many Gentiles were turning to God, they didn’t know what to require of them. 

Where did James get the mindset like that?  Maybe from Jesus:

“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.’”
Matthew 9:37 (NIV)

How many people are turning to God right now?  Plenty!

Many if not most of us have bought into the fake news that people are not interested in God.  Have you seen these stupid surveys?  “What is your religious affiliation?”  “My what?”  “Gotcha!  People must not be interested in God!” 

Have you seen the outright lies about young people?  They say, “Kids these days are not interested in God?”  Are you kidding me?  Kids are turning to alcohol, drugs, violence and sex.  They are turning toward changing sexual preferences and changing gender identity.  They are turning to whatever they can find because they are realizing they are a mess.  Can we help them turn to God? 

We all have a God-shaped hole, a God-shaped vacuum in our lives—that’s why our lives suck.

Many people realize they are in trouble, and they want to turn to God.  I wanted to turn to God.  Perhaps you wanted or now want to turn to God. 

Over 2.5 billion people on earth claim to be Christians now.  2.5 billion!  And we think no one is interested in Jesus?

Second, adopt an inclusive mindset.

James assumes that believers can and do and maybe even have a tendency to make it difficult for people to turn to God. 

In Acts chapter 15 the barrier the believers put up had to do with rules and regulations. 

“Some people came from Judea and started teaching the Lord’s followers that they could not be saved, unless they were circumcised as Moses had taught. This caused trouble, (ya think?) and Paul and Barnabas argued with them about this teaching. So it was decided to send Paul and Barnabas and a few others to Jerusalem to discuss this problem with the apostles and the church leaders.”
Acts 1-2 (CEV)

The believers were requiring circumcision for salvation.  Ouch. 

I don’t know of a modern day North American Christian Church that requires circumcision for membership, but I do know that we in the church tend to put up significant if not similar barriers.

Here is a list I’ve compiled of what the church does to make it difficult for people:

• The church is negative.

• The sermons are long and boring.

• All the church wants is my money.

• Everyone is a hypocrite.

• Church is irrelevant.

That’s what the church does.  Bot let’s look at some of the things we as individuals do to make it difficult for people to turn to God:

We lose our saltiness.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”
Matthew 5:13 (NIV)

Maybe you’ve messed up and you don’t think someone on your front row will take you seriously.  It happens.  Don’t worry about those folks, instead go find someone new to be salty with.

We get distracted.

“But Martha was distracted…”
Luke 10:40 (NIV)

We’ve gotten so caught up in political crap that people in  our lives can’t tell what we’re about.  Let’s stop trusting the political knuckleheads and get back to trusting Jesus.

We become judgmental.

“Do not judge.”
Matthew 7:1 (NIV)

We don’t speak up.

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved...  For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?”
Romans 10:9-14 (NIV)

Too many of us have taken a vow of silence.  We’re playing Christian charades.  Speak up!

Third, adopt a simplicity mindset.

James implies that it is not difficult to turn to God.

Peter says, “So turn to God! Give up your sins, and you will be forgiven.”—Acts 3:19 (CEV)

It is not difficult to turn to God.  

Tom Mercer, in his classic work, “8 to 15:  The World is Smaller than You Think” says turning to Jesus is a simple as the ABCs:

A.    Admit I have fallen short and need a Savior.  I need to turn to God

B.     Believe that Jesus is the savior—he came to earth; lived a perfect life as our example; went to the cross and died to pay the penalty for my sins; and rose again from the dead to prove it.  God is there, waiting for me to turn to Him.

C.    Commit to following him the best I can for the rest of my life.  Choose to turn to God.

Turning to God isn’t difficult.  It’s not easy street, but we don’t have to be mystified and stymied by it. 

If you are turning to God, but have never made that choice to commit your life to Jesus, I would encourage you to admit your need to God, believe Jesus offers you forgiveness, and commit right now to following Jesus the best you can for the rest of your life.

Fourth, adopt an influence mindset.

 James suggests we can make a difference.

James assumes that what the early church people did, and what we do, makes a big difference in the lives of others.

Do you realize the impact you can have on the people in your neighborhood and network?  It’s similar to the impact you can have on your grandchildren.

Sure, you can be distant and silent and uninvolved and hope somebody else does something.  Or you can be intentional and loving and supportive and challenging and see lives change.

Why do you think God placed you in that family, that job, that class, that neighborhood, that group?

It is because people are turning to God.  And it is because he wants you to have the privilege and the pleasure of making a difference in a few lives.