The Doctrine of Christ no 5
“Your attitude creates an atmosphere”
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
August 7th, 2011 pm Communion
2
Corinthians 2: 14- 17 “Now
thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ, and makes
manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place. 15 For
we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them
that perish: 16 To the one we are the savor of
death unto death; and to the other the savor of life unto life. And who is
sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not as
many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the
sight of God speak we in Christ.”
Notice Paul tells us here that to some we create a
real wonderful atmosphere and to others our presence is only condemnation. But
regardless if they are for Christ and His Word or not, we do create an
atmosphere wherever we go.
In Philippians 2:5 we read, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: But
the actual Greek word means Let this attitude be in you which was also in Christ
Jesus". It is the Greek word, phroneo {fron-eh'-o} and means “to
think or regard, to be of the same mind,
thus to be like minded 1) to have understanding, be wise.
2) to feel, to think: to have the same opinion, to be modest, not let
one's own opinion (though just) of himself exceed the bounds of modesty; to
think or judge what one's opinion is; to be of the same mind i.e. agreed
together, cherish the same views, be harmonious 3) to direct one's mind to a
thing, to seek, to strive for; to seek one's interest or advantage; to be of
one's party, side with him (in public affairs) Thus it should have been
translated, Let this attitude be in you which was also in Christ Jesus
Therefore
in reading Philippians 2: 1-5 1
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort
from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and
compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having
the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of
selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than
yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own
interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Your attitude should
be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very
nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something
to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature[b] of a
servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in
appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even
death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and
gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father.
Webster's New World Dictionary: defines attitude:
as aptness, or inclination, and further
states, the position or posture assumed by the body in connection with an
action, feeling, or mood, etc. The word attitude is also defined as a
manner of acting, feeling or thinking that shows one disposition or opinion.
Now, if you caught the main points in each of these
definitions, The first stating that attitude is the posture or position of the
body in reference to or in connection with an action, feeling, or mood, and the
other is the action, feeling or thinking that shows your opinion, disposition
or mindset.
So we are looking at the position or
posture of the body, and those attributes that show when you are thinking,
felling or that express your mood.
Therefore, attitude is not just a mental
cognizance, or a mental understanding, or a mental leaning, but rather attitude
is an outward expression of our disposition, it is an outward expression of our
feelings, it is an outward expression of our thoughts, it is the connection of
the body to those thoughts, and how the body expresses those thoughts. That's
what attitude is.
And the key is that it SHOWS how we feel,
it SHOWS just what we think about something, etc.
The Bible tells us that God would send
forth an angel, to mark those that would sigh and cry because of the
abominations done in the city. The sighing and crying is the bodies response to
what was being done in the city, and that is an outward expression of what
their attitude was inside their soul.
Your attitude then shows outwardly what
you are thinking inwardly. You can not hide an attitude, it shows, it
manifests. You might be able to hide your thoughts but an attitude goes beyond
inner thoughts. Attitude speaks of the expression of your disposition. The way
you show it in your body language; in your eyes, in your facial expression, in
your tome of voice, and in your posture.
Therefore attitude is the expression of
your opinion, and your disposition. Now the word disposition comes from two
words, "dis", and position. Together they speak of the putting in
order and refers to the normal aspects of ones nature. Therefore what we see in
attitude is the disposition or the setting in order or the outward reflection
of ones true nature.
Brother Branham said in his sermon God’s Only provided
place of worship, We live in our home like Branham’s live. And in the House of God we live by the Word of
God and every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God," Brother Branham was not
telling us here that there is supposed to be a
difference between his house and the house of God. But what He is telling us is
that there is a certain way we should conduct our homes. Br. Branham kept the same
atmosphere of Christ-centeredness in his home as he did in church.
Now, remember, Jesus said, "My
house shall be called a house of prayer." And if we have
the same nature and life as Jesus Christ, then won't our homes be called a
house of prayer as well?
In Collosians 3: 4 we read, "When
Christ who is our Life shall appear, then shall we appear with Him in Glory." So if
we appear when He appears, and our appearing is in the same Glory, or Doxa or
mindset. Then won't our homes appear as His home also should be.
We also read in 1 John 4 at His
Appearing, "as He is, so are we in this world." Then,
if we believe this, shouldn't we have
the same atmosphere in our homes as we do in this church which is His house, of prayer?
Again, we read in the book of Deuteronomy 6. "Hear, O Royal Seed of God, the Lord God is
One Lord, - the Only Lord. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your mind and heart, and with your entire being, and with all your might. And these words,
which I am commanding you this day,
shall be first in your mind and heart; then you shall whet and sharpen
them, so as to make them penetrate, and teach and impress them diligently upon
the minds and hearts of your children, and you shall talk of them when you sit
in your house, and when you drive down
the road, and when you lie down and when you rise up. And you shall tie them as a symbol on your
hands.
In other words, they are tied to your actions, what
you do. “and you shall bind them upon your
forehead."
That means that they encompass your mind or mindset.
And, remember, your forehead is where your frontal lobe is and that is where
your memory is resident. When a person has a lobotomy they lose there memory.
But here we see that they are to take the preeminent place of our thinking.
Even as frontlets between our eyes, that all we see is the word of God. As
phylacteries that go "boing, boing, boing" as we walk along, and they
bounce off our head. A constant reminder.
And then He continues, " "And you
shall write them upon the door posts of your house and on your gates."
Why? So that whether you are coming or whether you are going, there
will always be a constant reminder set before you of God's promises to you in
this hour.
We can examine many scriptures and quotes and find
that God is indeed calling a Bride out who has applied the Token for their
loved ones and I believe the closer we come to the resurrection, the more we
should be drawn to that resurrection atmosphere.
In creating the right atmosphere in a marriage, there
are three principals needed for the husbands to create which first is: to Love, Even as: To render due benevolence which is to show forth good will and acts of kindness
toward our wife and thirdly for the men the scripture tells us to have no bitterness toward our wives. In
other words, we are not to get hot and angry towards them.
For the wives are to create the right atmosphere for
marriage, they must learn first to submit themselves to their own husbands. That
means don’t be questioning their every move they
choose to make, but to submit their will to his will just as the
bride of Christ submits her own thinking to her Grooms, the
Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Secondly,
the wife is to reverence her husband. That
means she is to reverently fear him and this fear may means veneration or a
deep rooted love and gratitude for all he does in providing for her. And this
veneration will automatically bring with it a proper respect. Thirdly, she is to also render due benevolence to her husband. Now if he
really loves her and she him, there will never be petty jealousies in a
marriage.
Now, always remember this, Her submission and
reverence and due benevolence is all said to be "as
unto the Lord"
whereas, his Loving her "even as,"
and His “never being bitter against her”
and his “rendering acts of goodness and kindness”
are not said to be "as unto the Lord”,
for he is her Lord, but rather the Scripture says they are to be “As the Lord Himself would do”. So, if you note
carefully how this is presented in the scriptures, you notice he is to act as Christ would act and she is
to act as though what she is doing is to Christ. Then what a Marriage and
what a blessing you will have in that relationship.
You see, the approach is everything in building a
relationship. Our approach is what either gets us upset with one another or is
the very thing that paves the way for our due benevolence to come forth into
manifestation.
From Sirs, we would see Jesus Brother Branham said, "Remember
friends, your approach to any Divine gift
will determine what you receive from it."
Matthew
15: 26 - 28 We read the story of how
a woman approached Jesus and even after he rebuffed her, she did not rebuff in
return but she knew her place and sincerity respect was her only reply. 21 Then Jesus went
thence, and departed into the coasts of
She did not carry a chip on her shoulder because Jesus
did not easily warm up to her, and it was her reply that changed the whole
situation and opened the heart of Jesus towards her.
Notice her response, he just put her to the test with
sharp words that would discourage almost anyone, but she did not get discouraged.
Just look at her response and you will see she wasn’t the type to get easily
discouraged. She didn't throw her nose up and walk out and call him a jerk or
something to get even, she said, “yes, Lord, that may
be true, but even the dogs lick the crumbs up from the masters table.”
That did it. Then notice what He said, "I haven't seen
this kind of faith anywhere, so be it unto thee even as you would want to have
it.” In other words, "what ever you want, just ask and I'll give
it to you.” This sounds just like what Hattie Wright was granted.
Let’s look at another sister who was in a real pickle
of a situation. He son had just died and instead of getting angry with God, she
took the better approach and praised God for what great thing He was about to
do for her.
2 Kings 4: 8 - 26 8 And
it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and
she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by,
he turned in thither to eat bread. 9 And she said
unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which
passeth by us continually. 10 Let us make a little
chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a
table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us,
that he shall turn in thither. 11 And it fell on a
day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay
there. 12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this
Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him. 13 And
he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with
all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the
king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people. 14 And he said, What then is to be done for
her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old. 15 And he said, Call her. And when he had called
her, she stood in the door. 16 And he said, About
this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she
said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid. 17 And the woman conceived,
and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the
time of life. 18 And when the child was grown, it
fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. 19 And
he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to
his mother. 20 And when he had taken him, and
brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. 21 And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the
man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. 22 And
she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young
men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again. 23 And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him
to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well. 24 Then
she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not
thy riding for me, except I bid thee. 25 So she went and came unto
the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw
her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite: 26 Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and
say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well
with the child? And she answered, It is well. 27 And
when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but
Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone;
for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid it from me, and hath
not told me. 28 Then
she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive
me? 29 Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my
staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and
if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the
child. 30 And the mother of the child said, As the
LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her. 31 And Gehazi passed on before them, and
laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor
hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child
is not awaked. 32 And
when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon
his bed. 33 He went in therefore, and shut the door
upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD. 34 And
he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his
eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon
the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. 35 Then
he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched
himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36 And he
called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she
was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son. 37 Then
she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up
her son, and went out.
Notice when all seemed lost, she replied “all is well”, Why? because she knew how to
create that atmosphere of expectation. Why? Because she knew God’s Word teaches
"He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet,
receives a prophets reward." She knew that the One who gave Life can also
restore that Life and she had come to the conduit.
From Door to the Heart,
He said, "It's
your approach to a gift, How many knows that? If you approach it reverently, you get what you ask. If you don't,
you do not."
From, Hear ye Him, he said, 'It's
your approach to anything."
And From Proving His Word,
he said, "It your approach, the attitude is what it
takes, and that's what it is tonight dear friends, it takes the
attitude. We are, and believe that we
are in the presence of Jesus Christ, but it's your attitude that brings the
results. The mechanics is here and so is the dynamics. If you can just get started, God will do the rest." And if this is so essential with our
heavenly Mate, how much more with our earthly mate.
The
Token 63-0901 pg. 49 pp. 5 Apply
it, create that atmosphere around you,
that they will just drop right into it. Oh, you are , if you've got the
Token, you create an atmosphere around
you of power, that when you walk, people know that you are a Christian. In
love for you to say something to them. They believe your word, what you say,
they hold onto it. See? That is it. Apply the Token, then walk in it. Claim
your household. You must do it, now. This is the evening time.
It's the atmosphere that they've got around
them, the way they live; they create an atmosphere that you like to be
into. That's lovely people to be with.
E-18 DIVINE.LOVE
JEFF.IN 56-0826 Now,
what you want to do is be lifted up by Christ into a--an atmosphere to where you are happy, peaceful, and then in there you
create a situation.... In the
atmosphere that you live in, you project to your associates what you are.
Hebrews
10 : 22-25 22 Let
us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our
faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And
let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the
manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see
the day approaching.
Notice he said, “let us Provoke one
another to love,” to an outward display of their revelation.
Love 56-0726 pp. 23
And when Divine love has been projected
and comes to Its end, then sovereign grace will take its place. Now, that's my text. When Divine love has
been projected... Project Divine love
and it comes to its end, till it can't go no farther, then sovereign grace will
come in and take its place. Now, do
you realize, being a son or daughter of God, that you are a minor creator? Do you know you create the atmosphere
that you live in? Do you realize that the atmosphere that you dwell in, you
influence somebody else? What makes people act the way they do? Is
because... What makes the drunks like to be with drunks. As my mother used to
say the old proverb, and I think it's southern here too: "Birds of a
feather flock together," because they have things in common.
E-17 Divine Love
57-0305 They create that atmosphere. And there's some kind of people that you just
love to be around. They create that atmosphere that they live in. Now, it's a supernatural thing. Now, when the Presence of the Lord comes down,
it creates an atmosphere for faith. And when... I thought, "Now, Lord
God, You help me."
E-18 Divine Love 57-0305 Now,
you've got to create an atmosphere, and your faith will do it. They were
all in the upper room with one accord, when suddenly there came from heaven as
a sound of a rushing mighty wind; the
atmosphere was right. It takes a atmosphere to do anything. You know, the regular procedure to hatch
chickens is to put them under the hen. But get
the egg in the right atmosphere, it'll hatch anyhow. Listen, brother, if a
man loves God, and the right kind of an atmosphere he could get into, it'll
produce a new born babe just as certain as I am here. It's the atmosphere that counts. Let this little handful of people
setting here tonight, get in the perfect atmosphere, watch what takes place.
There will not be a feeble among a--one in our midst. The cripples will walk;
the blind will see; the deaf will hear; the dumb will speak without prayer or
anything. It's the atmosphere. That's how twenty-five thousand was healed at
one prayer in
E-38 LOVE
HARRISONBURG.VA 58-0313
They create that atmosphere by the way they live and the way they think.
It's a little atmosphere you live in.
EE-16 Love 57-0519E
I
know it's the truth, that man create in himself the atmosphere that he lives in.
And around him he's anointed with a spirit.
I have seen people that you just couldn't get away from them; you just
loved them. There's something drawing about them. It's because they live in
that atmosphere, they live under the--the power of the Holy Spirit.
E-44 Hear ye Him
58-0328 And
it's come down home to the Pentecostals, acting, and dressing, fashioning,
looking, talking, blaspheming, making fun, indifferent. That's rough, but it's
good for you. It's the truth. But that's the reason the world can't see nothing
genuine. When the people comes to a
place that they'll forget all their little differences, and the love of God
will shed abroad in our heart by the real Teacher, the Holy Ghost, you'll
become salty, and the world will want to be like you. You create a creation around you.
You've seen people you couldn't stand to be around, yet they were nice people. They create that within themselves.
You've seen people you love to be with, because they create that atmosphere
around them. Your spirit's your soul. You can't hide it; you can't make
believe. That's what's the matter today. There is too much make belief in
Christianity.
E-8 It Wasn’t so from the Beginning 60-1127M They create that atmosphere
by their--their life, the way they live, and the things they think about, and
the love they have for you.... You create an atmosphere, and that's the
atmosphere you have to be in to pray for the sick. See? It's the same thing.
It's love that casts out evil spirits.
-19 Identification 63-0123 Now, but we find out that as we go along
through life that our character molds the image that we are. Each one knows
that. As you live, Your character molds you to what you are.... Because each
person is a little dynamo of their own, and you put out an atmosphere.
51 Is your life Worthy 63-0630E They create that atmosphere by the life they
live, the way they talk, their conversation..... And the things that you think on, the things that you do, the actions, the
things you talk about creates an atmosphere...
9-1
The Token 63-0901M They
was applying the token. Amen. That's it.
Get ready. Apply it. Believe it. Clean up. Let your children, let your
family, let your loved ones see it in
you. That's right. It'll take effect.
Yes, sir. Then apply the Token in prayer
with consideration, with believing. Apply it with such love and so forth, you
know it's going to take place. That's all. Apply
it in confidence, believing it's going to help. When you talk to that
child, when you talk to your husband, talk to your wife, talk to this loved
one, believe that it's going to help, and stand there and say, "Lord, I've
claimed them; they're mine. I'm getting them for You, Lord."
49-5 The Token 63-0901M Apply it, create that atmosphere around you, that they'll just drop
right into it. See? Oh, you are--you are--if you've got the Token, you create a
spirit around you of power, that when you walk, people know that you're a
Christian. They love for you to say
something to them. They believe your word; what you say, they hold on to it.
See? That is it. Apply the Token; then walk with it. Claim
your household. You must do it now. This is evening time.
Malachi
3:16-18 Then those who feared the LORD talked with
each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written
in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. 17
“They will be mine,” says the LORD Almighty, “in the day when I make up my
treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his
son who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction
between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who
do not.
Awakening
Jesus 63-0117 And we
create our atmosphere around us, each one of us.... oh, wouldn't you have
loved to have been around Jesus just a little? Wonderful! See what that
atmosphere He created would have been. I imagine it was just one great big
bundle of Love, and Respects, and Godly Fear.
Identification
63-0123 that atmosphere they're in. And their character creates whatever they are,
makes them what they are.
Philippians
4:4-9 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and
again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at
hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every
thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made
known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall
keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever
things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things
are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think
on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and
heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Let us pray as our
brothers go to get the elements for the communion.