Philippians 2:5-7 KJV “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”
The emphasis in this scripture read is that Jesus had a mindset, he had a pattern, an attitude. The way Jesus lived is a pattern for a believer. The mindset, pattern and attitude of Christ should be our motivation, we should emulate it. Believers are expected to pattern their lives after the lifestyle of Christ.
The focus of this message is for us to look at what was the mindset or attitude of Christ to his father’s business and by extension the pattern of Christ concerning fervency. To see how fervent Jesus was.
John 4: 1- 10
This passage was trying to show us how Jesus’s church was getting fuller and bigger and the scriptures reveal to us that he had a need to go through Samaria. He left a thriving church, a growing ministry and moved. There is a sense of necessity and a sense of urgency. These two factors are paramount. When you see a man that is fervent, be rest assured that he is operating with these 2 factors. There is a need to minister to the needs of the saint.
My aim with this teaching is for us to see an attitude in Jesus that we can emulate. Jesus was hungry and before food was brought to him, a woman showed up. The man that was hungry, worn out, exhausted, who was waiting for food to eat, suddenly gained life. Something on his inside rose the moment the woman showed up. Strength, energy and zeal came. It’s a function of not slothful in business, fervent in the spirit, serving the Lord. Jesus had a mindset of not being slothful in business regardless of his state. In the midst of the situation there was a need to minister to the need of the saints.
Regardless of what Jesus was going through, he had a mindset of not being slothful and being fervent. You must come to a resolution to remain fervent in God’s business regardless of your present situation. Some people have genuine reasons not to serve God.
Let Jesus’s mindset, attitude, and pattern be our motivation. The pattern we are considering is Jesus’s pattern of fervency. Jesus’s humanity was documented in the Bible, how he wept, times where he was tired, so that we can relate with what he went through.
As humans you can be overwhelmed, get tired. We have a tendency to get weak and tired, but learning from Jesus, even though he got tired at a point he still looked on his father business to still keep serving the Lord. Jesus will not have an excuse for not serving God even at the peak of his exhaustion. He will not allow weariness nor tiredness to be a hindrance for him not to serve the Lord. He remained constantly fervent, diligent, focused on the assignment of the father. It’s an attitude. Once the attitude is there, strength comes for you to be in active service.
There are times we will be very tired, and we need to show up in church. We would see our spirit comes alive and active because of our mindset of being available. When the woman showed, she met Him in that state. Nothing perhaps have changed. Jesus only had a mindset. That is the attitude of boy scout – always ready. This is an attitude of fervency. He was fervent in the Spirit.
Serving the Lord means constantly in the service of Lord, the master. The weakness disappeared when He was talking to the woman by the well. The conversation was gradual. The conversation started gently. The more she engaged the woman, strength was coming. He was getting revived. He started talking. When the disciples saw the energy He spoke with as He was preaching, teaching and prophesying while with the woman. They begged Him to eat. The disciples thought someone has brought Him food.
It is a mindset. If you claim you are tired and you need to sleep you will sleep. If you claim you are tired and have a mindset that you needed to go you will go. In the process God strengthens you. You get the strength of God. The mindset is the scorecard. Mindset is everything and it is critical about life. At times we do not feel like coming to church to learn God’s word, however, we still find ourselves there. That’s an attitude and mindset. So it starts from the mind that we should show up in church. Jesus told His disciples that there is a food that they know nothing about.
John 4:30-34 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work (KJV).
This shows that a person must not be found missing an opportunity. Missing that woman by the well is missing a whole city and that is loss in the Father’s business.
When the woman showed up in spite that Jesus was tired and preached to her. Humanly speaking, the attention we give to one person while talking will be different from when talking to twenty people. The energy and the effort we put in is different. Jesus knew that whether one person or twenty persons is involved it is still the Father’s business. One is not less. It is not of lesser importance. That is He was able to recognize this pattern and mindset of what the Father wants to accomplish through speaking to the woman.
The woman was a gateway. Laying hold on that woman is laying hold on the whole city. If Jesus needed to go through house by house that will take him a lot of time.
However, He was able to recognize that, that’s the mindset of the Father. The situation that looks as if it does not carry so much importance is a test for us. This lies whether we will pass it or fail it. Jesus passed the test. He left the crowd. He came to sit with a woman by the well. He gave her attention and paid so much attention to her life.
He spoke to her deeply and intently. He allowed all the grace showed up – apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. Sometimes, during our tired times we can hinder the flow of grace. Our willingness can shut down the flow of the grace that we carry. Sometimes we do not want to give the full expression of God’s grace – this is an attitude.
The mind in Christ is that every soul counts. Whether you are tired or not, we must remain focused on the Father’s business. The attitude is that whatever it takes we will be found serving the Lord and not be found slothful in service.
This singular attitude/mindset of his made the woman leave her jar and ran into the city to call everyone to see Jesus. Prior to the time Jesus had spoken to her, the woman was well known and the by the virtue of who she was they knew something must have happened to her.
When she told the whole city they should come and see, it connotes that she was literally telling them that she had seen Jesus that changed her life and gave her encounter. They left their houses. They ran to Jesus. When they came and saw Jesus, they begged Him to stayed with them. Jesus had to stay with them for about three days teaching them about the kingdom. He kept teaching them for three days. There was no record according to John’s gospel where He ate the food.
From the point of encounter with the woman He went straight teaching them for three days. He taught to a point the people after those days said they believe what by what they have heard and seen themselves and not only by what the woman said.
They started listening to Jesus based on what the woman said. They believed on Jesus by the reason of what Jesus taught them. There was a progression of their faith. This is a pattern of fervency, from being tired to actively teaching a woman and then a whole city for three days.
John 4:39-40 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days (KJV).
In the life of Jesus we see an example of one who was physically tired and he moved on having an attitude, let’s call it a passion for the father’s business. He was not slothful, he was fervent in the spirit serving the Lord.
He was able to scale through all of that that we couldn’t trace weariness.
His disciples were caught off guard when they returned to see him actively teaching a woman. It all boils down to the mindset we have around our down times.
With a healthy mindset we would always receive strength to be fervent serving the Lord.
He was strengthened and empowered regardless of his physical experience. To remain fervent forever it takes a mindset like that of Christ., reasons being that fervency is a mindset in itself.
He was carrying out the father’s business in the day then at night he engaged the father in the place of prayer.
He was always about the father’s business. Through childhood till his crucifixion we saw patterns of him giving in to all that mattered to the father.
John 2:17, Psalm 69:9
The disciples saw his passion and remembered the scriptures that said the zeal of the house of God has eaten him up.
While you think you serve God with your heart and he knows you and see your heart, that isn’t enough, your fervency can only be perceived by men. Our last service addressed the KPIs of a fervent man. Let the brethren speak of your fervency like that of Epaphras. Let your fervency be known to all and take cue if Jesus’ pattern of fervency.