Spirit of Excellence
For you and I to be the best Christian witness, and to have the very best from God, we need to have a Spirit of Excellence. It doesn’t matter where it is; we need to operate in excellence.
I. God expects our excellence, whether it’s in our job, our life style, in our service to the Lord, or in ministry.
A. We’re going to be touching on all of these areas, but 1 of the main areas that we’re going to be on is Excellence in Ministry.
1. We’ve all been given a ministry from the Lord.
a) That ministry might be a nursery worker, Part of the music team, children’s worker, cleaning the church, a greeter, an usher, a prayer leader or a prayer warrior, ministry of reconciliation, a pulpit ministry, or Fellowship coordinator.
b) Wherever we are, God expects excellence, our very best.
i) Sometimes CHRISTIANS LACK EXCELLENCE when it comes to service to the Lord.
B. As a Christian, we expect excellence from our heavenly Father.
1. We just can’t picture God as being a failure in any area.
a) We expect perfection from Him.
2. Not only do we expect the very best from God, but He has also set the standard of excellence for us.
3. MATT 5:48
a) When he says, “Be ye therefore perfect,” the word “Perfect” means, “to carry through completely, to accomplish, finish, bring to an end.”
b) Listen to the AMP “You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
c) A definition of “INTEGRITY” is “the quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles or professional standards.”
i) This is what God says should be part of our character.
d) Along with these characteristics, come the quality of being a man or woman of our word.
i) Christians above all other should be people of their word.
ii) If we say that we’re going to do something, then we should keep our word and do it.
4. But all of the things that we just mentioned are part of God’s character.
a) The last part of that V says, “Even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
i) The word “Perfect” is the same Greek word.
ii) God doesn’t just do a job ½ way, He brings it to completion.
C. Turn to EPH 4:1.
1. Eph 4:1-3 (AMP) “I THEREFORE, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to and beg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the [divine] calling to which you have been called [with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God’s service, (God has placed you in your job and ministry position.
Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, (Notice the qualities that come with a Spirit of Excellence) bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another.
Be eager and strive earnestly to guard and keep the harmony and oneness of [and produced by] the Spirit in the binding power of peace.”
2. Paul says that we are to walk worthy of the Vocation or the calling that we have been called to.
a) The word “Worthy” in this V means, “Suitable or Good, Properly, It has to do with, “an act that “deserves” praise or punishment, it also means “equivalent or of equal weight”.”
b) We are to fulfill the call that we have in a good and suitable way.
i) In other words, we are to do a good job in the things that God has called us to.
ii) It doesn’t matter if you know that the thing that you’re doing now for the Lord is just temporary or not. Regardless, we need to give our best to the Lord.
3. This same principle is true in the work place.
a) As you are a Christian, the enemy will try to stop you wherever he can.
i) (REV 12:10) refers to Satan as the ACCUSER of the BREATHERN.
ii) So, we need to maintain that same Spirit of Excellence even in the work place so that Satan cannot get a foothold.
iii) But not only that, the world is looking at you and they will magnify any problem area that they see.\
4. ISA 54:17 (no weapon)
a) The AMP adds so much to this veres. “But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.”[1]
II.For us to have EXCELLENCE in our life we’re confronted with 2 responsibilities.
A. 1st to MAINTAIN EXCELLENCE in all that we do.
B. 2nd to DEAL With SATAN.
1. What Satan is concerned with is a Christian who is walking with God.
a) This is the person that is going to effectively use the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.
b) This is the person that Satan wants to stop.
i) HOW?
III. Through deception
IV.
1. But that’s nothing to fear. All the powers of darkness are not powerful enough to stop us.
a) 2COR 10:4
i) The word “MIGHTY” here means “To excel above, or having power for something.”
ii) Amp says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds.”[2]
iii) The weapons that God has given us are more powerful than the enemies. That means, through God, we can pull down the enemy’s strongholds.
b) (1JOHN 4:4) tells us that the greater 1 lives in you.
2. However, we do have to guard against the FLESH, Heb 6:12 (Not lazy)
a) (Mark 14:38) Says, “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”
b) We need to become more spirit conscious. The only way we do that is by doing thing that are of the Spirit.
i) Jesus said in John 6:63 that ‘my words or Spirit and life.’
ii) Worship has a spiritual quality to it. Jesus said in JOHN 4:24 “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”[3]
iii) Prayer has spiritual to it, especially when we are praying in the spirit.
(a) Jude 20 says, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,[4]
(b) And there are many others. God is a spirit, but God is also love.
iv)Being “WILLING AND OBEDIENT” to God is another way of flowing with the voice of the Spirit.
v) If God has placed you in this church, he has done it for a reason.
(a) To learn, to grow, to do, to help out, to hook up with the vision.
(b) Dying to your seed 1COR 15:36
B. In order for us to walk in that Spirit of Excellence, we are going to have to deal with the enemy.
1. Example, Suppose you have a ministry, (Pulpit or ministry of helps) or in your job, and Satan puts something on you, like the spirit of slumber.
a) You can’t do you job with excellence. It’s the same thing if Satan puts a sickness on you. (Or sin)
i) We need to deal with him (Satan) so that we can walk in excellence in all that we do.
V. In order for us to obtain excellence and walk in it, there are some steps that we need to take, things that we need to do. 1st we need DEDICATION.
A. DEDICATION is a quality decision. (once again, the flesh is weak)
1. What I mean by “Quality Decision” is that you have to decide that there is no turning back.
a) Dedication and a decision to do something, does not change because of feelings or emotions.
i) Feelings and emotions are the greatest area of attack from the enemy.
ii) The battle ground is in the soulish realm.
b) Sometimes we let people change our dedication and commitment to what God has given us through emotions.
i) (Cor 5:7) tells us that we are to walk by faith and not by sight.
ii) But again, it doesn’t matter what man, woman, feelings, or emotions tell us, we should keep our word and the decision we made to be dedicated.
iii) But what’s even more important than that is that we should continue to do what God has give us to do.
iv)Never make a decision about something when you are going through an emotional situation.
(a) You might have to wait 6 months before making a decision.
(b) Ask for counsel.
2. Look at Heb 13:17. This is one of the most violated verses in the Word of God.
a) The AMP say, “Obey your spiritual leaders and submit to them [continually recognizing their authority over you], for they are constantly keeping watch over your souls and guarding your spiritual welfare, as men who will have to render an account [of their trust]. [Do your part to] let them do this with gladness and not with sighing and groaning, for that would not be profitable to you [either].” [5]
b) The Wuest Translation says, “Keep constantly obeying your rulers, and constantly be submitting to them; for they themselves are constantly keeping watch over your souls, knowing that they are to give account, that they may do this with joy, not with lamentation, for this would be profitless to you.”[6]
c)
3. There are going to be different times in our life when we’re faced with commitment.
a) How you handle that commitment can change the whole course of your life.
i) 1 example is Judas, another is the servants of the master who was going to be gone for some time and gave each of the servants a some of money. 2 of the servants doubled the money that was given them. That takes commitment.
ii) When that master returned, they entered into the joy of the Lord.
4. Sometimes people are so afraid of commitment that they decide they won’t make a commitment to anything.
a) Sometimes we don’t have a choice.
i) It’s like the airplane pilot who has his engines quit on him. He’s already committed to going down.
ii) How he handles that commitment is so important.
b) Sometimes the Lord says, “I am calling you to do this for me.”
i) Now you’re confronted with commitment, “Will I commit and walk in the spirit of excellence or will I fail in what the Lord wants me to do.”
B. Turn to ROM 11:29 (Gifts and Callings)
1. When God calls us to do something, He will give us the ability and the equipment to do it.
C. In order for us to walk in excellence, we said that it takes Dedication.
1. We need to Dedicate and Devote Ourselves to Pleasing God.
a) True excellence is only going to be accomplished if we’re pleasing our heavenly Father.
b) HEB 11:6
2. God wants us to walk in excellence so that people will come to the Lord and so that you will receive the very best from Him.
Spirit of Excellence.doc
WOLCC Sun Am 4/21/96 & WOLCC Sunday, March 03, 2002 & WOLCC Sunday 8/22/04
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[1]The Amplified Bible, Containing the Amplified Old Testament and the Amplified New Testament., Is 54:17. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1987.
[2]The Amplified Bible, Containing the Amplified Old Testament and the Amplified New Testament., 2 Co 10:4. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1987.
[3]The New King James Version, Jn 4:24. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996, c1982.
[4]The New King James Version, Jud 20. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996, c1982.
[5]The Amplified Bible, Containing the Amplified Old Testament and the Amplified New Testament., Heb 13:17. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1987.
[6]Wuest, Kenneth S. The New Testament : An Expanded Translation. First Published in 3 Vols., 1956-59, Under Title: Expanded Translation of the Greek New Testament., Heb 13:15. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997, c1961.