An Open Door Mindset - Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. Common sense. These are the byword of closed-door believers.

It's safe for me the question again this is I'm telling you this is not foggy is exactly what God wants.

Joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now again he shows us how God's word meets our Dr. Dwight Prof. of psychology at Stanford university has spent her academic life doing studies on what factors contribute to successful people. Much of her research.

She wrote in her best-selling book mindset. The new psychology of success in the book, she explores people's ability to navigate adversity and limitations in obstacles and failure in change and yet still be successful.

One study that she did she did with 10-year-olds, and when she did the study what she wanted to do was it was a math study and she gave them a test and in the task.

The context was that there would be increasingly difficult questions to the point that the children could not answer them. Most of the children that she tested became discouraged and depressed and angry but a few of the children she tested had a very different response. They were energized by the failure. One of the little boy said I just love the challenge of this kind of test.

A little girl said I was hoping this would be informative and it is she wrote a book she said at first I thought what is wrong with these kids and she said then and pitter. She said these kids didn't think they were failing. These kids thought they were learning her conclusion in which he writes as really the theme of a book is that human beings have two opposite mindsets about life. Once he calls the closed mindset into these people.

She said to them, life is full of fixed amount of gifts and talents and that you're worth depends on how talented or how gifted you are and your goal in life is to convince others that you got it. She says that's most people.

She said they try to manage life so that either they are successful, or at least they appear successful. She said what really is insightful to hers. How often she found interviewing teenagers and kids saying things like this. I didn't even study for the test nugget. Wonder what you mean.

I didn't even study for the test and she said that those kids say that because they have a close mindset.

In other words, if they get a really good grade.

Hey, I got a great grade.

I didn't even study for the test and what they do poorly on the test. Hey, I didn't even study for the test, you see some still very she said that's the way most people are, they either want to be successful and then make another successful ortho are not successful.

They have a building defense mechanism to tell you whether or not successful. She said but there's an another mindset and she said that mindset is what he calls the open mindset and she says the open mindset is marked by people who the most important thing in their life is growth and that growth is always possible and that they embrace challenge. She said they care very little about what other people think and she said they see failure as indispensable in their lives as they grow. Her conclusion is this. Most people are close mindset that I minority of people are open mindset. Both groups have successful people in them, but the open mindset.

People are much happier with far less emotional problems. I think there is a spiritual parallel to Dr. Carol Dweck's research her book and her conclusions.

I think that there are closed-door Christians and open door Christians and I hate to say but I would agree with her. Most Christians are closed-door. This begin by looking at the book of numbers numbers chapter 13 Israel has been delivered from Egypt.

Miraculously, by God, they are on their way to the promised land, and they find themselves right on the doorstep before they go when as you know, the famous story they send their spies in they want to take a look at this promised land. In verse 25 of chapter 13 of the book of numbers it says this it says when they returned from spying out the land at the end of 40 days. They proceeded to come to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the sons of Israel in the wilderness (I could – and they says they brought back word to them to all the congregation and show them the fruit of the land and thus they told him and said we went into the land where you sent us.

And it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit exactly the way God told Moses, it would be no notice.

These are those people delivered from Egypt and it's kind of interesting because if you think they have 400 years of slavery, and usually after 400 years of slavery, you don't really get the come free. Secondly, they are afraid, but they are freed by these plagues that hit Egypt they see all the plagues they see that the will of God, who serves the will of Pharaoh. They see that the Passover lamb protects their firstborn and not the Egyptians.

They see the Red Sea part.

They see the Egyptian army consumed by the Red Sea.

They see all of these great things, and now they get to the land God told Moses to tell them is flowing with milk and honey and guess what they see it's falling with milk and honey. In other words, it's extreme, worryingly prosperous. It's all good. At this stage, and then one word. Nevertheless, nevertheless it's not one word it's two words in Hebrew, off key, let's really an unusual word, very rare in the Old Testament, off key. The reason is so rare is that each word means the same thing. Each word means.

Surely, surely, surely, for emphasis shortly shortly. What the people who live in the land are strong. The cities are fortified and very large marble. We saw the descendents of Van Eck.

There while looks rough down to verse 31 but the men who had gone up with him said, we are not able to go up against the people there too strong for us closed-door people.

You see, I believe that most closed-door Christians are not controlled by faith.

There controlled by fear and that's exactly what you have here. Notice how we disguise it before closed-door believer to an opportunity that God gave us. You see, all exercising here is common sense prudence.

That's what were doing. I mean look at these guys.

These guys are huge. You see these chariots listen, I'm not taking anything away. Can the Canaanites by their just a speck compared to the Egyptians.

How did God do the Egyptians. Nevertheless, nevertheless, it's interesting same criteria same exact criteria. Verse 30 then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said we should by all means go up and take possession of it and we shall surely overcome it. What's the difference mindset tames an open-door mindset. Christian believer, the rest of them are closed-door mindset believers you see the whole idea is that God's given us opportunities open the door. He said for us to go, let's go God's going to give it to us. Notice no fear, just faith. Now I think about the story of David and Goliath you know you know the scene of divinity many times before, but life is taunting the armies of Israel, and he's 9'9" and he wants one guy to come out of their camp and fight with them and the winner take all.

And this young teenage boy goes and he's all excited about thinking is going to see a big battle and no battles taking place, except that every time Goliath would speak the armies of visitor which shaken and back away and away from it.

So he works his way across this large valley every day, taunting them, and so David finally gets there and he's now looking Donna, Goliath, and he's all excited and pretty much he's pretty much like was going to go and get this uncircumcised Philistine who gets to go get a number what his brother did Ellie have the older brother. He said there David. He said the were you doing here wanted to go back in 10 those few sheep you have an Indian numeric and standard he says I know your insolence yours adult is the Hebrew word, it means arrogance. I know you're such a cocky teenager see what's going on here was another thing about closed-door believers number they use some common sense but when you call them out though.

Use anger and sarcasm than like being called up.

Why don't you doing this ministry want you involved in this process.

Hey who are you to tell me what to do. You see, that's exactly what he does David remember David to look. It was just a question.

I'm sorry you know David doesn't really look, you're not my enemy my enemies down there and by the way David is an extremely open-door believer. He goes right through the door you know when that teenager did that. I think one of the things we never think about is that I'm sure everybody was pretty excited to see a 9'9" guy go down with a stone from a sling.

I'm sure that was pretty impressive but I wonder how many men there who have given her career to the military thought.

What was I doing at the shepherd boy.

He went straight down and faced any frame to perfectly who you taught the armies of the living God, you uncircumcised Philistine.

In other words, I could be me and it could've been all you had to do was go through the open door. You see, all you had to do was do it, but the close minded people they don't want to do that at all. You see, and it's not just about 10 spies in the land is not just about David's brother. It's about you and me. God opens doors for us to serve humans of all the time God opens a door and we choose hoarding instead of generosity gives you an opportunity opens a door and there is this is mine. God opens a door for a potential ministry and we say no. I think admitted to safety over ministry.

I mean, I don't want to do that. I don't want to go there even the smallest things we end up choosing silence instead of speaking the truth in love the people that need to hear the truth safe prudence, common sense, these are the byword of closed-door believers.

It's safe for me, the question of the day is this what we have to be to be an open-door believer because I'm telling you this is not foggy. This is exactly what God wants from us. I think for things. The first was found that a passage we looked at last week or implied Revelation chapter 3 let's look at that passage again, we look at it last week because we said it's the basis of all this idea of open doors and we talked about the myths of open doors last time we have a lot of myths about open-door Somoza time open-door slots have nothing to do with God as having to do with us. You see God please open the door that I get the right house. Please open the door, get the right job. Please open the door that I find the right spouse. Please open the door that I'm open those doors.

God, that's not exactly what God implies in Revelation 3 the church of Philadelphia verse seven he said into the angel of the church in Philadelphia right he was holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this in other words, God is sovereign when it comes open-door's fees and I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door, which no one can shut, because you have little power, and have kept my word and have not denied me my favorite phrase all that, by the way is God's is like I know you been papers. You know what you I do. The faithful believer. I open a door. I give you opportunities opportunities to serve me opportunities to glorify Megan open the door for you and he said one of the reasons I do that is you have little power seem that's great open-door Christians. No, I don't have any power. You see, I just have an opportunity and that's what God says so the first thing you need to do if you want to be in open-door believer is you need to be ready.

You need to be ready.

That may seem strange gods open doors all the time in all of our lives in a variety of different ways you need to be ready when God opens a door seat open doors always seem more perplexing than close doors should I should I do that, should I go there should be part of that Best Buy was giving some announcements.

What were those I think there were opportunities for ministry. One thing I should.

I try not to not send at safe like I want to get involved silly think this way is a mindset when you ask yourself the question, what am I getting into and we tell you the answer you will never know until you go through the door. Never God doesn't tell you that a member of one of the first open doors that were profound in my own life I just been saved. I was in my mid-20s and the pastor of the church that I was attending had Hodgkin's disease and he was going through chemo and I can remember on a Saturday called very sick and he just said Bill could you bring the message to the church tomorrow. I can imagine how I felt.

I didn't know anything you know. Secondly, I hated being in front of people and speaking so and I said yes now I want to think about this. What if he would've told me what if God would've told me Bill is an opportunity but I want to let you know exactly how this whole thing is going to play out for you okay with the first thing I want to tell you is you're going to speak in this church. And then you're going to speak and a lot of other churches speak all over the place and that all by the way, and then you're going to end up finding a church teaches the Bible and the pastor there is going to encourage you to go to seminary. So then Bill, you're going to have to go to night school so and I do all the other things you love there. We got a good night school and and and then that you know to go to seminary got to put a good job in an economy that's not very good and you have to go to Texas no one of my family remove 50 miles away from her.

All of us lived even go to Texas and then you had not had to make any money in Texas is them spend a lot of money in Texas to go through seminary receipt and and then after all of that, then you're going to get to go to New Orleans or mama tightly as I used to call it metonymy, Louisiana, and then you're going to give your life to those people. I will wind not been sick.

God never attempted, never ready God doesn't tell you they just said, here's an opportunity.

It's an open door you go and then let God be God. That's exactly what happened. Frederick Buettner says this he says God's coming is always unforeseen. If I had to guess the reason he does.

That is if he gave us anything much in the way of advance warning more often than not, we would've made herself scarce long before he showed up. The truth about being ready is that you're never really ready serving the Lord ministry is a lot like the first child, you have and you bring the child home know what seem like a perfectly easy environment. As long as the child was in the womb. All of a sudden now the child is in the room and when you're a first-time parent you know exactly how you feel you have to have a thought, I'm not ready for this. I'm just not ready now, second, third, fourth, it gets quite a bit easier. After that I no question but you see feeling ready is highly overrated. Very few people have ever felt ready to go through an open door told me to Exodus chapter 3 Exodus chapter 3. Speaking of the nation Israel. I want to speak of the great deliverer. One was a type of Christ. Moses, verse 11, God speaking to the burning bush tells Moses. I've opened the door for the doors open.

Moses I prepare you 80 years to do this. Moses First Response verse 11 but Moses said to God, whom I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt, you got the wrong man have a lack of identity whom I the answer is God's is whom I see once I pick it you think I made a mistake. That's the implication that's the way we make that implication off ministry opportunities come your way in your life and you say, whom I whom I to go and do that you exactly the person the Holy Spirit convicted that this is an open door at that moment of your closed-door mindset. You have to build your if you ever missed one of our broadcasting or maybe you dislike the method one more time. Remember the little great website called in one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online event website you will find on with today's broadcast so many of our previous audio programs as well at Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting a monthly fourth is the one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible church visit our website FVC Nola.org that FVC and LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastor Bill sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined servicers are looking for. You can search by title.

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