CONNECTION, RELATIONSHIP, & FELLOWSHIP“AVOIDING SPIRITUAL APATHY”

Dr. Kenneth W. Jones, Pastor, Practical Living Ministry

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Why This Message?

So many people today have become apathetic to

the things of God and have lost their zeal in

serving Him

There are many people who are lost, ensnared by

the devil, sick, feeling desolate and there are

many Christians who don’t really care about these

people.

The two greatest dangers facing the body of

Christ today is Apathy and Apostasy. A person

who doesn’t value his/her relationship with God

really doesn’t mind being deceived

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We Are Encouraged Towards

Relationship

God Desires to be in Relationship with Us

John 14:21 - He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that

loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him,

and will manifest myself to him.

John 14:21 - The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one

who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My

Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him.

[I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]

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Questions

What Kind of Relationship Do

You Have With God?

What Kind of Relationship You

Have with Others?

Do You Feel that Both of These

Relationships Are Important?

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Assessment: Check Yourself

Do I pray daily and worship God?

Is prayer and study more of a chore than a

delight?

Do I go to the Bible for answers?

Do I find myself trusting God regarding my

health, finances, and overall well-being?

When I feel hurt and alone, who do I go to for

help?

Do I enjoy reading the Word of God and

increase my spiritual understanding?

Is studying the Bible just too much for me to

engage in daily?

Do I enjoy fellowshipping with other Believers?

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How Do We Maintain Relationship?6

“Jesus, I think we should see other people”

How does today’s Christian deal with

complacency, apathy, and lack of fire in

our godly relationships?

Our relationship with God is based on

love.

Spiritual Indifference occurs because

something has taken priority over God in

one's life.

Our once vibrant relationship with God

can be choked out by the cares of this

world and the deceitfulness of riches

(Matt. 13:22)

Relationship Killer: Apathy

Spiritual indifference or spiritual apathy is more than

just a lack of interest, energy or zeal

Spiritual apathy is the detrimental spiritual quality of

knowing what to do, or what is necessary, but being

unwilling to take the necessary steps in that direction

Three causes of Apathy are: Self-centeredness,

Worldly-mindedness and Ungratefulness.

The word "apathy" is interesting, from the Greek

apatheia which means without feeling. So apathy

means without feeling; no passion; without fervent

spirit

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How Bad Can It Get?

Apathy impacts your faith - Spiritual Apathy denies (consciously or not) that God is actively involved

in one’s life. It admits that nothing much will change – despite the presence of the powerful Spirit

operating in our lives.

Apathy steals your joy & zeal - It is allowing the feeling to become prominent in one’s mind and spirit

that there’s nothing much to get excited about nor a desire to really understand and pursue biblical

truth, a deeper relationship with God and others.

It’s a choice not to participate despite all that is available to you. Apathy even impacts your spiritual

understanding of God and His will and purpose for you.

Apathy affects your reverence for God - Spiritual apathy takes things for granted – even the gift of

life – and says, “Why bother?” Why bother worshiping? Why bother praying or reading God’s word?

Why bother having fellowship or giving?

Apathy opens you to spiritual attack - Satan loves apathy. We must stay alert to the temptations of

the old nature, the world, and the evil one. We must never lose the sense that God is always with us

and in us and they we must ever be connected to the Source.

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IT’s Only Me That Affected Right?

No. Spiritual Apathy produces passiveness,

complacency, and indifference that can affect

all relationships such as family, work

relationships, and church functions

Example: In the Book of Haggai, the people of

Israel became content and then they neglected

the rebuilding of the temple making all kinds of

excuses

Spiritual apathy has become the foundation for

“Consumer Christians” and “Seeker” Churches as

leaders try to draw people with little interest in

receiving all that God has for them

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Questions

When do you realize that Apathy is

settling into your life?

Can a person be delivered from

spiritual apathy or is it from the

associating spirits that attaches itself to

a person lacking in zeal and worship?

i.e. A person can be lulled into apathy through

deceptive spirits

Apathy is an issue of progressive “choices”

How do you recover from apathy,

indifference, and lack of joy and zeal?

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GOD

Apathy Can Set In

Many Christians are suffering from the problem of an apathetic attitude to

God’s priorities. What are God’s priorities?

Apathy is the greatest enemy of the church today. Many Christians lose

their enthusiasm and zeal for the Lord and His work.

How Does Apathy Set in?

Material prosperity. One reason why apathy sets in is because of material

affluence. As we become “comfortable” there can be a corresponding sag in the

spirit.

Trials and Setbacks. Apathy can set in when we face hard times.

Coasting or “Going Through the Motions” – In ministry and everyday life we

can become so caught up in the activity of ministry that we neglect the condition

of our own soul. We have less concern about our own spiritual life, and more

concerns about managing the world around us.

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Letting Apathy Set In

One cause of spiritual apathy is sin in the believer’s life.

Psalms 51:10-12:

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not

cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore

to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.

When David sinned, he felt separated from God, losing the joy of his

relationship with the Father God .

As he confessed his sin to God, David prayed for God to “renew a steadfast

spirit” within him (verse 10), and he had this request: “Restore to me the joy of

your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me” (verse 12).

A believer who feels spiritually apathetic should confess any known sin and ask

for God’s cleansing and renewal.

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Letting Apathy Set In

Allowing tradition, rituals, and orthodoxy to set in robbing us of our

joy in fellowship with God and others

Isaiah 29:13 - Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw

near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have

removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the

precept of men:

Is taught by the precept of men - That is, their views, instead of having

been derived from the Scriptures, were drawn from the doctrines of

mankind.

The people of Jerusalem had no fear of God in themselves; it had to be

commanded by others. Their hearts did not respond to God, but only to

men. Eventually, this type of worship runs out.

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Letting Apathy Set In

Failure to properly feed and exercise our spirit man

2 Corinthians 4:16 - Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly

spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear). Though our outer man

is [progressively] decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being

[progressively] renewed day after day.

Ephesians 3:16 - May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory

to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by

the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality].

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Letting Apathy Slip In

Getting too “Comfortable” with the knowledge

you believe you know

Hebrews 2:1 - SINCE ALL this is true, we ought to

pay much closer attention than ever to the truths

that we have heard, lest in any way we drift past

[them] and slip away.

To the things which we have heard. - Whether

directly from the Lord Jesus, or from his apostles.

We should let them slip. - Margin, “Run out as

leaking vessels.”

Sometimes, We may not feel that spiritual and

biblical truths revealed are important - and

before their importance is felt, they may be

beyond our reach, slipping from our thoughts and

spirit

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We are to “Pour Out”

to Others . Not leak out

til we are empty

People Are Becoming Disconnected

from the Message16

God’s Will For Us

God desires for us to be zealous for Him

Zeal is an enthusiastic and diligent pursuit of God and His will. We

should be so excited and thrilled to be children of God, that we crave

and desire to fervently serve Him every day of our lives.

Romans 12:11 - Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow

and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord.

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God’s Love For Us

Lamentations 3:22-24:

The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

24 "The Lord is my portion," says my soul

Amplified Version:

It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed,

because His [tender] compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; great

and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness. 24 The Lord is my portion or

share, says my living being (my inner self); therefore will I hope in Him and wait

expectantly for Him.

We need to renew our love relationship with God as He does with us each

morning, each new day. His love truly sustains us.

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Scripture

Haggai 1: 3-5

Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 Is it time for

you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house [of the Lord]

lies in ruins? 5 Now therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways

and set your mind on what has come to you.

It is time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses: The people said

that it wasn’t time to rebuild the temple, but their actions said that it was time to live

in nicely rebuilt houses.

They were content to let the cause of the Lord suffer at the expense of their

comfort. We see this in the church today

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Question20

DOES THIS SOUND LIKE YOU?

I GO TO CHURCH; THE PASTOR

PREACHES; I GO HOME.

THAT'S WHAT CHRISTIANITY IS TO ME

NOW.

IT’S TOO MUCH TO LIVE OUT THIS LIFE!

IF SO, PERHAPS YOU HAVE A PROBLEM

WITH APATHY.

Ways To Sustain a Zealous Relationship

With the Lord

Stay fervent in prayer and worship(James 5:16)

Psalms 27:4 - Seek God as if He is your entire need

Psalms 37:4 - Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires

and secret petitions of your heart.

Release the World- You cannot cheat on God with the World and expect to

be totally committed. (1st John 2:15)

You have to believe that you re connecting with the Father (Hebrews 11:6)

Your faith is connected to your zeal

Don't make the relationship too complicated with religious activities and

inflexible rituals

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Guard Against Apathy

Don’t lose faith that what you do for the kingdom matters

1 Corinthians 15:58 - Therefore, my beloved brethren, be firm (steadfast),

immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord [always being superior,

excelling, doing more than enough in the service of the Lord], knowing and being

continually aware that your labor in the Lord is not futile [it is never wasted or to

no purpose].

Ensure what you do is unto the Lord and not just to please

others

Colossians 3:23 - And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not

unto men;

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Leaving Your First Love

Revelation 2:4 - `But I have this against you, that you have left

your first love.

The distinction between leaving and losing is important. Something can be

lost quite by accident, but leaving is a deliberate act, though it may not

happen suddenly. As well, when we lose something we don't know where to

find it; but when we leave something, we know where to find it (Guzik’s

Commentary).

The Church at Ephesus had a lot going on and God was pleased with some

of the things they did. God knew their works and that they didn’t tolerate

evil along with how they persevered under tough trials.

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Church of Ephesus – Leaving First Love

The problem was serious. Without love, all is

vain. No wonder Jesus said, "Nevertheless I

have this against you.“

The Ephesian church was a working church –

Our works should never replace our true

worship of the Father God (John 4:24; Ps 27:4)

The Ephesian church was a doctrinally pure

church - Sometimes a focus on doctrinal purity

and rituals can make a congregation cold,

suspicious, and settled in religious pride.

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God’s Warning to Ephesus

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works,

or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place;

unless you repent. (Rev 2:5)

The biggest causes of Apathy is Forgetfulness.

When the Prodigal Son was in the pigpen, the first step in restoration was

remembering what life was like back in his father's home (Luke 16:17-19).

This is always the first step in getting back to where we should be with the

Lord.

Remember to Repent is not a command to feel sorry, but to change your

direction, your mind and to go a different way. It is an "urgent appeal for

instant change of attitude and conduct.

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Remember Your First Works

What are the first works?

Remember how you used to spend time in His Word?

Remember how you used to pray & worship?

Remember the joy in getting together with other

Christians?

Remember how excited you were about telling others

about Jesus?

Satan does a masterful job in creating a sense of

general dissatisfaction with these first works that

Christians will run after almost every new, strange

method or program for growth and stability in an

effort to “stimulate” their faith or Christian walk

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Renew, Recharge, Fellowship

The Christian needs to Renew; that is, he must cultivate a renewed

commitment to the Lord—not just serving the Lord, but knowing Him,

praising Him, and fellowshipping with Him.

Recharge – Build upon your faith and stay with a sense of fervency and

zeal

Jude 1:20 - But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the

Holy Spirit,

Romans 12:11 - not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

Ensure that it is zeal according to knowledge (READ Romans 10:1-3)

Fellowship - You must interact and serve with other Christians

Hebrews 10:25 - not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but

encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Not only should you be encouraged in fellowship, but you encourage others through your

participation

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Avoiding Spiritual Apathy

Prayer:

Lord, please forgive me for allowing my selfish priorities, sin, selfishness,

complacency, and indifference hinder my relationship with you robbing me of

the joy of my salvation.

I repent for participating in activities leading to apathy and indifference and

pray that my heart, my spirit be renewed daily so that I may serve you in

newness of spirit and with a burning, fervent, zeal.

I renounce the hidden works of darkness that has robbed me of my joy and

strength and I cast down imaginations and reject the words of the enemy

regarding my relationship with God and what truly matters in my spiritual

walk.

Lord, let your zeal consume me and stir me to righteous works.

In Jesus’ Name.

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Practical Living Ministry

Practical Living Ministry exists to assist individuals, groups, and

organizations to operate to their full God-given ability by sharing life

changing principles for spiritual growth and development.

If this message touched you, please let me hear from you.

If you would like to encourage us financially to keep sharing these

kind of messages, please go to our donation section on our website

at www.practicallivingministry.org

If you would like to contact Dr. Jones for a speaking engagement at your

church or event concerning biblical leadership, mentoring, and Christian

culture. Please contact Pastor Kenneth Jones at

kenjones@practicallivingministry.org

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