Our Lords Beatitudes

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Our Lords Beatitudes

• What does our Lords Beatitudes mean for
  Christian care-givers?

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Matthew 5 3-11
Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven Blessed are those who mourn for
they shall be comforted Blessed are the meek for
they shall inherit the earth Blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for righteousness for
they shall be filled Blessed are the merciful for
they shall obtain mercy Blessed are the pure in
heart for they shall see God Blessed are the
peacemakers for they shall be called sons of
God Blessed are those who are persecuted for
righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven
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What are the Beatitudes?

• Jesus Answer to the Question
• How does one transform a society?

Applied to our situation How to transform
healthcare the Jesus way
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Some presuppositions of Jesus

• Society is a matrix of relationship networks
• Transform society by transforming a significant
  number of persons in each relationship network
• These transformed people will influence every
  network they are part of
• Jesus wants us to transform healthcare in this
  way too
• Character-based transformation is the Jesus way
  to influence our societies

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Blessed makarioi

• Root words me (not) ker (death / fate) ? not
  enslaved by death or fate
• Two-fold meaning
• The profound eschatological religious joy of the
  citizens of the kingdom of God that transcends
  even adverse circumstances
• A person whom God pronounces to be
• Singularly favoured
• Graciously approved
• Liberated heir of Gods abundant life

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Christian care-givers 8 characteristics of
those being transformed

• Poor in spirit
• Mourn
• Meek
• Hunger and thirst for righteousness
• Merciful
• Pure in heart
• Peacemaker
• Persecuted for righteousness sake

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Christian care-giver Poor in spirit

• Having the courage to acknowledge spiritual
  bankruptcy P A B
• I am unable to save myself
• Unable to buy my salvation
• Unable to merit my salvation
• Jesus Christ is the Only One who can save me.
  Therefore
• I repent and accept His rule over my life
• I participate in the life of the kingdom

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Repentance

• Self-deliverance
• Self-help psychology / psychiatry
• Christ-less personal growth and development
  models and practices
• Cross-less spirituality
• Rebellion
• Not accepting Gods ethical rules
• Relativism
• Rejecting Gods truth
• Evolutionary thinking
• Philosophies of man

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Christian care-givers mourn

• Grieving because of
• the power and presence of sin
• and its consequences in a broken world
• Own sin
• Personal sin of others
• Institutionalized sin in health field

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Christian care-givers are meek

• M T B
• Meekness Tenderness Benevolence
• Meekness Using the minimum power needed to
  bring justice in relationships
• ? The Christian care-giver makes appropriate use
  of power in relationships
• Adapt of power to the person(s) you deal with
• Up to 100 power, but only when needed
• ? Healthcare is ethically determined

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Repentance

• Lack of tenderness
• Insensitivity
• Hard-heartedness
• Roughness
• Lack of benevolence
• Selfishness
• Injustice
• Money matters more than ethics

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Christian care-givers Hunger and Thirst for
righteousness

• H T Intense desire
• Tri-dimensional Righteousness
• Righteousness imputed by Christ
• Lifestyle righteousness proper attitudes and
  behaviour ? Christ-likeness (WWJD)
• Justice in healthcare in the broadest sense
• 123 INTEGRITY

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Repentance

• Sinful lusts and desires
• Gluttony
• Avarice
• Immorality
• Injustice
• Cost of healthcare equipment, medication
• Structural
• Institutional

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Christian care-givers are Merciful

• M F C
• F expensive Forgiveness for the guilty
• Guilt Legal, Personal, Social, Theological
• C Compassion ? controlled identification with
  the suffering of others leading to enabling
  action within the framework set by God

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Repentance

• Bitterness
• Unresolved conflicts
• Lack of compassion
• Empty promises

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Christian care-givers are Pure in heart

• P C H
• C Cleansed from sin and evil ? sin truly
  repented of, cleansed by Jesus blood
• H Holiness with three aspects
• Set apart for God
• Used for Gods purposes
• Transformation towards Christ-likeness

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Repentance

• Lack of purity / holiness
• Spiritual Occult diagnosis / therapy? Occult
  bondage?
• Doctrinal False doctrine of salvation?
  Unbiblical view of man?
• Ethical Pro-Lifer? Hippocratic ethics,
  pluralistic relativist?
• Sexual Do those of the opposite sex in your
  workplace see you as a pure person? Covenant with
  your eyes, like Job? Immorality? Pornography?
• Professional Integrating faith and science under
  the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Evidence-based
  medicine? Outdated anatomy? Casuistic proof of
  effectiveness? Reductionistic regular medicine?
  Semi-scientific New Age medicine?

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Christian care-givers are peacemakers

• Make Peace Bringing Gods shalom into
  situations where it is absent
• Peacemakers - what do they do?
• Handle conflicts
• Solve problems
• Deal with hindrances
• Strive for reconciliation

? Conflicts will come
? Problems will come
? Hindrances will come
? Enmity will come
Praise God anyhow!
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Repentance

• Not making peace / not bringing shalom into the
  workplace
• Gossip, slander, malicious talk
• Cowardice
• Not handling conflicts
• Laziness
• Not solving problems, procrastination

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Christian care-givers are persecuted for the sake
of justice

• A crooked and perverse generation hates justice
  and will seek to destroy it
• That is why Christ Jesus and His followers have
  been persecuted throughout the history of
  Christianity
• We will be no exception. It is part of the
  package deal of being disciple of Christ
• Chocolate soldiers melt when the heat is turned on

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Repentance

• Fearfulness
• Of the consequences if we take a stand
• Lack of ethical backbone
• Not speaking up for the weak

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Our harvest of blessings

• The kingdom of heaven (2x)
• Comforted
• Inherit the earth
• Filled with righteousness
• Obtain mercy
• See God
• Called sons of God

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Our deepest needs are met

• Gods kingdom ? True Security
• Comfort ? True Hope for life
• Inherit the earth ? True Riches
• Filled with R ? True Well-being
• Mercy ? Real Space to live in
• See God ? Truly Inspiring Relationship
• Gods sons ? Truly belonging

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Character test How are you doing, my dear
colleague?

• Poor in spirit?
• Mourn?
• Meek?
• Hunger and thirst for righteousness?
• Merciful?
• Pure in heart?
• Peacemaker?
• Persecuted for righteousness sake?

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Go in Shalom my singularly favoured and
graciously approved colleagues!