Transformation

I have always thought that if people would take time to review what they heard in the sermon and think about it during the week the church would be transformed. That is why I like to write in review what I learned and make applications to the things going on in my life. What is weird I thought was, what I wrote late on Saturday night could have been an introduction to the sermon, or at least an introduction to the sermon for me. The sermon spoke that much to me.

In his sermon my pastor Dave Jobe used the spiritual growth triangle to talk about transformation. In doing so he posed the question; which way are you headed? Either you are being transformed into the image of Christ or you are being molded by the world. He was referencing Romans 12:2.

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

There are three forces at work in us to produce Spiritual Growth. The first is the Holy Spirit, the second trials and temptations, our circumstances and the third the Disciplines that we intentionally do to produce Spiritual growth.

Philippians 2:12-16 says:
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.”

Transformation must take place in a hostile environment because the things of God are in opposition to the world. The world seeks to seduce us away and allure us into a mindset that we are independent of God.

I think this statement is what stuck out the most to me of all that was taught this Sunday. I came to the service after a week of struggling particularly over the process of determining where I needed to serve in the church.

The temptation when we are struggling in a hostile and difficult environment is to start faking it instead of being open about our struggle. When I blogged last week about what brought on the struggle over serving I was tempted to take it off my blog. I guess that would have been faking it. I decided not to. Then I worried about my struggle until I heard the sermon. When I heard the sermon I was glad I just got my thoughts out there because that is how spiritual growth takes place.

Since Sunday and the sermon, I have heard and read some other comments that have enabled me to be at peace about things that have occurred in my life the last few years. I understand that I have been transformed in the midst of trials and temptations. For that purpose God has allowed them. It is one thing to understand this and another to hurt, really hurt because of being accused of things I didn’t do, have things said about me that were lies, have people judge me based on gossip, to be shunned and then conclude: for the purpose of transformation God allowed these things. This is where it becomes very personal. Just this morning I had to pray and ask God to forgive people whose actions and judgments have made my life a struggle to get by financially.

Even in that, I can see God is teaching me to trust Him in ways I never have before. I know when I do move on to a better job I can say; “this is only something God could have done for me.”

Dave taught that in trusting God our goal isn’t to please God, He is already pleased with us, but the goal is to trust Him more. If we try to please God we become performance based. We need to discern His voice and obey. We need to trust His word.

When we learn to trust Him in all things we have unveiled faith, which is faith that is not faking it. In unveiled faith we find transformation.

2 Corinthians 4:16- 18
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”