CHANGE
A.W. Tozer wrote the following in an essay entitled "Missing Jewel", which I was reading last night: "Why did Christ come? Why is He now at the right hand of the Father? The answer to these questions is, 'To make worshipers out of rebels; to restore us again to the place of worship we knew when we were created.'"
The phrase, "worshipers out of rebels" stood out dramatically to me. To Tozer, the center of the gospel is transformation. Christ did not come to give us 'get out of hell and into heaven free' passes. The argument that Tozer makes is that Christ came to transform sinful lives into divine ones. As I read these words, I was reminded of Troy's last message. Real Change. Change is so crucial. The proof that an individual is following Jesus is not whether or not they can recite the Apostle's Creed, or if they "don't smoke, don't chew, don't go with girls who do" (as my Grandpa was fond of saying). The real evidence that a man or woman is a disciple of Christ is this: are they being transformed? Are they growing? Does their life bear the mark of continual shaping and transformation? Sadly, in may cases the majority of people sitting in the pews at church do not reflect this central purpose of the Gospel.
We've got to move past mere mental assent of God's lordship. This is absolutely imperative. It is not a difficult thing to say, "I believe in God". Oh good. You share the same set of beliefs as a demon (James 2:19). That statement is not what it means to be a Christian. That statement is only the beginning of faith. Real faith takes that belief and says, "I am going to do everything in my power to give my life up to the God I beleive. I am going to walk as much like Christ as I can and depend on the redemptive power Jesus to do what I am powerless to do."
If the people who come to Journey Church services and Care Groups are the same people after a year (and after two years, and after five years) of coming to Journey, then everything that we've done is meaningless. If that happens, we've all missed the point. We must be a people characterized by transformation. If that is untrue in our lives, we need to question if we are really living God's will for our lives.
So the question that I want to ask is: honestly, how has God been transforming you lately? Is transformation occurring at all? If not, why? If so, what have been the reasons?
The phrase, "worshipers out of rebels" stood out dramatically to me. To Tozer, the center of the gospel is transformation. Christ did not come to give us 'get out of hell and into heaven free' passes. The argument that Tozer makes is that Christ came to transform sinful lives into divine ones. As I read these words, I was reminded of Troy's last message. Real Change. Change is so crucial. The proof that an individual is following Jesus is not whether or not they can recite the Apostle's Creed, or if they "don't smoke, don't chew, don't go with girls who do" (as my Grandpa was fond of saying). The real evidence that a man or woman is a disciple of Christ is this: are they being transformed? Are they growing? Does their life bear the mark of continual shaping and transformation? Sadly, in may cases the majority of people sitting in the pews at church do not reflect this central purpose of the Gospel.
We've got to move past mere mental assent of God's lordship. This is absolutely imperative. It is not a difficult thing to say, "I believe in God". Oh good. You share the same set of beliefs as a demon (James 2:19). That statement is not what it means to be a Christian. That statement is only the beginning of faith. Real faith takes that belief and says, "I am going to do everything in my power to give my life up to the God I beleive. I am going to walk as much like Christ as I can and depend on the redemptive power Jesus to do what I am powerless to do."
If the people who come to Journey Church services and Care Groups are the same people after a year (and after two years, and after five years) of coming to Journey, then everything that we've done is meaningless. If that happens, we've all missed the point. We must be a people characterized by transformation. If that is untrue in our lives, we need to question if we are really living God's will for our lives.
So the question that I want to ask is: honestly, how has God been transforming you lately? Is transformation occurring at all? If not, why? If so, what have been the reasons?
posted by Journey Church at 2:07 p.m.
5 Comments:
As always, good stuff, Christopher! I am blessed by your thoughtful but positive mind. Too often in contemporary spiritual dialogue, either critical thought or productive thought (or, heaven forbid, both!) are glaringly absent. You strike a beautiful balance that is a breath of fresh air.
Transformation is difficult for me because it requires so much humility to make the first step in transformation - to admit how far from the goal I really am. Strangely, I've never found scripture's admonition to "humble yourself in the sight of the Lord" very difficult to accept. My spiritual barrenness is not news to God, and He knows the place from which I am growing. But humbling myself before others in community, that's the hard part for me. To ask for prayer, accountability, and support from others means admitting just where I've been, and that can be pretty intimidating in a fallen world where people's reactions will not always come from the heart of God.
I guess what I'm saying is that for me, safe communities are pretty essential to anyone's transformation to the mind of God, but the safeness of any Christian community depends on the transforming of that community's collective mind by God to His will and heart. Is it possible that greater transformation is lacking in a lot of us because of this chicken-and-egg scenario?
Malcolm
At this point in my life I have a very strong sense of God helping me change. I'm sure that I'm not aware of all or even most of the areas that I am lacking change yet, but have felt courage and strength where there was none before,and when I put my faith in God, and when I follow that strength, whether it scares me or not, it always leads me to somewhere that I know God has led me to for a reason, and when I look back, I am always amazed at what God has accomplished in me so far, and that is one of the most comforting and humbling feelings I have ever had in my life.
Transformation. Such a daunting word. One that evokes great discord within me. A year or so ago, when pressed on the issue of transformation I would have told you that I am constantly in the state of transformation, constantly becoming more like Christ. He was my passion, my life, my love. It's strange how time dulls the passion and even the most earnest of hearts grows stale. And unfortunately it happens all too easily, pride creeps in, you begin to ignore the Spirit's conviction on your heart, you grow lazy and forget to pray or defiant and refuse and before you know it you have fallen out of love with the gospel and our Lord and at that point transformation almost seems a foreign word, strangely familiar and yet foreign nonetheless. I guess you could say that is where I have been at this year. I have only recently begin the hard work of submitting my stubborn heart to God allowing him to once again crucify my heart so that he can reform (or better yet transform) it into His image.
J-
I'm finding that, for me, sometimes transformation comes quite suddenly but more often it's a long, slow process that leaves me looking at my present state and saying, "huh, how'd I get here!?" Malcolm's right...it takes humility and, I'd like to add, surrender. It takes being willing to let go of the things that make us who we are, handing them over to the master crafter and letting him shape who we are and who we are becoming.
That's where I happen to have my own difficulty. Confession time: I'm a bit of a control, um, well, I like to have at least some control over my life. That's where I get in trouble since the two of us, God and I, can't be in control at the same time. Perhaps He's content "navigating"?! Nope. No dice. And so in a multitude of ways, He reminds me to let go, that He is faithful, that He knows what's best and that His plans are good. The transformation, for me, begins when I can begin the process of surrender all over again and allow Him to work the changes He longs to do in me.
I loved Troy's quote from Sunday morning: "There is nothing you can do to make God love you less but He loves you too much to leave you where you are." Love it!
This week, my personal challenge has been to take that with me into my life in community. We're all in different places in our Journey, at different levels of transformation and Christ-likeness but we're all going somewhere. If I can accept that God's not finished with me yet, I must accept the same for those around me. I'm working hard to give the people around me the grace and the room to be transformed...the encouragement and support they need from me to continue...the example of one who may be ahead and the respect of one who might be behind...and so we travel on together.
Great writing Chris!!! These past few weeks have been quit challenging with regards to the transformation God has been putting me through in no small part to the interaction and dialogues I have had with you, Rob, and the other "graduates" of this year.
Transformation and life in my past have been in most parts self practiced between me and God. It has always been hard for me to face "transformation" or change while relating it to others who are around me. Yes! I'm admiting it. I am a loner in most cases!
God has been speaking to me more though since the last Church Planting Summit with regards to the fact that "Transformation" is relational. It's not just something I can rely upon being between myself and God. It is also in the acceptence of dependence and transformation with those around me. My brothers and sisters and friends. As Malcolm wisely points out, we are on a journey of transforming to the will and mind set of God. How much greater is it that we can see his character, acceptance, and grace then in one another!!!
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