Keeping the Change …

Do you remember back in the day—I’m talking about junior-high school—when you went to the skating rink? Did anyone go roller skating? “Couples only, couples only.” Does that bring back memories? … be it some Good and some Bad!

How about this? “You put your right foot in, put your right foot out, put your right foot in and shake it all about. You do the hokey-pokey, and you turn yourself around. That’s what it’s all about.” — The Hokey-Pokey. How much fun was that? Anyway it seems today if we’re not careful that’s how some of us live our faith. You see, if we are not careful we can become Hokey-Pokey Christians. We put our right foot in … and then out … and we think that’s what it’s all about —- we’re dancing all around Transformational Change. We have become satisfied with superficial change and not supernatural change that can only happen as we discovered last week — I CAN’T … HE CAN!

This Sunday we’ll conclude our study together of Ephesians 3:14-21 by going to Romans 12:1-2. Every Sunday we have concluded our time together by reading this great passage. Let’s look at it again: “Therefore brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” We’ll journey together verse-by-verse and word-by-word discovering together how God can and will produce transformational change in our lives as we seek Him with all of our heart.

In May we will begin a new message series entitled: iLead … stepping up to the legacy of others. Throughout the scriptures we find those whom God has led to leave in order for others to step up to the plate of leadership. Moses left and Joshua stepped up … Paul left and Timothy stepped up … Jesus left and the Disciples stepped up. Have you stepped up to follow the legacy that others have left behind? It’s a call on every believers life … consider during May how you may Step Up and discover you place of leadership in His Kingdom.

Ever Mind – Transformational Change

I received an email this week concerning a book written by Findley Edge called “A Quest for Vitality in Religion”.  Findley brings out some great points when it comes to considering Transformational Change.  Findlely writes:

“Teaching focused on Knowledge and Truth tends toward an Inadequate View of what it means to be a Christian:

First, many people tend to view Christianity in terms of an institutional relationship and institutional loyalty. Too often when church members do become concerned about their “service” to God, “they are likely to burden themselves with ‘church work’ instead of ‘the work of the church,’ being exhausted by activities within the congregation instead of being witnesses as Christians in their daily work.” Sometimes the church itself and we who have promoted the program of the church have contributed to this self-deception on the part of members. Our promotion of the church program is filled with efforts to get people to come to church and attend the meetings.

Second, view is the tendency for church members to identify the demands of the Christian life with living up to the accepted social standards of our day. We recognize that the Christian life should not be equated with the currently accepted social morals; but because the manner of expressing the Christian ideal is difficult to find, and because expressing it in life is even more difficult, we content ourselves with living up to the present social standards.

Third, for many people Christianity is viewed primarily in terms of a negative ethic. One is known in his Christian life by the things he does not do. The basic fallacy in our thinking at this point is our tendency to identify “not being bad” with “being good.” It must now be said that the primary task of Christianity is not simply to make people “good”; its task is to make people Christian. As a matter of fact, of all the more fundamental objectives of the Christian life, “being good” is by far the simplest and easiest to attain.

Fourth, view concerning becoming a person of high moral character is the same as being Christian. An essential part of the Christian life is high morality, but morality is not all that is involved in the Christian life.  The church errs when it comes to feel that leading people to live good, clean, moral lives is its ultimate task.”

There are many subsitutes for the true gospel in todays age.  Let me encourage you today to be EVER MINDFUL, to consider that the true gospel brings true repentance, and true repentance brings true salvation, and true salvation brings transformational change.  Do not fall for the subsitute of man made change … give your life to transformational change that is only found in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Taking Hold of Transformational Change

 

We’re dealing with TRANSFORMATION .. Deep Changes [in the inner man that became alive in Christ] that God is longing to execute in our lives, in order for us to be complete and lacking in nothing … He is longing for Transformational Change!!! BUT, all of us are holding on to something(s) in our lives that need to be changed ….

• Anger – your out of control … you’re explosive.

• Bitter Spirit – you’re just down on life and people.

• Flirtatious Sprit or you’re involved in an Adulterous Affair – you are taking a God given desire and fulfilling it in an un-Godly way!! — and it is killing you!!

• Alcohol or Drug Addiction – you continue to turn to a bottle, joint, or pill for peace and comfort in a very confusing/chaotic world.

• Negative Peer Influence that is bringing you Down – those friends in your life who are having more of an impact on your daily choices than God or His Word.

• Career that is controlling your life – you’re allowing a pay check to make your decisions instead of God’s Spirit leading you to His place and purpose for your life.

HERE’S BOTTOM LINE: These issues or areas that need to be changed in our lives CANNOT be attempted by our own means or power. They must be ATTACKED with God’s Spirit … yielded over to God’s Control … and you must Seek God to bring about this CHANGE! God is the Change Agent!

This Lord’s Day we’ll continue our journey through Ephesians 3:14-21. Taking Hold of Transformational Change … will take each of us coming to God with an attitude of understanding His unbelievable love for each of us individually. God’s love is so vast and great it can do incredible acts in our lives, if we will let Him. Come this Sunday expecting to receive God’s Awesome Love!

The Need for Transformational Change – Making Change

God is a God of change; yet, what’s so interesting is the fact that God says throughout the Bible, “I don’t change.” Hebrews 13:8 … “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Time and time again, God said, “I don’t change. I don’t change.” Yet, He is the agent of change that He calls upon believers to be connected too.

In fact … God CALL US to CHANGE…In Matthew 18:3 (NIV) – And he said: I tell you the truth, unless you CHANGE and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

The Bottom Line of Being a Believer is Seeing Change: When we open the lid of our lives and invite God in, he changes us from the inside out. If you were to look inside of me, you would see that I’m in trouble. If you looked to the inside of who I am, I don’t have the ability to truly change. Yet, if we look to God, we can see that change has occurred on the outside just for us. God sent Jesus Christ to do His work on Calvary, to do the great exchange at THE CROSS, to take all of my sin onto His shoulders. This is the Great Exchange that LEADS to daily transformational Change! But I would submit that many “believers” never experience this kind of radical change. We come … we sit …we sing .. we put the smiles on … we leave … and of course we eat! But what about seeking daily Holy Spirit driven change in our lives?

FACT – We Really Don’t Hate Change as Much as We Say We Do: Take an honest look today — we’re addicted to change. We love change. We change hair colors. We change outfits. We change houses. In some cases, we change jobs. We change cars. We’re all about change. And I truly believe that this desire that we all have for change comes from God … God has placed the Holy Spirit within us to provide the ability to CHANGE!

This Sunday we’ll begin a new sermon series called: ineed2change.com. I hope you’ll be here as we begin a verse by verse study of Ephesians 3:14-21 … why don’t you take some time this weekend and read this passage for yourself as you prepare for the Lord’s Day as we seek to see TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE!