A Biblical Pattern of Transformation
The following are a few thoughts I shared with some leaders recently. We were discussing how transformation comes through Prayer Line Ministry and Life Group Ministry.
The Apostle Paul tells us that, “the old has gone and the new has come!” (2 Cor 5:17) This new life in Christ sounds exciting, however we do not always experience the truth of this reality. However, we are also encouraged to “work out our salvation.” (Phil 2:12) This is a journey of transformation.
In this journey, experiences on the prayer line, as well as experiences in community (especially life group type of environments) both can play a significant part. The following notes are some thoughts to help us understand the practice of transformation.
Two Steps Transformation
The Scriptures give us a pattern to follow of how one can be transformed. We can summarise these as 1) Break Up and 2) Commit. For example…
Jesus communicates this message by saying “Repent and Believe”.
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” Mark 1:15
In Paul’s ministry it is “Put to death” or “Put off and Put on”.
“Put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24
“Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry)… clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” Colossians 3:5, 12
In James’ book he tells them to “Resist the Devil and Come near to God”.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:7-8
In each case the steps are the same. Break up with the darkness, and commit to the light. However, this is not as simple as repeating a formula out loud, rather Jesus shares that this is a far deeper work. It is not simply a change of the mind, but a change of the heart.
Everything Starts in The Heart
Jesus taught that everything we do starts in the heart. In the sermon on the Mount Jesus said that calling someone an idiot is the same as murder, and lusting after a woman is the same as adultery. Later Jesus explained why a poor widow can give next to nothing, but still be more generous than everyone else. Everything we do is fruit from our heart – good and bad.
“The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil, for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45
The Heart: The Gateway
The Bible shows us that we are three-part beings. Spirit, Soul and Body. In the Greek this is: Spirit (pneuma), Soul (psyche as in mind will and emotions) and Body (soma).
“Then the Lord God formed a man (body) from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (spirit), and the man became a living being. (soul)” Genesis 2:7
“May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
A helpful way of understanding how this works out in our lives is to imagine that your heart as a gateway.
On one side of the gate is the spirit realm, and on the other side is the natural (body) realm. The soul is the gate as it is “where” you make decisions. It is the gate keeper of your life.
Whatever your heart agrees with or partners with in the spirit realm, is what it will produce. If we agree and partner with darkness, we will bear dark fruit. If we agree and partner with the light, we will bear light fruit.
Do you not know that, if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” Romans 6:16
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship.” Romans 12:1
John the Baptist understood this and said that our new way of living is the fruit of repentance.
“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” Matthew 3:8
What are We Agreeing and Partnering With?
The truth is that our union with Christ has unlocked a powerful new reality for every believer. However, we do not always live in this reality because we do not agree with the truth found in Christ and the Scriptures.
However, who we are in Christ is remarkable. We have divine power for everything we need in life. We have everything we need to be like God. We have everything we need to live as Jesus did.
These passages demonstrate that we are one in the spirit with Christ, and are therefore powerfully perfect.
“But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.” 1 Corinthians 6:17
“His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence.” 2 Peter 1:3
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 1:3
Although these (and a host of other passages) are true, we will not enjoy their reality unless we believe them in our heart and mind.
Intimate Knowing
Knowing Scripture is very important to the Jewish people. They can often memorise and recite pages and pages of Scripture. However, they also understand that “knowing” in your in mind is different to knowing in your heart. This is why they would wear a tefillin.
A Tefillin is a little leather box that they would place a Scripture in, and strap to their head. They would wear this box until they had not just memorised the Scripture, but had experienced it. This different sort of knowledge is called, “Yada.”
“Yada” is knowing something in your heart. It is an experiential, or intimate knowledge of something – for example the way a husband and wife know each other. This is the type of knowledge that is required to experience everything God has for us.
“O taste and see that the Lord is good!” Psalm 34:8
Creating Spaces of Intimate Knowing
The way the gospel came to the Church in Thessalonica is a great example of how hearts are changed. The Apostle Paul attributed this to the gospel coming in word and power.
“Our message of the gospel came to you not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Spiritand with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake.” 1 Thessalonians 1:5
“So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.” 1 Thessalonians 2:8
Paul shares that the reason the gospel came in such power was because the gospel was not only preached, but it was also demonstrated in loving community. When these aspects are brought together, peoples hearts are changed. Later Paul would say,
“Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” Romans 2:4
As Jesus and the early Church demonstrated, the kindness of God can come through many different means such as; loving community, being forgiven and embraced, being comforted, being blessed, being healed, demons being cast out, receiving prophetic words, and so forth.
Whether we are on the prayer line, or ministering in our Life Groups we must remember that it is “loving kindness” that will change people’s hearts. This is the key to transformation.
Special thanks to two people who have taught me the above. Their books go far deeper into this subject than what I have been able to achieve in this summary. Gary Grant wrote “Alignment”, and Patricia King wrote, “Spiritual Revolution.”
