Category: Teaching

Where Do We Get the Power to Morph?

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My Bible study class is discussing Chip Ingram’s book, The Miracle of Life Change. These few pages are my notes for that class.

Life-change Begins with Truth:

We are continuing in Ephesians 4:7-10. We often think that life-change begins with our experience, but it actually begins with truth (John 17:17). Jesus said that He wants us to reflect who They are and what They’re like.

Jesus even had a group of early believers (John 8:31-32). Think about how many Christians you know who are truly free. Are they really free from all the old habits they struggle with? Free of anger outbursts, free of lust; really living in a loving and authentic way? The truth underlying or relationship with Christ is that the power of sin has been broken… we don’t have to sin (Philippians 2:13, 1 John 4:4). Believers are free, forgiven and secure; the truth is that sin is defeat and you are free.

Life-change Demands that We Act on the Truth:

This action goes by the title, “faith.” Remember that there is a process of holy transformation, and it is not enough to just simply know the truth. Here are great passages about faith (Romans 1:16-17, 4:2-3, 18:21, 5:1-2, 10:17, Hebrews 11:6, 1 Peter 1:6-9, 1 John 5:4-5).

Many people think the Christian life is primarily about morality; do more good deeds than bad deeds. People want to act Christianly. It comes down to a list of “shoulds” and “oughts,” rules and guilt. People need transformation.

Life-change is Both a Gift and a Responsibility:

Even when we intellectually believe the right stuff about Jesus, we usually experience very little genuine change. This is active and passive. Passive in that we are given a gift, active in that we have a responsibility to act.

The gift of grace: we see both in the life of Paul (Romans 1:5-6). This is the gift that helps believers to morph (Ephesians 4:7). This grace gift is really a spiritual gift. The word gift has to do with our capacity for service; spiritual gift has to do with the area of service. Every believer has a spiritual gift. Only God can bring about life-change, but He never does it alone; it is done in the context of community. Change comes by grace and not self-effort (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). We’ve been given a gift and it is our responsibility to use it for God’s glory.

The Team Together:

The church functions together by using individual parts. Gifts are described in Ephesians 4:11. The purpose of these gifts are given in Ephesians 4:12-13. Leaders equip (or prepare others) for service. Christians are to become mature, like Christ, reaching full potential, working in ministry, thinking like Jesus, loving like Jesus, responding to enemies like Jesus.

The next three verses provide a clear-cut description of what maturity looks like (Ephesians 4:14-15).

Four Tests of Spiritual Maturity:

Check these out when determining your maturity ion Christ (Ephesians 4:14-15).

  1. Can you handle the Scriptures well enough to spot false teachers and trendy religion?
  2. Do you have the ability to speak the truth in love?
  3. Are you fitted with a spiritual gift? Do you know and use your gift?
  4. Do you have an ever expanding love for God and others?

Three Reasons We Fail to Morph

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My Bible study class is discussing Chip Ingram’s book, The Miracle of Life Change. These few pages are my notes for that class.

Spiritual Ignorance:

Many people don’t understand their identity in Christ, or what it means to be in Christ. Here are some theological words regarding salvation:

Justification: this is what happened when we first came to Christ (Acts 13:39, Romans 3:24, 28, 4:25, Galatians 2:16-17, Titus 3:7). Our debt column now has “paid in full” written across all the entries. Righteousness was imputed or deposited into our account. It’s grace, getting what we don’t deserve.

Sanctification: this is being set apart for a purpose (John 17:17, Romans 15:16, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23). We can be set apart and transformed into the likeness of the Son (Romans 8:29). This also involves walking by faith. We need to be the master of the contents and doctrines of the Bible. We need daily and systematic reading of the Bible, becoming a part of a small group, memorizing Scripture so that we will not sin against God. I like this tip for getting God’s Word on your hand and in your heart:

Hear it – faith comes by hearing.

Examine it – make sure what it says, look for words and phrases, and meanings.

Analyze it – find other places that teach the same truths, dig in to the text.

Remember it – memorization is a good thing, to help transform the mind, attitude and behavior.

Think about it – meditation is a positive step, to really dwell on the teachings and how God is speaking to you.

Spiritual Isolation:

A butterfly transforms in isolation while a believer transforms in community. Mark 3:13-14 is a key life verse for me, we are to first be with Jesus, then be sent out on a mission. Other verses on transformation in community are Acts 2:44-47, Romans 12:15, Galatians 6:1-2, Colossians 3:16, Hebrews 10:24, James 5:16).

Spiritual Myopia:

We often fail to see the magnitude of what is at stake in our relationship with Christ. Myopia causes us to not see clearly. This is subtle, because we feel it is no one’s business but mine. But people wonder if the church is real, we are the billboard for Christ that people see everyday. What is your hindrance (of these three so far)? The issue is not if Christianity works for someone, but whether or not we will be obedient to the holy, omnipresent, all-powerful God who’s got a plan for the planet and for us.

Facing Our Biggest Challenge:

What keeps us from morphing? It’s easy – sin (Romans 6:1-4). How do you deal with the sin problem? In Ephesians 4:7-10, Paul is teaching that breaking the power and penalty of sin demands a clear understanding of what it means to die with Christ. He explains what Jesus was doing between the crucifixion and the resurrection. After all, is death punctuated with a period or a comma (John 12:24-25)?

A Glimpse Beyond the Grave:

In Ephesians 4:7-10, circle the words grace, gift and therefore. In Ephesians 4:8, Paul quotes an obscure passage about leading captives and giving gifts to men. Eventually we understand about spiritual giftedness, but the captives are interesting.

What Christ did there: Christ came in power to free the captives. It is a picture of a conquering king riding back on a white horse leading the captives, who would become slaves, these trophies of war. The word is triumph (2 Corinthians 2:14). Wagons loads of the spoils of war followed. Once the king arrived, the next order of business was to divide the spoils. These gifts were a reminder of a great victory over an enemy. Jesus reminds us of the reason He won the battle, over sin and death, and these gifts were proof of that victory.

Where He did it: The “lower parts” refers to sheol, which is a place of the dead. All those who died went there, the righteous and the wicked, all men being made equal. It was not until Jesus time that there became a paradise and a place of torment. Luke 16:19-31 has a story that illustrates what Jesus accomplished on the cross. 1 Peter 3:18-19 tells us where Jesus was while He was in the grave. He went to the punishment compartment and preached, not a message of salvation for the hearers, but a proclamation or royal announcement of victory.

1 Peter 4:6 mentions Jesus preaching to the faithful of God in the Old Testament. This word is different than in 1 Peter 3:19, it is the word for gospel, the good news. He visited paradise to inform and confirm the faith of Old Testament saints.

Why Christ did it: That He might fulfill all things (Ephesians 4:10). He established His right to reclaim creation. He declared the defeat of sin and death. He provided the basis for spiritual freedom and transformation. To be transformed we must die with Christ.

It’s Morphing Time

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My Bible study class is discussing Chip Ingram’s book, The Miracle of Life Change. These few pages are my notes for that class.

The Call: (Romans 12:2)

The key word here is transformation, metamorphoo, something that is passive rather than active in our lives. “Be transformed” by the renewing of your mind. We don’t transform ourselves. Morphing is expected, normal, possible and even commanded.

Paul gives instruction about this transformation (Ephesians 4:1). He wants our life to match who you are in Christ. “Worthy” describes the way we are to walk, or live. Transformation is the basis of our salvation (Ephesians 2:8). We were once dead but are now alive in Christ.

The Process:

Transformation does not begin with activities, it begins with relationships. Here’s Paul’s outline for holy transformation (Ephesians 4:2-3): humility, gentleness, patience and bearing one another. Natural morphing takes place in secret, like in a cocoon, but spiritual transformation takes place in community (Ephesians 2:19-22, Hebrews 10:25).

Four Attitudes:

These attitudes create life transformation:

Humility: to have an accurate view of yourself, no having a low view of yourself (Romans 12:3). Relationships must focus on others rather than yourself – servanthood is a good summary.

Gentleness: to be considerate, power under restraint or control (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8). Are we willing to give up our rights, not impress others, and not fight for approval?

Patience: to be steadfast and strong in suffering, like a long fuse before you get angry. Those who get made are defending their rights, don’t really like themselves, and are insecure.

Bearing one another: to put up with other people, their quirks, failures and idiosyncrasies.

Why Morphing Matters:

The Bible doesn’t order us to achieve unity, only that we maintain it (Ephesians 4:3). We must practice godly things even when we don’t feel like doing it. Like-change is about becoming more like Christ, becoming clear on seven things (Ephesians 4:4-6). Morphing is imperative.

What Unity Looks Like:

Unity can be describe as the “one” in each phrase (Ephesians 4:4-6). Notice each member of the Trinity receives special attention. “One” emphasizes unity; “all” emphasized inclusion.

  1. The first triad refers to us, the church (body, Spirit, hope) – the Spirit allows us to have many things in common.
  2. The second triad refers to the Son (Lord, faith, baptism) – baptism being our shared identity in Christ.
  3. The third triad refers to the one God and Father of all (like a sovereign summary) beginning with the unity of God, the Spirit leads through the lordship of Christ, to the sovereignty of God the Father.

The likeness of Christ is not just an agenda that God has for us as individuals, but a plan for His church and for the world.

The Urgency of God's Purpose

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Here’s a great verse… Time after time I sent you prophets, who told you, “Turn from your wicked ways, and start doing things right. Stop worshiping other gods so that you might live in peace here in the land I have given to you and your ancestors.” But you would not listen to me or obey me. – Jeremiah 35:15.

 

I remember an illustration from back in college, which came from a little booklet called, Tyranny of the Urgent. The point was that in life there are many urgent things that come up. We can spend our entire lives stamping out fires, dealing with those things that are most urgent. Then at the end of the day we wonder what we have done with our time. We must look at the important items in life and take care of those things, because no one else will do it for us. Spirital growth is just one of those important things. God will wrestle with us because it’s important. Part of spiritual growth is getting rid of sin that has enslaved us.

 

There is urgency in God’s call for us to repent of our sin and to return to Him, as well as persistence when God wrestles with us. Other people will tell us what they think, but they will eventually abandon us. God doesn’t give up. He wrestles with us until the end and isn’t distracted from His purpose.

 

I wonder if there is an appointed time for each of us, where the wrestling match in life would finally come to an end. God wrestled with Jacob “until the breaking of the day” (Genesis 32:24). God wrestled with urgency, with insistency, with greater and greater strength. He knew that if Jacob didn’t confront who he was in that night, he was going to miss the prime opportunity to become who he was created to be. Each of us may be running out of time, too.

 

God’s urgency must not be ignored. He knows something about our lives that we don’t know. He knows when the enemy is coming after us. He knows our areas of weakness. He knows when Jesus is coming again, and when it will be too late.

 

Return to Him …

 

  • Before you lose your life …
  • Before you lose your integrity …
  • Before you lose your wife …
  • Before you lose your son or daughter …
  • Before you lose what God has given to you …

 

God’s urgency is for a purpose. Don’t ignore Him.

 

  • We don’t have time to fool around.
  • We don’t have time for detours.
  • We don’t have time for childish things.
  • We don’t have time for rebellion.
  • We don’t have time to play games.
  • We don’t have time for an affair.
  • We don’t have time for meetings and committees that really aren’t important.

 

Look at your watch right now and say to yourself, “NOW is the appointed time for me to serve God so that I might live in peace here in the land He have given to me!”

 

I hope to see you all at the Welcome Center on Saturday, April 25.

 

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Why is Sanctification Needed?

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A simple yet profound definition of sanctification is the life-long process of becoming more and more like Jesus. Some pseudo-Christian groups teach that believers will actually becomes like Jesus… like a god to rule over your own world, but I’m talking about becoming more and more Christ-like in our thoughts, attitudes, actions, and habits.

 

Salvation comes to a person is multiple ways. Notice I did not say that there are multiple ways to be saved! When someone decides to commit themselves to Jesus and become a follower of Christ, he is saved from every sin he has ever committed, and will ever commit. This is justification (becoming just as if I’d never sinned). Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Christ and then glorification occurs when we finally see Jesus face to face, basically when we make it to heaven. There, we will finally be able to not sin! Three facets of one salvation. So in answering the question of my salvation, I can honestly say, “Yes, partly and no.”

 

So what biblical support can I give that growing in faith and godliness is the right thing for a follower of Christ to do?

 

  • Peter tells us to keep growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ – 2 Peter 3:18
  • We should not be content to remain immature in the faith, which was the case for many early believers – Hebrews 5:12-14
  • God works in us (through His word) to bring us to spiritual maturity (to sanctify us) – John 17:17, Colossians 3:16, 1 Peter 2:2-3, Psalm 119:11, 119:105
  • The Bible is the source of our faith and practice, to correct us, train us and equip us for every good work – 2 Timothy 3:16-17
  • The Holy Spirit teaches us and reminds us of the word of God – John 14:25-26
  • The word of God is immeasurable effective in bringing growth – Hebrew 4:12
  • We are to be like a runner in a race, pressing on and continuing toward our goal – Philippians 3:12-14
  • We are to rid ourselves of everything that hinders us from movement toward the goal – Hebrews 12:1
  • We are to fix out eyes on Jesus because of what He has done for us – Hebrew s12:2
  • We are to train ourselves to be godly, like an athlete trains for his sport – 1 Timothy 4:7-8
  • We are encouraged to put much effort into living a godly life – 2 Peter 3:14
  • We are to abide in Christ so that we may bear much fruit – John 15:5
  • We are to become imitators of Christ – 1 John 2:6
  • Peter tells us many Christ-like virtues – 2 Peter 1:5-9
  • We should be motivated to grow in our faith, after all Christ did for us – 1 Corinthians 15:57-58, 2 Corinthians 7:1, Romans 12:1-2
  • God uses His word to revive our soul, make us wise, give us joy, and much more – Psalm 19:7-8
  • God requires that we keep working toward our salvation (not to earn grace but to demonstrate faith), and He works in us by His word and His Spirit – Philippians 2:12-13
  • God is graciously transforming every Christian into the likeness of His Son – 2 Corinthians 3:18

 

It is amazing to me that someone could pray a prayer, come to Christ, receive His salvation and yet not commit to God wholeheartedly enough to eliminate sin and ungodliness from their life, and be content to remain a “baby” Christian until they die. To me, it seems like a situation of premature death.  

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Discipleship is About Life Change

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A great word regarding this life change is transformation, like we read in Romans 12:2, “do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The original word in the New Testament is metamorphoo, from which we get our word metamorphosis. According to Strong’s lexicon, it means “a permanent state to which a change takes place.” There is much biblical support for doing away with the old and bringing in the new:

 

  • Tearing down the old altar and building a new one – Judges 6:25-26
  • The Spirit will come upon King Saul and he will become a different person – 1 Samuel 10:6
  • Your scarlet sins will become white as snow – Isaiah 1:18
  • Jeremiah saw the potter take the clay jar, smash it and start over – Jeremiah 18:4
  • God takes a stony, stubborn heart and replaces it with a tender, responsive heart – Ezekiel 11:19
  • Angels cleanse the High Priest, changing his clothing – Zechariah 3:3-4
  • Jesus said we all must be born again – John 3:3
  • The transformation of Paul is an illustration – Acts 9:1-18
  • Repentance put into action, burning the old books of magic – Acts 19:18-19
  • We are dead to sin and alive to God – Romans 6:11
  • We are not to be conformed to this world but transformed – Romans 12:2; 1 Peter 1:14.
  • We are to be a new creation in Christ – 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:22–24
  • We pass from darkness into light – Ephesians 5:8–10
  • Unbelievers will be surprised at your transformation – 1 Peter 4:4
  • Because of transformation, we now are able to do what is right – 1 John 2:29

 

So, in looking at your own transformation, how are you continuing on the road of discipleship?

 

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What is Repentance?

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What is repentance and why is it so important that we do it? It’s a churchy word that means to turn from going in one direction; making a 180-degree turn and go in the other direction; to turn from sin and turn to the Savior. While repentance is not the act that saves us (since we are saved only by God’s grace and our faith in what Christ did for us on the cross) there is biblical support that we need to repent… basically how could one really be saved if we leave repentance out of the picture? So, we are not saved by repentance, but practically, how can we be saved without it?

 

Here are some of the biblical foundations for repentance:

 

  • Jesus called sinners to repentance – Luke 5:31-32
  • Jesus called needy sinners to repentance, which leads to their salvation – Matthew 4:17
  • Repentance must be from a genuine heart – Mark 7:20-23, Jeremiah 4:3-4, Joel 2:12-13
  • Godly sorrow brings repentance, which leads to salvation – 2 Corinthians 7:10-11
  • Repentance brings joy in heaven – Luke 15:7
  • God calls for people to seek Him, turn from their wickedness, and He promises to forgive them – Isaiah 55:6-7
  • God calls for people to forsake their idols and forsake practicing evil – Ezekiel 14:6
  • Life comes to the one who repents – Ezekiel 18:21-22
  • God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked – Ezekiel 18:23
  • The lord calls earnestly for sinners to repent – Ezekiel 18:30-32
  • Jesus pronounced judgment on those who refuse to repent – Matthew 11:20-24
  • God calls for repentance out of His kindness – Romans 2:14
  • Refusal to repent brings punishment, but life if you do – Romans 2:5-6
  • Disaster comes to those who do not heed God’s call to repentance – Proverbs 1:24-28
  • Repentance brings forgiveness – Luke 7:37-38, 48-50
  • God’s anger is poured out on the unrepentant – Isaiah 42:23-25
  • Return to God and He will return to you – Malachi 3:7
  • If God’s people turn from their wickedness, He will forgive them – 2 Chronicles 7:14
  • Paul preached that we must repent, turn to God and do deeds that prove our repentance – Acts 26:19-20

 

A great resource on this topic is John MacArthur’s The Gospel According to Jesus. The basic foundation is that when someone encountered Jesus in the Bible, they did not just get saved by praying a prayer, their lives where transformed.

 

BTW, if you are looking for a Sunday class at 9:45, I’m starting a new six-week study on the miracle of life change, beginning on April 26. Transformation is much more significant than just believing the right stuff about Jesus!

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Imitating Jesus

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Authenticity. That is what will convince a lost and dying world that a relationship with Jesus is real. How many times has the professing Christian community continued to live like the world, and that action has cause someone to reject the message of Christ? Perhaps they say, “If YOU can’t live it, why should I even consider it?”

 

No one is perfect, so it’s not an issue of never making another mistake, but do you wake up each morning with the goal of becoming more like Jesus in your actions, thought life, relationships, business dealings, or is He the farthest thing from your mind (until you get into a jam and cry out for help)?

 

The Bible has many verses that call for followers of Jesus to actually become imitators of Him. It’s a tall task, but that is what discipleship is all about. Sanctification (being set apart and becoming a little more like Jesus each and every day) is the will of God (1 Thessalonians 4:3a).

 

Only a believer can imitate Christ, or else it is a sham. But we are not left to ourselves to get it done. The believer has the power of the Holy Spirit so that we can imitate Christ.

 

Here are some biblical commands to imitate Christ:

 

  • Every Christian is predestined and called to become like Jesus – Romans 8:29-30
  • Every Christian is being transformed into the likeness of Christ – 2 Corinthians 3:18, Colossians 3:9-10, Ephesians 4:22-24
  • Every Christian is to walk (live the life) as Jesus did – 1 John 2:6
  • Jesus calls every Christian to imitate and become like Him – John 13:2-11 (He modeled behavior and then told us to do the same – John 13:12-15
  • Paul says to imitate Christ to be a blessing to others – Romans 15:1-3, Ephesians 5:1-2
  • When someone wrongs us, Christians imitate Jesus by not retaliating – 1 Peter 2:20-21
  • Paul imitated Jesus so that he could be a good example for other Christians – 1 Corinthians 11:1
  • Thessalonian Christians became imitators and models for the sake of others, by imitating Jesus and the disciples – 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7
  • Christ-like obedience is the way to enjoy divine love and joy – John 15:9-11
  • The hope and certainty of one day seeing Jesus and being conformed into His image should motivate us to seek purity, as He is pure – 1 John 3:2-3
  • The risen Savior lives for God, we ought to do the same – Romans 6:10-12

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Why Does God Allow Suffering and Evil?

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Why does God allow evil and suffering in the world? This is an age-old question. Either God is all-powerful but not all-good (and therefore doesn’t stop evil) or He is all-good but unable to stop evil (making Him not all-powerful). The general idea is to blame God for all evil and suffering and pass all responsibility to Him.

No Easy Answers:

Remember that God created Adam and Eve perfect, not evil. But they had the ability to obey or disobey God’s commands. Had they obeyed that one command (Genesis 2:16-17), they never would have had a problem. Since that time, the tendency toward sin has always been with us (Romans 5:12). We must remember that people are responsible for sin, not God.

So, why did God make us so that we could sin? Had this happened, we would no longer be human, but rather machines. Saying, “I love you” in person is so much more meaningful than hearing the same words from a hostage that I told to say it while I hold a gun to their head! We are not robots programmed to say the phrase, we have a choice.

Could God stamp out evil?

A time is coming when He will, because of His never-ending love (Lamentations 3:22). While the devil has his day, God is holding us by His grace and His unfailing love. If God would stamp out evil today, he would do a complete job. Stop war but stay away from us… lies, personal habits, lack of love. Who would still be standing if He were to do this tonight?

What God has done about the evil:

He has done the most drastic thing, the sacrifice of His Son. He was the only way to escape the inevitable judgment of sin and evil. To speculate the origin of evil is endless. No one has a full answer. Some things are classified as secret that only God knows (Deuteronomy 29:29).

Part of our problem is the limited definition of the word good. (See quote on p. 133)… justice dispensed according the severity of the infraction.

Exact-Reward concept:

Would God be good if He dealt with each person exactly according to his deeds? God’s goodness is not only displayed in His justice but in His love, mercy and kindness) Psalm 103:10-11). It is a faulty assumption that happiness is the greatest good, usually fleshed out in comfort. True happiness is not precluded by suffering. Some things can only be accomplished in our character brought about only by suffering (1 Peter 5:10.

Exact-reward is more on the lines of karma. Any attempt to alleviate pain or suffering would be interfering with the just ways of God. That is why Hindus do so little in helping the less fortunate. This idea does give us a clean rationale for suffering; it is all based on previous evil-doing. Christians at times have this same thought, “Why did I deserve this?” That cruel assumption is the argument of the friends of Job.

There are many instances where suffering is not related to one’s behavior; automatic assumption of guilt and needed punishment is not warranted. A man does reap what he sows (Galatians 6:7); the affliction of Miriam with leprosy (Numbers 12:10-11); the life of the baby made from David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:15); Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:10); a man born blind from birth (John 9:1-3); the Galileans more sinful? (Luke 13:1-3). If the punishment is for one’s deeds, there is never any doubt that it is happening due to the justice of God.

Judgment preceded by warning:

God is always warning about the consequences… turn from your wicked ways, why choose death (Ezekiel 33:11); you refused to allow me to gather you like chicks (Matthew 23:37); God is patient that you would come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

How could a good God send anyone to hell? The point is that He doesn’t, we choose to send ourselves. Geisler says it this way, this world is the best way to the best of all possible worlds; one where we have free will yet there is no sin. Sometimes we are responsible for a weak building that collapses in a storm. Others die due to drunken driving. Cheating, lying and stealing are characteristic of our society and God cannot be blamed for it.

The presence of the enemy:

There is an enemy ready to pounce like a roaring lion (2 Peter 5:8). In the parable of the wheat and the tares, the enemy did this (Matthew 13:28). James 4:7 reminds us that he can also be resisted.

God feels our suffering:

He is not distant; He not only is aware of our suffering but He feels it (Isaiah 53:3, Hebrews 2:18, 4:15).

The risky gift of free will:

Evil is a necessary part of free will. He could stop evil but in doing so He would destroy us. The point of Christianity is to produce a willing consent to choose good rather than evil.

Much of evil can be traced back to the actions and evil choices of man and women: the bank robber kills, the embezzler ruins the company, refusing to heed a storm warning.

Some suffering is allowed by God as judgment; but the purpose is to restore or form one’s character.

God has a cruel enemy in Satan. He was defeated on the cross but is still around to wreak havoc on God’s people.

God is the greater sufferer when He sacrificed His only Son for our penalty.

Greatest test of faith:

Perhaps it is to believe that God is good in the midst of all this suffering. God never asks us to understand, but only to have faith and trust Him as a child does his earthly father. Peace comes when we realize that we do not have the full picture (Romans 8:28, Habakkuk 3:17-18).

Discipleship is Caught, Not Taught

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I suppose that from the very beginning of my spiritual life, back in high school, I have been fascinated with the process of growing into the image of Christ (2 Peter 1:3-11, 1 Thessalonians 1:5-6, 2:8, Ephesians 4:11-16, Philippians 1:6). It is a long process and I know I have not arrived (no one can do it in this life) but our goal is to get closer each week. Going to church can help, but it’s one thing to study the Bible and learn from it. It’s another to take that knowledge and translate it into life change. How often do we simply go through the motions of being people of faith? We believe the right stuff but have no clue on how to put it into practice.

 

How does one even hear God, much less become obedient to Him? Would it not make sense to be around people who are what you want to become? There’s biblical precedence (2 Timothy 2:2). Timothy had a “Paul” to help him grow up in the faith. Another example is the relationship between Elijah and Elisha (1 Kings 19:20).

 

Elijah had defeated the prophets of Baal in an historic victory on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18:21-22, 38-39). Then for some reason he tucked his tail and ran away from Jezebel (1 Kings 19:2-4) fearing for his life. He was discouraged to say the least, and felt so alone; but was he alone? God was with him through it all. God spoke through the still small voice (1 Kings 19:12-13) and reassured him that he was not alone (1 Kings 19:18). Then the very next story is the appointment of Elisha to be the prophet’s helper and successor (1 Kings 19:19).

 

Look at what happened. When Elijah handpicked Elisha as his successor, Elisha immediately killed his twelve set of oxen and ran after Elijah just to be with him (1 Kings 19:21). No doubt he knew what a great privilege it was to be selected by the great prophet. Killing the oxen meant there was no turning back. He chose what he wanted and took dramatic steps to follow though on his commitment. But, it was not enough for Elisha to be handpicked. He also wanted a double portion of Elijah’s anointing (2 Kings 2:9). As we read the miraculous activity of Elisha, it appears that God answered this prayer.

 

If you want to grow in your Christian life, ask God to lead you to another man who is far ahead of you spiritually and simply start hanging out with them. As you walk alongside him you will begin to catch what he has. You will begin appropriating the anointing that is on his life that will mix perfectly with your unique gifting and talents.

 

We need more people today who are willing to run after their “Paul” or “Elijah.”

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