Holy Transformation Part I
I have been hearing in the spirit "Holy Transformation!" I have heard this so many times it has become a part of me. I don't know about you but I was ready for a transformed life when I finally chose Jesus to be the Lord of my life. I was desperately in need of a new life! So as I heard these words I begin to press into the Lord to see where He was taking this and I first begin in John chapter 3 where in my New King James Version of the Bible it has a heading that reads The New Birth, interesting right off the bat. Here we see Jesus is speaking with Nicodemus who has come to believe that Jesus Christ must be from God because no one else could do the signs that Jesus was doing but Nicodemus didn't understand the spiritual things, such is the case with many Christians.
Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit John 3:3-6 NKJV.
Going further down the chapter in verse 12 we see Jesus telling Nicodemus that if he doesn't believe earthly things how can he believe heavenly things then he says something very interesting, No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. John 3:13
There are a couple of things to look at in these Scriptures that obtain to a Holy Transformation. First we must understand that giving our lives to Jesus Christ should be a life changing experience, according to Jesus it should be a rebirth experience. Now don't get this confused with some New Age rant about going back into your past and into your mothers womb to be reborn, that is not at all what I'm implying. The word tells us in several passages that we have been given a new heart, a new spirit, we are a new man, the old is gone and the new has come. We don't, however, see that "new" right after raising our hand in a salvation call. There is a work of regeneration to be done in our minds, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what [is] that good and acceptable and perfect will of God Rom 12:2 NKJV .
If we make the leap of faith to believe on the name of Jesus Christ then we will begin to bear good fruit, that is unless we came to Him for what we could get. There is a mindset in some influences in the church that states if we accept Jesus Christ that we will have a new life, all will be better and we will be blessed. Okay, well that is partially true. We will have a new life if we cast away our old lives and follow Christ in His life. And he said to [them] all, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it Luk 9:23-24 KJV. We will have a better life because the things of this world are fading away but now we have a promise to be in Heaven with the Father for eternity. We also are extremely blessed because .....the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ, Eph 1:3 NKJV
Salvation is not just a confession of faith rather it is an expression of a transformed life. This transformed life will result in good fruit and good works. We will find ourselves no longer interested in many of the things we used to be interested in; we will find sin begins to repulse us, we will begin to see deliverance and healing in our lives. This is the result of a transformed life. It takes commitment, it takes resolve to be finished with the old ways of life and it takes love.
Unfortunately, most people do not understand these things because they haven't heard them accurately taught, so instead of growing in knowing who they are intended to be in Christ and who their Father is they come wanting something. We often see people wanting to feel something, feel better, feel joy, feel love, feel good. People often allow Jesus into their lives to give Him a try and then when they don't get what they came for they walk away, often returning to their old lifestyles and worse all the while echoing the words "I tried that Jesus thing but it didn't work for me." Yes I have heard people make this statement and can't help but feel sorry for them because one day they will be at the gates of Heaven and there will see how that "Jesus thing works." Aha but I must return to the original thought, how do we come to the Lord. In reality getting "saved" for what we can receive and feel only leads to more discouragement because it leaves us constantly expecting God to do something instead of growing in the something He has already done!
Failed expectations lead to pitfalls of depression, fear, loss of hope and even faithlessness. When we come to God through the Lord Jesus Christ with an expectation of what He can do for us or give to us then we really have not come to Him in salvation. We have not truly turned our hearts to His or we would be broken over the Blood He spilled for us so we wouldn't have to spill ours. When we truly understand this gift of God called Jesus Christ and what it means to be called a son or daughter of the King then we can begin to walk out the transformed life.