Evidence of Transformation

Bridge Bible Church 02.16.2025

When you live in Liberia… especially during dry season… everything gets covered in dust…

Because people cook with coal pots on open fires… everything tends to smell like it is on fire.

When you walk… or drive your clothes and shoes get covered by the red dust and saturated with the dirt from the road….

When we came back to the US….

keeping our suitcases outside)….

Items smelling like burning charcoal….

When we left for the field… we left in clean and fresh smelling North American… middle class clothes…. When we came back… even if someone didn’t know we had just stepped out of the bush in West Africa…. just one look… and one smell of us would clearly say…. These people had been somewhere!

The dirt on our shoes… the smell on our clothes… and hair… the look in our eyes…. the way our kids were totally freaked out by automatic opening doors and self-flushing toilets were evidences that we had been transformed…

When I got Dave’s call on Friday and started thinking about how to present the concepts that would kick off this series, this memory… and experience came to mind.

Being in a life changing place transforms you.

More importantly, being with someone who has changed your life should produce evidences of transformation!

As believers… as Christians…. representatives of Jesus Christ…. do we obviously reflect evidence that we have been transformed by Him?

Do we spend enough time with Jesus to make a difference in our lives? To change us?

After spending time with us… do people admit…like the Priests and Scribes in Acts 4:13 that they…

Acts 4:13 ESV

… recognized that they had been with Jesus.

— Let’s take a little self-evaluation quiz. Be warned… we might do this a few times today. — Who doesn’t love a bit of soul searching…. heart wrenching… convicting… self-reflection?!?! Right!!! :-)

Do you know Him?

Do you spend enough time with Him to make an impact?

When you are with him, are you passively or actively paying attention?

Has your faith response to Jesus… transformed your life in such a way that you are living out the evidences of that transformation in a way that is obvious to everyone you meet?

If you can answer yes to all those questions… Praise the Lord!!! Keep going!

If you can’t answer yes to all those questions…. join the club…. Let’s take our next steps together!

Normally, I walk through one passage, expounding, and explaining that one passage, its meaning, how it connects with the overall narrative of Scripture, and what our response should be.

Today is going to be a bit different. Today, we are going to walk through a concept taught in Scripture together, look at a few different passages, expound, explain them their meaning, and how they all point to the overall narrative of Scripture…meaning…. and what our response should be.

So, get your bible drill skills ready… you will be looking up a few different passages today in your Bibles.

The truth I’d like you to consider is this:

Walking in community together enable us to walk closer with Jesus!

To see what Scripture says about this…. we are going to ask and answer three question.

The first question we will discuss is:

I. What are we called to do as (Christians) followers of Jesus?

We are going to let Jesus answer this by looking at what He said in John 13:34-35.

In this passage, Jesus verbalizes a command to his followers.

There is a catch…This command is for each individual… but as each individual tries to live it out…. they will find that this command cannot be accomplished on our own… We need community to accomplish it.

Let’s read John 13:34-35 together.

John 13:34–35 ESV

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

In Jesus’ “new” commandment… he said that we are to love one another as Jesus has loved us…. and that people will know that we are His disciples when they see our love (based on a commitment… not a feeling) for one another.

That command, assumes and necessitates that we are going to live together…. that we are going to “do life” together.

As we walk through life…. together…. people will be able to tell that we know… and have been with Jesus by the way that we love others. This doesn’t just happen….. it has to be intentional.

We had to intentionally go live in West Africa before the dust and smell stuck to us.

We have to intentionally live our lives for Jesus… spending enough time with him to be enabled to follow His command…before others will be able to clearly see that we have been with Jesus!

Look at Acts 4:13 with me. What did the priests and scribes in Acts 4 recognize in Peter and John?

Acts 4:13 ESV

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

They saw Jesus’ words in them…. they saw Jesus’ actions in them… they saw Jesus’ humility in them… they saw Jesus’ confidence in them…. those things are not learned in theory… or from a quick encounter… No, John and Peter were walking examples of lives transformed by their experiences with Jesus. It was clear to the priests and scribes that Peter and John had been with Jesus… and were living out the truths that had transformed their lives.

How many of us can say that we are always an accurate, living, walking, proof that we have been with Jesus?…. and that we are loving others like Jesus?

If we are being honest, I’m not sure any of us can proudly raise our hands.

I’ll tell you now that… you cannot live out that command of Christ by yourself. You were not created to live in isolation… you were created for community….. and not just any community…you need biblical community if you are to grow into recognizable followers of Jesus.

I think deep down we know that…. why else would so many people be searching for… and writing books about community.

If you type in “cultivating community” into your Amazon search bar… at least 158 results will pop up.

We, as believers, are not just seeking community… but Biblical community.

If you type “biblical community” into your Amazon search bar…. guess how many titles are provided? Over 5000!

That overwhelming volume alone tells me that a lot of people are desiring Biblical Community…. writing about it… reading about it…. researching it…. and many of us still don’t fully know what it is… and how to get it!

Next, I’d like to show you a pretty detailed description of what living out biblical community in life looks like. Once we look at it… you will get overwhelmed… and say…. I can’t do that!

But, part of me thinks that is why the writer of Scripture included it… because it most likely wasn’t happening perfectly in their lives either! That is why he was encouraging….. let me use a stronger word…. challenging believers to step up their game…. and they needed to see that they couldn’t do it alone…. it had to be done together!

John 13:34-35 helps us understand what we are to do as followers of Christ.

Spend so much time with Jesus that we live like Jesus… loving others as he loved them… so much that when people look at us… they know that we have been with Jesus!

Our own sin nature… and learning from examples in Scripture help us see that we can’t do it alone.

Before we go any further… I thought it might be helpful to pause for a moment and take a little self assessment. As I read through these questions… think of how you would answer (in your mind)

What or who does your schedule revolve around?

Where do you spend your disposable income?

Where does your time go when you get to choose?

What are you most consumed by? (Politics, sports, music, tv, career, school, money, kids, others…)

What crushes you when it fails you?

What conversational topics do you get most excited about?

What motivates you? When you wake up in the morning, what is on your mind?

What do the answers to these questions highlight? Things we seek to find fulfillment in…

How many of your answers were based in seeking fulfillment in things other than Christ?

Why do we do that? We can learn the lesson Solomon learned the hard way… that nothing we seek fulfillment in other than a passionate relationship with God will truly satisfy! In theory we know that we were designed to find satisfaction in God alone….but if we know that…. then why do we keep looking everywhere else?

Well, I’m sure there could be a few different answers to that question. For the sake of todays conversation, let me suggest this. Anyone who has attended (or who knows about) an AA meeting will tell you… the road to recovery begins with what? Admitting you have a problem. Whether we want to admit it or not… most of us have a problem. That problem is that we practically love ourselves… our comfort… our privacy…. our preferences… more than we love Jesus… and definitely more than we love one another.

Now, make sure you don’t react to that statement…. but let it sink in. That statement is true of each and every one of us to an extent. It might be 10% true of one person and 60% true of another person. But, I guarantee you that on some level and to some extent, that statement is true of you in some are of your life.

Yep… that hurts…. it cut me pretty deep when I looked into the mirror admit that I’m a pretty sorry disciple…

So, what do we do. … and no… just ignoring the issue and hoping it goes away … or wallowing in our self-pity is not an option. :-)

Now that I thoroughly offended all of you…. I’m going to completely overwhelm you.

This next passage is going to help us to answer the question:

II. What does walking in community together look like?

We want to know what living so much like Jesus that others know we are His disciples by our love for one another practically looks like?

Turn to Romans 12. Paul gives the church in Rome a detailed description of what cultivating true biblical community looks like. It is kind of like Paul was saying… “he guys… this is what it looks like to be covered by the “dust” of walking with Jesus.” This is what biblical community looks like when we have truly been transformed by Jesus.

We are not going through this passage today to dive deep into Romans 12. We are looking at it as an example of what biblical community looks like fueled by those who have obviously been with Jesus.

When you come to Romans 12, verses 1-2 challenge us to live in such a way that we are presenting our bodies as this living sacrifice… holy and acceptable before the Lord!!!

Then verses 3-8 challenge us to think of ourselves as one unified body… we have many different gifts… but one goal!

Then we come to verse 9…. here we go!

Romans 12:9–21 ESV

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Pretty overwhelming, right? That is a lot of loving one another to live out!

Is it possible to actually live all of these things out at the same time?

Yes, it is possible…. but not on your own!

You need the transforming power of Christ in you…. and the help of a Jesus centered community around you!

How do you think the disciples got to the place where Acts 4 says that just being in their presence… people knew that they had been with Jesus? —— They spent a lot of time with HIm!

How do you think Paul expected the early church in Rome to actually live out the truths in Romans 12? They could only do it if they spent time with Jesus… through His Word… his people… led by his Spirit!

Story of a pastor and Rabbi

…”you christians say you are disciples of Jesus. If that is true, how much time do you spend with your Rabbi?”

If Jesus were my Rabbi… I would spend each day with him reading through all 4 gospels each day! You can’t follow a Rabbi unless you know Him and spend time with Him!

How can we get to the place where we are equipped to present our bodies as a living sacrifice…. holy and acceptable before God?

How can we grow to where living out each detail of Romans 12 is not so overwhelming?

One step at a time!

Spending enough time with Jesus to be changed by Him!

Living in biblical community together… so that we are equipping and building each other up!

Where do we start?…. (Right where we are!)

That is what the early church did.

Turn over to Acts 2 and let’s look at verses 42-47 together.

John 13 helped us understand what we are to do as Christians…. spend so much time with Jesus that it is obvious to everyone we meet that we have been with Him!

Then, Romans 12 showed us what a mature biblical Christian community should look like.

Now, let’s answer the last question:

III. Where do we start?

Turn over to Acts 2.

What can we do to cultivate the kind of faith and community to live out Jesus’ commands? We start where the early church did.

Acts 2:42–47 ESV

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Lessons to learn from the early church.

Look at verse 47…. what is the result of this passage?

Day by day… the Lord was adding to His church. Why? Yes, because He was sovereignly calling people to Himself… but what practical vehicle did God use? The early church! This rag-tag group of previously un-churched people…

It was because of how the early church was unknowing living our Romans 12. That attracted people to the beauty of the gospel… that cultivated a truly biblical community… that changed the world!

What kinds of things were they invovled in?

Teaching

Believers listened to the apostles teaching… and practiced what they heard. That is why verse 42 says that they were “devoted (active present participle) to the apostles teaching”. Believers who are growing and cultivating community are believers who are persistently devoted to the teaching of God’s Word! Think back to all those character qualities and actions that were listed in Romans 12. Which of those actions are directly enabled by us actively and intentionally being devoted the teaching of the Word of God and persistently practicing its truths? — All of them!

Being wholly dedicated to the Word of God… and living out of the Word of God will have a direct impact our ability to cultivate community.

If we want to connect with people and develop meaningful relationships….

If we want to reflect Jesus’ character by mutual love, unity, and service for the glory of God…. then we have to be devoted to the reading and teaching of God’s Word!

Fellowship (v. 42)

Fellowship means to have something in common (see 1 John). Close association involving mutual interests and sharing, association, communion, close relationship… intimacy like that found within a marriage. Luke uses the phrase to direct us to the reality that the believers were “being together”…. Luke is describing the harmony and unity that the believers cultivated… illustrated by their willingness to sell their possessions and give to those who had need. Giving (time, money, help, etc…) seems to be a bit part of cultivating fellowship Fellowship cost something in the early church…. It seems like there is a difference to how we use the word today. Fellowship is not a sentimental feeling of oneness. It is an act of truly giving yourself away. — As long as we approach things like life groups and church gatherings with an eye for our own needs (not being aware of others)… we will most likely say that “there is no fellowship here”. We will have fellowship only when we make it a practice to reach out to others and give something of ourselves. …. This kind of fellowship requires true intimacy. How can we cultivate this type of intimacy in our relationships? It takes a work of the Holy Spirit to cultivate true fellowship… but also requires a commitment to love one another (remember back to John 13:34-35). As we experience true fellowship with the Father and the Son, we will be drawn closer to each other (1 John 1:3). 2 Corinthians 8 is a great picture of true fellowship. — See 2 Cor. 8:5… They determined to practice koinonia by giving to others. You want to have fellowship? You must be a giver! You time… your talents… you resources… your money…. a giver of yourself… to others. Think back over those actions listed in Romans 12. How many of them are directly enabled by us actively and intentionally living out the fact that we are devoted to having true fellowship with one another?

Worship (v. 42)

The word “devoted”… or persistently practiced also applies to this… the believers persistently worshiped. I believe that the “breaking of bread” refers to the regular celebration of the Lord’s table. The term “breaking of bread” is listed between two pretty loaded terms (teaching and prayer), so i think it means more than just a regular meal. Plus in verse 46, there is an intentional separation between “broke bread” and “ate together”. They are purposely separated… which I think helps to support that verse 42 is referring to the Lord’s Supper. After the regular meal they would take the remaining bread and wine and engage in the remembrance of Christ’s death. Prayer is another way that we worship. The end of verse 42should probably say “the prayers”, suggesting specific prayers that had Jewish roots as well as newly Christian roots. I think that many people, once they became believers were able to see many of the old formal Jewish prayers with new eyes. I wouldn’t be surprised if many people, in their new joy… took many of the old jewish prayers and made them new prayers for praise…. kind of like Mary does in her Magnificat (Luke 1). Both of these disciplines are acts of worship. How many of the actions listed in Romans 12 are directly enabled by us actively and intentionally pursuing true worship? How does being wholly dedicated to the worship of God…impact our ability to cultivate community? To connect with people and develop meaningful relationships? It is all connected…. Being devoted to the teaching of the Word… Fellowship… Worship.. are all crucial elements to developing true biblical community… but also are the steps we must engage in if we are to grow in our own relationship with Jesus.

Serving

A lot is said in verses 43-46 here that can point us to the reality that the believers in the early church were actively serving one another. What are some ways in which the believers were serving one another? - Verse 44 points us back to the idea of “fellowship”… sharing, giving… having things in common. How many of the actions listed in Romans 12 are directly enabled by us actively and intentionally living out the fact that we are serving one another? See a pattern here? They are all connected. You want to eventually get to the place where you are living out Romans 12? Then you have to start here! Be devoted to the teaching of God’s Word, true fellowship with others, heartfelt worship of the Lord, and serving those around you…. None of these things can be done alone…. they all require community! Now let’s get back to where we started with

Evangelism

This is something that the believers were practicing… but I also think that this is given to us as a result of community being cultivated by the early church. When there is a devotion to the teaching and living out of God’s Word, a lifestyle of worship, and true sacrificial, giving, fellowship taking place….. unbelievers notice… and are attracted to it! Tell me, as the early church lived out verse 42, persistent dedication and practice of applying the teaching to their lives, cultivating intimate fellowship with one another, and worshipping together… what was the immediate result? Look at verse 43…. “Everyone was filled with awe…” — I think this wasn’t just because of the “many wonders and miraculous signs that were done by the apostles…. but because everything was working together to bring about a profound sense of an awe of God. In the early church there was a sense of holiness much like the children of Israel had when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai…. an awe from being in the presence of God. We could use more of this today! Nothing promotes revival and genuine spiritual growth more than a sense of awe before our holy God coupled with a sense of our own unworthiness. With the Holy Spirit reigning in their hearts, the early church devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, and worship, and evangelism flowed forth as a result. You want other people to see Jesus in you? Then, saturate yourself with His Word. Give of yourself and develop true fellowship with others. Worship the Lord with your whole heart because you are enamored by Him and in awe of who He is!

Application/ Conclusion:

Walking in community together enable us to walk closer with Jesus?

Let’s put together some next steps…

If we want to do a better job of cultivating community, what are some areas in which we can grow?

Persistently living out the truths of Scripture in daily life. (All of them…. even the hard ones!)

Intentionally develop true intimacy with others. (Get uncomfortable…. truly knowing others)

Worship the Lord…. continuously remembering all He has done… and persistently rededicate each day to committing to live in a way that is worthy of His sacrifice. Praying and praising…. with passion and new joy!

Find ways to serve one another. Not out of obligation… but out of a desire to live out true fellowship!

Become enamored with God. Reclaim an awe for God… and be truly amazed at His majesty!

Proclaim the gospel each day with both word and deed!

Main idea: Walking in community together enable us to walk closer with Jesus!

You want to be closer to Jesus? Spend time with Him!… there is no substitute!

You want to live out what it means to be a Jesus follower? Spend time in biblical community!

You cannot do it alone… you were never meant to!