Be Tranformed

Intro: I am a tech guy, I like new technology, I like learning how it can be beneficial to me. Which is why my Iphone has become a very useful tool for my life.

I love the calendar and reminder function on my phone. I set up meetings and reminders for those meetings. I am notified 15 min before any appointment, conference call, or meeting. It is very helpful and needed, because we are forgetful people.

This is one of the reasons why we talk about who we are as Fellowship Bible Church on a yearly basis. So we do not forget our mission is “To make disciples who live by God’s grace and for his glory at home and across the world” and our Values are Connecting to God and others, Transforming and Multiplying.

This week we want to be reminded about another one of our core values which is transformation.

I. What do we mean when we talk about transformation?

When someone is transformed by the Gospel that person becomes someone who desires to follow Jesus in every part of his or her life, seeking to become more and more like Jesus in attitude and action”

To make it even clearer, people who are transformed by the Gospel are becoming people who think like Jesus and live like Jesus.

WOW!

I know me, you know you. But something we both know about each other is, we do not always think and live like Jesus.

That is why we need to allow the Spirit of God through the Gospel to transform our lives. The process of transformation happens when God shines the light of his glory through the the combination of the Spirit of God, his word, the church and other means of grace on our old ways of thinking and living, when he does this our desires, our hearts and minds change and we begin to reject our old way of thinking and living and we are being transformed to think and live like Jesus. Pauls says this,

2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

When we Behold The Glory of Jesus we are transformed.

II. How do we behold the glory of Jesus?

I think the life of Peter is helpful for us, there are so many references to the life of Peter in the Gospels and Acts, a little in Galatians and he wrote 2 letters, 1 -2 Peter towards the end of his life.

I imagine Peter writing 1-2 Peter, as the Spirit of God inspires him and brings to mind his life story.

Peter is on the shore fishing and Andrew his brother comes on the scene, Peter Peter, drop what you are doing, I found the messiah! Peter begins to watch Jesus from a distance, until one day after fishing all night, Jesus says throw out your nets over there. Peter is like Jesus, I am really not in the mood right now, but because you are the one asking, I will do it.

All of the sudden the scene turns wild because their nets are full fish, the boats are sinking the nets are breaking. Peter eyes are opened, and says Jesus I am not worthy, I am a sinner, depart from. Jesus looks at him with eyes of grace and love. Peter, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.

What about when Jesus and his disciples were travelling through Caesarea Philippi and he asks his disciples who do you think I am? All of the sudden, Peter is filled with a thought that he could not contain and he just shouts it out, “you are the Christ the son of the living God” and Jesus looks at him and says Blessed are you because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you but my Father in Heaven.

Peter also messed up too, right after Peter confesses Jesus is the messiah, Jesus begins to tell them that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer. Peter rebukes Jesus, the son of God. Jesus turns to him and says get thee behind me satan and told him he was not setting his mind on the things of God.

What about Peter when Jesus was on trial, when he was confronted by 3 different people asking him if he was a follower of Jesus and denies him 3 times. the rooster crows and all of sudden him and Jesus lock eyes, and he runs off ashamed.

Jesus restores Peter on the sea of Galilee after he is raised from the dead.

God uses Peter to do some amazing things in the book of Acts, preaching sermons and thousands come to Jesus, healings and miracles, witness to the religious leaders. He also made some mistakes, like causing division in the church by discriminating between the Jews and Gentiles until the Apostle Paul confronts him and Peter repents.

In Peter’s life we see transformation, when Peter is confronted with the word of God, and his eyes and heart are opened by the Spirit of God, it brings forth fruit of repentance and transformation.

Peter talks to us about transformation in 2 Peter 1, I encourage you to go home this week and read it every day this week. But he tells us a memory he has about Jesus, this event is known as the transfiguration, were Jesus appeared to Peter, James and John in glory.

2 Peter 1:16–21 ESV

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

What is Peter saying here?

Everything we have wrote and preached is truth, we didn’t make these stories up. We are eyewitnesses of Jesus’ majesty and glory.

What we experienced on that mountain was glorious, I will never forget it. I seen Jesus in Glory, I heard the glorious voice from heaven saying “this is my beloved son, with whom I am will pleased.

What Peter says next is astounding, “we have the the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do will to pay attention to” Peter says while that experience was awesome, you have the Bible “more fully confirmed” Pat attention to what the Bible says.

Why should we pay attention, because the Bible is lamp shining into the darkness in our hearts, exposing the sin and through the power of the Spirit when we read the Bible, we Behold the Glory of Jesus and we are transformed, changed from one degree of glory to another. We overcome our problems with lust, anger, bitterness, theft, hate, racism, and through God’s word adn his Spirit we begin love people in the right way, we stop stealing and begin to work, we no longer operate out of anger or hate, but love.

The Glory of the Lord is sitting on bookshelves in our homes, collecting dust or apps on our phone rarely opened. Dust off those Bibles this week, open your Bible App and begin to read daily and let the Spirit of God transform your life. Let’s pray

Statement About Bryan

Voy a pedir a Dave y Ben que me acompanian. Queremos tomar tiempo hoy para tener una conversacion como familia de Fellowship Espanol.

I am going to ask Dave and Ben to join us on the stage. We want to take some time today to have a family conversation with Fellowship Español.

Nos venimos ante ustedes con corazones quebrantadas para dejarles saber que hemos quitado a Bryan como pastor de Fellowship Espanol. Se nos fue dicho que Bryan ha tenido una relacion con una mujer, no su esposa, fuera de su matrimonio. Despues de un tiempo de invistigacion y conversaciones con Bryan, Bryan a confirmado tener un relacion fisica y emocional con otra mujer y relaciones inapropriadas con otras mujeres. De lo que sabemeos las mujeres estan fuera de nuestra comunidad de Fellowship Espanol.

Mientras eschuchen esta informacion, hay muchas preguntas, pensamientos, y emociones ques estan pensando y sientiendo, lo se porque lo mismo a mi se me esta pasando. Por esa razon quisimos tomar un tiempo de nuestro servicio dominical para comunicarles lo que ha pasado, como estamos ayudando a Paola, Carlo y Bryan y tambien como procesar la informacion que les estamos dando.

Dave nos hará saber cómo Fellowship está cuidando actualmente a la familia Monterroso.

Y luego Ben, como uno de nuestros Pastores de Fellowship, nos ayudara a procesar esta información que estamos recibiendo.

We come to you today with a very heavy heart to let you know Bryan has been removed as campus pastor of Fellowship Español. It was brought to our attention that Bryan has had an inappropriate relationship with another woman. After a time of investigation and conversations with Bryan, Bryan has admitted to having a physical and emotional affair with another woman and inappropriate relationships with other women. To our knowledge the women involved are outside of our Fellowship Español community.

As you hear this information, there are many questions, thoughts and emotions going through your heart and mind. I know because I am here going through this with you. Which is why we wanted to take time out of our Sunday morning service to communicate to you what happened, how we are currently helping Paola, Carlo and Bryan, and how to process this information you are receiving.

Dave will let us know how Fellowship is currently caring for the Monterroso family.

And then Ben, as one of our Teaching Pastors, can you help us process what we may be feeling right now?

Dave…..

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· Les pido a todos que hagamos las siguientes cosas en las próximas semanas:

I would ask all of us to do the following things in the next several weeks:

1. Sigue viniendo los domingos para adorar con nosotros y participar en cualquier evento que tengamos.

1. Continue coming on Sunday’s to worship with us and participate in any events.

2. Ore para que Dios nos dé dirección como líderes mientras hablamos sobre los próximos pasos para Fellowship Español.

2. Pray that God gives direction to us as leaders as we talk about the next steps for Fellowship Espanol

3. Habrá un tiempo de adoración y oración en el casa de la familia Aguilar esta noche a las 6:00 para cualquier que esté interesado.

3. There will be a time of worship and prayer at the Aguilar home tonight at 6:00 for anyone who is interested.

4. Queremos invitarlo a una noche de adoración y oración el 27 de agosto a las 7:00 PM, aquí en el warehouse.

4. We want to invite you for a worship and prayer night on August 27th at 7:00 PM, here in the warehouse.

5. Únese con nosotros en el Domingo de vision , que sera el 29 de agosto, allí hablaremos sobre los próximos pasos para Fellowship Español.

5. Join us on Vision Sunday, August 29th, there we will talk about the next steps for Fellowship Espanol.

Dave, Ben, Jonas y yo estamos disponibles para sus preguntas después del servicio. Y para sus preguntas a medida que procesa lo que ha sucedido durante la semana.

Dave, Ben, Jonas, and I are available for your questions after the service. And for your questions as you process what has happened as the week progresses.

Esperamos verlos la semana que viene, Ben, ¿puedes cerrarnos en oración?

We hope to see you next week, Ben can you close us in prayer?