Transformed, Part 1

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The Birth of Christ, the Cross, The Resurrection, nd the day of Pentecost -

God has a plan

He’s working a big thing across time and space, from the beginning of time to today, across the globe. God even spoke about it in the garden, right after the fall.

We talked about what Jesus wanted to do through the cross - to take the punishment for all the wrong things we’ve done.

The resurrection - to bring a new life that extends into eternity.

In june, we’re coming up to the day of Pentecost - what is THAT part of the plan?

Acts 1:8–9 NIV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

So, Jesus is saying, I’m going to send you power. And you’re going to be my witnesses throughout the earth.

So, we have -

Salvation

God’s forgiven us completely. And through forgiveness, he made it so that we could have free access to God.

We have

Resurrection

God has promised us eternity with Him, life from the dead. Through the resurrection, Jesus made it so that we could have life after death, and be with God forever - not just here on earth.

But there’s God promising His power to go out and witness. To be ‘Jesus with skin on’, as we call it. To go through all the earth and tell people His message.

And God’s power in our hearts accomplishes something in us. And We believe this thing is for every believer - even now, even today. And it’s something God does for the rest of our lives. We call it

Transformation

And that’s what we’re gonna talk about for a little while.

And this lines up perfectly with our church’s vision. Our vision as a church is this:

Seeing Transformed Lives In Our Community and Church

That we’re not here just to do a song and dance. We’re not here to be a club.

We’re also not here just to pass on information. We’re not here just to give a little teaching, and send you home for the rest of the week.

We’re here for life transformation. To see people move closer to Jesus.

We’re here to see lives transformed. And not just in this room - everywhere. In our community. Across marathon. And beyond.

What does it mean to be transformed?

Romans 8:29 NIV

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

So Paul says, blunt - we’re here to be transformed into the image of Jesus. Not a literal, flesh and blood, physical copy of Jesus - but that our character, our faith, our reliance on God, everything we are as a person looks to Jesus as the ultimate example - and that eventually, we can be like Him in every way.

So there’s something to understand first:

Salvation is instant - Transformation is Gradual

Paul puts it pretty bluntly.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

It’s right there - you’re a new person.

But do we feel completely different?

one day to the next?

We call this the

Now But Not Yet

That we live in a reality NOW - that we are saved, we are forgiven, we are accepted. Our access is settled. We have been given the keys, and God has lined up a great place for us in heaven.

But God also has a NOT YET - and we call this part ‘transformation’.

2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

God, from here to eternity,

God works every day to make us look more like Him

This is the end goal of faith. Not just that we make it to heaven - but that we become like Jesus.

And this works in greater and greater ways over time. This is what he means by ‘ever-increasing glory’.

This line about ‘unveiled faces’, Paul earlier in the chapter talks about Moses, and how his face literally glowed - like, honest to goodness light source - when he met face to face with God. Freaked out israelites - they didn’t want to be reminded about it, so he veiled his face.

But we shouldn’t be afraid of that kind of access - we’ve been invited to it with open arms.

But that’s the big take home from this week, what we’re comitting to as a church now and moving forward - that

God is in the transformation business through the Holy Spirit

And not just here in this room. Everywhere, all the time.

And God hasn’t called us to this just by ourselves - we’re also called to be agents of transformation in the community around us. And we’ll unpack that more in the coming weeks.

At Easter, we celebrate how Jesus died and rose from the dead, and then ascended into heaven.

At pentecost, we will celebrate how Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to everyone, everywhere to get done His mission on earth. And this is SO IMPORTANT that Jesus Himself said that it was better that He left and sent the Holy Spirit back.

John 16:5–7 NIV

but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

Through the Spirit, God walks with us every single day, in every situation. He guides us, challenges us, changes us. He teaches us.

John 14:26 NIV

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

What Jesus did in the flesh, the Spirit will do in our hearts. What Jesus worked on with 12 guys, the Holy Spirit will do with every single one of us.

And

We start being transformed the moment we join in this process with Him

And let me tell you what that looks like.

VISION CAST OF A TRANSFORMED CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

BEFORE YOU GO

Please grab a coffee, stay a few minutes, and chat - or take something for the road! But before you leave, make sure to talk with someone that maybe you don’t know , or don’t know as well as you should.