Lives transformed | Vision & Mission
For the next few weeks I am reflecting on our vision & mission. It is available printed at church and on our website, and fits on one side of A4 with relevant Bible verses on the back.
Our vision statement is – We long to see: God’s name honoured, His kingdom come, Lives transformed.
Today I am focusing on ‘Lives transformed.’ I wonder what comes to mind when you hear that phrase? Perhaps something to do with justice? Poverty? Addiction? Those are all important things that the Bible tells us God cares about. But there is a deeper transformation that all of us need.
Ezekiel 36.26: [The Lord says:] ‘I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.’
2 Corinthians 3.18: 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.
2 Corinthians 5.17: If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!
Colossians 3.5-10: Put to death… whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry… You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
There are two sides to this deeper transformation.
First, it is a miracle: something only God can do. Ezekiel talks about an internal change: a new spirit, a new heart – of flesh rather than stone – a heart softened towards God, towards others, even towards ourselves. That is something only God can do. No self-help book or TV show will truly soften your heart; only God can do that. Paul echoes that in 2 Corinthians when he says we are being transformed – by the Spirit of God who is making us new from the inside out.
And that’s the second part. The most important part of transformation is what God does on the inside – that comes first, it is a wonderful gift, as we are adopted into God’s family as his children. But we need to join in by working on our behaviour, our attitudes: to live outwardly as children of God. God wants to transform us from the inside out: he does the inside bit, we join in with the outside bit. That’s why Paul talks about putting to death’ worldly behaviour: things like sexual immorality, anger, filthy language, lying. Things like that are not appropriate for God’s children, so we need to work hard at getting rid of such things. One of the reasons it’s hard is because so many of those come naturally’ to us… we don’t need to try to lie or get angry or whatever it may be, it just happens. And it’s hard because getting rid of these things doesn’t happen all at once so it can be discouraging. But don’t give up: you are not alone!
God transforms lives from the inside out: he does the inside bit, we join in with the outside bit.
This week could you pray and give thanks to God for his transforming power – and ask him to help you work on perhaps one of the things from that list in Colossians 3.5-10? Maybe one jumped out at you as I read the list – pay attention to that, it’s likely the prompting of the Holy Spirit. How can you put off’ that behaviour or attitude this week, and instead put on’ who you are as a much loved child of God?
If you can, perhaps share that with a trusted friend so you can support and pray for each other in this.
Let’s pray.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
thank you that because of your great love
we can be called children of God.
Help us to make new disciples of Jesus:
sharing and showing his way, truth and life.
Teach us to grow as his disciples:
faithful to your Word and full of your Spirit.
Send us out into the world as his disciples:
worshipping you with our whole lives.
Pour out your Spirit upon us:
fill us and make us new day by day,
that we might bring you glory and praise.
Amen.