Spiritual Transformation: Stirred Chocolate Milk

Intro: As Christians, we are sanctified. But... what does that actually mean? This lesson encouraged me in my walk with God; it kind of cleared up in my mind what my "job" is in this walk with Christ that requires a balance of works and faith. But where do we end and where does God begin, or vise versa? At least in my opinion, I don't think that line could ever be clearly defined -- however, this lesson did a good job of reminding me of my role as a Daughter of Christ through the sanctification process.

A key illustration used in this lecture: milk and chocolate syrup. We are a cup of milk. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we are given the Holy Spirit -- chocolate syrup. Looking into the cup from above, the milk will appear to be the same before and after salvation if you don't stir! And even after being mixed, if the cup of stirred chocolate milk is left to sit for extended periods of time, it will begin to separate and the milk (from above) will resume original appearance. So what does the stirring utensil symbolize? (Answer below!)

What is sanctification?
It is the process of being set apart for, and set apart from.

Three types of sanctification:

1. Positional - Christ's righteousness imputed or credited to us
2. **Progressive - the believer grows in victory over sin and Christlikeness
3. Perfective - believers are changed into His likeness at His return

**Progressive sanctification = Spiritual Transformation

The Why of Sanctification

1. It is God's will - 1 Thessalonians 4:3
2. God commanded it - Hebrews 12:14
3. Follows example of Christ
4. Benefits the community, attracts the lost

Purpose: to become mature Christians with spiritual discernment requires time and training in the Word.

Definition of Spiritual Formation:

Spiritual transformation is the continuing response to the reality of God's grace shaping us into the likeness of Jesus Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit, in the community of faith for the sake of the world. - Jeffrey Greenman.

Spiritual transformation is not just "me and God," it includes involvement in the "community of faith," which is the church, the body of Christ. As mentioned in the quote above, God is always the one to initiate (He gave us grace without us asking!), our job is to respond.

Indications of progress

1. Do I love God more today than I did before?
2. Do I love people, who mean so much to Him, more today than I did before?

The stirring utensil: How to engage in Spiritual Transformation

A. Obstacles -- the trials we face that shape our character and faith! Romans 5:3-5

B. The Bible -- we will know Him through His Word, not through His creations. 

C. *Means of Grace: God-given, Christ-minded, Spirit-driven practice we embrace, both individually and corporately, for the purpose of experiencing and expressing growth in godliness. Some classic means (comparable to Spiritual Disciplines):

1. Silence/Solitude
2. Fasting
3. Prayer
4. Confession
5. Biblical Hospitality
6. Biblical Thanksgiving
7. Service
8. Celebration

Any means of grace breaks the seduction of worldly desires and allows us to hear God's invitation to draw near to Him, to be like Him, etc.

Conclusion: Your spiritual transformation blesses the Father, impacts the world for Christ, testifies to the power of the Holy Spirit, and fulfills your calling.

GLDI Week 2: Biblical Truth and Worldview

The second week of GLDI is focused on a lot of discipline and intention-based practices of Christian faith. The bulk of the lectures discussed how to best read the Bible, these lessons of which are not included on this blog for simplicity's sake (maybe to be added later?). A couple valuable lessons I have included as listed:

Biblical Worldview
Apologetics
Abortion and Homosexuality

Abortion and Homosexuality

These are sensitive topics… but a good reminder of Christian values.

Abortion

Many of faith (and not of faith) know that Christians are pro-life, but why? It is because a baby from the point of conception is considered to have life. Life is God-given, and man is made in the image of God. Where do we have the right to take away the life? And even without the fundamental belief that abortion equates murder, here is one fundamental idea to fancy: abortion v. murder of a child is just a matter of change in location.

As a 5 year-old child has the right to the provision, love and care from his/her parents, and parents have no right to kill their 5 year-old, what makes the case different for an unborn baby except for change in location (inside v. outside the womb) and a passage of time?

Homosexuality

One key point is that Christians are not (all) homophobic. Some may be, but there are non-Christians who are homophobic too, it is subjective to each individual and not characteristic of one group of people.

Another key point is that Christians are not anti-gay. God does not hate homosexuals and neither should His people. All life comes from God; He does not hate His creation. Christians are not against homosexuals, it is homosexual behavior that is not approved or accepted. Bear in mind that adultery (pre-marital sexual activity) is against Christian values, and therefore sexual activity outside of marriage, whether heterosexual or homosexual, are viewed as equally wrong. There is no hierarchy for sin. James 2:10: “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.”

As children of God, we are called to love all people.

Biblical Worldview

Intro: The foundations of Christian faith as found in Colossians 1.

Biblical foundation of integration: Colossians 1

1. Man is created in "the image of the invisible God, and in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell"
2. "All things were made by him and for him and through him."
3. "He is the head of the church, his body, firstborn from the dead (resurrection)" and "reconsiled all things to himself, whether on heaven or earth, making peace by his blood on the cross (crucifixion)"

Kingdom Integration, the ultimate conclusion of Colossians 1

1. The God of creation is the God of redemption and is the incarnate Christ our King
   There is no divide between the material and the spiritual -- God created the material and also is the incarnate Christ, our spiritual redeemer!
2. Christ is immediate King over all of the created order
   He rules directly over us, there is no need for any mediation. We also need to stop looking at the things of this world as if they were so separate from our God, either He is far from those things or that those things are far from Him. It's not true, all things are His.
3. Christ is the only and ultimate redeemer of all that will be redeemed
4. It is within this story that we find the meaning of our lives.

The main question for the life of a believer: is everything used by and for Jesus? Does your ____ look like you worship Jesus?

Kingdom Integration defined: The task of theological integration is the enthroning of Christ as King in every sphere of human endeavor and every aspect of the created order.

Apologetics

Apologetics: the defense for Christian faith; the art of persuasion to commend Christian faith in its relevance to life, not just its rationality. Apologetics is only powerful when reinforced by a life which reflects the character of Christ. Apologetics is Proclamational, Dialogical, and Incarnational. Proclamational = proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. Dialogical = it is a dialogue between 2+ people, not a lecture! Incarnational = the believer as a living reflection of the character of Jesus.

An example of a common argument a nonbeliever would assert is as follows:

• God is all powerful.
• God is all good.
• An all-powerful and good God would vanquish evil.
• Evil exists.
• Therefore, God does not exist.

A sample response, as God is founder of logic and encourages reasoning is as such (we call this the Free Will Defense):

• A world with moral good is better than a world without moral good.
• Agents with morally significant free will are needed for there to be moral good.
• God cannot create moral agents who never go wrong – or else there would be no such thing as morality (how can good exist without evil, or evil to exist without good?)
• Therefore, God cannot create a world with moral good without the possibility of moral evil.

So then, is God responsible for the evils of His creation since He brought us to life? No, He is no more responsible as is a father of the actions of his own son.

Apologetics takes practice… and keep in mind, it is not meant for conversion. In most cases, no amount of logical arguments can solely cause a nonbeliever to turn to Christ – so don’t forget our purpose and calling to love our neighbors as ourselves!

Some steps to take in this type of discussion:

1. Clarify assumptions the asker holds. “What do you mean by evil? What do you mean by God?” We must have a clear understanding of these things, or the conversation could go in circles and communication would not be effective.
2. Question their conclusions. “How did you come up with the idea that God and evil cannot exist?
3. Provide an answer! As best you can, as God’s grace is upon you.
4. Reverse roles, it’s a good opportunity to also question their beliefs as well and know their perspective.

Revelations from His Word #1

I find that many Christians are content with their salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. There came a time when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and then our life resumed normal. We may not have any outward evidence of their faith, and this is often accepted as "ok" since we have eternal life. Romans 10:9-10

...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Here it states that it is not just from silent faith that we are saved, we must also use our mouths to accept salvation. One may argue: as Christians, most of us have said the sinner's prayer in which we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior with our tongue... So technically we're saved just by claiming His name once, at least according to this passage. Let's revisit this idea in 1 Corinthians 10:16, 26:

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?... For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. -1 Corinthians 10:16, 26-27

As Christians, we are called to proclaim His name until He comes. I would think that the so-called "unworthy manner" of eating the bread or drinking the cup of the Lord is the silent faith that yields no fruit. Fruit, comes in three forms: witness, service and devotion.

• Witness - to share the gospel and testimonies
• Service - to serve in the ministry of the Lord (whether in church, vocation, mission, etc)
• Devotion - drawing near to God in QT, enjoying His love, presence and teachings

All these fruits come from the heart that is in a relationship with Christ and loves Christ, and therefore the bearing of these fruits will never be tiresome. Imagine how much effort you put into pursuing the love of your life... Nothing is ever too much if you really love that person. As you draw closer to God, He slowly changes your heart to be as such, and the fruit you yield through faith will increase in size, shape and number.

GLDI Week 1: Personal Transformation and Vision

The first week of GLDI was centered around our personal relationships with God and the transforming power that comes from the understanding of His love. This week was very powerful, emotional and challenged the way I viewed Christian faith. It redefined the way I walk with God and established a better foundation upon which my walk has been building on ever since. The list of lessons, in order, is produced below:

Running the Race with Endurance
Transformation
The Love of the Father
The Love of the Father Part 2: Older Brother Syndrome
Sin, My Deepest Problem, the World's Deepest Problem
Untitled Sermon (Christian Life)
Restore Us, O Lord
Vision
God's Great Mercy
Understanding the Importance of Spiritual Disciplines
Daily Office

It's best to read in the order presented by this list, but feel free to hop.
God Bless!