DOWNLOAD: Sis Agnes Akinbanjo's Message (10-10-2017 Digging Deep)
The Word
Sis Agnes Akinbanjo
10th October, 2017
Topic: AGENTS OF TRANSFORMATION
Text: 2 Corinthians 3:18
DOWNLOAD the Audio Message
2 Corinthians 3:18: But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.
Romans 12:2: And do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect.
WHAT IS TRANSFORMATION
The word “transformation,” according to Merriam-Webster, means “a complete or major change in someone or something’s appearance, form, etc.” This gives us a basic definition of transformation as a kind of change.
But what does transformation mean for us as Christians? Does it mean we clean up our act, change our behavior to be more Christ-like, or live by a new set of rules and regulations? When we look more closely at the verses mentioned above, we find that in the Bible, transformation actually means something different from all of these things.
WHAT TRANSFORMATION IS NOT
Transformation is not a change brought about by simply doing good or improving our behavior. Imagine a person who is undernourished, sickly, and pale, but who puts on makeup to improve their appearance. They may look healthier, but the makeup is only cosmetic, something externally applied. What they really need is a genuine change that results from a life process within.
If that same undernourished, pale person were to eat healthy, nourishing food, a noticeable change would begin to occur. Their color would improve and their body would be strengthened. Eventually, their appearance would become healthy not because of something they did outwardly, but because of something that changed inwardly.
Adjusting our behavior to look more like Christ is like applying that external makeup. Our inward condition remains the same, but we try to cover it by doing good things or improving our conduct. As a result, what people see is not really Christ Himself lived out of us and expressed in our lives, but spiritually undernourished people striving to imitate Christ’s life the best they can.
Genuine transformation is different. An inward change takes place in our being as we take Christ in as our spiritual food and drink. As we eat, the divine life within us is allowed to operate, and our “appearance” gradually improves until we spontaneously begin to express Christ more in our daily lives.
People might remark, “That person’s different than he was before. What happened to him?” The difference comes from being transformed by the life of God through our eating Christ and assimilating Him into our being until we express Him more and more.
This all goes back to what we let influence us. Clearly what we take in will and does influence us greatly as to how we make changes in life. But we also must allow the Holy Spirit to take over and dwell with our spirit so that we can change and grow in the will of God the Father.
Isaiah 40:30-31
Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
Ephesians 4:22-24
that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
Quotes:
1. "I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples." Mother Teresa
2. "The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking." Albert Einstein
3. "The measure of intelligence is the ability to change." Albert Einstein
CONCLUSION
The food of the living word is the nourishment that transforms us from glory to glory. We need His Word every day or we get stunted in growth. This personal relationship is filled with choices to love and praise God while living by the Word. No one else can do this for us. We have to eat to be healthy.
Sis Agnes Akinbanjo
10th October, 2017
Topic: AGENTS OF TRANSFORMATION
Text: 2 Corinthians 3:18
DOWNLOAD the Audio Message
2 Corinthians 3:18: But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.
Romans 12:2: And do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect.
WHAT IS TRANSFORMATION
The word “transformation,” according to Merriam-Webster, means “a complete or major change in someone or something’s appearance, form, etc.” This gives us a basic definition of transformation as a kind of change.
But what does transformation mean for us as Christians? Does it mean we clean up our act, change our behavior to be more Christ-like, or live by a new set of rules and regulations? When we look more closely at the verses mentioned above, we find that in the Bible, transformation actually means something different from all of these things.
WHAT TRANSFORMATION IS NOT
Transformation is not a change brought about by simply doing good or improving our behavior. Imagine a person who is undernourished, sickly, and pale, but who puts on makeup to improve their appearance. They may look healthier, but the makeup is only cosmetic, something externally applied. What they really need is a genuine change that results from a life process within.
If that same undernourished, pale person were to eat healthy, nourishing food, a noticeable change would begin to occur. Their color would improve and their body would be strengthened. Eventually, their appearance would become healthy not because of something they did outwardly, but because of something that changed inwardly.
Adjusting our behavior to look more like Christ is like applying that external makeup. Our inward condition remains the same, but we try to cover it by doing good things or improving our conduct. As a result, what people see is not really Christ Himself lived out of us and expressed in our lives, but spiritually undernourished people striving to imitate Christ’s life the best they can.
Genuine transformation is different. An inward change takes place in our being as we take Christ in as our spiritual food and drink. As we eat, the divine life within us is allowed to operate, and our “appearance” gradually improves until we spontaneously begin to express Christ more in our daily lives.
People might remark, “That person’s different than he was before. What happened to him?” The difference comes from being transformed by the life of God through our eating Christ and assimilating Him into our being until we express Him more and more.
This all goes back to what we let influence us. Clearly what we take in will and does influence us greatly as to how we make changes in life. But we also must allow the Holy Spirit to take over and dwell with our spirit so that we can change and grow in the will of God the Father.
Isaiah 40:30-31
Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
Ephesians 4:22-24
that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
Quotes:
1. "I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples." Mother Teresa
2. "The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking." Albert Einstein
3. "The measure of intelligence is the ability to change." Albert Einstein
CONCLUSION
The food of the living word is the nourishment that transforms us from glory to glory. We need His Word every day or we get stunted in growth. This personal relationship is filled with choices to love and praise God while living by the Word. No one else can do this for us. We have to eat to be healthy.
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