July 18, 2021

Changing or Being Changed (Part 3)

KEY TEXTS:
Romans 12:2 (ESV)
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…

1 Samuel 10:6
6 The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you…and you will be changed into a different person.

So often when we think about change, we think of it in terms of an event. And while change can happen in a moment so much of it takes time and is an ongoing work in our lives. It would be better for us to think of change as being initiated by an event but one that we allow to continue to form and shape us. In spiritual terms we call this the Process of Sanctification. (Which in simple terms is the action of being purified from sin and being made holy)

We need to realize that change in either direction is an ongoing process. Thus, the reason for the title to this series… CHANGING or BEING CHANGED. Both are ongoing. I am either CHANGING (conforming – becoming more like the world) or BEING CHANGED (transformed – Sanctified by my relationship with God and becoming more like Him)

Today we want to look at some areas in which the necessity of the ongoing process of change is even more evident.

Changed THINKING
Changed UNDERSTANDING – Nicodemas
Changed MIND
Changed CHOICES – Prodigal Son
Changed ATTITUDE