The Way of Change

    This weekend I spend time in San Diego on some business for Shiloh University. While there I attended the Church of His Kingdom. The Senior pastor brought a word on change. It was a pastoral word to his sheep and being good sheep they received it as it was, a word from God. This is a formula for change. The whole service was refreshing to me and my wife who live life in an intense environment, i.e. Los Angeles. San Diego has always been a place of "R & R" for us. We took a ferry ride around the harbor passing right beneath the Midway aircraft carrier. It was a beautiful day. Well, I digress.
     Oh yes, the point I was making was the depth of theology in God's people.  The sheep Sunday morning understood a very basic theological principle, exposing ones heart to the logos, the word, Christ, the Big Bambino, causes change. We are changed by beholding Him.  In this respect we are all theologians. Every person who thinks about God in some part is doing theology. In fact every Christian is a theologian, good or bad. According to Stanley Grenz "Every Christian is a theologian. Whether consciously or unconsciously, each person of faith embraces a belief system. And each believer, whether in a deliberate manner or merely implicitly, reflects on the content of these beliefs and their significance for Christian life."
    Well, I would like to think that every Christian has at some point consciously thought about his/her faith. I know those congregants last Sunday were way into thinking about their faith. In fact I would venture to say that the flock of CHK, has been trained to think about their walk with God. They examined their lives and looked for areas that needed change. Change is not easy. "Reflecting on the content of their beliefs" requires an openness to God who does not change (Mal.3:6a), but demands that we evolve into His image. Paul fortunately gives us the avenue for this transformation in 2 Corinthians 3:18. "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (KJV). The Greek word for changed, or transformed (NIV) is metamorfow, That is right, metamorphosis. Like the butterfly we go from a worm to a beautiful butterfly. The worm has no idea that he will fly, much less be so delicate and drink the nector of beautiful flowers. What a change that is! To go from squirming around in the dirt and making little girls scream, to flying in the air and having people marvel at your beauty, is mind boggling. Only God could do something like that. Really the study of science, life, physical, or theoretical is a practical theology course. It depends simply on your orientation to life. 
     The worm never studied science so he has no idea what he is changing into. Do we? "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him"(1 Cor. 2:9). Our ideas about who we are going to be can block what God is doing for us and in us. I bet the worm was glad he wasn't asked his opinion about what God was doing. Little did he know. And little do we know. But that is good. All we have to do is open our hearts in faith to the Lord, beholding Him and metamorphosis happens! John  Stevens in His revolutionary sermon called The Course of Change, said this, "How can you accelerate the process of becoming identical with Him? How can you absorb His nature? Efforts to discipline yourself to pray and read the Bible a certain amount every day are good, but they can easily become only a legalistic bondage. It is not how much you read the Word or listen to messages that determines your growth; it is how much you see and partake of Christ in it, how much you are truly exposed to Christ in it." That is the way of change. Exposing yourself to Christ, in the word, in prayer, in your brother and sister of faith, in our own hearts, this is how we transform ourselves. This is the end result of good theology. As Paul the great eccesliastical architech and theologian put it so simply, "That I might know him and the power (dynamite) of his resurrection..." (Phil.3:10).

Christ liveth in me

What a great old song is "Christ Liveth in Me" by Daniel Whittle. Especially wonderful is the last verse; 
With longing all my heart is filled,
That like Him I may be,
As on the wondrous thought I dwell
That Christ liveth in me.

The wonder of that thought leads my mind to think "how can this be?" Well good for Paul, he spells it out for us in 2 Corinthians 3:18. And in the mist of this verse he uses a Greek participle that in its tense and mood tells us how this all happens. The key word is katoptrizomenoi. Yes I know it is an eye full and when you say it, it is a mouthful. But it is does mean what Paul wants it to mean. According to R. Mounce, the present adverbial participle has a continuous action to it. The root word has developed over time from "gazing in a mirror" to "contemplation". It has a further addition of the noun ending which when used as an instrument can mean "by contemplating". So if we put this verse together we see that it says "We all are being changed into the image of Christ by contemplating on the glory of the Lord." This is the key. We continually contemplate, reflect on the lord and the change happens. Another important word in this verse is  "change".  In Greek it is metamorphoumetha, yes that's right "metamorphosis". As we continually behold the Lord we metamorphize into him. Gradually our thoughts, our hearts and our spirits are changed from glory to glory, by the spirit. But the emphasis for me  is the continuous contemplation of him. I don't change because of my deeds, though wonderful, or my actions though righteous : ), but through beholding Him.  Christ becomes alive and more alive and more alive in me. Salvation has come to me. I don't work to become it, except by reflecting upon Him. "Oh what a salvation this, that Christ liveth in me."


Questions:
1.  Find 2 more verses that use this word "metamorphosis". 
2. Why would a good Calvinist firmly belief that change only comes through God's grace? What about salvation?
3. How often a day do you "contemplate" or reflect on God's glory?