Tag Archives: Transformation

I Understand

I understand your frustration.  I understand the questions you have – wondering if this is all there is to Church life.  I know the confusion you’ve felt, wondering if what you’re experiencing is the fullness of the life Jesus talked about.  I understand that you would feel deeply hurt if what you’ve experienced is all that is available.  Disappointed at feeling as though you’ve been misled.  Even angry, that someone had tapped into the deepest parts of you only to then leave you with a list of behaviours to mimic, meetings to attend and rules to follow.  I understand. I’ve been there myself.  I’ve felt this way too.

There really is more to this whole Christianity thing.  There really is more to what Church should be.  More to who God is.  More to who you are.

I don’t have it all figured out yet.  I’m still learning.  But what I have discovered is so much better than I imagined possible.  The things I’m learning are incredible, liberating, life-giving.  They are so wonderful I often stop and wonder why I didn’t see them before.  Why didn’t anyone tell me?  How have so many of us missed these things?

I understand if you are sceptical.  I know how deeply you’ve been hurt, disillusioned, disappointed.  I realise that by raising these ideas I’m opening up wounds that you felt had healed over.  But I’m asking you to try trusting me.  That little tug you feel in your heart; I encourage you to allow yourself to follow it.  Come with me, let’s explore together.  Let’s discover what God has in store for those who believe.

Experience Provides the Proof

Elisha asked for a double-portion of Elijah’s prophetic anointing.  With a response that sounds a bit like he was scratching his head wondering if this could be possible, Elijah told Elisha, “If you see me when I am taken, it will be granted” (2 Kings 2.10).

When Elijah was taken up in the whirlwind Elisha saw it and picked up the cloak that Elijah had dropped.  While there was no physical indication that anything had changed, Elisha was faced with the choice.  Would he test the word of the Prophet to prove whether it would be true?

He had seen Elijah remove his cloak, roll it up, hit the water to make a dry passage across the river bed.  So that was the way he tested to see if he’d been given the double-portion.  Hitting the water with the cloak was a physical act that caused a supernatural response.  When the water parted, Elisha knew that things had changed.

Elijah then had to apply belief that this initial experience provided proof that the request was granted – he would need to apply faith to the expectation that he would see the fullness of the double-portion.

Elisha could have doubted, and allowed his doubt to stop him from testing the promise.  What if it doesn’t work?  What if the water doesn’t part and the other prophets see me?

Sometimes, the only way to find out if what we’ve requested has been granted is through trying.   Experience usually requires taking a risk.

God’s Will & Jesus’ Teaching

I really like the way Jesus taught. Frequently I come across something Jesus said that makes me smile. So often he would say something that would be stated a challenge to some, but to someone else, the same statement was an invitation.

One instance is from John 7.16 where he said, “My Teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God’s will he will find out whether my teaching comes from God.”

Jesus was responding to the peoples’ amazement at his teaching. In his humility, he said that what he spoke wasn’t something he came up with himself, but had originated with God the Father. The challenge was that anyone who wanted to explore more of this teaching would be invited to pursue God’s will to do so.

What I find interesting about this invitation is the way it challenges us to test while, at the same time, invites us to pursue the will of God. But the only way we can truly know the will of God is to do what Jesus taught – then we’ll come to know whether his teaching comes from God.

Again, it comes back to the necessity of our lived experience that enables us to prove the will of God.

It is not through agreeing with what we’ve heard, or even saying that we believe what we’ve heard that validates the teacher, but only by putting into practice what we’ve heard. Only by testing the teaching can we stand over our belief or agreement in the teaching.

Proving the Kingdom

When King Saul wanted young David to wear his armour before going out to confront Goliath, David responded:   “No, I cannot wear this. I have not proved it.”

David did not want to wear the armour because he didn’t have any experience in wearing or using such equipment. He was not used to it. He had not tested it. He had not proven its effectiveness.

As we use something and experience it’s effectiveness we can stand over it; vouch for its value; be confident in its functionality; prove its worth.

 

The biblical language is similar to what Paul used in Romans 12.2.

“…be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve the will God…” (NIV)

God has an expectation that, as our minds are renewed, we will learn his will to the extent that we can recognise it, test it, stand over it and approve it.

While it is good to hear teaching and grow familiar with biblical doctrine; have I ‘proven’ it for myself?

While it is helpful to be around others and learn from their ministry experiences; have I ‘proven’ it for myself?

This implies that life will provide opportunities to experience the benefits of God’s will as we make decisions through daily living. In applying God’s Word to every-day circumstances, we learn to ‘prove’ the truth of his Word and experience the benefits of recognising his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Fullness Measured by Overflow

In the Kingdom of God things are measured and accounted for differently than they are in the ‘natural’.

In the natural, the more things you hold onto the more you retain. But in the Kingdom, the more you give away what you have, the more you get in return.

When I hear the expression that someone is full of the Holy Spirit, my mind often creates an image of a tall glass or jug that is so full of liquid that it can’t be picked up without spilling. When I was a kid, I remember testing my skills at seeing how much milk I could pour into a glass without it spilling over. This usually ended up with me cleaning up spills after being reminded by my mother of the waste and mess caused by my experiments.

When we think of being ‘full’ after eating a big meal the meaning behind what we’re saying is that we need to stop eating or we’ll make ourselves sick.

When I put fuel into my car to fill up the tank I want to be careful to stop when the tank is full or the fuel will splash out of the tank and be wasted.

In these examples fullness always has a limit. Fullness usually stops short of being completely full, because if it exceeds the limits of the container there are negative consequences. To cater for this, most containers are now manufactured with a safe “fill-level” so the contents of the container do not come into risk of damage, waste or cause the container to become over pressurised.

How much of this type of thinking has affected the way I understand what it means to be full of Holy Spirit?  Do I unconsciously put limits on what it means to be filled with Holy Spirit?  Do I somehow put restrictions on Holy Spirit and reduce the fill-level that can be achieved within me?

The Bible doesn’t seem concerned with the concept of over-filling, but refers to fullness in an unlimited way.  For instance, Jesus came to give life in abundance (Jn 10.10). But what does this abundance look like? How do we move from a mind-set of restriction to a mind-set of potential and abundant provision?

But the Bible takes the idea of abundance a step further. In Luke 6, Jesus speaks of the overflow that we receive when we obey his teaching and ‘give away’ what we’ve learned.

Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down shaken together and overflowing will be poured onto your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6.38).

The context is in reference to our willingness to forgive others and in doing so, we will receive mercy. But understood within the concept of overflow we begin to see that God is revealing to us a principle of his Kingdom: The more we give what God has given us, the more he gives us in return (Mk 10.29-30).

When we wisely use what God has given, he rewards us with an astounding level of increased blessing and responsibility (Lk 19.17).

When we choose to seek first His Kingdom and his righteousness, even to the extent of forsaking deep, personal and emotional ties, we will receive a multiple benefits of his Kingdom in this life.

God’s generous nature and willingness to be extravagant is shown in numerous examples throughout Scripture. When God gives, he does so with extreme generosity.   When he gives, he watches to see how we will put his gifts to use – and he is ready to give even more as we do.

So, when I think of being full of Holy Spirit, I’m learning not to think in terms of restriction. I’m learning to believe that fullness of Holy Spirit is measured by the overflow. How much of Holy Spirit am I able to contain? Well, that depends on how much of Holy Spirit I am able to give away.

If I give love and peace to others – even those who are not extending love and peace to me – the promise is that God will fill me with an even greater experience of his love and peace. If I am kind and gentle to others, the promise is that God will give me an increase in kindness and gentleness. This regular flow of the characteristics of God’s nature alters my own make up, transforming my character so that, through my participation with him, I am being changed into his likeness.

If I am regularly pursuing him for the infilling of his Spirit, then I have more of him to give away. The more I give of what he’s given me, the more he continues to give – a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and overflowing being poured into my lap.

 

Sean Copeland  01/Nov/15