Transformation in Christ

The early martyrs of the church did not lay down their lives for an ideal, or for an idea or belief.  They surrendered their lives because of the transformation that had taken place in them once Jesus moved into their hearts.  They knew beyond a shadow of doubt that they had been transformed:

from sadness to joy;

from fear to faith ;

from worry to confidence;

from mourning to dancing.

 

They could not deny who they were in Christ Jesus; they were no longer "Adam," (the natural man), but now sons and daughters of the Most High God, Who daily poured Himself into their lives. The natural life paled in comparison to the "Gift of God," the 'living water' Jesus spoke of  the the woman at the well.  They could not surrender what they had been given in the Spirit.

 

I heard on the radio a few days ago of a Muslim woman in India who had been working alongside her friend of 15 years for the same amount of time.  Suddenly, she began to notice a change in her friend, a new peace and joy that had never before been there.  When she would talk about hating something or someone, her friend would say, "Hate will destroy you from the inside; it's better to pray for those who do evil to us."  Finally, this Muslim woman said to her friend, "You are different; what have you done?"  Her friend said, "I am no longer a Muslim; I have given my life to Jesus Christ." 

 

The change in her was obvious, though she had not preached or said a word about the transformation that came over her. 

 

From the beginning, we were designed by God to sit 'at His right hand,' in the position of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  We are designed to receive all that God is -- in His image and likeness:  His peace, His knowledge, His joy, His kindess, His truth -- He wants to give everything to us.  We do not have to struggle or earn points; we just have to be sitting in the place of Jesus Christ to receive the glory of God.

 

What does God want of us?  Jesus, His Son, wants to take us by the hand and lead us into His Father's house, to His very own place.  "Sit here," He wants to say to us; 'receive all that my Father has to give you.  You are the Beloved." 

 

"It's not that easy," some will say; "we have to work and earn our reward."  Don't they know Unless the Lord build the house, the workers labor in vain?  Jesus is the Author and the Finisher of our faith; He himself will do the work in us to transform us into the son/daughter of God.  In the meantime, His joy is His gift; He gives us His very own peace and leads us from glory to glory.

 

What is required of us is exactly what was required of the Apostles:  we must daily walk with Jesus and listen to Him.  Let Him teach us.  He said, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you" (Acts 1:8).  All of the Apostles (except John) and many of the early Christians and the Fathers of the Church (the next generation) underwent martyrdom -- and did so with joy.  As Paul said, "for me, to die is gain."  They were not masochists; they were following the joy given to them by Christ, even at the cost of their lives.

If we are not following joy, if we are not receiving our daily portion of peace, we do not know Jesus Christ and the power of His resurrection.  We need to stay in prayer until we are endued with power from on high, until we are transformed from the top of our head to the bottom of our feet with the Gift of God.