IT IS CLEAR FROM SCRIPTURE THAT THE CHURCH IS OF GOD AND FOR PEOPLE. THE BIBLICAL CONCEPT OF THE CHURCH IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE FREE MEHTODIST CHURCH STATES:
“THE CHURCH IS THE ORGANIC, CORPORATE INSTRUMENT GOD HAS CHOSEN TO REMAKE PEOPLE AND SOCIETY. IT HAS A MISSION OF HOLY LOVE. THE CHURCH EXISTS TO PRODUCE CHRISTLIKENESS IN ALL PEOPLE AND THEIR INSTITUTIONS. THUS OUR MISSION MAY BE DESCRIBED AS PARTICIPATION WITH GOD IN BRINGING HOLINESS AND LOVE TO BEAR UPON THE SINS, HURTS, AND NEEDS OF ALL PEOPLE. THIS DESCRIPTION OF OUR MISSION IS BOTH INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIAL. IT POINTS TO A SOCIAL RELATIONSHIP OF ALL PEOPLE TO GOD AND TO EACH OTHER DESCRIBED IN SCRIPTURE AS “THE KINGDOM OF GOD.”
WHEN THE CHURCH IS FOUND UNIFIED, LOVING, AND ACTING UNDER THE HEADSHIP OF JESUS AND THE INSPIRATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE CHURCH MOVES FORWARD, TRIUMPHANT, TO THE GLORY OF GOD. THIS CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED WHEN GOD’S PEOPLE FULLY SURRENDER TO JESUS AND OPEN THEMSELVES TO BECOME TRANSFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF CHRIST BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.
WE SEE THIS EXAMPLE THROUGH THE EVENT OF JESUS KNOWN AS THE TRANSFIGURATION. JESUS CHRIST IS ANNOUNCED AS THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD. THE TRANSFIGURATIN BECOMES BOTH THE CONFIRMATION AND AFFIRMATION OF THE DIVINE MISSION OF JESUS.
THE GREEK WORD TRANSLATED “TRANSFIGURATION” COMES FROM "METEMORPHOO" (META-MORE-FA-OH) WHICH WE GET OUR WORD “METAMORPHOSIS.” IT REFERS TO AN "OUTWARD CHANGE THAT COMES FROM WITHIN.” IT CAN ALSO MEAN “TO CHANGE INTO ANOTHER FORM, OR TO BECOME DIFFERENT."
JESUS DIDN’T CHANGE ONLY ON THE OUTSIDE. HE UNDERWENT COMPLETE METAMORPHOSES. JESUS CHANGED BOTH ON THE INSIDE AND ON THE OUTSIDE. FOR A BRIEF TIME, THE VEIL OF JESUS' HUMANITY WAS LIFTED, TRANSFORMED AND GLORIFIED.
IN THE BRILLIANCE OF "DAZZLING WHITE" THE DISCIPLES SAW JESUS AS HE WILL APPEAR WHEN HE RETURNS VISIBLY IN POWER AND GLORY TO ESTABLISH HIS KINGDOM ON EARTH. THEY SAW JESUS FOR WHO HE TRULY IS AS THE SON OF GOD!
THE GLORY OF JESUS’ DEITY CAME FROM WITHIN; IT WAS INHERENT WITHIN HIM BECAUSE HE WAS DIVINE, GOD’S ONLY SON. THE GLORY SHONE OUT FROM HIM AND THAT IS WHY HIS CLOTHES BECAME DAZZLING WHITE AND HIS FACE SHONE LIKE THE SUN!
WHAT WAS THE SOURCE OF THIS POWER? THE WORD FOR “TRANSFIGURATION” IS WRITTEN IN “PASSIVE VOICE” TO SHOW US THAT THE SOURCE OF THE TRANSFORMATION WASN’T ACTIVATED BY JESUS. ALL THE NECESSARY POWER COMES FROM GOD THE FATHER AS THE COMPLETE SOURCE OF BOTH THE AUTHORITY AND TRANSFIGURATION OF HIS SON JESUS.
IF GOD’S DISPLAY OF POWER ISN’T ENOUGH, APPEARING WITH JESUS ARE THE MEN CONSIDERED TO BE THE GREATEST PROPHETS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT: MOSES AND ELIJAH.
ELIJAH, THE FIRST OF THE GREAT PROPHETS, REPRESENTS ALL THE WORDS SPOKEN BY THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS WHO HAD FORETOLD THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH.
MOSES, THE SUPREME LAW GIVER, REPRESENTED THE LAW OR OLD COVENANT WHICH IS THE PROMISE THAT WOULD SOON BE FULFILLED IN THE DEATH OF JESUS ON THE CROSS.
WHEN MOSES AND ELIJAH STAND WITH JESUS, IT BECOMES MESIANIC CONFIRMATION THAT THE PATH TO THE CROSS, THAT JESUS IS TAKING, CORRESPONDS WITH THE INTENTION OF GOD TO BE THE LAMB OF GOD WHO TAKES AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD. PROPITIATION! REDEMPTION! ATONEMENT!
AS I SAID EARLIER, WE ARE ON A MISSION TO SHOW A HOLY LOVE AND TO PRODUCE CHRIST-LIKENESS. THE FREE METHODIST CHURCH TASKS US TO PARTICIPATE WITH GOD “IN BRINGING HOLINESS AND LOVE TO BEAR UPON THE SINS, HURTS, AND NEEDS OF ALL PEOPLE.” THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH TRANSFORMATION.
THE TRANSFORMATION GOD WORKS IN US WILL BEAR THE FRUIT OF BEING A LIVING SACRIFICE. THE WAY TO DO THIS IS FOUND IN ROMANS 12:2, “DON’T COPY THE BEHAVIOR AND CUSTOMS OF THIS WORLD, BUT LET GOD TRANSFORM YOU INTO A NEW PERSON BY CHANGING THE WAY YOU THINK….”
WHAT IS FASCINTING IS THE GREEK WORD FOR “TRANSFORM” IS THE SAME ONE USED FOR THE TRANSFIGURATION OF JESUS. THIS TELLS US THAT BELIEVERS ARE TO EXPERIENCE, LIKE JESUS DID, A COMPLETE TRANSFORMATION FROM THE INSIDE OUT. FOR US, IT STARTS WITH THE MIND WHERE ALL THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS BEGIN. EPHESIANS 4:22-24, “THROW OFF YOUR OLD SINFUL NATURE AND YOUR FORMER WAY OF LIFE, WHICH IS CORRUPTED BY LUST AND DECEPTION. INSTEAD, LET THE SPIRIT RENEW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ATTITUDES. PUT ON YOUR NEW NATURE, CREATED TO BE LIKE GOD—TRULY RIGHTEOUS AND HOLY.”
OUR MIND MUST BE RENEWED BY OUR OWN CHOICE AND OUR HUNGER TO BE CONFORMED TO GOD RATHER THAN TO THE WORLD. THE WORD FOR “WORLD” IS THE GREEK “AION” (I-OWN) WHICH MEANS “AGE” OR “PERIOD OF TIME.”
PAUL CHOOSES THIS WORD SO THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE DO NOT CONFORM TO THE SOCIAL NORMS, STANDARDS, AND LATEST FASHIONS AND TRENDS OF OUR CURRENT CULTURE.
IT ALSO MEANS THAT WE DO NOT ALLOW OUR PAST, BEFORE WE RECEIVED CHRIST, TO CRIPPLE AND OBSTRUCT WHAT WE CAN ACCOMPLISH AS SURRENDERED BELIEVERS TO JESUS CHRIST.
JESUS WAS TRANSFIGURED BY GOD’S POWER. THEREFORE, WE SHOULD OUTWARDLY MANIFEST OUR INNER, REDEEMED NATURE, DAILY AS WE WALK INTIMATELY WITH JESUS CHRIST. WE LIVE OUT THE WORDS OF 2 CORINTHIANS 3:18, “SO ALL OF US WHO HAVE HAD THAT VEIL REMOVED CAN SEE AND REFLECT THE GLORY OF THE LORD. AND THE LORD—WHO IS THE SPIRIT—MAKES US MORE AND MORE LIKE HIM AS WE ARE CHANGED INTO HIS GLORIOUS IMAGE.”
THE QUESTION BOILS DOWN TO THIS: ARE WE CONFORMED TO THE VALUE-SYSTEMS OF THE WORLD OR ARE WE LIVING EACH DAY AS A LIVING SACRIFICE THAT REFLECTS GOD’S IMAGE AND VALUES?
TO BE CONFORMED MEANS TO BE “SHAPED BY A PATTERN OR MOLD.” DO WE ALLOW THE WORLD TO SHAPE OUR THINKING, MOLD OUR BEHAVIOR AND INFLUENCE OUR LIFESTYLE OR DO WE ALLOW THE HOLY SPIRIT TO CONFORM US TO THE IMAGE OF JESUS?
LIVING FAR AND ABOVE THE WORLD’S EVER-CHANGING AGENDA AND STANDARDS IS NOT EASY. SEEKING AFTER HOLINESS AND PERFECTION IS NOT OPTIONAL FOR THE BELIEVER. MATTHEW 5:48, “BUT YOU ARE TO BE PERFECT, EVEN AS YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN IS PERFECT.” WE MUST GO ON TO WARDS “PERFECTION” OR, AS WE METHODISTS SAY, LIVING “SANCTIFIED” WHERE WE “DIE TO SELF” FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT TO RENEW US AFTER THE LIKENESS OF GOD.
WE COME TO JESUS SO THAT WE CAN BE MADE RIGHT WITH GOD AND TO EXPERIENCE A LOVING AND INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM AS OUR HEAVENLY FATHER. THIS SANCTIFYING BOND AND RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS WHAT TRANSFORMS US AFTER HIS LIKENESS AND PURIFIES US FROM OUR SIN.
AS THE FREE METHODIST CHURCH STATES, THAT “THIS SANCTIFYING RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD REMEDIES THE DIVIDED MIND, REDIRECTS THE HEART TO GOD, AND EMPOWERS BELIEVERS TO PLEASE AND SERVE GOD IN THEIR DAILY LIVES.” LET US CHOOSE TRANSFIGURATION. BE TRANSFORMED!
