If left unchecked transformation can be easily derailed and upended due to a lack of follow through.
Our enemy is not really concerned with us starting on a new path or declaring our intentions to be a better person. What really irritates the evil one is a person who persist in her efforts and continues the transformation process throughout their lives.
How is Christ formed in us? An important question, it is a question that authors Dallas Willard and Don Simpson tackle in a book called “Revolution of Character—Discovering Christ pattern for spiritual transformation.” They declare, “Although every human being is formed spiritually—for better or for worse—spiritual formation for the Christian refers to the Holy Spirit-driven process of forming the inner world of the human self in such a way that it becomes like the inner being of Christ himself.” They go on to say, “To the degree spiritual formation in Christ is successful, the outer life of the individual becomes a natural expression of the character and teachings of Jesus.”
I thought about how I could illustrate this idea and the only thing I could think of was an Iron. An Iron is a device that is used to get the wrinkles out of garments; it has been a regular appliance in the American home for over a century. The early Iron was a heavy piece of metal with a handle and a wide smooth base that was used to slide across the garment and press out the wrinkles; the effectiveness of the iron was directly linked to heat. Irons were placed on a stove or fireplace and heated up in order to smooth out the wrinkles in a garment. From the early iron came many improvements but all of them maintained a common element; heat. Heat was needed to bring about the effectiveness of this appliance and as technology advanced the Iron was given its own internal heating element so that once an Iron was plugged in it would begin to heat up quickly. No longer was a stove needed to provide heat. As long as there is electricity an Iron can accomplish its goal. But the problem is that:
- If there is no power source or connection to the power the Iron can’t do its job.
- If there is power and connection but the Iron is not turned on it cannot do what it was designed and created to do.
- Once the Iron has been used and turned off there is an appearance of it still being on (useful)
Like the Iron there is something in the Christian that allows them to function as a device used by God for the purpose of accomplishing His goals. Sadly, too many Christians are not connected or not turned on or worse unplugged and functioning with diminishing heat (effectiveness).
Today we will explore what transformation looks like from the inside out and how we can be more effective at doing what we were uniquely created to do. The text we read suggests that no transformation takes place without being “in Christ.”
©Bishop Philip R. Powell updated 5-18-24
