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Conformed or Transformed

3/24/2017

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FOLLOW: A CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP 
Terry R. Baughman

“A
nd do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

Conformity often sounds like a negative trait. It may be a loss of individuality and independence. It is adjusting to the status quo, blending in to avoid distinction. Conforming is a certain surrender of uniquely identifying characteristics and yielding to the standards of sameness. 


Whether conformity is a negative trait is largely dependent upon the model being copied. When one conforms to peer pressure and is involved in criminal activity or adopts behaviors that are antisocial we would say conformity is bad. However, if one begins to model the good behaviors in others and conforms to new trends of healthy eating and good physical activities we would view that as positive conformity. 


When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans he used the contrast of being “conformed to this world” or “transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Clearly the positive virtues come through transformation rather than conformity. Transformation also recognizes the external and spiritual influence aiding the followers to adopt the positive behaviors modeled in other disciples of Jesus. 


The New Living Translations renders this challenge as “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.” As much as we like to think that we are independent minded individuals, the truth is we are all affected by the culture, society, our environment, education, and countless other external influences. It is our choice to resist the temptation to mimic the ever-present negative role models and to pursue the Christ-life. Commit to follow the teaching of Jesus; model your behaviors to match those who have become mentors in discipleship; seek to imitate the actions of others who are being led of the Spirit and live overcoming lives. 


One of the best ways to frame these distinctions in discipleship transformation comes from the paraphrase from The Message in Romans 12:1-2: 

“Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.
Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”

Seek to be transformed through the power of the Spirit, a new creation in Christ Jesus. Forsake the past patterns of conformity and carnal imitation and embrace transformation liberty in the spiritual pursuit of a life of discipleship. 

​Follow.

Scripture:
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).

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An Act of Submission

3/18/2017

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FOLLOW: A CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP 
Terry R. Baughman

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).

To follow is in itself an act of submission. It is allowing someone to take the lead in your life. It is to surrender your own will for the direction you are taking to the authority of another. Jesus calls us to follow. It can only be done when we voluntarily submit to His leadership in our lives. 


We have grown accustomed to the mechanized vocal instructions of direction when we follow a GPS mapping device. “In 600 feet take a slight right turn,” the monotone voice instructs. Robotically we slow down, move to the right lane and begin watching for the specified turn as we approach. Sometimes when we fail to make a turn or cannot readily understand the directions we talk back to the device (at least I do!), or want to argue with the directions, “You can’t make a U turn here!” GPS has been known to make mistakes, leading people to dead end destinations or impossible locations. However, the devices and instructions are improving as upgrades are developed and more accurate information is fed into the system. 

Jesus will never lead us astray. He has the most accurate and advanced mapping information. He has already been down the road and mapped out our route. Not only has He been there … He is there, eternally present in our future. There will be no changes in the road that catch Him off guard. There will be no detours that He has not already planned for us. We may feel that we have missed the path and been led down a dead end route, but God knows right where we are and will provide the step by step guidance to come back to the proper path. The psalmist David observed that, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). The Word of God is our best source for instruction providing a guide for safe passage through life. 

Not only does Jesus know the way, … He is the way! (John 14:6). Knowing Jesus is like being a personal friend with the inventor of GPS. He knows the system. He designed the infrastructure and wrote the code. He holds the answer to the most complex route we may find ourselves taking. Following His directions will never fail to bring you through any difficult passage. 

The key to successfully arriving at the correct destination is to surrender to the leadership of the One who knows the way. Since Jesus is the way we have confidence that the instructions are accurate and His directions are true. 

Uniquely in Luke, after the challenge to take up the cross, there is the word, “daily.” The implication is clear. Following Jesus is more than a onetime choice, a surrender in one prayer many years ago. Submission continues to be exercised. The choice to follow is a recurring decision. Every day one must arise to follow the Savior Jesus on the road of discipleship. It is a constant call and a continual commitment. 

Follow.

Scripture:
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).

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A Proper Response

3/11/2017

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FOLLOW: A CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP 
Terry R. Baughman

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth (Matthew 19:21–22 NIV).

The call to discipleship was always the same: “Come follow me.” Regardless of occupation, past experience, or personal accomplishments, the path of discipleship passes the gate of obedience, a positive response to the invitation of Christ. 

A wealthy young man came to inquire of Jesus. Respectfully he addressed him as a good teacher. Jesus declined the label saying, “No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17). 

The revealed Word of God takes priority in all questions of theology. Jesus came to fulfill the Law and He spoke truth based on that Word. The young man was confident when it came to the observance of the Ten Commandments, declaring that he had always kept them. Yet he was aware that something was missing and he felt that Jesus held the answer. Perhaps he had observed others who were frequently seen with Jesus and were respected as His disciples. He discerned there was something more he needed to do. “What do I still lack?” the young man asked (Matthew 19:20). 


Jesus knows the heart and our motives. He knows why we seek acclaim and notoriety. He knows why we keep the rules and seek recognition. He also sees the deficit at the heart of our relationship. The required criteria Jesus expressed came as a surprise to the young man, “If you want to be perfect, divest your wealth, bless those in poverty, and transfer treasures to the life to come … then come, follow me.” It was simple and straightforward, “Give it all up and follow Jesus!”


However, the cost was too great for the rich young man. When he weighed the sacrifice of his wealth the insecurity left him fearful and sorrowful. He could not commit to the simple call of discipleship. The sacrifice of security and the commitment to totally trust in Jesus was more than he could do. He rejected the call and sadly turned away to retreat into the superficial security of material means.


The rich young man’s choice stands in stark contrast to those who responded favorably to the invitation of Jesus. Andrew, Peter, James and John forsook their fishing and chose to follow. Matthew left his tax collections to become a Christ follower. Philip responded to the call and began to follow Jesus. All disciples must make the same choice.


Simply stated, “His disciples followed Him” (Matthew 8:23). The positive response to the call of Jesus prepares the way for discipleship to develop. While the rich man walked the other way, and another offered excuses, “I’ll follow after my parents are dead and buried,” others immediately responded with grateful acceptance. Peter said, “We have left all and followed You” (Mark 10:28). Jesus assured him that none have sacrificed to follow Christ that will not experience an abundant reward in this life and also in the life to come! (See Mark 10:29–30.)


The call of discipleship is clear: Follow Him. 


​Scripture:

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). 


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The Results of Unity

3/5/2017

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THE POWER OF ONE 

Terry R. Baughman
“Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them” (Genesis 11:6).
It was the grandest of any building project ever proposed or initiated. The planning was extensive and the results were already monumental. The coordination of supplies, workers, and support staff was more than most could have imagined. When completed it would be a tower that would reach the heavens. There was a heady arrogance when people begin to talk about what they had accomplished and the prospects of future completion. So grand was this undertaking that it even attracted the attention of God, but not in a good way. 
When God observed the progress of this vast undertaking He saw more than materials, the number of workers, and the portion of at the project that had been completed. He saw the pride and the self willed determination to build something that would enable man to reach God through his own power and by his own accomplishments. Of course the reality was impossible. How high could they have built before the air ran out or the supporting structure failed? That is the way we view it now, but the text revealed that God saw their resolve, their unity, and their progress and observed that “nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.” 
God knows the power of unity. When people can get together nothing can stop them. Any plan can be accomplished if enough people are unified to see it through. It was also noted that they were of one language. When people are speaking the same vision and in agreement with one another anything is possible!
When God proposed to put an end to the project He simply confused the languages of the people. Suddenly their ability to communicate plans, objectives, or solicit workers and give directions became impossible. The barriers of language disrupted the work flow and introduced division. That is the thing that stopped the massive construction and the building project ceased. It would forever be identified as the Tower of Babel, because the languages were confused and all they heard was babble. 
When God’s people get together for a holy cause with the blessing of the Lord nothing will be withheld from them. Inasmuch as people with profane objectives accomplish great feats, how much more can be accomplished by those who put God first in their plans and their projects? 
On the Day of Pentecost it was noted that “they were all with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1). This was more than a casual comment about the space they occupied. They were with one accord. Something about this unity caught the attention of God. Now they were ready for the phenomenal outpouring of the Spirit of God and the display of His mighty acts. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke with tongues. It is interesting that the babble of diverse tongues brought confusion to a building project in Genesis and here the sign of various unknown tongues was the result of unity. Nothing will be impossible when God’s people are unified. 
Scripture:
“That they may be one as we are” (John 17:11).  [use the same verse here]
3/5/17 Spirit Sunday (New)

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    Author

    Terry R Baughman is Lead Pastor for LifeChurch in Gilbert, AZ.  See his complete bio at trbaughman.com 

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