When I began to blog on the topic of personal transformation, I was acting on the recommendation of a mentor. I have kept at it for three years now. In 2022, and so far this year, I have posted less frequently. This happened not because I’m running out of ideas, but from numerous distractions that prevent me from turning ideas into text. All this has forced me to think about the value I place on my mentor’s advice. Why write about Jesus and his transforming power?
A good starting point is the early Church. Immediately after its birth on Pentecost, the apostles began to proclaim Jesus as Savior and King. When the religious authorities tried to stop them, Peter and John replied, “we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). Even under threat of persecution. And now, those of us who have known the transforming work of Jesus, how can we help but direct the attention of others to him? Our testimony may take various forms, of which writing is one.
Another thought has to do with the nature of the believer in Jesus Christ. Now that the Spirit has come for all believers, we have a common fund of knowledge about our Lord. Prophecies in the Old Testament predicted this (for example, Jeremiah 31:33-34). The indwelling life of Christ through the Holy Spirit is a promise to all of us: first given to Jewish believers (Acts 2:38-39), then to believers in Samaria (Acts 8:14-17), and then to the Gentiles (10:44-48). Incidentally, this progression maps onto Jesus’s last words to his followers prior to his ascension (Acts 1:8).
Although we all hold a common knowledge of our Lord, there are also things that He uniquely gives to each of us as we are open to Him. Each one has singular experiences, insistences in spirit, and revelations for the edification of the Church. We should not necessarily keep them to ourselves. In many cases, God intends for us to share them, weighing them in the company of other believers, to promote understanding and avoid error (1 Corinthians 14:26-32). In Philippians 4:8-9, the apostle Paul invites the believers to notice Christ all around them, and think about what they are seeing. He issues this invitation in the context of a congregation of believers. Their experiences are meant to be considered first by individuals and then shared among the group. He then presents himself for their consideration—have they seen Christ in him? Have they been living out of that Life?
It’s all about Christ and the Church. The considerations that occupy us will come out. The Life that is within us will shine out. T. Austin-Sparks makes this observation with reference to the passage in 2 Corinthians 3:18 (“And we all, … beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another…”). Here is the quote:
You become like that which obsesses you, which occupies you. Is that not true? You see what people are occupied with, and you can see their character changing by their obsessions. They are becoming like the thing which is obsessing them; they are changing; they are becoming different. Something has got a grip on them; they can never think about anything else, talk about anything else; and it is changing their character. Now Paul said, “For me to live is Christ – being occupied with Him.” It is the wrong word to use, but nevertheless it would be a good thing if He became our “obsession,” our continuous occupation. As we steadfastly fix our gaze upon Him, the Spirit changes us into the same image.
[T. Austin-Sparks, Men Whose Eyes Have Seen The King ]
We can share that which the Lord has accomplished by His transforming work in our lives. Writing about it makes it available outside our immediate circle. Anyone who is interested can read and consider. If what we write rings true to them, if it fixes their attention on Jesus Christ, if it is confirmed to them by the Holy Spirit, they may become more occupied with Him. They may experience a greater degree of transformation.
These reflections also speak to me. They make it clear that my occupation with Him should rise above all the distractions of the present time.
&&&