5 Cups of Coffee: Spiritually Growing

It's okay to be different.  In fact, that's a requirement to be a follower of Jesus Christ.  I should clarify.  I don't mean be different from the world, but look like every other "christian" that is out there.  It's okay to be different from other Christians too.  Our goal is not to conform to someone else's expectations, but to be transformed by what God is doing in us, around us, and through us.

Take a look at the video we showed at worship as a part of this message.

What I love about this is how the kids show us that we all view things differently.  Depending on our age, where we are in life, what we've experienced, where we live, and so on, we'll think some things are more important that others.  What is also important is that it shows us that things change as we change too.

When I was a kid, the things I thought were important, or good, or memorable would have matched what they were saying.  Now that I'm an "adult," those things are different.  All of that is a part of what it means to be transformed by God.  Transformation is not a single act that happens once, but it is an ongoing process that continues to shape us and form us. 

The scripture reading for this post is Romans 12:1-2.  Specifically, focus on vs. 2.

Paul, as the author of Romans, is pointing out that there is a difference between conforming and transforming.  Conforming doesn't just happen in relationship to the outside world, but it can also happen in the internal world of the church.  Neither of those circumstances is healthy.  What we are seeking is to be transformed by God.  

That means that whoever we are isn't going to be the same as someone else, and that's okay.  In fact, that's important.  It is our differences as people, who God made us to be, that enable us to best fulfill the mission of the church, and be a part of changing the world around us.

This is something that we have to do, because the world around us never stays the same.  It is different with every generation.  The good news is that at some point every generation figures this out.  We adapt and we change, not so we conform to the world around us, but so that we can transform it, and be transformed by God.

The Sunday that I gave this message, we celebrated All Saint's Day.

One of the things that I appreciate about All Saints' Day is that it gives us the opportunity to celebrate and lift up those that have come before us, and recognize that they have done the same thing that we have.  They were transformed by God in their generation, and then they handed that faith off to us, not so we could do it exactly like them, but so that we could be transformed just as they were.

As we go out into this world, we should take time to see how God is already at work transforming us to meet the needs of the world around us today.

This is our question.  Even if we have already committed our lives to Jesus Christ, we can still find new and different ways to do again.  Take some time as you go through your week, and listen for God's voice as he calls out to us, to be changed, transformed, and made different as we seek to serve him more.