Recently I was at a conference and had an opportunity to meet a very nice lady. In the process of our conversation she asked me how I’ve learned to hear the Lord. Then she began to tell me about her spiritual journey. She said that for 15 years, she led women’s ministry in her church. She continued by saying,” In the first 20 years of my Christian life, I was well trained, but not transformed. When you are in that mode, you don’t even know that you are not transformed because you’re doing the right things without having much internal change.” She was thankful that today she is in a different place in her life, and she has learned to walk with God and allow Him to transform her.
Every believer has to go through the process of discipleship. We need to learn the word of God, develop a hunger for it, and walk in obedience to it. That’s necessary for our walk with the Lord. However, transformation is a harder and more arduous work than being trained. If we’re not careful we can start focusing more on the knowledge of the Bible than developing an understanding heart! At the same time, one can get zealous for approval by continually conforming to others’ expectations. After a while that’s not enough anymore. Then we want to move to another level. Now, we want to dissect the Word into its Hebrews or Greek counterpart or find it in various translations, so it can speak to us. Eventually, we develop a good knowledge of the Word, but did it really transform us? We can impress others, but are we more intimate with the Lord?
And 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
The scripture clearly shows us that we need to stop conforming to the world, and that’s so important especially to a new believer who all he/she knows is the world. However, over time the conformity issue changes from the world to our surroundings. The Pharisees and Sadducees were well trained people. Their issue wasn’t that they were conformed to the world, but that they were conformed to their own religious group with all their rules and traditions. Unfortunately, their knowledge kept their faith in a tight box with no room for God’s touch or transformation in their lives.
In Christian circles, if we love and obey God, most likely we are not in danger of conforming to the world. However, there can still be a danger to conforming to a man, a pastor, a priest, or a religion in the name of ”being trained” or “submitting to our authorities” while not getting transformed in the process. The problem gets more complex because those around us encourage the conformity and consider it as a sign of growth and maturity. We know the scripture well and now we can share it with others and get a few “amens”, but it doesn’t translate into living a more victorious life than we lived a couple of years ago. Since those around us feel the same way, we all go about our life thinking we are doing pretty well as Christians!!
The boxes of religiosity create conformity but not transformation, and it sucks the life out of each person!! The sad thing is that if others are enjoying their relationship with God, we can get annoyed by questioning their obedience to God because they’re too happy with God’s love!!!
The Pharisees in Jesus’ time couldn’t even get excited for those who got healed on Sabbath!! They were more concerned that Jesus was healing on Sabbath than seeing a person healed. They were so stuck on observing the Sabbath that they would lose their rest to ensure everybody else is really resting on Sabbath!! Isn’t that sad!?
Today, let’s make a commitment to just sit before God and give Him room to speak out of “the box” to us. The Bible should be our boundary when we’re listening to the Lord, not my religious denomination, my church affiliation, a person, or my position. Let’s open ourselves wholly to God and give Him permission to mess around with our tight theology. If you know the Word, it won’t confuse you. It will just free you!! If you don’t know the Word very well, examine what you hear and allow the Lord to confirm it through His scripture.
Jesus came to transform us over and over again!!! The Word of God should lead us to the personhood of God. He doesn’t want us to use His word to get into another religious rut, or sit in a dark box of trained religiosity. Jesus called some of those religious people white-washed tombs. Tomb is where you find a dead body not a life giving person!!!