“I don’t want a Gospel that fits my life. I want the Gospel to transform my life.” This recent post on Facebook caught my attention. It made me catch my breath. And pause.

Have I become so complacent with my own sheltered, somewhat simple life, that I have allowed myself to fit the Gospel to me, rather than allowing its power to transform me? In these days of COVID precautions and avoiding gatherings, have I become content in not interacting with the world, and so, not actively reaching out to minister to my neighbors?

Romans 12:2 “ Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Paul frequently exhorted his hearers to live lives of meaning and dedication to the Gospel. Here, Paul is earnestly trying to make a contrast between going along with the crowd and accepting the world’s way of thinking while allowing the power of the Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit to make a difference in one’s thought life, and so, one’s faith walk.

1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” It is the very power of God that changes lives. During this writing, a delegation from the church at Corinth appealed to Paul a need to address foolish chatter and false teachings being passed around. These teachings and discussions were by some who valued intellectual speculation and pride of observations as they boasted about their philosophic interpretations of Christianity.

Haley’s Bible Expository gives this view, “This philosophic arrogance and pretentiousness of some people in the church was a sign of their spiritual infancy. It produced factions, tended to destroy the church, and resulted in nothing of permanent value.” These consequences are especially seen throughout the New Testament and even today.

Throughout the New Testament we see Paul contending with the world’s influence on believers. He urgently insists believers need to allow Christ’s love to change them from the inside out. He equally presses on them that this will supply them with a powerful and irresistible urge to do good works and, thus, impact the world.

As I look at the idea of being transformed by the Gospel, I see that this transformation is not only for me. It is the means by which God will transform this world from unbelief to belief and from evil to blessed. There is an old Contemporary Gospel song that goes, “One, one by one, the world will be won.”

As I continue to allow God to transform my heart, he will increase my desire to minister to a hurting and confused world. 

My challenge for you is to allow God to transform your heart, giving you a compassion for those around you, and doing what you are able to do to improve the lives of others in Jesus’ Name.