By Steve Cornell

So you’ve become a Christian. What should you expect? The short answer is: spiritual transformation. God is now actively and progressively changing you into the image of Jesus Christ. Although it is common for new believers to look for changes in their circumstances, please understand that God is far more concerned about changing you than He is about changing your circumstances. Be prepared because God’s changes are thorough—affecting every aspect of our being—thoughts, attitudes, values and actions.

Under the gracious and compelling influences of God’s Spirit, this growth process will impact your intellect (as you use your mind to explore God’s truth), your will (as you increasingly yield to God’s authority), and your emotions (as you cultivates godly affections and repudiate evil desires). 

“For the Christian,” one has written, ”the path of connectedness to God involves the development of a Christlike mind, will, affections (or emotions), character, relationships and actions. When any of these capacities is undernourished, our spiritual growth will be stunted” (e.g. When physically and emotionally depleted, we are less available to God and others) (Bruce Demarest, Satisfy Your Soul: Restoring the Heart of Christian Spirituality).

Be assured: God will produce transformation of our character at a very deep level. Sometimes these changes are painful (Hebrews 12:1-11). Yet, in our pain, we must be confident of God’s unfailing love. God’s love is the only thing that remains unchanged by the difficulties of this life (Romans 8:18,35-39; II Corinthians 4:16-18).

Three dimensions for spiritual transformation must be understood:

1. God’s work: Philippians 1:6;I Thessalonians 5:23-24;Hebrews 12:10;13:20-21;II Peter 1:2-3;Jude 24-25

2. Our responsibility: We are not passive recipients of God’s transformation. Rather we are active participants in God’s work. (Philippians 2:12-13;Romans 12:1-2;13:14;I Corinthians 9:25-27;I Timothy 4:7-“exercise yourself toward godliness” or “train yourself to be godly”-athletic metaphor; II Corinthians 7:1w/ I John 1:9;I Peter 1:17;2:11;Ephesians 6:10-12.)         Forgive as Christ forgives-Ephesians 4:32

Love as God loves- Ephesians 5:1-2

Be merciful as God is merciful- Luke 6:36

Be holy as God is holy- I Peter 1:15-16

3. Our destiny: Philippians 3:19-20;I John 3:1-2

Think About it: “As creatures made in the image of God, fallen humans have a void deep in their souls that only the Three-in –One can satisfy. Instinctively we seem to understand that authentic contact with God should affect us in some meaningful, even palpable, way. Made in the image of God we have vast capacities for living—intellectually, volitionally, emotionally, morally, relationally, and functionally. When we become Christians, it follows that we should grow spiritually as we grow in each of these God-given capacities.” (Bruce Demarest, Satisfy Your Soul: Restoring the Heart of Christian Spirituality).

Scriptures to reflect on:

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (II Corinthians 1:21-22).

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (I Corinthians 6:19)

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14)

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 5:17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. (Galatians 5:16-17)

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 5:23 gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 5:19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 5:20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 5:21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:18-21)   (Verses from NIV)

What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? 

Being filled with the Spirit requires that we bring our lives under the control of the Spirit. But how does one continually be filled with the Spirit? Four disciplines are essential to a Spirit filled life.

            1) Recognition of our need for the power of God’s Spirit

2) A choice to give control over to the Holy Spirit who then produces in you self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

3) A discipline of feeding on God’s word 

4) A vital connection with God’s people (Eph. 4:11-16).

The results are joy, thankfulness, and submission. Take note: grumpy, ungrateful and proud people are not spirit-filled.  

For Five means for spiritual growth, see: http://thinkpoint.wordpress.com/2007/10/10/5-resources-for-spiriual-growth/

Steve Cornell