To Transform Your Scriptures Scriptures To Transform To Transform Your Life Your Life
Introduction 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1 2 (ESV) We all need help. Not the kind that comes from a larger paycheck or a thinner waistline. We don t need another energy drink, though I m tempted. We certainly don t need more government. Education isn t the answer either. What we do need is something that will make us better people. You ve heard the saying, Can a leopard change his spots? It comes from Jeremiah 13:23. God says that his people are so accustomed to doing evil that they couldn t change and do good even if they wanted to, which by the way, they didn t. Perhaps there are times you think to yourself that you ll never change. Maybe you are in a situation that seems hopeless. You can t change it; you can t even change you! That is our dilemma. But there is hope. God has made a way for us to change. He has made a way for help to come and that help comes from the Lord. This help is a combination of God s grace, through the mighty working of his Holy Spirit in us, and our unrelenting application of the spiritual disciplines to our lives. This is how a life is transformed. G. K. Chesterton wrote, Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried. That is where many are unnecessarily living today. Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried. G. K. Chesterton I m challenging you to find Christianity difficult and therefore to make that one of the reasons it s worth trying. On Sundays as we work through the Scriptures that transform, I am asking you to personally work through the Spiritual Transformation Guide that relates to that Scripture. The guides are found beginning on page 11. An explanation of how to use the steps in the guide is found in pages 3-10. My blog will feature this series with notes and your comments at jimmykinnaird.wordpress.com. Jimmy Kinnaird, Pastor Village Baptist Church 2
Step 1: Invocation 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 18 (ESV) The first step is to spend focused time before the Lord, asking him to help you know what he wants you to know and do what he wants you to do. Submit and open your heart before God and be ready to listen to whatever he may say. Set aside, as much as possible, your own desires and needs in order to hear him clearly. I suggest making time to pray through the acrostic: ACTS. Adoration: Praising God for who he is and what he has done, doing and going to do. Reflect and then pour out praise for his greatness, power, and love. Tell the Lord God that you love him. Confession: Agree with God concerning your sin. That is what confession means. Now that you have a better view of God, you will want all your sin cleansed. When you and God can see sin the same way, you are moving closer to him. Ask forgiveness and receive cleansing. Thanksgiving: Thank God for specific blessings in your life. Thank him for guiding you and opening the word of God to you. You may want to give thanks for his word, his church, specific people and things in your life. Supplication: This is prayer for other matters on your immediate mind. Supplication includes intercession and petition. Intercession is prayer for other people and situations. Petition is more focused on specific needs in your life. At this time, unless you cannot put aside these thoughts, it may be advisable to write these down as matters of prayer for later as well. The important thing is that the deepest part of you, your heart and spirit, are ready to receive God and the things he wants you to know. Write down what you pray and receive on the Transformation Process Guide. Additional Resources on Prayer Prayer: The Ultimate Conversation. Charles Stanley. Howard Books. 2012. Prayer: Finding the Hearts True Home. Richard Foster. HarperOne. 2002. Spiritual work is taxing work, and men are loath to do it. Praying, true praying, costs an outlay of serious attention and of time, which flesh and blood do not relish. E.M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer 3
Step 2: Meditation I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. Psalm 119:99 (ESV) Meditating on Scripture is one of the keys for successful life transformation. According to Richard Foster, Christian meditation, very simply, is the ability to hear God s voice and obey his word. 1 We see this in Scripture from Moses to Jesus and through the church in the Book of Acts. They were learning to live hearing the voice of God and obeying his word. There is a vast difference between eastern meditation and Christian meditation. Foster states, Eastern meditation is an attempt to empty the mind; Christian meditation is an attempt to fill the mind. 2 You learn to meditate on Scripture by meditating on Scripture. Here are some suggestions to get you going. 1. Set aside some part of the day where you specifically use this time for meditating on the Scripture. 2. When you meditate, seek to connect the Scripture to your life. 3. Select a location for meditation that will allow you to be alone with God undisturbed. 4. Your physical posture for meditation should be one that helps you the most engraft to the Scripture. Some suggestions would be to start the time on your knees as a physical reminder that you are subordinating yourself to the word of God. Most people prefer sitting during most of the time of meditation. You want to be comfortable but not too much that you fall asleep. What to do during your set aside time of meditation: 1. Begin by pausing and relaxed breathing. 2. Release distracting thoughts to God. The following exercise has helped many people to get thoughts under control. Begin by placing your palms down as a symbolic indication of your desire to turn over any concerns you may have to God. Inwardly you may pray, Lord, I give to you my anger toward John. I release my fear of my dentist appointment this morning. I surrender my anxiety over not having enough money to pay the bills this month. I This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8 (ESV) release my frustration over trying to find a baby-sitter for tonight. Whatever 1 Foster, Richard. Celebration of Discipline. HarperSanFransisco, 1978,1988, pg. 17 2 Ibid, pg. 20 4
it is that weighs on your mind or is a concern to you, just say, palms down. Release it. After several moments of surrender, turn your palms up as a symbol of your desire to receive from God. Perhaps you will pray silently: Lord, I would like to receive your divine love for John, your peace about the dentist appointment, your patience, your joy. 3 3. Take one word or phrase of the Scripture at a time. 4. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you through the Scripture, making a personal application. Saddleback Church s 201 Maturity course offers five great suggestions on how to meditate on Scripture. Picture it! Visualize the scene in your mind. Pronounce it! Say the verse aloud, each time emphasizing a different word. Paraphrase it! Rewrite the verse in your own words. Personalize it! Replace the pronouns or people in the verse with your own name. Pray it! Turn the verse into a prayer and say it back to God. 5. Make a note or journal what you receive and how it will make a difference in your spiritual journey on the Transformation Process Guide. 6. Share it with another Christian who is seeking transformation. Additional Resource on Christian Meditation Savoring God s Word: Cultivating the Soul-Transforming Practice of Scripture Meditation. Jan Johnson. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2004. Celebration of Discipline. Richard Foster. HarperSanFrancisco. 1978,1988. Eastern meditation is an attempt to empty the mind; Christian meditation is an attempt to fill the mind. Richard Foster 3 Ibid. pg. 28 5
Step 3: Application This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8 (ESV) We live in an information age. Information is readily available on just about everything. But all this information doesn t change a life. What we need is knowledge. Knowledge includes information but also interaction, experience and application. Without these we are deceiving ourselves on how our lives can be transformed. The Bible states it this way, 22 But don t just listen to God s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. James 1:22 25 (NLT) I think many people would seek to apply Scripture to their lives if they knew how. Saddleback Church s Maturity 201 Class can give anyone a great start in application by asking and answering questions that lead to application of Scripture. Ask the following nine questions: Is there any Sin to confess? Do I need to make any restitution? Promise to claim? Is it a universal promise? Have I met the condition(s)? Attitude to change? Am I willing to work on a negative attitude and begin building toward a positive one? Command to obey? Am I willing to do it no matter how I feel? Example to follow? Is it a positive example for me to copy, or a negative one to avoid? Prayer to pray? Is there anything I need to pray back to God? Error to avoid? Is there any problem that I should be alert to or beware of? Truth to believe? What new things can I learn about God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, or other biblical teachings? Something to praise God for? Is there something here I can be thankful for? With these in mind, what is going to be different? How can you apply this to your life? Write your thoughts and what you are doing to do in step 3 of the Transformation Process Guide. Additional Resource on Application How to Apply the Bible. Dave Veerman. Tyndale, 1993. The Life Application Study Bible. Tyndale. 2012. CLASS Deluxe Kit, Maturity C.L.A.S.S. 201. Pastors.com, 2002. 6
Step 4: Memorization God says, "Guard my words as your most precious possession. Write them down, and also keep them deep within your heart." Pr. 7:2-3 (LB) There are tremendous personal benefits that come from memorizing Scripture. Here are a few. 1. It helps you resist temptation. 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11 (ESV) 2. It helps you make wise decisions. 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 (ESV) 3. It strengthens you when under stress. "... Your promises to me are my hope. They give me strength in all my troubles; how they refresh and revive me!" Psalm 119:49 (LB) 4. It comforts you when sad. "Your words are what sustain me... They bring joy to my sorrowing heart and delight me." Jeremiah. 15:16 (LB) 5. It helps you witness to unbelievers. "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15 Here are some optimum times to memorize Scripture. During your Quiet Time While Exercising While waiting (spare moments) At bedtime (Psalm 63:6) Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what it needs. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. That s where you need it! How does it get in your mouth? Memorization! - Dallas Willard You may not think you have a good memory, but you remember what s important to you. You remember the phone numbers and dates that you care about. I ve heard people say they can t memorize anything, but they can quote songs from the 1960s and rattle off the statistics of their favorite baseball players. Rick Warren 7
Tips for Scripture Memorization 1. Cut out the Scripture to memorize on page(s) 21-23 and carry with you. 2. Say the reference before and after the verse. 3. Read the verse aloud many times. Perhaps record it! 4. Break the verse into natural phrases. 5. Emphasize key words when quoting the verse. 6. Write down the verse and erase a word one at a time. 7. Write out the verse on several cards. 8. Carry some cards with you at all times for review. 9. Display your verses in prominent places. 10. Always memorize the verse word perfect. 11. Put the verse to music. Write a song! 12. Get a partner so you can check each other. Additional Resources on Memorization Topical Memory System. The Navigators. 2014 An Approach to an Extended Memorization of Scripture. Andrew Davis. Ambassador International. 2014 I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture.... No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends! Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced. Your faith will be solidified. - Chuck Swindoll 8
Step 5: Transformation That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being. Ephesians 3:16 (ESV) We want to be like that which we love and admire. Think for a moment about who or what you wanted to be when you were young. Today, your goal should be to become the person Jesus would be if he were you. Fortunately God has given us a way to aspire and actually transform into that kind of person. This is called by Dallas Willard, VIM. It stands for vision, intention and means. Read how it is actually possible for you over time to become more transformed into Christ s likeness. VISION It is our premise, our vision that we can be transformed from who we are into the fullness of the children of God. This can happen in the here and now. It can happen now because the eternal kingdom of God has invaded this present age and is at work making that transformation among those who operate in God s kingdom. As Dallas Willard said, It is life now and forever operating in the range of God s effective will. We partake of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) through the new birth from above and participate by our actions in what God is doing during our current time on earth. This vision is not something that comes naturally to us. It is one that is given by God himself through revelation of his word and creation. The first part of spiritual transformation is to have a vision that spiritual transformation is not only possible but also demanded. The second part of the vision is to have an idea of what a spiritually transformed person looks like living in the now of God s Kingdom. This vision is found all over the New Testament but especially in the 10 Scriptures to Transform Your Life. The vision that underlies spiritual (trans) formation into Christlikeness is, then, the vision of life now and forever in the range of God s effective will that is, partaking of the divine nature What we are aiming for in this vision is to live fully in the kingdom of God and as fully as possible now and here, not just hereafter. This is a vision of life that cannot come to us naturally - Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart INTENTION It is the vision of you living your life in the kingdom by relying on Jesus that makes it possible to have the intention to do so. What this means is that you intend to actually trust Jesus as you intentionally follow the example of Jesus and obey his teachings. This is the narrow way to life that Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount. The Bible says to be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving ourselves (James 1:22, ESV). Somehow, in our Christian culture we have come to believe that if we just have more teaching our lives would change. The evidence to this is to the contrary. There has to be 9
more than that. Intention includes decision. There must be a decision on your part that you will carry out the teachings of Jesus and of the New Testament on transformation. That decision cannot be made for some distant future date. It must be now. Right now. If not, then we are just hearers of the word and not doers, deceiving ourselves. Will you decide now to be a doer of the word? MEANS Means are the tools, practices, habits and knowledge learned and applied that will help us, along with the grace of God to replace our fallen character with the character of Christ. This will help us to allow the Holy Spirit greater access and power in our lives. These means will involve identifying your thoughts, habits and attitudes that are contrary to Scripture. Understanding the teaching of Scripture on these things and taking action through certain spiritual disciplines will train you and transform you. These two, God s grace and the disciplines, will help you to do what you cannot do by direct effort. We cannot be more loving by simply deciding that we are going to be more loving. There is a decision to want that. That is an intention. But intention alone cannot get you there when someone says something rude to you. You can t learn a new language or play a musical instrument just because you try. It takes discipline over time. The means of grace that God has ordained for us to use in these things are found in two categories: Disciplines of Abstinence Solitude Silence Fasting Frugality Chastity Secrecy Sacrifice Disciplines of Engagement Study Worship Celebration Service Prayer Fellowship Confession Submission These spiritual disciplines cannot be practiced all at once, but as needed as a means to living the life of Christ in you. Certainly, they should all be practiced from time to time; some daily and others weekly or as needed. These practices, with direct engagement with the word of God over time and under God s grace, will transform you from glory to glory. On your Transformation Process Guide, write your vision, intention and means for the change that God and you will be working toward. Remember this begins now. Delayed obedience is disobedience. Additional Resources on Transformation The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives. Dallas Willard. HarperOne, Reprint edition, 1999. Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ. Dallas Willard. NavPress, 2002. 10
The Transformation Process Guide Passage: 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:12 Step 1: Invocation Adoration Confession Thanksgiving Supplication (Intercession & Petition) Step 2: Meditation Step 3: Application Step 4: Memorization And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV) Step 5: Transformation What is your Vision? What is your Intention? What are your Means? 11
The Transformation Process Guide Passage: 2 Peter 1:2-9 Step 1: Invocation Adoration Confession Thanksgiving Supplication (Intercession & Petition) Step 2: Meditation Step 3: Application Step 4: Memorization 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature. 2 Peter 1:3 4a (ESV) Step 5: Transformation What is your Vision? What is your Intention? What are your Means? 12
The Transformation Process Guide Passage: Romans 8:12-30 Step 1: Invocation Adoration Confession Thanksgiving Supplication (Intercession & Petition) Step 2: Meditation Step 3: Application Step 4: Memorization 12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Romans 8:12 13 (ESV) Step 5: Transformation What is your Vision? What is your Intention? What are your Means? 13
The Transformation Process Guide Passage: Romans 12:1-21 Step 1: Invocation Adoration Confession Thanksgiving Supplication (Intercession & Petition) Step 2: Meditation Step 3: Application Step 4: Memorization 1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1 2 (ESV) Step 5: Transformation What is your Vision? What is your Intention? What are your Means? 14
The Transformation Process Guide Passage: Ephesians 4:17-5:7 Step 1: Invocation Adoration Confession Thanksgiving Supplication (Intercession & Petition) Step 2: Meditation Step 3: Application Step 4: Memorization 21 Assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:21 24 (ESV) Step 5: Transformation What is your Vision? What is your Intention? What are your Means? 15
The Transformation Process Guide Passage: 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:13 Step 1: Invocation Adoration Confession Thanksgiving Supplication (Intercession & Petition) Step 2: Meditation Step 3: Application Step 4: Memorization 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV) Step 5: Transformation What is your Vision? What is your Intention? What are your Means? 16
The Transformation Process Guide Passage: Colossians 3:1-17 Step 1: Invocation Adoration Confession Thanksgiving Supplication (Intercession & Petition) Step 2: Meditation Step 3: Application Step 4: Memorization 1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:1 4 (ESV) Step 5: Transformation What is your Vision? What is your Intention? What are your Means? 17
The Transformation Process Guide Passage: James 1:2-27 Step 1: Invocation Adoration Confession Thanksgiving Supplication (Intercession & Petition) Step 2: Meditation Step 3: Application Step 4: Memorization 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2 4 (ESV) Step 5: Transformation What is your Vision? What is your Intention? What are your Means? 18
The Transformation Process Guide Passage: Philippians 4:4-9 Step 1: Invocation Adoration Confession Thanksgiving Supplication (Intercession & Petition) Step 2: Meditation Step 3: Application Step 4: Memorization 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6 7 (ESV) Step 5: Transformation What is your Vision? What is your Intention? What are your Means? 19
The Transformation Process Guide Passage: 1 John 4:7-21 Step 1: Invocation Adoration Confession Thanksgiving Supplication (Intercession & Petition) Step 2: Meditation Step 3: Application Step 4: Memorization 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7 8 (ESV) Step 5: Transformation What is your Vision? What is your Intention? What are your Means? 20
10 Scriptures for Memory to Transform Your Life English Standard Version (ESV) 1. 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:12 Memory verse: And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV) 2. 2 Peter 1:2-9 Memory verse: 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature... 2 Peter 1:3 4a (ESV) 3. Romans 8:12-30 Memory verse: 4. Romans 12:1-21 Memory verse: 1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1 2 (ESV) 5. Ephesians 4:17-5:7 Memory verse: 21 Assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:21 24 (ESV) 6. 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:13 Memory verse: 12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Romans 8:12 13 (ESV) 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV) 21
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7. Colossians 3:1-17 Memory verse: 1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:1 4 (ESV) 10. 1 John 4:7-21 Memory verse: 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7 8 (ESV) 8. James 1:2-27 Memory verse: 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2 4 (ESV) 9. Philippians 4:4-9 Memory verse: 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6 7 (ESV) 23