Intentional Transformation: Becoming Like Christ Together

The aim of salvation is not simply to get to heaven when I die. Salvation's aim is to be made into a new type of person, to be born again, as Jesus would put it in John 3. That we might be the type of people who are at home in God's kingdom. This is the theme of the New Testament. [00:06:19] (25 seconds)  #SalvationAsNewIdentity

Paul is calling the Philippians and consequently all followers of Jesus to put intentional effort and work into the life of salvation. Now, I want to pause because it prompts an important theological question. Does Paul mean we work to earn our salvation? A good Protestant would protest that reading of this passage. That salvation is a gift of grace through faith. That religious deeds do not earn salvation. God graciously gives as a response to faith, which I believe Paul would say amen to. This text isn't about earning salvation. It is about participating in salvation. [00:10:18] (51 seconds)  #ParticipateInGraceNotEarn

Grace is not opposed to effort. It is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action. The intended meaning here is not that we earn our salvation, but that we can cooperate with it. [00:11:18] (17 seconds)  #EffortCooperatesWithGrace

It's not about being the most elite version of ourselves. It's not some TikToker like influence routine. That's not spiritual formation. It is to partner with God's spirit and slowly learn to peel back our fingers from control on our life. It's learning to partner with God as he gives us the will and the energy to act. [00:19:08] (29 seconds)  #CreateOpeningsForGod

Spiritual formation done well doesn't lead you into this perfectly curated schedule of just time alone. Just you and the Lord in a cabin in the woods. Spiritual formation done well stretches and expands your capacity to love and serve. [00:21:06] (21 seconds)  #ServeTogetherInUnity

Our environment will always trump our willpower. That same impulse encourages and drives people to sign up for an exercise class or CrossFit or a running club. It's not that you can't do these things alone. It's that you need someone to help keep you doing the exercise. Just as you may need someone to encourage you to do one more burpee, you may need someone to encourage you to continue exercising patience. To be generous or to exercise self-control. [00:25:27] (38 seconds)  #FormationForWorldsSake

Our formation, our becoming like Christ is not just for our sake, but in order that we participate in God's good purposes. Our formation is for the sake of the world. [00:26:41] (20 seconds)  #LivingWitnessOfLove

``When Jesus instructs us to follow he is leading a grassroots movement to transform the world from bottom up that our lives would be a living witness to his love and his mercy to all people that we would open our hands to our neighbor and say whatever is mine is yours because it all comes from god that he is leading us into every dark corner of existence that we might push back the darkness and declare that love conquers evil it's a transformation that will not happen in the halls of power or through the strength of the market but will happen over time through the renovation of hearts lives transformed by the gospel led to living the love generosity justice mercy and empathy of god the stakes are high and it begins with each of us committing to becoming like jesus [00:29:23] (68 seconds)  #DisciplesTakeInitiative