Thinking Rightly as the Basis for Change

     We had an awesome study on Tuesday, and dug into the idea of being proactive in changing the way we think about things before the big test comes. If you're a thief you have a certain mindset. You think your needs are more important than others, that there's no way to get the things you want without stealing them. God certainly isn't in the picture; He isn't doing anything for you.
    As a former thief who has become a believer, that mindset has to be different before you can move into obedience to Paul's command: work with your hands so you have to share with those who are in need. You now need to put others above yourself. You now need to believe God will provide. You need to see the value of work.
    What we didn't talk about, and I believe I was shortsighted to not talk about it, is how to change our thinking.
    In a general sense, Paul has been teaching about changing our thinking the entire book. As Gentiles before Christ, our thinking was futile. [4:17-19] We were darkened in our understanding, which is not surprising since we were separated from God, the source of all wisdom and understanding. But we are no longer separated from Him. In fact through the Spirit we are united with Him: He is in us.
    Paul has twice encouraged us to be like Christ. He described us in 1:23 as the church, his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. His prayer in 3:19 also concludes that we should be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
     So how do we get to the place that we are thinking like Christ? The transforming work of the Spirit takes place in cooperation with the transforming Word of God. Romans 12:2 says "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Paul writes to remind Timothy that from childhood he has known the "sacred writings which are able to give you wisdom..."The writer of Hebrews calls the Word is alive: it's active and effective and produces results. It's a two-edged sword, "it judges [evaluates] the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." [4:12]
     And here in Ephesians 4 Paul writes that instead of living as we used to live we are to be "made new in the attitude of your minds, to put on the new self, created to be like God..." That renewing of our minds takes place as the Word of God soaks into us, as the Spirit enlightens us and even as we try to live it out with various degrees of success.  The renewing of our mind starts with reading... What does God thinks? How does He view things? What are His ideas and goals? How would we know except for what is revealed in His word?
    We recently studied  Isaiah 55: 8-11 for growth group. As part of that study we were to think about specifics times the word changed us. I have often shared from my own life that during a time when I was considering throwing in the towel on the Christian life I spent months in Hebrews 10:19-12:13; the call to persevere [10] the hall of faith [11] and right thinking about discipline. [12] I didn't understand it. I read it as a pep talk. I would read it and say, "Ok, I won't quit today." ["To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." John 6:68]
     But now as I read that passage, the amazing and unlimited access to God, the commitment to the church, the faith.. not in having the life you thought you would have but in having a God who gives you His life, the promise.....which you might not even see fulfilled in your lifetime.....  All those things define who I am! That's the way I think! And I didn't even know it was happening... the Word transformed my thinking what it said.
    I hope all of you can focus again on the changes you have seen in your own life and believe in the power of the transforming Word of God to touch every corner of your heart and thought and life. Colossians 3:16 says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly."  The Word dwelling in our hearts and minds, living there, taking up residence there, making it's home within us.... That Word changes how we think and ultimately how we live.