The one thing we need above everything else is to understand how we change.
I suppose that through the grace of God, people did change, even when they thought that the way of change was through reform or through a lot of personal discipline.
Educating themselves as much as they could, they were able to train themselves in certain things, put away certain things, subdue certain things and bring forth others, but the real change that we want is not based upon that.
I believe in the change of people, but I believe those changes are wrought by exposure to God, not by human effort.
In the third chapter of II Corinthians, Paul tries to describe the way by which people change, and he says that Moses went up on the mountain and his face was transfigured. This ministration of condemnation and death was so glorious that Moses’ face shone. He wasn’t aware of it—the Old Testament says that Moses knew not that the skin of his face shone as he talked with Him (Exodus 34:29).
When he came down from the mountain, he was well aware that there had been a change that had been created in his life through exposure to God. So he put a veil on his face, for the people couldn’t stand to steadfastly look upon that face with the glory upon it.
Paul wrote that we also, with unveiled face reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed—we’re changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Lord the Spirit, (II Corinthians 3:18).
If you want to change, seek most earnestly that the Lord be revealed to your heart. The ultimate change of all changes will take place when it shall please the Lord Jesus Christ to reveal Himself in His fullness, as He is, to us.
I John 3:1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children ( not yet mature) of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the children (not yet mature) of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear( reveal Himself to us, a sudden climatic experience), we shall be like him; for we shall see( a face to face relationship with Him, where our spiritual eyes are wide open) him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
This is not talking about the rapture, but His appearing to the saints in the last days, when they go on to perfection, the perfecting of the love of God in us, through the purification of our soul where it no longer blocks us from seeing Him as He is.
Transformed, exposed to God, changed by it, we’re going to bear that glory; we’re going to bear that change. We are changed from glory to glory into the same image by the Lord.
If you want to change, worship the Lord a great deal; contemplate Him, let Him reveal Himself out of His Word. Let Him reveal Himself in your worship and prayers to Him. Let Him be revealed to your own heart, and you will be changed.
The changes that happen in us are without any specific steps of discipline that you can point to that are really satisfactory to explain them. The people are constantly changed; they are changed because the Lord is revealed to their hearts.
The word comes forth to them and changes them. We’re ready to go on, and we must realize that God began these things in the spirit and we cannot perfect them in the flesh, by human discipline.
If you think, “It is time to get to work with the Lord”, I’ll say “Amen” to it; but it’s not time to lessen your worship, your contemplation of the Lord and the practicing of His presence, because your change, the empowerment of your life, is dependent upon the fact that you’re going to be daily seeking for that sustaining revelation of the Lord.
The third chapter of Colossians tells us how we shall change: Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry; for which things’ sake cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience: wherein ye also once walked, when ye lived in these things; but now do ye also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, railing, shameful speaking out of your mouth: lie not one to another; seeing that ye have put off the old man with his doings, verses 5–9.
That’s what you have done; you’ve put the old man away. We’re not going to try to reform him or suppress him; we’re going to deliever him over to death. We’re going to identify him with Christ’s death.
We are to put on the new man, that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him: verse 10.
We’ve put him on, but from day to day, God is bringing forth fresh knowledge of what we really have in Christ, and what He is to be within us, where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all. Verse 11.
That’s true. Look around the church; every time you see what God is doing in a brother or sister’s life, do you say, “Oh, it’s marvelous what they’re doing?”
No, it’s Christ that’s doing it; it is Christ that is all in all. There isn’t anything taking place here that isn’t Christ, at least anything that’s worthwhile. Everything that’s worthwhile, Christ is doing. This is the key of what’s taking place.
Christ is coming to be glorified in His saints, to be admired in all them that believe (II Thessalonians 1:10). This happens before the rapture. He’s not coming to us now to stimulate and inspire our own personal disciplines. I think we will be highly disciplined as the army of the Lord, yet not disciplined to the energy of the flesh, but disciplined to that walk in the Spirit.
Put on therefore, as God’s elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, and kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye: and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful. Verses 12–15.
“Put it away; put it on.” That is the key. Are we going to do it? Yes, we are—this is what we’re doing. Does it work? Yes, it works—it’s working in every one of our lives. That’s what God is bringing forth. This is the key of change.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed—the word implies a metamorphosis—be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2.
The great things that God has set before us can cause a general sinking in the hearts of some of the people when they realize the human inadequacy to perform them.
So you have to know that the key of transformation is not within your own abilities, it is by an exposure to the Lord. Just expose yourself to Him. Come and be transformed. Renew your mind, renew your heart in the Lord, and it will take place!